The Great Zappa Prank

In connection with a concert by Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention at Bridges Auditorium, unknown culprits carried out one of Pomona’s greatest pranks by temporarily adding Zappa’s name and face to the pantheon of great composers carved into the frieze at the top of the building’s façade. The actual lineup in the frieze, from left to right, is Wagner, Chopin, Beethoven, Bach and Schubert, with the composer’s portrait to the left of his name and a decorative motif to the right. Using Styrofoam to imitate the stone of the building, the pranksters seamlessly covered Chopin’s name with Zappa’s, with his portrait to the left and a stylized marijuana leaf to the right. In 2012, John Irvine ’76 and Greg Johnson ’76, both math majors, stepped forward to confess that they were the pranksters. They even had the photos to prove it, including a photo of Irvine working on the Styrofoam frieze and a photo of Johnson making the dangerous climb from the top of the old gymnasium to the roof of Big Bridges on a precariously angled ladder