Outside Now

Depending on how well you know me, it may or may not come as a surprise to you dear reader, that this is where Kill Ugly Radio ends.

There are quite a few reasons why I decided today was a good time to put this old and rusty site to rest, but I won’t go into that. Instead, allow me to say it has been an honor and a pleasure to host KUR during the past 11 years. I’ve learned so much from your comments and emails, laughed my ass off at some of them, and believe me when I say that without KUR, I would have never met some of the brightest people within the Zappa community. I’m proud to say some of them remain close friends to this day.

I hope KUR has been a source of fun, discovery and inspiration over the years. Perhaps it gave you a chuckle, or perhaps you became acquainted with music you’d not heard before, perhaps you engaged in, or read some really erudite discussion on a variety of topics. A huge thank you goes out to fellow contributors Balint, Urbangraffito, Dr Sharleena, SOFA, Magicfingers and Alex — and to you silly people for having been with us all these years.

If you’re reading this, pride yourself in knowing you were once part of

It’s been a pleasure talking to you — and don’t forget to register to vote.

100 thoughts on “Outside Now”

  1. Total and utter bastard!!! Enjoy yer ‘retirement’ oh mighty one.

  2. Oh the bittersweet feelings! Best of luck and have a wonderful future, knowing that your bloggin’ endeavours will be missed, and never forgotten!
    Funny to think that when i started reading this blog i was but a befuddled art student, but today as an independent label guy pushing new and exciting music around my job is precisely that: to kill ugly radio.
    Thanks for showing us the way 🙂

  3. Well, shit.

    Years ago, I fell in love with the folks at The Big Note, which of course led me here.

    The Big Note got crunched in the ZFT’s Big Squat, and I found little time for posting anywhere.

    Now, I’m finally in a position to toss out the occasional piece of mental detritus here, and it’s defunkt.

    Best to all of ye. It’s been quite fun being around y’all.

  4. Alas, all good things come to an end.

    I click my snazzy KUR favicon every morning before starting the daily grind. I will still click it hoping one day a glimmer of light will flicker from a new post. I have thoroughly enjoyed all the commentary, insights, and music. I wish I could have contributed more – so here’s a hearty Thank You! to Barry and Sharleena, Balint, Magic Fingers, UG, SOFA, Alex, etc. who created so much content over the years.

    I know how much work a blog can be (having recently started one myself) and I appreciate that you have all been so dedicated for so long.

    I am delighted that Nappy’s “What Frank Heard” made the cut before the blog went dark!

    Again, thanks to all the writers and all the readers who made this blog so fun to a part of. Don’t feed the trolls and watch out where the Huskies go!

    – Jake St. Vitus

  5. I think the honour and pleasure has been all ours. Finding somewhere so vibrant, alert and yet (for the very most part) polite and interested, has been a joy, a little oasis of Frank in the internet.

    Barry’s done a great job, and I, for one, am pleased to have been a tiny contributor in dark corners of this place.

    On to green pastures, I hope.

    Ashley

  6. I am saddened by your departure. KUR has been my Zappa refuge for many years, though I never posted until recently (I hope it’s not because of people like me that you’ve opted out).

    I miss Frank so much, apart from the music — which is absolutely indispensable — as a human on earth and an American especially, I miss his clarion call to reveal the absurdity of it all, and here, at KUR, I found like-minded, engaged spirits. Thank you for bringing us together!

    To the future, may it be better than the past.

  7. It’s a sad day for me. Thanks for all the pleasure you’ve given me, for providing access to information I would have found hard to get otherwise, and for the times my thought processes have been provoked by the posts and the comments. That’s a big debt of gratitude I owe to Barry and Sharlena for running this and to all the other contributors. This will mean a small but noticeable change to the daily routines of many of us who visited regularly. I wish all of you well in the future. Music is the best.
    Al Stone

  8. Thanks for everything.

    I finally discovered Zappa a couple of years ago, and this is one of the places I continually learned from as I explored his oeuvre.

