"Cosmik Debris" is a song by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

composer

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

, from his 1974 album ''

Apostrophe (') ''Apostrophe (')'' is the fifth solo studio album and eighteenth in total by Frank Zappa, released in March 1974 in both Stereophonic sound, stereo and Quadraphonic sound, quadraphonic formats. An edited version of its lead-off track, "Don't Eat ...

''. It concerns the Mystery Man, a typical

guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverentia ...

psychic A psychic is a person who claims to use extrasensory perception (ESP) to identify information hidden from the normal senses, particularly involving telepathy or clairvoyance, or who performs acts that are apparently inexplicable by natural laws, ...

, offering to help the narrator reach Nervanna icfor a "nominal service charge," and the narrator's refusal to buy into his act, "Look here, brother, who you jiving with that cosmik debris?" When the Mystery Man gets pushy, Zappa as the narrator tells how he snatched the crystal ball, hypnotized the Mystery Man, stole his stuff and blew his mind. The song was popular on the ''

Dr. Demento Barret Eugene Hansen (born April 2, 1941), known professionally as Dr. Demento, is an American radio broadcaster and record collector specializing in novelty songs, comedy, and strange or unusual recordings dating from the early days of phonograp ...

'' ''Show'' in the 1970s, and in Zappa's concerts, with memorable guitar solos from Zappa, also featuring

George Duke George M. Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American keyboardist, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer. He worked with numerous artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and as a pr ...

on keyboard and

Napoleon Murphy Brock Napoleon Murphy Brock (born June 7, 1945) is an American singer, saxophonist and flute player who is best known for his work with Frank Zappa in the 1970s, including the albums '' Apostrophe (')'', ''Roxy & Elsewhere'', ''One Size Fits All'', a ...

on sax. The song was featured in the late-2010

Zappa Plays Zappa Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa. History The band debuted in 2006 with shows in Europe, Canada ...

tour, where through video and editing (from 1970s-era shows), Frank Zappa on a large video screen both sang and played a guitar solo while the ZPZ band provided a live backing. This song was also a B-side to the single "

Don't Eat the Yellow Snow "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" is a suite by the American musician Frank Zappa, made up of the first four tracks of his 1974 album ''Apostrophe (')'': "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", "Nanook Rubs It", "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast", and "Father O'Bl ...

Connections to previous Zappa songs

References of previous songs are frequent in many Frank Zappa songs. "Cosmik Debris" shares the lyric "Now is that a real poncho or is that a Sears poncho?" which is a reference to the song "

Camarillo Brillo "Camarillo Brillo" is a song by Frank Zappa and The Mothers and was first included on his 1973 LP ''Over-Nite Sensation''. The song's lyrics include many colloquialisms and made-up words. The title itself is a pun; Zappa mispronounces Camarillo, ...

" from the previous album "''

Over-Nite Sensation ''Over-Nite Sensation'' is the ninth studio album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, released in September 1973. It was followed by Zappa's solo album ''Apostrophe (')'' (1974), which was recorded during the same sessions. Recording ...

''. "The "dust of

The Grand Wazoo ''The Grand Wazoo'' is the eighth studio album by Frank Zappa and The Mothers, released in November 1972. It was written and recorded during Zappa's period of convalescence after being assaulted in December 1971 in London, UK. Overview Along wi ...

" is also mentioned in the lyrics and refers to the album released by Zappa in 1972.

Track list

A-side "

Don't Eat The Yellow Snow "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" is a suite by the American musician Frank Zappa, made up of the first four tracks of his 1974 album ''Apostrophe (')'': "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow", "Nanook Rubs It", "St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast", and "Father O'Bl ...

" – 3:26 (Contains Don't Eat The Yellow Snow, Nanook Rubs it and the intro to St. Alfonzo's Pancake Breakfast) B-side "Cosmik Debris" – 4:10

Notes and references

{{authority control 1974 singles 1974 songs Frank Zappa songs Satirical songs Songs written by Frank Zappa Comedy rock songs Jazz fusion songs Song recordings produced by Frank Zappa