Outside Now

Depending on how well you know me, it may or may not come as a surprise to you dear reader, that this is where Kill Ugly Radio ends.

There are quite a few reasons why I decided today was a good time to put this old and rusty site to rest, but I won’t go into that. Instead, allow me to say it has been an honor and a pleasure to host KUR during the past 11 years. I’ve learned so much from your comments and emails, laughed my ass off at some of them, and believe me when I say that without KUR, I would have never met some of the brightest people within the Zappa community. I’m proud to say some of them remain close friends to this day.

I hope KUR has been a source of fun, discovery and inspiration over the years. Perhaps it gave you a chuckle, or perhaps you became acquainted with music you’d not heard before, perhaps you engaged in, or read some really erudite discussion on a variety of topics. A huge thank you goes out to fellow contributors Balint, Urbangraffito, Dr Sharleena, SOFA, Magicfingers and Alex — and to you silly people for having been with us all these years.

If you’re reading this, pride yourself in knowing you were once part of

It’s been a pleasure talking to you — and don’t forget to register to vote.

This Is What Frank Zappa Heard – Sept.9th,1973

Napoleon Murphy Brock’s physical CD, This Is What Frank Zappa Heard, recorded live at the Red Noodle in Waikiki, Hawaii on September 9th, 1973 gives an example of what Frank Zappa heard when he was looking for a lead singer for the Roxy band. Available from CDBaby for $19.00 (US). Listen to brief samples here.

Zappa & The Mothers – Does Geography and Media Influence Musical Tastes

Having grown up on the Bible Belt of Western Canada where the only sources of musical entertainment for the longest time were the local Country & Western and adult easy listening radio stations, it’s hard to imagine such a place nurturing such a Zappa and Mothers freak as myself. That’s right, two stations on the AM dial. The rock music format did not even reach Northern Alberta until the mid-60s, and then, it was top 40 radio, and the usual repetitious one that so many are accustomed to with that particular format. FM radio wouldn’t even appear until the mid-70s. So, local record stores followed these top 40 stations as a guide on what to order, and likewise promoters on which touring acts to bring through town.
Continue reading “Zappa & The Mothers – Does Geography and Media Influence Musical Tastes”

Frank Zappa: A Study In Gesture

Paul Carr just posted slides from his talk on Frank Zappa & Gesture.

Here is a powerpoint presentation which looks at an approach to using an artist as a musicological case study. After explaining some potential generic approaches, it looks at Frank Zappa as a case study.

Cheaper the Better – Lyrically Zappa

While many focus on Frank Zappa, the composer, so very often Zappa, the songwriter, is overlooked. Perhaps due to the nature of Zappa’s lyrics, themselves, which often take direct aim at human sexuality, and sexual mores in 20th Century American culture – satirizing its norms, its values, its purported virtues of family, of home, of church. From the release of Freak Out onward, Zappa took direct aim with his songs, and his lyrics, at the foibles he saw and witnessed about him. No one and no thing was beyond the scope of his sardonic eyebrow.
Continue reading “Cheaper the Better – Lyrically Zappa”

Grab Bag

Zappathon, 2011 Edition

This just in from our pal Bill Amutis, aka Ol’ Baggy Eyes:

We have yet to learn our lesson, apparently, because we, the beknighted diehards at WUSB-FM are once again hosting an on-air Zappathon. Meaning: 12 hours of Frank Zappa, on air, webcast all over the globe and beyond.

This Zappathon is being co-ordinated by John Tabacco with assistance by me, Kevin Kovarik, & Nigey Lennon (I hope). WUSB-FM broadcasts from Stony Brook University out of Stony Brook, NY at the frequency of 90.1 FM. We also webcast at wusb.fm. This way the whole world will once again be swathed in the piquant tones of Echidna, Evelyn, & T’Mershi to name a few.

Hurrah! If you’re on Facebook, here’s the event page.

Zappathon 2011

Previously

You’ve Got Mail!

I’ve been rather busy outside of this website as of late, and wouldn’t you know it: that’s when people start sending in all sorts of interesting stuff hoping I’ll relay that stuff here. Without further ado…

  • Regyptian Strut guitar solo tablature as notated by Mark Hawling who says: “I just get sick of seeing them doing nothing on my HDD when there must be some nutter out there interested in something like this.”
  • “Waltz For FZ”, as featured on Utopianisti. Says Markus Pajakkala: “I’m a composer/multi-instrumentalist/producer from Finland.”
  • From Ab Stammehaus: “Warren Cucurullo’s new band Chicanery with new album coming up: listen to edited preview songs on the website.” (They’re also on MySpace)
  • Lee Mezcallo raves about the Genkin Philharmonic and hastens to add: “they’re quite good“…