  9. “Well, now I’ll have to find out another reason to fly to Belgium to have fun.”

    Ah, how young and crazy we were…..

  10. I am saddened by this development, and would like to thank all parties who made this place so interesting.

  11. I will miss this blog too.. thanks for all the work on it. Hopefully it will remain online for some time, so I can catch up on older stuff…

  12. Aw shit! I remember the heady days of “The Way I see It” – bringing Frank back from the grave, uploading hours of concerts… TBN, TWISI, & KUR have been my Net life for so long, it’s really kinda painful to think of it ending!
    But there’s one thing I do know: the friendships that have developed here (and there) over the years will not end, nor be forgotten. I think a more apt title here would be: “The Best Friends You’ve Never Met in Your Life”!
    I love you guys (Hola Lucas!) and I know that we will stay in touch. Now excuse me please while I go have a little sob in the other room…

  13. Aw, nuts. I love this blog. Thanks for all your efforts over the years.

    Don’t throw stuff on the stage. Good night.

  14. Damn, I will miss this site…. interesting and thoughtful stuff in relation to Zappa and other stuff. Something special in the realm of the internet.

    Thanks for the efforts over the years to keep this running.

  15. It was fun while it lasted. I wished I had discovered it earlier.
    Thanks to all who contributed.
    D

  16. A very sad day. Strangely, one of the most memorable things I ever saw on this site was Barry’s picture of Argentine steak. Thanks for the beef, and for the “Boot of the Week”s’. Live long and prosper, Space Wanderer.

  17. Reading above I see SOFA. I downloaded my first Zappa boots at TBN. Salutations and an “unbalanced Chinese 7th chord”! Long live ROCK! Long live Zappa music!

  18. Barry, it’s been a really dynamite run (11 years) and the short few years that you’ve allowed me the opportunity here at Kill Ugly Radio to write and post and pontificate my often obtuse views has been an absolute BLAST! To those I’ve offended, I’m sorry I couldn’t have offended you more than I did, and to those I might have somewhat entertained, I highly recommend you get your daily Zappa fix from Balint’s fantastic site.

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

  19. Very surprising and sort of sad – I came in late, but learnt a lot about Zappa during these llast few years. Thanks Barry, thanks UG – I enjoyed your mixes so much, and learnt so much about Zappa the live artist – thanks Balint, keep on truckin’ in Hungarian!

    PS. Can we still post reviews? If not, I think my final stupidity about Apostrophe (‘) is sort of appropriate as a finishing note. – But I do have some more reviews up my sleeve, and I’m sure others have too…

    Ah well, thank you all!

  20. NOTHING lasts forever but, if you’re lucky, you go before your favorite things. now i feel all alone on this stupid internet. sorry & thanks.

  21. I simply say to you: thank you, thank you and THANK YOU. KUR was one of my Orchestral Favorites, and still is.
    Thanks to all the contributors and make the best of what’s next.

  22. I am saddened too, but, having myself run a blog in the past, I totally understand. It’s a lot of work, and is relentlessly demanding.

    This was the best of the Zappa sites, IMO. KUR was always interesting, informative, and funny – not unlike the work of the artist that brought us all here. Thanks to Barry and Sharleena and all the other contributors, both posters and commenters for a great ride.

    thanks to all

  23. Thanks for giving this blog the opportunity to exist. I feel that most things “Zappa” came to a halt lately. The eons are closing in.

    Thinman

  24. I think I’ve read this blog every day for 8 or 9 years.

    I’m sure going to miss you all. The reviews of this site have been a wonderful help in deciding which ZFT releases to buy & I’ve come across well put opinions I didn’t share but that made my brain a lot more open.

    Wish you all the best of the best. Now I’ll put on Strictly Genteel from Make A Jazz Noise Here, because I still feel it’s the best last song recorded.

    Love,

    Jeroen

  25. “Where did they go?
    When did they come from?
    What has become of them now?”

