“We Are Doing Voter Registration Here” [Live At Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, NY 3/25/88]

[Intro]
Woo!

[Frank Zappa]
Hey!
Welcome to the program tonight, folks
This is our last concert date in the
United States before we go to Europe
So this is gonna be a big show
We ha-, we have many special Long Island
Kinds of things for you tonight
As you know, we are doing voter registration here
Have been doing it for the entire tour
And we are going to take yet another intermission
For those of you who have not registered
You get one more whack at it
We're gonna take a twenty minute break
After we play for about an hour
It's all to make sure we get as many of you
Registered as possible here tonight
And to show you how easy it is
I want to introduce you to Greg Bolognese
Now, say hi to everybody, Greg

[Greg]
How you doin'?

[Frank Zappa]
And this is Josh Reuben and Alice Chef
And what they're gonna do here tonight
Is they're actually gonna register Greg
A genuine Long Island kind of guy
We're gonna register him to vote
Just to show you how easy it actually is
Go over here

[Voter Registerer 1]
On behalf of the leauge of women-

[Frank Zappa]
N-, is it-, you gotta talk right into it
Is it workin'?

[Voter Registerer 1]
On behalf of the leauge of women voters, that's better
On behalf of the leauge of women voters
I am very pleased to be here for voter registration, um
I hope you will all do your civic duty and-and vote
And say yes to vote!

[Crowd]
Yeah!

[Frank Zappa]
All right, now look at this
Is this hard or what?

[Greg Bolognese]
No, pretty easy

[Voter Registerer 2]
It's real easy
If you know your name, and you know where you live
You can register to vote, it's real easy

[Frank Zappa]
That's even beyond easy, it's almost embarrasing

[Voter Registerer 1]
Frank I knew you from the six- I knew you from the sixites
You haven't changed a bit!

[Frank Zappa]
A little bit, I didn't

[Greg Bolognese]
How you doin'?

[Frank Zappa]
You're goin' slow there, Greg
What is this, you got to think about where you live now?

[Greg Bolognese]
No!

[Voter Registerer 2]
Put your first name here

[Frank Zappa]
There you go, first name goes on that line

[Voter Registerer 2]
Middle initial

[Frank Zappa]
Middle initial

[Voter Registerer 2]
You register for a political party here
Sign your name

[Frank Zappa]
He registered right to life, ladies and gentlemen
Right to life, there's one in every crowd
And he signed it in-

[Voter Registerer 2]
And make sure you sign the back

[Frank Zappa]
Sign the back, Greg

[Voter Registerer 2]
It's real easy, we have tables out in the-in the lobby outside
Three tables are set up, it's real easy to do

[Frank Zappa]
You know it's gonna be a lot easier for you

[Voter Registerer 1]
You have to spell your name-

[Frank Zappa]
When you get out there

[Voter Registerer 1]
(Woo!) You have to spell your name, you're home free

[Frank Zappa]
OK, thank you guys
OK, go ahead, OK
I want to introduce you now to Ben Waxman
Who is here from Governor Cuomo's office
And he has something (Check!)

[Ben Waxman]
I'd just like to read a brief message from the governor

[Frank Zappa]
Please be quiet so we can hear what he's got to say

[Ben Waxman]
"Dear Mr. Zappa, I'd like to take this opportunity
To congratulate you for the important work
You are doing in encouraging your audiences
And other to register and vote
The only way in which we can meaningfully
Control in a participatory democracy such as ours
Is if we register and vote in elections
Although this is true, too many of our citizens
Choose not to participate, including young people
They have a va-vriety of reasons
Some people mistakenly belive they can avoid
Jury duty by not registering, while others don't believe
That their vote makes a difference
The truth of the matter is if you don't register and vote
Those who do vote may decide your future
Even though you may not agree with them
I applaud your message to your fans
To register to vote, to participate in our democratic process
By sending this message, you are helping to make
Our democracy stronger, our government better
And our future more secure
On behalf of all New Yorkers, I thank you
Sincerley, Mario Cuomo, governor of New York"

[Frank Zappa]
Thank you, alright
Oh, uh-ha
Op, we're gonna need that later

[Ben Waxman]
Ha-ha!