On 30-Jun-2004 RickTaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: } On 29-Jun-2004 luis jure wrote: } } Jos Laake <jos@xxxxxxxxxx> escribió: } } } > I believe it's a reference from the Frank Zappa song "Apostrophe", no? } } > From the album of the same name. } } > } } > I belive the line goes: } } > "The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe." - FZ } } } } right. "it should be easy to see..." } } } > What it means? I have no idea. Random silliness from the Master } } > is my guess. ;-) } } } } i don't see it as random. i'm not a native speaker of english, but i } think i } } can follow how zappa developed a funny variant of the idioms that use the } } word"crux" (meaning of course "decisive point", and not "cross"), mainly } } "the crux of the matter", but also "the crux of the problem/conflict", } "the } } crux of the discussion/debate", etc. } } } } it's very probable that zappa himself invented the expression (can anyone } } trace it to a predating source?), perhaps melding "crux of the matter" } and } } "crust of the biscuit". } } } } it appeared first in the song "stink foot", which was included in the } album } } "apostrophe" from 1974. zappa also used the expression in conversation, i } } remember reading interviews where he used this peculiar idiom. } } I think you've got to look at that one in context... It is the dog } explaining } "conceptual continuity" after all. Maybe it means that the "important bits" } of } his biscuit are missing and therefore must be filled in by the imagination } or } out of habit like we use an apostrophe to fill in the missing bits of words } or } contractions. Whether the actual important bits of the biscuit are the ends } or } perhaps the dog has begun his biscuit fest by biting the biscuit middle is } something, I think, that Frank has left up to the listener to determine... } the } actual import of the statement being that the bits are missing thus } breaking } the biscuit continuity and that we've filled things in with one of the } above } mentioned devices. ...Like the apostrophe. } } I'm thinking this represents Franks tribute to mans imagination. ...The } idea } that we, as humans, are capable of imagining things like talking dogs } ...maybe } it's a contrast with the stark reality of stinky feet... which Frank may } use } to illustrate the "street" or the baser human elements. } } So... Frank basically is contrasting the sublime with the human here... } telling us that what's important lies in the mind and not in the physical. } } It's just so typically Frank. } } } excuse the OT, but the artists and groups usually mentioned on this list } are } } completely unknown to me, for once i wanted to talk a musician i _do_ } know. } } er... not very probable an OT about duke ellington or thelonious monk, is } } You've heard the Yellow Orchestra stuff? } } ---------------------------------- } E-Mail: RickTaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx } Date: 30-Jun-2004 } Time: 01:37:24 } } This message was sent by XFMail } ---------------------------------- On 30-Jun-2004 RickTaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote: } On 29-Jun-2004 luis jure wrote: } } Jos Laake <jos@xxxxxxxxxx> escribió: } } } > I believe it's a reference from the Frank Zappa song "Apostrophe", no? } } > From the album of the same name. } } > } } > I belive the line goes: } } > "The crux of the biscuit is the Apostrophe." - FZ } } } } right. "it should be easy to see..." } } } > What it means? I have no idea. Random silliness from the Master } } > is my guess. ;-) } } } } i don't see it as random. i'm not a native speaker of english, but i } think i } } can follow how zappa developed a funny variant of the idioms that use the } } word"crux" (meaning of course "decisive point", and not "cross"), mainly } } "the crux of the matter", but also "the crux of the problem/conflict", } "the } } crux of the discussion/debate", etc. } } } } it's very probable that zappa himself invented the expression (can anyone } } trace it to a predating source?), perhaps melding "crux of the matter" } and } } "crust of the biscuit". } } } } it appeared first in the song "stink foot", which was included in the } album } } "apostrophe" from 1974. zappa also used the expression in conversation, i } } remember reading interviews where he used this peculiar idiom. } } I think you've got to look at that one in context... It is the dog } explaining } "conceptual continuity" after all. Maybe it means that the "important bits" } of } his biscuit are missing and therefore must be filled in by the imagination } or } out of habit like we use an apostrophe to fill in the missing bits of words } or } contractions. Whether the actual important bits of the biscuit are the ends } or } perhaps the dog has begun his biscuit fest by biting the biscuit middle is } something, I think, that Frank has left up to the listener to determine... } the } actual import of the statement being that the bits are missing thus } breaking } the biscuit continuity and that we've filled things in with one of the } above } mentioned devices. ...Like the apostrophe. } } I'm thinking this represents Franks tribute to mans imagination. ...The } idea } that we, as humans, are capable of imagining things like talking dogs } ...maybe } it's a contrast with the stark reality of stinky feet... which Frank may } use } to illustrate the "street" or the baser human elements. } } So... Frank basically is contrasting the sublime with the human here... } telling us that what's important lies in the mind and not in the physical. } } It's just so typically Frank. } } } excuse the OT, but the artists and groups usually mentioned on this list } are } } completely unknown to me, for once i wanted to talk a musician i _do_ } know. } } er... not very probable an OT about duke ellington or thelonious monk, is } } You've heard the Yellow Orchestra stuff? } } ---------------------------------- } E-Mail: RickTaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx } Date: 30-Jun-2004 } Time: 01:37:24 } } This message was sent by XFMail } ---------------------------------- by the way: http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story?id=6217364&pageid=rs.Home&pageregion=sing le1 http://www.zappa.com/cheezoid/ ---------------------------------- E-Mail: RickTaylor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Date: 30-Jun-2004 Time: 19:11:59 This message was sent by XFMail ----------------------------------
