Zappa, Prague, & Prazsky Vyber – Then & Now

While researching tracks for the next KUR mixtape, I happened upon some historical footage of Frank Zappa’s visit to Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1990 – and a chance to reacquaint myself with the metal group, Prazsky Vyber, with which Zappa performed one of his last guitar improvisations, “Improvizance v A dur s Franken Zappou” with guitarist Michal Pavticek in 1991:






Prazsky Vyber is:

Michael Kocab – vocal, synth, leader
Klaudius Kryspin – drums
Zlata E. Kinska – vocal
Glenn Proudfoot – guitar
Richard Scheufler – bass guitar

Author: urbangraffito

I am a writer, editor, publisher, philosopher, and foole (not necessarily in that order). Cultural activist and self-described anarchist.

9 thoughts on “Zappa, Prague, & Prazsky Vyber – Then & Now”

  1. Very strange and surrealistic watching Frank doing these tourist-like things in Prague. He looks somewhat clumsy and akward when he has to deal with ordinary people. Especially the scene where he is “on stage” in a club or Bierkeller fronting the band with a mike. Looks like someone who is a first-timer.

    Th.

  3. What a fascinating film – love it!!!! Zappa seems genuinely happy to be there and meeting his new fans. Great to see him singing along to Love Of My Life too. Thank you for sharing this.

  5. [quote comment=”10360″]Very strange and surrealistic watching Frank doing these tourist-like things in Prague. He looks somewhat clumsy and akward when he has to deal with ordinary people.

    Th.[/quote]

    Clumsy, no. Awkward, yes. For a control freak like Zappa, he really must have been out of his element both language-wise and surrounded by so many fans and being unable to say “No”, or “Back-off”. He really was at the mercy of his hosts who, at times, I think, left him in rather uncomfortable situations with nary a thought to his past history with certain overzealous fans (after listening to countless field recordings, I certainly came to the conclusion that Zappa was justifiably paranoid about overzealous fans rushing the stage – perhaps with sole exception of the Halloween shows at the Palladium – otherwise, he constantly told his audiences to “back up” and “sit down”).

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