25 thoughts on “Ivo Niehe Meets Frank Zappa (’91)”

  3. Mr. Niehe is a horrible creature. He reads about his victims and carefully plans which anecdotes he wants them to tell. If they somehow fail to say exactly what he wanted them to say, he’ll switch to voice over to tell it to the audience himself. He is NOT curious and therefore NOT a good journalist.

    This episode was the first time in years that I watched The TV Show, and I can’t say I could change my mind after watching this (although even mr. Niehe couldn’t spoil FZ’s brilliant ending statement).

  5. … and I’ve also found it on unitedmutations.com. 🙂
    Check out the very last seconds of the second part:

    “What do you do Mr.Zappa?”
    **Zappa hits a note on his keyboard**
    “Thank you, Mr Zappa”

    balint.hu

  6. For a long time i was looking for this footage. I remember seeing it live, but the only time i saw it, was back then. THANX…

  7. One of the first interviews of him I’ve seen where it doesn’t overlap with some other TV appearance (Joan Rivers, Arsenio…)

    He actually seems to enjoy talking about what he’s being asked.

  8. I am constantly amazed at Zappa’s depth and breadth of intelligence (especially since he confesses not to read books and gets his information first hand from talking to people). There is certainly a glimpse there of this man’s mind, how it works, a genius which transcends just music. For instance, the thought that “winos don’t march” and beer drinking in the U.S. “leads to pseudo military behavior” is a brilliant observation. Or that politician’s are all “banal, stupid, greedy little incompetents.” Or that the solution to most problems in America over the last 50 years or so has been to just go home and jerk off, is also brilliant: just look at the state of that nation, and the world (there has, indeed, been a lot of jerking off going on, and obviously, according to Plooker, people prefer it over thinking for themselves). Frank said that jerking off wouldn’t be interesting enough for a TV series: too bad he didn’t live long enough for the advent of reality television (now that’s jerking off!).

  10. One can only imagine what Frank would have said about European societies if he had grown up there. Surely the level of absurdity there rivals and even tops that of the Americans on occasions. Of course an individual such as Frank never could have grown up in modern day Europe, it took the unique aspects of southern California and American culture together with his first generation immigrant status to mold him…

  11. Somewhat off topic – but a great way to get another classic You Tube moment into this thread. Mr Trent Reznor, American wunderkind of industrial music, singing “Broken Hearts Are For Assholes” in order to get all worked up and ready to wow his crowd. It actually brings a tear of joy to my eye:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNPVfeyIxBc

  13. [quote post=”562″]One can only imagine what Frank would have said about European societies if he had grown up there. Surely the level of absurdity there rivals and even tops that of the Americans on occasions. Of course an individual such as Frank never could have grown up in modern day Europe, it took the unique aspects of southern California and American culture together with his first generation immigrant status to mold him…[/quote]
    Please be careful with prejudices about “us ” Euopeans. Surely our governments are similar to the American concerning absurdity or whatever. I think there is no way of comparing two govs at all. It only mirrors what papers tell their readers about respective other conditions and circumstances.
    And I think that Frank would most likely have grown to be another Frank in Europe. With more classical educated musicians and a longer musical tradition but with less raw roots of songwriting there is no way what he would have done with his intelligence. Maybe he would have become a … no, there’s no guessing.
    Another thing is the possible country to live in: Bulgaria or Wales – to comprehend the span. Europe is as different as rural Texas and New York is compared. Another thing is the destruction of musical roots and the American imperialism of Elvis and Coke. Here in Austria most original roots are destroyed since WW2 and everybody wants to sing English (without really being able to – its really ridiculous) … but I admit I am often imagining what Frank might have said about Obama or Bush the minor, or Sarkozy or Joerg Haider (if you have read about his Nazi heritage and killing himself in a car accident last week) or the actual Wall Street Desaster, what kind of music he might write today