    Sad that you’re calling it a day but many thanks for all the hard work down the years, despite the efforts of some darker forces lurking in the Zappa Universe…

  26. Just to be clear: the blog/discog/wiki will not be taken offline. Both the FZ-discog and the wiki will remain fully functional (meaning you will still be able to post reviews, or add stuff to the wiki). The blog-archives will remain online as well — that’s a backlog of 11 years, so have fun perusing those… Oh, and for you Twitter-people, I’m still active there; look for @killuglyradio and say hi!

    Thanks for all the comments guys, it warms my heart.

  27. [quote comment=”28765″]Thanks for giving this blog the opportunity to exist. I feel that most things “Zappa” came to a halt lately. The eons are closing in.

    Thinman[/quote]

    Or perhaps we’re just at the end of a turning of the wheel, right before the next round starts.

    Thanks again, Barry.

  28. It’s better to have something to remember, than nothing to regret.

    FZ

  29. so deeply sad about the news..
    enjoy your retirement and don’t forget you’ve been a guiding light for so many years.
    cheers!

  30. And damn i am gonna miss those wonderful playlists, the links, the bitter, the better, the butter, the cream of the crop of Zappas popshop, or was it poop chute, anyway, the torchum is passed, much obliged!

  31. KUR was/is a legitimate refuge. Thank you so much for all the time and love and hard work you put into it. It was not in vain.

  32. Barry (Jurgen) thank you for creating this wonderful place. I love coming here and hangin’. It’s always very comfy and lots of cool, smart folk to chat with. As SOFA said, ” Some of the best friends you’ll never meet”.
    I happened upon this site while seaching for info on our beloved Zappa. That was six years ago. And I think I stopped by almost every day. Like a good pub, you can’t walk by without peeking in to see what’s going on.
    Thank you Barry, Sharleena, Urbangraffito, Balint, SOFA, Magicfingers and Alex for making this the best stop on the www.
    Thank you to all the KUR fans who made this a great hang-out. 🙂

    Favorite KUR moment: Watching Barry and Sharl’s baby son (on video) help pick the winners for that contest. Priceless. 😀

    p.s. Nice job on the “Best Blog You Never Heard Of” piece Barry and Sharl!

  33. You shouldn’t do that!
    You’d better find someone to continue this work; it’s what I’ve decided with the forum I created en manage day to day; the information is lost when nothing happens on a website, buried under search engines politics of always putting in 1st position the active ones.
    Please name some co admins that will continue to make this blog a source of news about anti mainstream music.

  34. I will miss this site and all the contributors on it from around the world!

  35. So sad, it’s like a part of me is going too, I started reading KUR when I was 21… and since then I never lost reading a post… anyway, it’s been a great time, thanks everyone!

  36. Thanks for a great ride – Cheers. Hope to see something from you again someday.

  37. thx for all the years i enjoyed reading this blog

    C U in a next life

  38. Does this now mean we have to go to zappa.com to discuss FZ-related materials?

  39. [quote comment=”28804″][quote comment=”28802″]not to mention Balint’s Hungarian Frank Zappa Association:

    http://www.zappa.hu/?q=en%5B/quote%5D

    Hi Urbangarffito – thanks for mentioning, but I have to add that a few month ago I was simply banned (!) by my “friends” from my own previous site called zappa dot hu (I have no longer admin rights there: no more posts, no more updates), at the moment I have nothing to do with the Hungarian FZ Association; so that is the reason I had to start a brand new homepage: http://frankzappa.blog.hu/ – with tiny english content only… (but there is some).
    so, in the last few weeks and months this was that took my time, mostly.

  40. Really sad to hear that you’re closing the doors on KUR. Thank You for all the amazing work and interesting chat that goes on here. It’s been a pleasure!!

    Wishing you all the best!

