Truck Driver Divorce

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

I know the lyrics are pretty straightforward in this one, but it would interest me what the rest of you have to say about it, especially the sociological impact of divorce on our society today.

[guacamole]

"It's verrry saaaad"
Sorry LCS but I couldn't resist it !

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

L.O.L.!  I guess I left myself wide open for that one!

[guacamole]

But Seriously Folks................
the effects of divorce, amongst other factors, are having a detrimental effect upon the environment according to a study by staff at Michigan State University and published today in Nature.
Even although in some countries the population is falling, the number of households is rising endangering the local ecology.
Two biodiversity "hotspots" in the US were identified as Indian River County in Florida and the California desert
( well, I hope it ain't true ).
There was no mention in the report that I read about the impact upon Utah or the string bean harvest.
www.nature.com/nsu/nsu_pf/030106/03010618.html

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

Holy Guacamole!  That's a good one.  I'd never considered the ecological aspects of the issue.  It sounds very likely, though.

A truck driver is a poor sod; he has to drive quite long distances, is almost always under pressure (time is money), and often ends up driving longer than he really should, putting himself and others at risk.  This is not directly his fault (although he contributes to the problem), it is more of an ugly by-product of a greedy capitalistic society.

If that weren't enough, people are doomed by their own hormones.  This concept surfaces in many FZ titles as a part of his conceptual continuity.  This guy's on the road, a long way from home, and he's desperately desires sexual gratification.  By the same token, the partner he's left behind is confronted with the same dilemma.  So, what happens?  That's right, plookin' and thrashin'!  It seems that many people in modern society just don't possess the patience to keep it in the pants and wait until they get home to satisfy the libido.  Instant gratification is high in demand nowadays and in some instances it is expected as a given.  This is yet another drawback to living in a first-world society.

Bust yer ass to deliver some string beans, and whaddaya get?

Tell 'em what they win, Bob...

[guacamole]

Well I dunno LCS, if I were going "transcontinental" I would expect to be away for quite some time ( is it any different really from a band "on the road" ).
I don't know how you fare in the deferred gratification stakes but I suspect there's a limit for everyone.

[guacamole]

Forgot to ask in the previous post LCS (as you and I seem to be the only ones discussing this) - do you think the Truck Driver thing with FZ was in part having a go at Lowell Georges "Willin'" (the truckers anthem) - I'm sure I read somewhere that when Lowell played the song to Frank he suggested that he leave the Mothers and start his own band (taking Roy Estrada with him).

[Chris]

Jeez, that's an excellent point -- I'd never thought of that before!

It just goes to show ya, there are always new things to learn about the World of Zappa.

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

Well I dunno LCS, if I were going "transcontinental" I would expect to be away for quite some time ( is it any different really from a band "on the road" ).
I don't know how you fare in the deferred gratification stakes but I suspect there's a limit for everyone.

Yeah, you're right.  We all have our limits, but it's not like the guy doesn't have any hands.  I don't want to come across as a "holier-than-thou" type (I most certainly am not), but I get the impression that the sort of trouble and sorrow that occurs in this song could be diminished if such heavy demands on the truckers were lightened.  There are truckers all over the US continent, and it is logistically possible to reduce their "area of operation" and still get them beans to Utah.  Sure, the truckers themselves are a bit silly (a great way of life for them), but that doesn't mean they should be ruthlessly taken advantage of by the corporate scum who don't care.

As far as the Lowell George story goes, I'm stumped.  I imagine it's possible.  I'd venture to guess that FZ was making fun of the whole trucker scene, not necessarily at Lowell George specifically.  I personally think "Willin' " is a nice song, and I bet FZ did too.  It was probably just time for George to make his own way; FZ was surely aware of those sort of things.  A musical group is a kind of "marriage", and this "divorce" was probably  one of the few that ended on good terms.

[guacamole]

LCS - good point about taking the matter into your own hands !
Yeah I quite like the song "Willin' " too (even if it is a bit romanticised) and you're probably right about FZ's relationship with George - the only person that I've read about whom FZ continued to dislike, after he'd finished working with him, was Jean Luc Ponty.

Chris - welcome to the thread !
("and then there were three").

[Chris]

LOL...much obliged.

Stringbeans to Utah. Hmmm. Any reference point for Utah? Did Lowell's parents live there, maybe? There's gotta be a reason Frank picked Utah, in particular.

(Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing like I always do.)

[bertanya]

(Or maybe I'm just over-analyzing like I always do.)

Perhaps I should give such touchy things a bit more thought before I write such sweeping generalizations.

Will the real Monsignor Federico please identify himself.  Hope this raises a chuckle...    

bertanya

[Chris]

LOL...I guess it depends on whether or not we're talking about music (vs. suicide).

Hey, self-deprecating humor is supposed to be charming...

[Lonesome Cowboy Squirt]

Will the real Monsignor Federico please identify himself.  

Nice one, Bertanya.

There's gotta be a reason Frank picked Utah, in particular.

Utah is more or less owned and run by Mormons.  Apparently, Mormons eat string beans a lot.  For more information about what Mormons eat, check out Jeff Robinson's fascinating tidbits on the Arf Society Pages:

http://www.arf.ru/Notes/Ship/nonot.html

A little bit of conceptual continuity occurs here, there's a connection with "No Not Now,"  where FZ gets a jab in at Donny & Marie Osmond.
 

[guacamole]

Chris - after a bit of rummaging about on the www., I can say that Lowell George had no Utah connection, he was raised in Hollywood, the family home being very close to Graumans Chinese Theatre. I also discovered that "out in the street he drove a '59 Morgan" (well I can't actually claim that it was a 1959 model).

LCS - regarding the string beans and mormons discussion on the Arf site; are these guys serious ?
I find the idea of mormons stuffing their faces with string beans hilarious but never considered that there was a basis in fact for it !
please tell me it's true ! or if you must, untrue.