ARF LOGO
CUCAMONGA YEARS

 Dear Jeepers (Zappa)

Notes and Comments
Previous entry This Album Refs Global N&C Refs Songs Index Next entry
From: N.Slaven Electric Don Quixote. p.35
  "Frank wrote the Jeepers songs in imitation of John Zacherle single, 'Dinner With Drac'"
From: Vladimir
  BTW, what the heck are Jeepers?
  To Album Refs
To Global Refs
Oh, what have we here? Oh! A letter! It smells . . .Oh, how wonderful! I
just love letters that are perfumed. Oh! Lovely, lovely stench! Essence of
wolfbane! Oh let me open it! . .

"Dear Jeepers, it was so nice of you to attend my party at the castle last
week. You and Doris make such a lovely couple. I'm also very glad to have
seen Igor, Boris and Sally Snake, and Funkin the Rat. It was so much fun
From: Vladimir
  Most probably reference to Stravinsky.
From: Charles Ulrich <ulrich@sfu.ca>
  No. Igor is the stereotypical name for a mad scientist's assistant (preferably hunchbacked), e.g. Marty Feldman's character in Young Frankenstein (which postdates "Dear Jeepers", of course).
  I don't know if this character name can be traced to a specific monster movie. (Lugosi's Ygor in Son of Frankenstein was not a hunchbacked assistant but a blind hermit--Gene Hackman's character in Young Frankenstein). But in any case it was used by Bobby "Boris" Pickett in 1962 in the song "Monster Mash": "Igor on chains, backed by his baying hounds". There's no reason to believe that Pickett was a big Stravinsky fan.
From: Vladimir Sovetov
  Well, right! You are right, Charles. I was wrong. The proof is below, the very lyrics of John Zacherle's 1958 hit
DINNER WITH DRAC

A dinner was served for three
At Dracula's house by the sea
The hors d'oeurve were fine
But I choked on my wine
When I learned that the main course was me!
The waitress a vampire named Perkins
Was so very fond of small gherkins
While serving tea
She ate 43
Which pickled her internal workings!
Igor the scalpels go on the left with the pitchforks
Igor, Igor...
What a swimmer is Dracula's daughter
But her pool looks more red than it oughter
The blood stains the boats
But it's easy to float
Because blood is much thicker than water!

INSTRUMENTAL INTERLUDE

Dracula old friend how are things in Transylvania
For dessert there was batwing confetti
And the veins of a mummy named Betty
I first frowned upon it
But with ketchup on it
It tasted very much like spaghetti!
Goodnight whatever you are!
 
when we all played 'Pin the Tail on the Werewolf,' oh yes! and 'Electrical
Chairs.' When everybody sat down, Oh! Two million volts! Ha-ha-ha..!
Oh,such fun!"
  CC
  And for 'Goodnight whatever you are!' Continuity check out Muffin Man. BONGO FURY
Previous entry This Album Refs Global N&C Refs Songs Index Next entry
SOVA NOSE Any proposal? I'd like to hear!
Provocation, compilation and design © Vladimir Sovetov, 1994-2004
You could download, copy and redistribute this material freely as long as you keep copyright notice intact and don't make any profite on it.