Kill Ugly Radio: Frank Zappa & Elsewhere

Releases from the Zappa Family Trust:

• One Shot Deal (2008)
• The Torture Never Stops (2008)
• Wazoo (2007)
• The Dub Room Special! (2007)
• Classic Albums: Apostrophe(’)/Over-Nite Sensation (2007)
• Buffalo (2007)
• The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle (2006)
• The MOFO Project/Object (2006)
• Trance-Fusion (2006)
• Imaginary Diseases (2006)
• Joe’s XMASage (2005)
• Joe’s Domage (2004)
• QuAUDIOPHILIAc (2004)
• Joe’s Corsage (2004)
• Halloween (2003)
• FZ:OZ (2002)

In a previous post, I made the comment, rather flippantly, that “In the final analysis, it’s not what Gail (Zappa) says that is of any real importance, it’s her actions that speak volumes.” In this post, I’ve decided to put those smug words to the test.

First, I went to my Frank Zappa collection and identified all those posthumous releases (limited, of course, to those titles actually released by Gail Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust — thus, the list above).

Of these sixteen individual releases, I asked myself, which of them are the strongest, most worthwhile recordings, whether CD or DVD? Easy choice. Live recordings, particularly the full-length, or near full-length shows: FZ:OZ, Halloween, Imaginary Diseases, Buffalo, Wazoo, and The Torture Never Stops.

Next are those long awaited releases, and the archival type releases of interest to any diehard Zappa freak: QuAUDIOPHILIAc, Trance-Fusion, The MOFO Project/Object (the 4 CD version) and Classic Albums: Apostrophe(’)/Over-Nite Sensation.

What’s left is a series of compilation CDs: Joe’s Corsage, Joe’s Domage, Joe’s XMASage, The Frank Zappa AAAFNRAA Birthday Bundle, The Dub Room Special! (the 2007 CD compilation of the 1982 video) and One Shot Deal. All of which seemingly lack Frank Zappa’s genius for conceptual continuity and compiled in such a hodgepodge of styles of musical eras as to be distracting to listen to overall.

By my simple math (okay, not my best subject), the ZFT released ten winners out of a possible sixteen since they first began. That works out to be 62.5%. Okay. Room for improvement, sure. But not that bad.

Not that bad at all.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Miscellany, Personal | 16 Comments »

Back in May, I encouraged you to grab yourself an avatar and register it with Gravatar so that with every comment you make here, the image of your choice would show up along with it. Some of you did, but not nearly enough. Which is where this handy tool may be of service!

Here’s some Sharl and I prepared earlier:

In order of appearance:

• Balint
• Yours Truly
• Sharleena
• Urbangraffito
• Magic Fingers
• SOFA

Why not have a go yourself?

Posted in Community, Miscellany, Personal | 13 Comments »

A few months back Just a week ago, Andrew Greenaway did an interview with Jimmy Carl Black. Despite health problems, Jimmy’s in good spirits, performing with The Muffin Men and recording with various other artists across Europe. Just one project he’s worked on:

The CD is called The Jimmy Carl Black Story. It is due out anytime. I basically went into the studio one night and told my life story. It took me about one and a half hours to do it. He [Jon Larsen - ed.] then used some blues players from Oslo and also some of the guys from the Strange News CD for the background music.

Jimmy won’t make it to Zappanale this year, but has already set his mind on next year’s edition. Which is cool, since Sharl and I won’t be able to make it there either this year, for reasons that we may well expound upon at a later date. Read the whole article here.

Posted in Frank Zappa, In Writing, Interview, Music, Personal | 11 Comments »

Remember Ye Olde Hot Poop?

Back when we received the C&D letter from the ZFT last December, Dr Sharl and I jumped through all kinds of loops to come up with an engaging lay-out, while at the same time attempting to appease ZFT’s scum lawyers. It was “panic football”, to be honest.

Well today I’ve fiddled about a bit with the look and feel of this now abandoned weblog — one which, mind you, had been running since July 2001. My aim was to line up its looks a bit more with current KUR aesthetics, while maintaining a feel for why exactly Hot Poop came to be terminated.

I was originally going to make it an all black/white affair, as if you were to be looking at an old family picture. Dr Sharl then came up with the notion of adding some sepia colour. And so here it is.

A seven year work of love abandoned, derelict — gone but not forgotten.

Posted in Personal, Site News | No Comments »

… shower, brush teeth, tralala. Next:

• Check snailmailbox:
  • Library reminder I’m late in returning that Stevie Ray Vaughn CD
  • Speeding ticket amounting to €175
  • Click my Google Ads please, thank you
  • Ooooh: Barfko Swill package has arrived!
• At work:
  • Enter office, hear distinct dripping sounds
  • OMG!11! LOLZ roof is leaking from last night’s rainfall
  • Mop floor, place buckets in strategic places
  • Call janitor
  • “please leave a message after the beep”
• Back home:
  • Put on “One Shot Deal”
  • Feel slightly underwhelmed.
  • Hey “Occam’s Razor”’s great though! Aaaah… Rollo.
  • Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?
  • I give up.
  • Add One Shot Deal and TTNS DVD to the FZ discography
  • What’s for dinner, honey?
  • Mmmmh fajitas!
• Mmmmh fajitas
• Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?
• I give up.
• Nighty night!
• …
• Mmmmh fajitas
• …
• Where the hell did I put that bloody Stevie Ray Vaughn CD?

Posted in Frank Zappa, Miscellany, Music, Personal | 4 Comments »