Although in obvious pain and discomfort (you can hear it in his voice) – in this five part, never broadcasted rehearsal footage, one can easily see the tenacity with which Frank Zappa approached all of his musical endeavours, and the sheer enjoyment he’s having directing the Ensemble Modern the day before the opening night of the Yellow Shark tour, rehearsing such pieces as “Food Gathering In Post-Industrial America, 1992”, “G-Spot Tornado”, and “Welcome to the United States” at Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany, on September 16th, 1992 (By the way, the dancer in Part 4 is Louise Lecavalier, a well known Canadian dancer from Montreal, best known for her work with La La La Human Steps).
In addition, take a listen to Frank Zappa‘s The Yellow Shark Press Conference from July 21st, 1992 (Part One | Part Two) in Frankfurt, Germany.
But … how, why, when? I had no idea that this footage even existed. Why have Gail not released this as a proper DVD? Oh yes, the obvious reason – she would then probably have to pay the participants. So instead of releasing this, the most interesting footage out there (bar the Roxy-material, of course; the carrot seemingly dangling inches ahead of us which we’ll probably never get our hands on) she keeps releasing every other fart and burp in the vaults, because she can do that without paying any royalties …
Why did I have to become a Zappa-fan back in highschool? Why didn’t I go down the safe route with everyone else, and develop a taste for Duran Duran or Aha? Life would be much easier then!
Anyway, thanks for posting this!
[quote comment=”9917″]
Why did I have to become a Zappa-fan back in highschool? Why didn’t I go down the safe route with everyone else, and develop a taste for Duran Duran or Aha? Life would be much easier then!
Anyway, thanks for posting this![/quote]
You’re welcome, Rub. I’m sure many a Zappa freak has asked him or herself that very question from time to time. The answer, however, is quite easy: Frank Zappa’s music is the best elixir out there for this crazy, fucked up world. Truth be told, whenever I hear an excellent Zappa guitar piece, whatever stress I might be dealing with just washes clean away. Now, tell me, can Duran Duran, Aha, Wham, A Flock of Seagulls, or Echo & the Bunnymen do that?
[quote post=”3331″]can Duran Duran, Aha, Wham, A Flock of Seagulls, or Echo & the Bunnymen do that?[/quote]
no.
La La La Human Steps were part of the program, so both dancers are from said troupe. I was lucky to attend all three performances in Frankfurt. The premiere was broadcast live, the next day a friend who had taped it handed me a copy. Those were the days. The members of the audience held their breath at the beginning of the second performance when it was announced that Frank was too ill to attend. Fortunately he was there on the third night. I vividly remember him leaving after the concert. He stepped into the waiting limousine. and immediately closed his eyes – exhausted. Well, that premiere broadcast, together with the above rehearsal footage and the documentary that was made and broadcast at the time would make for an nice dvd. Anyone agree?
[quote comment=”9917″]But … how, why, when? I had no idea that this footage even existed.[/quote]
You can download the rehersal video here
http://www.zappateers.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=11533
And the concert running at 1hr 29
http://www.zappateers.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=9094