Kill Ugly Radio | Frank Zappa & Elsewhere: Frank Zappa news, weird links, lumpy gravy. Wanna bun?

As an art academy graduate, I remember how my sketchbook used to be of great importance to me. I would use it to store thoughts. It was my repository of epiphanies. I would spend time doodling in it when the obligatory psychology class became too boring. It was my little graphical diary of sorts.

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It turns out that he sold roughly four times as many records in the Old Continent than in the country that provided so much of the raw material for his scabrous satirising. Gail Zappa thinks it is to do with the centuries-old tradition of church music that has made European ears receptive and sophisticated (”all we have is the marching band in the town square on July 4”); but I also felt momentarily proud of that much-maligned phenomenon, the European sensibility. We got Zappa: his twists and turns, his reckless veering between high and low culture, his sarcasm, his innovations. These were all too much for his own country, which remains, relative to its size and power, culturally simplistic.

– Peter Asden meets Gail Zappa

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Hammersmith ‘82, part two.

Oh, and if you’ve ever played Battlefield 2, you’ll find this little easter egg quite amusing. (Thanks Tony!)

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots, Pop Cult | 3 Comments »

Hope you’re reading Doreen: this note’s for you.

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Meanwhile, in France…

We organise a festival on 30 & 31 of july this summer in a small village in Burgundy (220 km south from Paris, France) dedicated to the “70’s - prog - psych - Canterbury - zappaesque” scene. The sunday is dedicated to FZ with Gowy, Wrong Object and Nasal Retentive Orchestra. One Shot are guitar & bass from Magma and Here & Now belong to the Gong family. Free camping on site.

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“It’s not Verona but the deepest ghetto of Budapest. It’s not the Capulets and Montagues but rivalling Hungarian and Gypsy clans. It’s not about romance but money and oil.”

After the amazing Belgian masterpiece here’s a Hungarian animation called The District, that has just won first prize on the Annecy International Animated Festival.

It’s homepage is only in hungarian, sorry… But here are some pictures and some trailers (3 of them, on the bottom left) for you.

- criticism - the synopsys - “Will anyone be offended?” - interview with the authors (all in english).

Posted in Amusing, Comics, Film | 3 Comments »

WikiPedia: lamest edit wars ever.

Sample:
“Should potato chips be flavored or flavoured? What is the provenance of the potato chip, America or UK? Four-user revert war on these important issues results in the page getting protected and listed on RfC. And the chips become seasoned.”

Posted in Pop Cult | 1 Comment »

Modern Guitars interviews Les Paul:

How did you and your jazz friends react to rock ‘n’ roll when it arrived on the scene?

LP: We were kind of upset about it - Sinatra, Nat King Cole - all of us. I thought I was out of a job when rock came in. We were told to change and to be less traditional. They used three chords, and not the right chords, and buried the singer! It was another world that you entered into with a riff and rode it, and you needed to turn it up 500 watts to get the sound right. It was rebellion, having something to say with a new beat. They wanted “How High the Moon” with a new strength!

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Another Friday, another boot audience recording: Hammersmith Odeon, London, 19/06/82 (late show, part one).

Just an FYI: this month, KUR’s FB has been churning out a massive 6Gb per day. See that button that says “Donate” to the right of the page? I’m just sayin’!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots | 5 Comments »

Burning That DVD:

The crux is, how does one go about burning a DVD. Are there burners that are better than others? Is a specific format required to produce a functional DVD? And what about software: is one package preferred above all others? Do DVDs from one side of the pond work well on the other side, or is this a function of your DVD player?

Feel free to chime in.

Posted in Geek, Zappa Misc | 1 Comment »

Things That Were Delivered To My Doorstep Today:

1. 2 Zappa Plays Zappa tickets
2. 5 Zappa live DVD’s (thanks Skoljic!)
3. 1 PowerMac G5 + Apple 20′ Cinema Display

I have a feeling I’m going to win the lottery this evening!

Posted in Personal | 7 Comments »

This telex from an undisclosed location has just arrived to KUR Headquarters; the sender is Doreen, who claims to be right on the firsts rehearsals from Dweez and Ahmet for the next concerts. Since this is breaking news, i’m posting the unedited version (sorry Barry, i think you’ll understand!). Here’s the literal translation of the message:

“Dear friends at KUR:
I’m in heaven listening to the band playing for the first time. They have been testing a lot of musicians like, erh…Cluuuck…I don’t remember the names because I’m still under the effect of some heavy grenadine we took last night; but there has been a lot of them. One thing you’ll find really interesting is that Ahmet takes care of his cutis with a cucumber mask, which makes it look smooth and gleaming.
So far, they have rehearsed: Zomby Fowl, I’m the Hen, Duck Tomago and Chicken in Bondage (at my request).
I only have eyes for “my” Joe tho’; btw, he brought a handy little oven he keeps in his dressing room, and every night he bakes a tape. Apparently he became “too used to do it” he needs to do it at least once a day.
Ok, enough for today, I’ll keep you guys posted as things develop.
I’m with the band!! Cluuck…
Doreen
PS: I’m to the left in the picture. The stupid guy took my double chin…The other girls asked their identities to be protected. Seeya!”

More details on the picture here:

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Reverse the aging process! Stand upside down.
More asinine 70’s ads at Retro Randy…

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Dweezil, Ahmet and Gail on the BBC Breakfast show, just this morning (QuickTime movie).

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa News | 8 Comments »

Summum is a religion begun in 1975. The seven great principles of Summum are psychokinesis, correspondence, vibration, opposition, rhythm, cause and effect, and gender. Summum is also the venue for FZ’s Grenoble ‘88 show. Enjoy part two…

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