Released 1974 | Length 6:33 "Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?"(6) "Cheepnis" | |
"Cheepnis" "Son of Orange Country"(8) | ||
Cheepnis is a song by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, which is a tribute to B-movies.
Contents
Song description
The song sings about the special effects in early horror movies, including a monster, named "Frunobulax", a very large poodle dog. The poodle is a recurring theme in other Zappa songs and is an illustration of what he referred to as the "conceptual continuity" of his body of work.
It was also a part of the unreleased "Hunchentoot" play written around 1972. The play also included tracks released on 1972's album The Grand Wazoo, 1979's Sleep Dirt, and various others.
Appearances
The song first appeared on his 1974 album Roxy & Elsewhere, from a live recording. Another live version of the song was released on You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 2.
The beginning of the Roxy & Elsewhere version of the track has a 2-minute monologue about It Conquered The World and horror movies in general, including Zappa's comment that "cheapness, in the case of a monster movie, has nothing to do with the budget of the film, although it helps".{Roxy & Elsewhere 1974}
The song is mentioned in the Book of the SubGenius.