ZFT’s Cease & Desist against the Zappanale festival made it into this week’s issue of leading German magazine Der Spiegel. When asked for her reasons to fight a worldwide juridical war against Zappa fans, Gail’s answer was she “needs to do this for profitable needs“.
Ho fucking hum.
This whole situation reeks.
Maybe Gail should just do what Frank suggested. Get out of the music business and spend time at the beach house.
BTW, it’s “Wirtschaftliche Notwendigkeiten”, not “Wirtschaftlichen Notwendigkeiten”.
[quote comment=”17642″]BTW, it’s “Wirtschaftliche Notwendigkeiten”, not “Wirtschaftlichen Notwendigkeiten”.[/quote]
Damn that Dativ! Um bei mit zu nach, um bei mit zu nach…
Oh Barry, you naughty not native speaking German. It´s so good to have people like Robert to teach us right.
We’re Only In It For The Profitable Needs…
Probably FZ´s widow and their children are broke.
Probably the ZPZ tour is not as profitable as estimated.
Probably the Vault releases aren´t that successful.
Definitely FZ´s talent was not passed down to the rest of the family.
Definitely writing silly novels doesn´t make it.
Definitely knitting doesn´t make it.
Maybe sueing the world makes a good advertising campaign.
Maybe FZ´s widow and their children are bored to pieces.
Maybe they need some attention.
[quote comment=”17645″]Oh Barry, you naughty not native speaking German. It´s so good to have people like Robert to teach us right.[/quote]
I’m not even trying to comment on the grammatical correctness of “Gib zu mir etwas Fussbodenbelag unter diesem fetten, fließenden Sofa” :-)
Okidoki Robert, you caught the joke! ;-)
Although I disagree with Ms. Zappa’s position on this, I have to point out that a correct translation of “wirtschaftliche Notwendigkeiten” would be “economic necessities”. This would not indicate so much that she is doing all this for the money, but rather rather if she didn’t do it the ZFT would go arse over tit.
The good news is anyway that our German friends are making use of a very effective tool, the press. And, yes, at once the best in Germany: Der Spiegel ( quite different from Osnabrucker Zeitung etc.).
Quite frankly, the ZFT has just put itself out of business. I have sincerely tried to give them the benefit of the doubt throughout the years, but enough is enough. Have they learned nothing from their family patriarch in all the years he was alive (that which even the fan themselves understand fully and celebrate continuously)? In their greedy efforts to seek that dubious profit in that Bad Doberan bush, they have forfeited those profits (long term customers) they already had. I wonder how long the Ryko money will hold out supporting the entire clan?
Hey Urban — You seem to be enjoying this just a little too much, if ya get my drift.
[quote comment=”17662″]Hey Urban — You seem to be enjoying this just a little too much, if ya get my drift.[/quote]
I get your drift, bee pee. I just can’t seem to help myself. Is there such a thing as ZFT Anonymous? A twelve step program you might recommend?
Was Zappanale really hurting them? In what way? Were people going out and spending their money on Zappanale instead of attending Dweezil’s shows?
So, Guile Zeppo has put it on record she is waging war against fans b/c she needs $$$. Well, if that is the case, they should sell the vault to a company like Rhino which recently bought the Grateful Dead’s vault. Those guys wouldn’t sell out to anyone if they didn’t think that entity would steer their legacy with their input and with some level of class. And, I’m sure they could all retire on the profits from the sale of the vault alone.
Now, FZ’s vault may not be worth as much, at this moment, but I’d be willing to bet that with the right company’s PR dept. behind it, and with a loosening of the iron grip of the Zeppo Fam “Trust” about letting artists cover zeppos music, a bigger and brighter legacy could be forged…so many jam type bands in the US would play his music if they were both allowed to and if they knew more about it all, which would lead to Apostrophe and Over Night, Roxy, et all, selling well again, I’m sure. In Europe, I’d bet the flowering would be even more dramatic.