  14. [quote post=”562″]Somewhat off topic – but a great way to get another classic You Tube moment into this thread. Mr Trent Reznor, American wunderkind of industrial music, singing “Broken Hearts Are For Assholes” in order to get all worked up and ready to wow his crowd. It actually brings a tear of joy to my eye:[/quote]
    Maybe I am just now in a belligerent mood: But the whole Trent Reznor thing is truly very much “make believe” and fake, serving the lost and desparate, which is okay, but serving them back their own errors (and for hard cash too), while they would deserve naked truth to not make the same errors their parents made and get hold of a little bit of truth. This masquerade is deceiving their audiences. Winos don’t march, buch Trentors surely do.

  15. [quote post=”562″]Winos don’t march, buch Trentors surely do.[/quote]
    Sorry: “…, BUT Trentors surely do.
    Don’t get me wrong: I think Trent is a very intelligent person, but the whole thing he produces here is a cheap ideological ripp-off.

  16. [quote post=”562″]I think Trent is a very intelligent person, but the whole thing he produces here is a cheap ideological ripp-off.[/quote]

    Props (if I may call you that) – I think we’d need to move this NIN/Trentors/Trenchers conversation to another thread out of respect to this existing “Ivo” thread. My inclusion of the NIN Closure video (available on VHS only I believe) was mainly to show how far from the “jazz/rock” or “comedy-rock” world Zappa’s influence went. Most NIN fans (as imagined by a rock critic or just myself) would most likely be your stereotypical dark goth infused with a humorless dystopian view and nihilist tendencies. Trent was not far from that himself once! But to know that cathartic comedy does live in Trent’s black little heart was eye-opening to me. What was more so, was that the rest of the band was just as psyched to get ready for their 90’s live show (full of as many misguided teenagers as FZ’s 70’s shows were) to the anthem of “Assholes”. I would be curious to see if your “ideological ripp-off” comment has to do with this particular period in time for Trent, or his more current forays into conceptual music. I have seen many comments online (not here I don’t believe) drawing parallels between “Joe’s Garage” (the albums, not the ‘new’ musical) and NIN’s “Year Zero”. And I for one did not disagree that Trenty and Franky could be cranky together if FZ were with us still. I can almost see “Civilization Phase IV: Dog Breath in the Year of the Zero”…

  17. [quote comment=”2696″]
    Please be careful with prejudices about “us ” Euopeans. Surely our governments are similar to the American concerning absurdity or whatever.[/quote]

    This can easily go both ways. I don’t know how many times I have heard the comment “you Americans” or “you Canadians” slip into the discussion here on KUR (so often sometimes that I just tend to ignore it). Really, we are in an age now where we are beyond such characterizations as “nations” and “states” and more a part of global economic zones. Politicians manipulate the human tendency to gather into groups and march about to get themselves elected, after which they return to business as usual. The prejudice of which you speak is just a hold over from a time that should be left to stink the top of history’s garbage heap (in my opinion).

    [quote comment=”2696″]
    And I think that Frank would most likely have grown to be another Frank in Europe. With more classical educated musicians and a longer musical tradition but with less raw roots of songwriting there is no way what he would have done with his intelligence.[/quote]

    I disagree completely. Frank, like all of us, was a product of his time (growing up in the 40s, 50s, and 60s) and of his experiences (in Southern California). Both the poor US educational system and being entrapped by the vice police had a profound effect upon his worldview (a worldview he couldn’t possibly have developed in Europe). If Frank had been raised in Europe, it’s my opinion that he would’ve been one of those “student leaders” he wrote about in ‘Holiday In Berlin’. Nazi’s just like Mom and Dad. Indeed, you learn what you are exposed to.

