Month: April 2007

Holland Doc Keeps-A Rockin’

… and you need only click here to find out why. Fear not the Viking-esque prose with funny-looking words (dixit Dr Sharl) — just click through the audio links at the right of the page. Now I must say the whole “we opted for embedded audio because we don’t want you to copy this precious stuff, instead we want you to visit our site if you want a listen because we need to show our bosses that we are actually working deal” is a bit disappointing — but hey: surely, someone with more time and skills will make this available on Uncle Beat at some time. Right? Right.

Helsinki ’88

Time for another lush 1988 show (if only to please The Chad Wackerman Liberation Front.) This week and the next: Helsinki, Finland, 29 April 1988. From The Planet Of My Dreams:

A very good show, but I must say that I expected more when I looked at the setlist, which indeed is great. It shows that FZ didn’t think highly of the Finns’ English comprehension – much instrumental stuff, and not less than 11 guitar solos.

Zappa On HollandDoc — Not

Remember this? Well, I just received a press-release from the Dutch TV-channel VPRO, stating (roughly translated):

Gail Zappa, widow of Frank Zappa, does not allow Holland Doc to broadcast the 2-part documentary “Frank Zappa – A pioneer of the future of music” by Frank Scheffer. (…) Instead of the aforementioned film, Holland Doc will now broadcast “In The Ocean”, another film by Scheffer, in which Frank Zappa plays a prominent role. Apart from Zappa, this film from 2001 brings together such composers as Steve Reich, Brian Eno, Philip Glass and Louis Andriessen in an attempt to portray the complexity in contemporary music of the past 35 years.

Bummer.
I think I’ll need a new category here, called “Zappa NO Audio/Video”.

Update 04/21: It appears Scheffer’s newest documentary (mentioned above) will be shown on “regular” TV; but not on the digital channel that is Holland Doc. The reason being that the 7 year old contract between the ZFT and Scheffer does not take in account distribution via digital channels. Via Marco.

Homme Petit d’Homme

I’ve been scratching my chin for ten minutes now, trying to decipher this poem:

Homme petit d’homme petit, s’attend, n’avale
Homme petit d’homme petit, à degrés de bègues folles
Anal deux qui noeuds ours, anal deux qui noeuds s’y mènent
Coup d’un poux tome petit tout guetteur à gaine

“Do you recognize this passage? No? Try reading it aloud. Cognitive scientists use it to illustrate the complexity of human communications.”

Nope. Still don’t get it. Maybe I should try reading it aloud with an English accent…

The Voice Of Cheese: James Davies

VOC #12! Featuring James Davies! You may know James as he is a loyal KUR regular. James sent in a YouTube movie because he’s not all that much into mixing and late-night basement-four-track-recording and such. I converted the movie to an audio track, entitled “Neurodegenerative Shuffle”. James says:

This is straight up, lo-fi webcam-core — no remixing or digital jiggy-wiggy to stand in the way of my nominal skills. Condemned to a dank limbo of perpetual improv by my own snotty insistence on remaining musically illiterate — & loving every minute of it. Woosh!

There’s nothing quite like this. Have a listen:

[audio:012_Neurodegenerative_Shuffle_James_Davies.mp3]

Like it? Download it.