Kill Ugly Radio: Frank Zappa & Elsewhere

Adam Irving, avid KUR reader and member of I Am Three needs your help:

In October me and my friend, performing under the name I Am Three are driving round Europe gigging. We intend to drop by Belgium, Netherlands, Holland, Germany, France and Italy. The tour isn’t for the purpose of making money its simply because we love music and playing in new places. [...] after hundreds of emails to venues such as cafes/bars/clubs etc we only have the Italy gigs sorted. In all these cafe bar filled countries, NOBODY seems to want to invite a double bass & acoustic guitar duo loose on their stage, even for free.

They’re good though; just give their myspace page a listen. So: any European club-owning music lovers reading this willing to book them? Go on then!

Posted in Community, Music | 3 Comments »

A friend finally lent me a copy of the latest ZFT release, One Shot Deal, for review the other day. Although it is always great to hear Frank Zappa, no matter what the excuse, my first reaction upon listening to this compilation was: Huh? What? Why? To any long time listener of FZ (right down to the rabid collector and completist), the tracks on this compilation will all seem quite familiar.

“Bathtub Man” sounds like many of the boogie/jams from the Roxy period (FZ was an obsessive recordist) which found their way onto the bootleg circuit via their road manager, Marty Perellis, who sold many 73-74 soundboard tapes to eager fans. The same can be said for “Space Boogers” and “Hermitage”. I kept getting this feeling that I’d heard these pieces before, or efforts quite like them, from the myriad of brilliant individual solos to be found on so many of FZ’s field recordings from that period of his career.

“Trudgin Across the Tundra” is an early instrumental proto version of the familiar FZ classic akin to the proto versions of Greggery Peccary found on the Wazoo release. “Occam’s Razor (On the Bus - Original Solo)” is one of this compilation’s gems, and the reason that freaks like me collect so many bootlegs and field recordings: to hear the original solos. I first heard “Heidelberg” (opening solo to Yo Mama) on the second disc of the four disc, fan made compilation bootleg, Apocrypha, and again on the cassette tape, The Guitar World According To Frank Zappa, though sounding far superior here.

“The Illinois Enema Bandit” is yet another version of this FZ standard. Probably the weakest point on this compilation is “Australian Yellow Snow”. I have heard better bootleg versions from this tour. The sound, itself, in this recording is really a substandard mix for what is supposed to be an official release. Too often the background vocals nearly drown out FZ’s lead vocals, and the audience chatter becomes very distracting. Perhaps the ZFT are attempting to dumb down our listening standards so they can begin selling us anything with a FZ stamp on it, no matter the quality? If there is one reason, though, for purchasing this CD, “Rollo” is that reason. Wow. I never tire of hearing that song.

Getting back to the premise of this post, though, what was the point of this release? There doesn’t appear to be any, at least none that I can fathom. There is little, if any, conceptual continuity going on. Instead of piecemeal compilations like this one, how about further sequels to the Stage series with complete liner notes? Or the Complete Audio History of Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention? Like, Duh?

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Music | 52 Comments »

Steven Harker has a problem. He writes:

I’ve been a long time follower of KUR. During the ZFT bruhaha I expressed the opinion that if it wasn’t for your blog my interest in all things FZ would have disappeared up my own poop chute never to be seen again. I didn’t buy the latest ZFT offering, truth be told after the luke warm stuff I did make the effort to buy recently I felt I’d be better off stocking up on petrol. It’s a sad state of affairs that my interest in Zappa is waning. So, perhaps everyone out there could recommend something that I need to do to rekindle my interest. Is there one album I should dust off and give my undivided attention to or even just one song? Should I buy a blow up doll and stick a gas mask on her? Or should I just give up and go to the Elton John concert tomorrow which is ten minutes down the road from my house? Help!

My first suggestion would be to get an account at Zappateers and act like the kid in the candy store. Anyone else have any good tips? Let’s hear it, freaks!

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Music | 33 Comments »

More info here.
Update: here’s a high-res version of the above poster for your printing pleasures.

