Appliantology

Appliantology is a parody religion made by Frank Zappa in his 1979 album, *Joe's Garage*, which parodies the real-life religion of Scientology. In his song, *"A Token of My Extreme"*, Frank Zappa creates and uses Appliantology to satirize Scientology, New Age religion and spirituality, as well as the sexual revolution of the time (1979).

### Summary

Appliantology, as sources confirm, is to have been shown as an insincere religion, as it were, which actively cooperates with a "malevolent totalitarian regime." This description is how the religion exists as a satire of Scientology and Scientology's founder and great prophet, L. Ron Hubbard. From a clear parody of Scientology's founder L. Ron Hubbard via 'mystical advisor' L. Ron Hoover, to a confusion of what 'The Closet' means until it is clarified as a bar in Los Angeles where one would attend for...'pleasure' using machinery to achieve such a thing (hence the religion's name), to the end where the singer's character Joe is told that the finest appliances can/do speak foreign languages, the song goes through quite a nifty amount of a general idea as to the structure of said fictional religion. The analysis of the song, *"A Token of My Extreme"*, was done by two entities: *Zappa*, and *Academy Zappa*. In the journal, *Studies in Musical Theatre*, it is mentioned by both R. J. Hand and P. Carr that *"A Token of My Extreme"* is "a satire of L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86) and the Church of Scientology".

### Lyrical Analysis

The lyrics give us a clear idea; google them to be sure, as this is only true as of June 5, 2018.

#### Beginning

The song begins by welcoming Joe to the religion, saying "Welcome to the First Church of Appliantology! The WHITE ZONE is for loading and unloading only!".

#### Rising Action

Joe, after a few sentences made in reaction to the greeting and Joe thinking to himself, he asks the 'Mystical Advisor', "What is my problem, tell me, can you see?", which is followed by L. Ron Hoover calling him "a Latent Appliance Fetishist", which Joe sees as extremely unusual to crave toasters or televisions. It is explained that a Latent Appliance Fetishist is "a person who refuses to admit to his or herself That sexual gratification can only be achieved through the use of MACHINES", or put simply, someone who denies that pleasure comes from machinery.

#### Climax

There is a location that Joe initially thinks is a decision to cease being this supposed closeted fetishist, yet it is revealed as a place (or possibly a state of mind) that the appliances for pleasure "all live" within. Joe is then told to learn a foreign language in order to find "a really GOOD one". Joe mentions the German language as an option, to which L. Ron Hoover replies "That's right, A lot of really cute ones come from over there! (Fifty bucks, please)".

#### Falling Action

The Appliantologists, each Appliantologist wearing aluminum foil lab smocks, would surround Joe and then chant:

"If you been mod-O-fied,

It's an illusion an yer in between

Don't you be tarot-fied,

It's just a lot of nothin' so what can it mean?

If you been mod-O-fied,

It's an illusion an yer in between

Don't you be tarot-fied,

It's just a lot of nothin' so what can it mean?"

#### Conclusion

The learning of the German language opens Joe to see gleefully an appliance that "looks like it's a cross between an industrial vacuum cleaner and a chrome piggy bank with marital aids stuck all over its body".

## References

1. ↑ Lowe, Kelly Fisher (2007). *The Words and Music of Frank Zappa*. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-0-8032-6005-4.
2. ↑ Bould, Mark; Butler, Andrew M, eds. (2009). "L. Ron Hubbard (1911–86)". *Fifty Key Figures in Science Fiction*. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-415-43950-3.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Prince, Michael J. (Spring 2005). "The Science Fiction Protocols of Frank Zappa". *Chapter&Verse*. PopMatters Media, Inc.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Carr, Paul; Richard J. Hand (December 2006). "Frank Zappa and musical theatre". *Studies in Musical Theatre*. **1**(1): 41–56. doi:10.1386/smt.1.1.41\_1. ISSN 1750-3159.
5. ↑ Staff (January 1, 1989). "Frank Zappa on CD (and LP), Part I-III". *Stereophile Magazine*. pp. Vol. 12., No. 1.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Miles, Barry (2004). *Zappa*. Grove Press. p. 431. ISBN 0-8021-1783-X.
7. ↑ Watson, Ben Leslie (2005). *Academy Zappa: Proceedings of the First International Conference of Esemplastic Zappology*. SAF Publishing Ltd. pp. 171–187. ISBN 0-946719-79-9.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 8.9 Zappa, Frank. “A Token of My Extreme.” *Joe’s Garage*, ed., Zappa Records, 1979, track 1.