Category Archives: Frank Zappa

Q&A: John McLaughlin

What do you think about the late Frank Zappa’s criticism of your work as simply “operating a guitar like a machine gun?” Do you think that Zappa was right when he said that the whole trend in the music business … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, In The News | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Best of Zappa In Australia – 1973 Tour

In the above clip (short as it is), Frank Zappa expounds on what an Australian concert goer might expect from one of the various shows on his 1973 Australian tour. For some FZ fans, this particular ensemble is their favorite … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, Interview, Jean-Luc Ponty, Miscellany, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , | 12 Comments

Hammersmith Odeon – a Review

This is yet another great release from the Zappa family trust. Excellent material (yes, one of my favorite line ups), great sound, not as “close” as Frank used to make them, but the sound is clear and the balance between … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, In The News, Music | Tagged , | 48 Comments

I´M Using A Chicken To Measure It – A Tribute To Frank Zappa

To celebrate the 70th birthday of Frank Zappa, Hunchentoot presents a group show featuring the work of Pit Noack, Stefan Roigk, Heidrun Schramm, Oliver Schmidt and Nicolas Wiese. All of whom are working with sound installation. Like Zappa they use … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, FZ's birthday, In The News | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on I´M Using A Chicken To Measure It – A Tribute To Frank Zappa

Zappa in the Thicke of it – May 30, 1984

In this interview clip, Frank Zappa makes an appearance as a guest on the short-lived talk show, Thicke Of The Night, hosted by Alan Thicke, on May 30th, 1984, promoting his upcoming tour, as well as a never filmed satirical … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, Interview, YouTubery | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

In Pictures: Zappa At The Roundhouse

Our pal Magic Fingers had the good fortune (and a sufficient amount of Pound Sterling) to visit last weekend’s Roundhouse event. Pictural evidence was transferred over to KUR’s head office for your perusal: For a closer, annotated version, be sure … Continue reading

Posted in Alumni, Community, Frank Zappa | Tagged , | 5 Comments

The Manson Ensemble plays Zappa: 13th of November

Conducted by Franck Ollu, who performed with the Ensemble Modern on the original Yellow Shark recording, the Manson Ensemble present a selection of instrumental Zappa classics alongside new transcriptions by Head of Composition, Philip Cashian, and current composition students. The … Continue reading

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music | Tagged , | 11 Comments

Theydon Bois Reviews Zappa At The Roundhouse

Over the weekend, Theydon Bois has been posting his experiences and thoughts on the Roundhouse event in this KUR thread. In fact, he did such an amazing write-up, I figured it deserves its own post. Many thanks Mr. Bois!

Posted in Alumni, Frank Zappa, In Writing, Music | Tagged , , | 31 Comments

New Release: Hammersmith Odeon

Zappa live at Hammersmith Odeon, 1978, 3-CD set. Click image for full barfiness announcement. Pre-order here. Update: Nov 8 2010: the correct tracklist can be found here.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music, Official Releases | Tagged , , | 82 Comments

“Zappa The Hard Way” Reviewed

Quick! Name one artist that deserves a book about his last tour – a tour that ended prematurely? Andrew Greenaway, aka The Idiot, did just that with “Zappa The Hard Way”, a book focused solely on FZ’s ill-fated 1988 tour. … Continue reading

Posted in Alumni, Frank Zappa, In Writing, Mike Keneally | Tagged , , | 26 Comments