  41. I was a BIG zappa fan in the early 70’s trailed off by the early 80’s didn’t even know he had died till the ’00s. a friend told me about this neat site where you could download bootleg concert mp3’s. you rekindled my love of franks music. now my friends, wife and children hate me… =8^))

    thanks for all the hard work. I wouldn’t know about the cover band scene. I have seen Ed Palermo and Proj Obj live, wish I could see fattore zeta. I only hope I can find a site with info like yours…

    oh by the way, another type of cover band:

    The Mahavishnu Project at World Cafe Live!
    Wednesday May 11 at 8pm…

  42. take care thank you all the best ……………………….
    we need a new zappa blog !

  43. Sorry, I did not know of the coup d’Ă©tat that occurred at your old site, Balint. Your recent queries now make a lot more sense it that light. I’m glad that they haven’t run you off the range, cowboy, and that you are still blogging.

    Myself, I’m pondering starting up a blog of my own – a mixture of transgressive lit (featuring new and established writers), new music, old music, live music, downloadable music, lit, zines and other various obnoxious meanderings in keeping with my obtuse personality – under the title: Urban Graffiti – the blog.

    It won’t be KUR by a long shot – nothing, absolutely nothing could replace this weblog. Yet if you share the D.I.Y. philosophy that I do – which I’m pretty damn sure of – the spirit of KUR will live on in every other blog Kill Ugly Radio inspires…

  44. Wow…that is bummer news… this was indeed the best blog, Zappa content, great threads and the audio & video links , I think, put it over the top. Sad to see you go….Viva Zappa and thanks for all the support as well.

  45. As for me, well I can barely type, so I can’t start one, but i’d love to find another site that’s on Barry’s same wave length (or at least somewhere close). So if y’all start something new, please let us know. Meanwhile, I’m going to plant a watermelon in my Easter hay…

  46. The Torture never stops!
    Never commented but enjoyed stopping by the blog through out the years.
    Adios Amigo

    Shortbus
    St. Louis, Missouri
    United States of America

  47. [quote comment=”28823″]Myself, I’m pondering starting up a blog of my own – a mixture of transgressive lit (featuring new and established writers), new music, old music, live music, downloadable music, lit, zines and other various obnoxious meanderings in keeping with my obtuse personality – under the title: Urban Graffiti – the blog.[/quote]”If you build it, they (& me) will come.” 🙂

  48. i’m going to miss this, fer sure fer sure… it always felt like home in here. thank you kind barry, ciao!

  49. It seems that the only purpose of this blog was to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. No, seriously… it will be missed. Thank you for the great blogging, folks!

  50. Thanks for all of the information, entertainment and good reading over the years, Barry. And lets not forget those Friday Night Boots! Now THOSE Were The Days! Hotcha! It’s been a real pleasure and I will miss you. “So long, Francis . . .”

  51. Thanks for all your efforts and providing this forum for Zappa fans everywhere!

  52. 11 ans déjà
    un grand merci Ă  KUR et Ă  tous
    Pas un jour sans Frank Zappa depuis 39 ans maintenant
    Music of FZ is the best

  53. Thanks for this blog! I’ve been a “lurker” for a long long time and enjoyed this site immensely.

    Music AND KILLUGLYRADIO.COM were indeed THE BEST.

    Cheers.

  54. Thank you for many hours of reading and listening pleasure.

    All the best to you

  55. Thank you for KUR.

    It’s been a pleasure and an education, and it will be missed.

    Best wishes.

  56. Ce fut un rĂ©el plaisir de vous lire toutes ces annĂ©es mon ami, les actions en justice de GZ et l’hĂ©bergement du Friday Gilles Boot restent gravĂ©s Ă  jamais dans ma mĂ©moire…. so long. ZAPPA’s MUSIC IS THE BEST !!!

    le ZIF crew

  57. [quote comment=”28938″]Ce fut un rĂ©el plaisir de vous lire toutes ces annĂ©es mon ami, les actions en justice de GZ et l’hĂ©bergement du Friday Gilles Boot restent gravĂ©s Ă  jamais dans ma mĂ©moire…. so long. ZAPPA’s MUSIC IS THE BEST !!!

    le ZIF crew[/quote]

    Zappa en France est un site fantastique. Je le recommande fortement !

