X-Ray Sound

A different type of bootlegging: in the USSR and Eastern Europe in the 1950s underground night spots would play music pirated from the west. The only media they had were records etched into discarded X-ray film.

(…) enterprising young people with technical skills learned to duplicate records with a converted phonograph that would “press” a record using a very unusual material for the purpose; discarded x-ray plates. This material was both plentiful and cheap, and millions of duplications of Western and Soviet groups were made and distributed by an underground roentgenizdat, or x-ray press (…)

Further reading on underground music in the Soviet era.

Hit it, Dweez!

We didn’t talk about sports much, though he did like a game of badminton,” says Zappa. “But I don’t think he’d be upset that I play golf. For my dad, the ultimate disgraceful pursuit would be becoming an A&R man at a record company, and the second-worst would have been a lawyer. Golf is harmless by comparison.”

Hehe – I’ve just pictured FZ playing badminton…

Open Mike Weekend

I’ll be away from the site for most of the weekend enjoying things like sunshine, beer, and actual human interaction — but in the spirit of Web 2.0 I figured: why not let our readers express themselves any which way they want through the comments. The mike mic is open for any and all as of now. Bring on your stories, your pet peeves and poodle adventures, your must-see websites, your hopes and dreams, or lack thereof.

Oh boy, this is an accident waiting to happen, if ever I saw one. La-dee-da.

Tu sais ce que c’est un lapdog?

Here’s one reason why French TV makes my toes curl:

For some reason they think the viewer can’t read subtitles, so they bring in a staccato-speaking voice-over to dub Frank’s voice, thus losing all the little nuances of what he’s saying (insert angry fist shaking). Oh, and Thierry Ardisson is an ass, if you don’t mind my saying so. Les goûts et les couleurs, you know…

Tehran Dog Breath Variations

“It’s a good life when you are trying to get things started that are impossible,” he said. “Such as the Tehran Symphony Orchestra playing Frank Zappa.”

Nader Mashayekhi, the orchestra’s new leader, takes it all in stride. In fact, he took the job leading the 80-member ensemble in the Iranian capital “because it’s impossible”.

(via David Ocker via email)