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Music | 9 Comments »

Although I hardly ever contribute to the wiki anymore (yes, shame on me), I am still subscribed to the “Recent Changes” feed. Not only is it a delight to see the site grow at such an amazing speed (4,098 articles and counting), there’s also some highly entertaining stuff going on behind the curtains at times. Take this discussion for instance, regarding CC Clues for “In France”:

I’m behaving like an over-enthusiastic fido at the moment, but I think I’m getting the hang of it. Take the point on ’some fans’ being unqualified. I based it on the ‘fact’ that among about 3 distinctly different social groups of people (fans) I knew at the time this album was released, all of them picked up on the notion that this was another Zappa leitmotiv- a ‘dig’ (using the phonetic of Peter Green) by the inbuilt Zappa nose that could sniff out the negatives that can result (by public elevation) from plain virtuosity appreciation to the ’sucking dry’ or ‘ejaculations’ of repetitive stardom. Perhaps in the same vein as FZ’s ref to Clapton? e.g. Nasal Retentive Calliope Music.

Yes, I knew some Weird People then. Some of them had Short Hair.

Is this simply a shallow verse about a blow job? Why a ‘mystery’ blow job… a ref to some French glory-hole…or the setting up of the next line?

I did attempt some research. I shall do more.
–Tonefish 15:48, 18 May 2008 (PDT)

To which Duncan, ever the thorough researcher, responds:

I suspect it means what it says. Peter is a slang nickname for the penis. It was nothing more than infelicitous fellatio which turned peter green.
–Duncan 10:52, 19 May 2008 (PDT)

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Heh Heh, Zappa Wiki Jawaka | 7 Comments »

Andrew “Idiot Bastard Son” Greenaway and Thomas “Arf! Zappanale” Dippel at Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, London, 10 May ‘08. One for the family album.

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa | No Comments »

Way back in November 2006, we launched The KUR World Tour Book:

Remember those scrapbooks that were passed around when you were a kid? A friend would ask you to write or draw something in his/hers and then you’d give it back. Some of the pages would turn out rather cheesy, while others would consist of really cool doodles or collages.

With positive response from you guys, Sharleena and myself went and bought a (matter-of-fact) rather cheap sketchbook, filled its first pages with some introductory doo-dah, and off it went.

From there on, what can I say, really? Things went good, until they went bad.

The book is lost.

No doubt there’s a Newman in US Postal Services sitting on this book, creaming all over it at the prospect of a quick buck on eBay. Nnnnewman…
Luckily, the last recipient of the book –our good friend SOFA– made pictures of all pages before sending it on. Have a look (flickr link) — be sure to click the “All Sizes button”!

To all of you who received the book, doodled in it, then sent it on, and made it as spectacularly good as it is: you guys rock. Some samples:

Newman? We need to get in touch. I’ll make you an offer you can’t refuse.

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Site News, Visual Arts | 8 Comments »

My inbox just about exploded this morning with news that the city of Baltimore is to accept a statue of FZ as a gift to the city:

Until they met last night, some members of the Baltimore Public Art Commission, which voted unanimously to accept the gift of the bronze sculpture - valued at about $50,000 - were also unaware of Zappa’s connection to Charm City.
However, the donors of the bust, who come from much farther afield - in fact, from a nation Zappa never visited - are well aware of his background.

That’d be Vilnius, Lithuania, of course.

Lo and behold: GS “avidly supports placing the sculpture in Baltimore, where her late husband’s quirky views of life fit with the work of such great local artists as John Waters.”…

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, In The News, Visual Arts | 5 Comments »

Hello and welcome to another episode of “Zappa.com Forums: The Douchebag Edition”. Idiot Bastard Son says:

I have been personally insulted at the Zappa Forum simply for commenting on the inference in DZ’s recent email about the ZPZ DVD re-release. It is actually quite clear. What he said was: “ZPZ’s goal is to capture the attention of a new audience” - not “…one of its goals…“, but “ZPZ’s goal…“. More care needs to be taken if that doesn’t mean it’s ZPZ’s sole goal (which I don’t actually believe it is). I will refrain from commenting further at the Forum: it’s a very hostile place, seemingly now populated by a couple of racist bully-boys.

There’s some cool people posting at the Z forums mind you, but the (real) idiots, it seems, are taking over. Erh… AFFZ, anyone?

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, In Writing, Zappa Plays Zappa | 17 Comments »

Praise be! This weblog is now Gravatar enabled. Now you too can have one of those unique little personal images next to any comment you post here. All you have to do is sign up for an account with Gravatar, upload your image, and associate it with the email address you’d previously entered to comment here. Next thing you know, your avatar will appear next to your comments — retroactively!

So c’mon: bring out yer Gravatar…

Posted in Community, Site News | 7 Comments »