  58. Bittersweet, to be sure – my thesis gets bound tomorrow.

    Having Mike Nesmith’s “Cantata & Fugue in C&W” on isn’t helping to make this moment any less sentimental.

  59. [quote comment=”28958″]…my thesis gets bound tomorrow.[/quote]

    Ist das nicht unheimlich?

  60. How could they do this to me, this was my favorite website. WE WANT KILL UGLY RADIO BACK!

  61. Aside from the blog I really enjoyed and looked forward to the mix tapes. Where will I ever find stuff like this again?
    Oh well, thanks for the fun though.

  62. [quote comment=”28978″]Aside from the blog I really enjoyed and looked forward to the mix tapes. Where will I ever find stuff like this again?
    Oh well, thanks for the fun though.[/quote]

    There really was never much of a secret to the mixtapes I put together for KUR, mutant. All the tracks in my mixtapes are available online via Zappateers as well as countless blogs. Any freak like myself can download them. As Warren Zevon said once, “The value is to the collector.” I’m glad you enjoyed mine, mutant!

    By the way, as parting gift to my fellow KUR-Meisters, here’s a link to one of my favourite music sites:

    http://tela.sugarmegs.org/

    MUSIC IS THE BEST!

  63. [quote comment=”28981″]And of course that’s when the ZFT decides to announce a new release…[/quote]

    Ah, Barry, Gail and gang are at it again. Piecemeal releases at outrageous prices. I suggest Zappa fans beg, borrow, and disseminate these track but, by the sweaty panty hose of Suzy Creamcheese, don’t pay them for it!

  64. [quote post=”5169″]All the tracks in my mixtapes are available online via Zappateers as well as countless blogs. Any freak like myself can download them. As Warren Zevon said once, “The value is to the collector.” I’m glad you enjoyed mine, mutant![/quote]

    Extra special thanks to UG for putting those suckers together. Glad the tracks are readily available around the interwebs, but was very glad to have them so expertly assembled and handy here on KUR. sniff

  65. Ist das nicht unheimlich…[quote comment=”28981″]a new release…[/quote]Bob Again has finally convinced me – the vault is a myth. Bob himself was at that show and deserves much better. AMF.

  66. [quote comment=”28985″][quote post=”5169″]All the tracks in my mixtapes are available online via Zappateers as well as countless blogs. Any freak like myself can download them. As Warren Zevon said once, “The value is to the collector.” I’m glad you enjoyed mine, mutant![/quote]

    Extra special thanks to UG for putting those suckers together. Glad the tracks are readily available around the interwebs, but was very glad to have them so expertly assembled and handy here on KUR. sniff[/quote]

    Thanks, jb2! Those mixtapes were a lot of fun to assemble and a real labour of love, too!

    [quote comment=”28831″][quote comment=”28823″]Myself, I’m pondering starting up a blog of my own – a mixture of transgressive lit (featuring new and established writers), new music, old music, live music, downloadable music, lit, zines and other various obnoxious meanderings in keeping with my obtuse personality – under the title: Urban Graffiti – the blog.[/quote]”If you build it, they (& me) will come.” :)[/quote]

    The period of pondering was short, indeed, Hugh.

    Urban Graffiti – the blog, began today with it’s inaugural post, “Beer Mystic: a novel of inebriation & light by bart plantenga”. With this post UG the blog is participating in bart plantenga’s worldwide online pub crawl in which 44 different websites are publishing bart’s novel in its entirety online.

    This would have been a post here at KUR (as I know many of you are fans of bart plantenga and the Unbearables).

    Here is the link to Urban Graffiti – the blog:

    http://gse-urbangraffiti.blogspot.com/2011/05/beer-mystic-novel-of-inebriation-light.html

  67. Hey Barry, please don’t mind if I take a look around the site before I open the door to Urban’s world. KUR was the first blog to inspire me to speak out (sorry to lay the blame on you). I want to take a moment before I move on . . .

    alright, I’m going in!