    [quote comment=”2696″]Europe is as different as rural Texas and New York is compared. Another thing is the destruction of musical roots and the American imperialism of Elvis and Coke. Here in Austria most original roots are destroyed since WW2 and everybody wants to sing English (without really being able to – its really ridiculous)[/quote]

    Europe is as different as rural Texas and New York is compared? Come on, friend. In what context? Sure America has its problems (heritage of slavery, poor race relations, poverty, no health care), but it is in no way comparable to death camp which is historical Europe. After the miseries and atrocities of WW2, Europe had the opportunity to start afresh. Then why did gov’t after gov’t lean back toward the comfortable arms of the right wing and fascism? Why are non white immigrants in European countries still fighting to belong?

    Indeed, Propellerkuh, while America is not the panacea of hope, or the cornucopia of plenty it once had been, Europe is far from perfect either. Before any of us start pointing fingers about who is better, or why, perhaps we should all check our own backyards first. I know I have (and it isn’t very pretty, either).

  18. [quote post=”562″]I disagree completely.[/quote]
    Sorry, excuse my language. I didn’t mean “another Frank” but “an other Frank”. Surely, you are right.

  19. [quote post=”562″]Before any of us start pointing fingers about who is better, or why, perhaps we should all check our own backyards first. I know I have (and it isn’t very pretty, either).[/quote]
    I didn’t mean to point fingers. I am totally aware that Europe is in not a single point “better” than the US. Sorry, if a word from me seemed to hint at something like a superiority feeling. I am an adorant reader of the New York Times and to think there was much difference to quality papers here in Germany eg would be truly stupid from me.
    Greetings

  20. [quote post=”562″]Europe is as different as rural Texas and New York is compared?[/quote]
    What I meant here exactly was: Europe is in itself as different as rural Texas and New York is within the US. I didn’t mean US is to Europe like rural Texas compared to NY. See?

  21. Thanks for posting this. I need to watch part two still, but it was interesting, as always, with FZ.

    The beer drinking thing, though, is a bit of a stretch.

    It may be true, to a point, among certain groups, but I’d argue that those individuals are already predisposed to being military types. Beer loosens inhibitions. Frank didn’t seem to have any inhibitions. And, he obviously, to all of us, wished to create and get his music played than to imbibe beverages whiole sitting on a couch (or trashing cities like football hooligans). That’s fine. But, the idiots who do idiotic things while drunk on beer were idiots to start with.

    I used to drink and myself and my buddies never exhibited anything resembling military behavior! We laughed and became the exact opposite of what Frank was speaking of.

    🙂

  22. [quote comment=”2704″]
    The beer drinking thing, though, is a bit of a stretch.

    …the idiots who do idiotic things while drunk on beer were idiots to start with.

    I used to drink and myself and my buddies never exhibited anything resembling military behavior! We laughed and became the exact opposite of what Frank was speaking of.

    :)[/quote]

    I agree, mmO!
    It seems to me that Zappa liked to criticize people who’d enjoy drugs he wouldn’t; what about coffee and tobacco? Never mind… abusing those will only transform you in an obsessive hyperstimulated workaholic, which is ok, no?

  24. [quote comment=”2702″][quote post=”562″]Before any of us start pointing fingers about who is better, or why, perhaps we should all check our own backyards first. I know I have (and it isn’t very pretty, either).[/quote]
    I didn’t mean to point fingers. I am totally aware that Europe is in not a single point “better” than the US. Sorry, if a word from me seemed to hint at something like a superiority feeling. I am an adorant reader of the New York Times and to think there was much difference to quality papers here in Germany eg would be truly stupid from me.
    Greetings[/quote]

    I wasn’t pointing fingers in any particular direction. Even here in Canada, we have a long history of revising our past to suit our present needs. If something ugly pokes it’s head out of our collective past (the internment and forced labour of eastern Europeans on the Canadian prairies during the first World War, for instance), that history tends to get whitewashed in our rush toward political correctness. I prefer to view my country for what it is: warts and all, not some manufactured fallacy or myth. Perhaps if we all did that there might be less strife in the world.

  25. I don’t know anything about this Ivo guy, but I could watch video of Frank going over the finer points of the Synclavier for hours. I love this shit.

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