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

There is now a discography page up for the MOFO Deluxe release, where you can rate and/or review at your heart’s desire — so have at it! Have yet to receive the package myself…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Audio/Video, Zappa News | 2 Comments »

… you still might be able to make some music.

Posted in Music, Silly | 2 Comments »

Another video! Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas Message — this one’s for Dr Sharleena:

(YouTube link, via Drawn!)

Posted in Music | 2 Comments »

… and who appears about 13 seconds in?

(YouTube link)

Posted in Music, Zappa Misc | 25 Comments »

Dweezil says:

I am very pleased to announce that we will be filming and recording in Seattle and Portland for a DVD release in spring 07. I’ll give you all of the details later.
In any case, I can’t thank you enough for doing your part in “The Big Picture.”

Wow. Anyway, some pictures here.

Posted in Zappa Plays Zappa | 8 Comments »

Waiter, could I have some Salsa Verdi with my Oysters Rachmaninoffefeler? Oh, and I’ll have the Crème Boulez for dessert, thanks. Your steakhausen was delicious by the way.

Posted in Pop Cult, Silly | 3 Comments »

Sad news: Ahmet Ertegun, co-founder of Atlantic Records (and purportedly the inspiration for FZ to name his second son Ahmet) has died, aged 83.

Posted in In The News, Music | 3 Comments »

KUR presents another Magic Fingers Friday: Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, 26/2/78. Sir Magic writes:

There’s some great playing throughout, particularly Frank’s melodic Torture solo, the various Pound for a Brown solos, and, later in the show, the King Kong/Wild Love/Yo Mama trio; half an hour of sheer delight.

More…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots | 6 Comments »

Bernard sent me this link to a music survey and although I don’t consider myself to be much of a “musician”, thought it would be fun to post my responses here anyway. Without further ado:

Give us an example or two of an especially good or interesting:

1. Movie score:
   • Garden State
   • The Royal Tenenbaums
   • The Life Aquatic
   • Eraserhead
   • Turks Fruit
   • Monster Road (Bickford docu)
2. TV theme:
   • Six Feet Under
   • Twin Peaks
3. Melody:
   • Sufjan Stevens‘ “They Also Mourn Who Do Not Wear Black”, from “Michigan”
   • Elliott Smith’s “Everything Means Nothing To Me”, from “Figure 8″
4. Harmonic language: Rufus Wainwright and Sufjan Stevens, again — one of the most original composers of recent years
5. Rhythmic feel: Doh: The Black Page!
6. Hip-hop track:
   • De La Soul’s “Me Myself & I”
   • Grandmaster Flash’s “The Message” (is that hip hop at all? I’m getting old)
7. Classical piece:
   • Mattheus Passion, J.S. Bach — nothing else comes close
   • Dmitri Shostakovich - String Quartet #8 in c Op. 110; Allegro Molto (just one of many)
8. Smash hit:
   • Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams”
   • The Stranglers, “Golden Brown”
   • Nirvana, “Smells Like Teen Spirit” (eat that Whitney Houston, Phil Collins et all)
   • Madonna, Ray of Light
9. Jazz album:
   • Miles Davis - Kind of Blue (or Bitches Brew)
   • Enrique “Mono” Villegas, “Antologia”
   • Bill Evans’ “Finest Hour“
   • Cheap Suit Serenaders (ft. Robert Crumb!)
   • Herbie Hancock, The Complete WB Recordings
   • Grant Green, pretty much everything
10. Non-American folkloric group:
    • Laïs
    • Astor Piazolla
    • Buena Vista Social Club
11. Book on music: David Walley’s Teenage Nervous Breakdown

Bonus questions:

1. Name a surprising album (or albums) you loved when you were developing as a musician: something that really informs your sound but that we would never guess in a million years: Neil Young - After the Goldrush, Harvest, Zuma
2. Name a practitioner (or a few) who play your instrument that you think is underrated:
   • Kurt Cobain,
   • Elliott Smith
   • Frank Vanderlinden (De Mens)
   • Hugo Matthysen
   • Mauro Pawlowski
   • David Brent
3. Name a rock or pop album that you wish had been a smash commercial hit (but wasn’t, not really):
   • Ween, “12 Golden Country Greats“
4. Name a favorite drummer, and an album to hear why you love that drummer: doh: Terry Bozzio, ZINY.

That’s all I have time for now — I may be adding stuff later…

Posted in Film, Music | 2 Comments »

Wiki dwellers take heed: here’s a picture of The Rotations’ “The Cruncher” (b/w Heavies) single — from a man who doesn’t seem to like Zappa very much:

Fourth, much of my reaction is due to Zappa Fans and the elitist/evangelical way they come off. My teenage years were littered with a few neighborhood Zappa heads who constantly lectured me on how great and smart Zappa was and how stupid I was for liking Black Sabbath and then punk rock. Fine let them have their club.

Elitist? Moi?

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Misc | 7 Comments »

Just got an email from musictoday.com telling me that the 4 CD MOFO has been shipped! Ah, the sweaty hands, the camping by the mailbox — it had been a while. The pre-order page is closed down now, by the way…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Audio/Video, Zappa News | 15 Comments »

Proof that Dr Sharleena has psychic powers: it is the year 1937 and cows wear pants. (Thanks Bernard!)

Posted in Bizarre | 2 Comments »

Let the world know it! (there you have it )

Posted in Frank Zappa | 4 Comments »

It’s the “I Got A Little Bored On This Dull Monday So I Took An Online Test” Post: The Myer-Briggs Test For Programmers! ‘t Would appear I’m an INTJ which I suspect is psycho-babble for “stubborn asocial nerd”.

Posted in Randamonium, Science | 6 Comments »

You have to relate to the nightmare of ending your cadenza with nothing but air and an uncontrolled lip spasm.

Funny bunch of trumpet bloopers over at, um, The Hilarious Trumpet Blooper (and Other Funny Things) Page — includes mp3 samples! (via)

Posted in Amusing, Music | 2 Comments »