  68. I was only in it for the music and for the humour.

    “The present-day composer refuses to die!”
    Edgar Varese, Juli 1921

    Good Night ! Wherever you are !

  69. There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we’d all love one another.
    Frank Zappa

  70. well i hate this site to be closed but iam sure there will be an other
    site to pick up on to glorify the animal magic used by certain entertainers ……………………………..

  71. [quote comment=”28992″]Hey Barry, please don’t mind if I take a look around the site before I open the door to Urban’s world. KUR was the first blog to inspire me to speak out (sorry to lay the blame on you). I want to take a moment before I move on . . .

    alright, I’m going in![/quote]

    After several days being unable to access the blog, Hugh, I’ve taken Barry’s great advice and stuffed blogger.com where the sun don’t shine in lieu of wordpress.com

    The link for the new site is as follows: http://urbgraffiti.wordpress.com/2011/05/15/beer-mystic-a-novel-of-inebriation-light-by-bart-plantenga-2/

  72. Thanks for all this, Jurgen & Gaby
    (Lucas not withstanding).

    I truly hope Lucas will “survive” both of you.

    Just to finish on one particular, +/- comic / serious ĂĄnd FZ related note :

    There’ s for instance :
    the acclaimed http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imAWVWi5PIU .
    Yes that’s very fine.

    However there is the filler material, which always without execption , to be better than the rest. It’s
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LSvLNFmBTPQ

    OK, just 1868 people watched it so far.

    It’s genuine valediction. The synthesis of FZ inspiration, from Varese to the free improvisation movement when he started composing.

    For KUR (geweetweldienenjurgenvanwervik)
    Dawemoetendeurgegoanendattgjensimplespelis.

    For Gaby.
    Abrazos. And educate – the best way , whatever it is- Lucas, the guy. He deserves it.

    Companeros. Un abrazo.

    (sorry ‘ bout this, J & G: the most difficult task in human life is to educte children. I hope you will manage. No drug dealers, etc. )

  73. [quote comment=”29008″]After several days being unable to access the blog, Hugh, I’ve taken Barry’s great advice and stuffed blogger.com where the sun don’t shine in lieu of wordpress.com[/quote]False start. No problem. See you there UrbanG. 🙂

    See you Barry! 🙂

    Thanks for the link Bernard. I never saw “Food Gathering” before. 😀

  74. [quote comment=”29001″]…glorify the animal magic used by certain entertainers…[/quote]

    ABOOK, you are a madman. When you stole that cow, and your friend tried to make it with the cow. I want to party with you, cowboy. If the two of us together, forget it…

    I’m gonna go out on a limb here. I’m gonna volunteer my leadership to this website. An army without leaders is like a foot without a big toe. And Urbangraffitoe isn’t always gonna be here to be that big toe for us. I think that we owe a big round of applause to our newest, bestest buddy, and big toe…Urbangraffitoe.

  75. You’ll see (age permitting) : doing thigs the old fashioned way will keep coming back.

    Things such as
    – Writing a book. Did it before.
    -Doing things the serious way (for instance : playing real musical instruments)
    Etc.

    AmI growing old? I’m just 57years old.

    Ok, the ultimate confession. I’m a European social democrat. I like stubborn people. Agiegodverdommeklopt ipdetaefelmn.
    I like the social aspect. (Dazediejooitvergetenendervanallesbleuvenvoarendoenomzevoartthelpen).
    I like both high and low culture.
    I like progress, the human way.That’s about (the economist, which I am, is talking now) genuine innovation. And it should be made available to broad audiences.

    Thus : this blog was about dessemination.
    The way to go for a new future.

  76. So nice to have met you all! Don’t forget to practice your Kegelmasters and defrost your fridge periodically (there might be a mammoth inthere).
    Farewel KUR!!!

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