Unlike many of you, I am not emotionally invested in this debacle. But I do know that if Gail runs the ZAPPA name into the ground, it’s hers to do with as she will. She was Zappa’s wife, he left his legacy to her and their children.

Before the internet, there were tape traders that were at least tolerated by Zappa. It was a self-limiting network of fans who already owned every official Zappa release and built the kind of sub-strata that most artists could only dream of. But now that all these music blogs and MegaDataSharing servers available in Europe and elsewhere outside the US have come to be, people throw new releases up the moment they acquire them out of some Robin Hood-ian sense of self-aggrandizement.

I know that’s not what KUR did, or does, but I know I’ve seen “Corsage,” “Domage,” “Buffalo” and more available for free download. It’s not possible for someone to police all the unauthorized sites and rate them on the degree on infringement. That’s why KUR has been made to suffer for the foolishness of others.

You can demonize her, and hey, maybe she really deserves it. But as a Zappa fan, no matter how devoted and honest of intent, you cannot deny that Gail Zappa is Zappa now. The music is Frank’s and will always be, but somebody has to take care of business, and Frank said it was Gail’s job. Hell, she did most, if not all, of the business stuff when he was alive.

I wish everyone well and hope that you can get the compromise from ZFT that lets a site like KUR run full steam as it had before (I’ve been a casual reader for a long time and always thought it was the best looking and best maintained of all the Zappa sites). So I’ll go back to my ugly little room and play one more (not last) imaginary guitar solo…

Lou Ming

A quote from Rob:

Gail spoke recently at a college about her need to protect & serve…Does anybody have a summary of her comments (or did she copyright them, too)?

I think you’re looking for this.

I’ve never read so much hokum since the last time I read an interview of Gail Zappa. I mean, protecting “artistic intent”? What the F#%K does that mean anyway? What exactly is the artistic intent of musical notes beyond their being played? I’ve never heard one person muddle the English language as much as she does. You just can’t get a straight answer from her in plain language. It’s obvious to me that she’s quite mad mad mad. A villain, no.

Kevin Hoover says: It’s like a nightmare the way things have soured. I don’t know why it has to be this way. Krazee!

As head of the ZFT, GZ is the architect of everything currently “going sour” in the Zappa community. As a community, we have always been there, throughout the years, supporting FZ music and legacy, buying his releases in numerous formats, and providing free promotion “that money can’t buy.” In return, what do we get for our troubles? We’re labeled as thieves, racketeers, copyright enfringers for posting bootleg recordings that the ZFT don’t even have copyright on, interviews from magazines they don’t own or possess copyright for, and thumbnail-size gifs of album covers. Okay. Boo hoo. Be a bully, have your way, Gail Zappa. What exactly has she achieved? A couple thousand less freaks promoting FZ on a daily basis on the web. If this is the ZFT business plan for the 21st Century, we all better take very good care of our FZ collections because I predict by 2016 they will be out of business (and we freaks will the last one’s left to promote the man’s music and legacy). Gail seems to have forgotten that you need a fanbase to sell albums to, not just a catalog to a record company.

And let me ask, if you had the choice to see Banned From Utopia or Zappa Plays Zappa, which would you chose? Really?

To suggest that little ole KUR is undermining and weakening the perpetuation of the copyright of the ZFT (aka. Barking Pumpkin/ZAPPA et al) is absolutely ludicrous. If their business is weakened and undermined, it is as a result of their own actions (donating money to the democratic party, for instance), or their own ineptitude at business (hiring advertising agencies to conceive of album covers, and poorly sewn T-shirts made in Honduras, and a badly designed webpage, for example), and their seeming endless intention to insult and dismiss every last alumni and long time fan.

But obviously, Lou, actually reading and informing yourself before speaking is something better suited here than to a Zappa.com forum. Except when you say something “the Gail” doesn’t like at a Zappa.com forum you risk censorship. That never happens at KUR. But I guess when you pick and choose your freedoms…

So, will the real freak please stand up.

No one pretended he’s a part of a great artists’ work.

Dear Lou “please, read again, carefully” Ming: please, read again carefully. Read the petition, read the connecting articles, read Gails “answer” and the responses to that. You’re insinuating people by things they necver said. Shame.

Barking Pumpkin/ZAPPA et al are/is a small private company and you are undermining and weakening the perpetuation of their copyright, as well as allowing their lawyers to rack up infinite billable hours to prove that they ARE enforcing their claim.

I never bought into that whole “information wants to be free” concept to justify liberating an artistic work from the commercial marketplace. And when you take an artist’s work after he’s dead, give it away to everyone with a computer, AND insult his widow and family in the process, you are fucking with Zappa’s life as callously and weasely as the men with the blue paper did.

It’s nice to pretend you are a part of a great artists’ work. but you’re not. You are the audience. So get your feet off the stage. or go home and write your own music to give away.

Lou “Please, take the towels” Ming

Barking Pumpkin/ZAPPA et al are/is a small private company and you are undermining and weakening the perpetuation of their copyright, as well as allowing their lawyers to rack up infinite billable hours to prove that they ARE enforcing their claim.

I never bought into that whole “information wants to be free” concept to justify liberating an artistic work from the commercial marketplace. And when you take an artist’s work after he’s dead, give it away to everyone with a computer, AND insult his widow and family in the process, you are fucking with Zappa’s life as callously and weasely as the men with the blue paper did.

It’s nice to pretend you are a part of a great artists’ work. but you’re not. You are the audience. So get your feet off the stage. or go home and write your own music to give away.

Krazee!

Here’s what Gail said on my blog:

http://crushallboxes.blogspot.com/2007/12/trouble-in-zappaland-december-14-2007.html

I’ve attempted to communicate with Gail and observe her concerns while still promoting Frank via the radio show and blog, on the theory that there has to be a way.

But, responses have been sporadic. I’m not giving up, though.

I’d like to thank everyone for their views. Please don’t do or not do anything based on my crappy opinions.

Kevin, I must say your attempts are, indeed, courageous. I have come to one unmistakable conclusion, though. Everything that Gail has said, worth repeating, would fill a thimble half way atop the head of a pin.