I don’t know, it’s just ass backwards thinking that is shooting themselves in the foot by the Zeppos. Dweezil can’t single-handedly keep the flame alive…the flame needs to be allowed to grow on it’s own, organically.
That’s my .02 Yen!
[quote comment=”17665″]So, Guile Zeppo has put it on record she is waging war against fans b/c she needs $$$.[/quote]
It was never about the Fronk Zeppo legacy, but about greed, plain and simple. The Fronk Zeppo legacy is quite secure. All one needs to do is listen to the music.
If the ZFT needs money, why didn’t Gail make a deal with Itunes? Could have made her a ton of money.
My question is: Is she the pimp or the pimpt? I think she is pimping the Frankster, but she also sucks bigtime.
I sometimes think that her ultimate agenda is to finally achieve what Fränk Zäppä wanted himself and that is to be *not* remembered at all. Once she accomplishes this task (and she is getting pretty close if you ask me), then we must all come out of our closets and start looking for other (living, that is) air sculptors to please us. Suggestions, anyone?
[quote comment=”17663″][quote comment=”17662″]Hey Urban — You seem to be enjoying this just a little too much, if ya get my drift.[/quote]
I get your drift, bee pee. I just can’t seem to help myself. Is there such a thing as ZFT Anonymous? A twelve step program you might recommend?[/quote]
Ha! Keep up the good work.
I really do not think the ZFT is tight on cash.
The economic angle is a 100 year projection.
Gail wants a Zappa Industry, just like there is a James Joyce
Industry (that re-copyrights questionable versions of JJ’s works
so as to keep it going).
The crazy thing is, if she succeeds in making ZpZ the only game in town, who the fuck would go out to support them?
Not I, that is for sure.
indeed, it is a little ironic and extremely hypocritical of ZFT to go after the worlds leading cover bands and Fan based websites, when Mrs Zappas’ own son leads the most well known and most well-paid Zappa cover band of them all !
Am I the only one who thought “We’re Only In It For the Money” was poking fun at greedy mothers like that group from Liverpool?
Is it possible that Frank is spinning in his grave?
I thought Frank was a COMPOSER. Doesn’t that mean other ppl playing his works? I don’t see why theres a problem as long as the groups are paying their royalties. I would pressume they are, if they are not then I could where there might be a problem. I think the ZFT is destoying the zappa fan community. If they were smart ZPZ would PLAY Zappanale.
If the only way to make her son’s cover band the best cover band in the world, is to make it the only cover band in the world, then honestly: Show me a mother who wouldn’t. Remember; those people are of invention.
[quote comment=”17690″]
The crazy thing is, if she succeeds in making ZpZ the only game in town, who the fuck would go out to support them?
Not I, that is for sure.[/quote]
[quote comment=”17691″]indeed, it is a little ironic and extremely hypocritical of ZFT to go after the worlds leading cover bands and Fan based websites, when Mrs Zappas’ own son leads the most well known and most well-paid Zappa cover band of them all ![/quote]
[quote comment=”17714″]If the only way to make her son’s cover band the best cover band in the world, is to make it the only cover band in the world, then honestly: Show me a mother who wouldn’t. Remember; those people are of invention.[/quote]
Imagine if ZpZ was the only game in town? Sure, I saw ZpZ when they came to town (a total of $155 and change for tickets for my son and myself to hear Zuppu’s music live). If it were Project Object instead I would have paid seen them, too (probably for a lot less). Same goes for any of the other various Tribute bands. I don’t care who is playing the music, as long as the music is being played. See the ticket stubs, Ga*l, see the match, I am burning my ZpZ ticket stubs in effigy to your appalling behavior. OUCH!
Harald, you are so right, because:
Among the blind the one-eyed is king.
There is only one sane reply in German for the legal actions against the Zappanale: Verdammte Scheisse! Was macht denn jetzt jene dumme Schlampe Gail?