Ed Greenberg told us that soon after the longform improvisational theater breakthrough called Harold was named, Del Close said that Frank Zappa’s “Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” was a “musical Harold”. Here’s a review of the song from allmusic.com:

“Brown Shoes Don’t Make It” is considered Frank Zappa’s first real masterpiece. This seven-and-a-half-minute song takes the form of a suite of short musical snippets of varying styles (from swing to contemporary classical) held together by the “story.” It first appeared on the 1967 LP Absolutely Free. It is the best of the album’s “underground oratorios.”… The story of this condensed two-hour musical (that’s exactly how it feels) addresses social hypocrisy. The piece begins by a cynical praise of the lower obedient suburban lifestyle: “Be a loyal plastic robot/For a world that doesn’t care,” “Shine on your shoes and cut your hair,” “Be a jerk and go to work.” But those advocating this anti-freak lifestyle, so to speak, appear to be a lot more deviant than the people not following “the rules”: “A world of secret hungers” hide in the offices of those telling everyone what to do. The song then follows one of these political rulers who fantasizes about a 13-year-old girl (“Smother my daughter in chocolate syrup/And strap her on again”). The song ends by mocking suburban politics, as the repressed pervert claims “Life is such a ball I run the world from City Hall.” The studio version was striking back in 1967, going beyond any pop song recorded before, but lack of time and budget left it a bit sloppy: sections aren’t edited perfectly, the band does not always land sharply on the right cues.

FoundSF skillfully re-tells a watershed event in the history of theater and freedom of speech.

Worth a read.

The Committee’s influence is widely felt, and not just in the world of show business. State Senator Mark Leno is himself a pioneer – as the first openly gay member of the California State Senate and one of the first lawmakers in the nation to get a same-sex marriage bill passed in a State Legislature. When we hosted a 50th birthday/reunion for The Committee last year, we were pleased to have Senator Leno and Senate President John Burton in attendance. Senator Leno’s brief remarks reminds us of the power that the arts have to inspire and encourage young minds. Thank you sir, for helping us pay tribute to The Committee.

Jerry Mander was The Committee’s PR man during their launch in San Francisco and wrote their famous “War Toy of the Week” ad, a replica of which we offered to some of our higher-level Kickstarter backers. After The Committee, The Sierra Club’s David Brower tapped Jerry to work on some of their biggest campaigns. He later wrote the influential “Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television”. He’s an ad-man, activist, and a deep thinker, and we’re grateful that he gave us some of his time. Check out ultra-rare Joan Baez photo in the background. Sweet.

Wavy’s time with The Committee was relatively short – about a year – but his relationship with the company runs deep. His life journey mirrors the life of The Committee in many ways, connecting the Greenwich Village poetry scene to the Viola Spolin-inspired improvisation of The Committee, and continuing with the in-the-streets political activism of campaigns like “Nobody for President”. The documentary on his life “Saint Misbehavin’” captures him perfectly. Check it out for inspiration and education. He’s a great human. Thanks, Wavy, for your time and words. You gave us a lot of stuff.

The St. Louis Compass in 1962, directed by David Shepherd, featuring Larry Hankin (bottom left), Martin Lavut, Hildy Brawner & Jack Burns. Thanks to improviser and scholar Michael Golding for letting us post this.

David Shepherd, a pioneer of improvisational theater who co-founded, with Paul Sills, The Compass Players, turned 90 this Spring. Michael Golding and Mike Fly produced a feature-length documentary on Shepherd that is mandatory viewing for students of improvisational theater. Like Viola Spolin and Paul Sills, David Shepherd is a foundational influence. Without him, we don’t exist.

When we interviewed Herbert Gold last month he mentioned that a writer from the San Francisco Chronicle had visited him earlier in the week. The interview was published Sunday. The short video that accompanies it really shows off his wit and charm. Worth a look! (pic from mistersf)