FZShows v. 7.1

Under the highly competent maintainance of Oscar Bianco, the document has undergone some Massive Improve’lence, and FZShows v. 7.1 is now to be found [in a new place, under zappateers]. Make sure to update your links and bookmarks!

FZShows v. 7.1 was created by Jon Naurin and is maintained by Jon Naurin and Oscar Bianco – thank you guys! Keep up the good work!!!

Nick Harper: Titties and Beer


Nick plays a cover of Frank Zappa’s ‘Titties and Beer’ for his encore at Greenbelt 06. Interesting choice of song for a Christian festival!

From another source:

Roy’s son Nick regularly features a version of ‘Titties and Beer’ in live concerts (at which Roy has taken the role of the Devil), and has also been known to break into a snippet of ‘St. Alphonso’s Pancake Breakfast’. Well worth seening live – an excellent guitarist & witty songwriter in his own right. His latest double live album is selling for a very reasonable price now at Quixotic Records, and latest news is that the ZFT have given permission for TAB to appear on a future album.

By the way, the whole thing started with this find:
International Moustache Month. :-)

Frank Zappa Ambigram

An ambigram of the words ‘Frank Zappa.’ A bit of a hero of mine is Zappa, and I’ve wanted to design an ambigram around his name for a while. I came up with a symmetrical totem solution which I’m very please with. I particularly like the square at the bottom of the design hinting at his famous trademark beard and moustache!

Made by Derren Lee Poole, ambigram designer – this is a nice one, hm? I hope it’s not a copyright infringement…

From Zappa To Lenin

Found on the Where On Earth blog (via zappafan.net), about FZ’s bust in Vilnius, Lithuania:

A few years ago, I had the good fortune to share some beers with one of the students responsible for this very odd monument. He explained to me in a dark Vilnius pub how he and his friends, caught up in the early 1990s euphoria of post-communist freedom, decided to honor one of their favorite American singers whom they clandestinely listened to during communism because authorities banned his decadent western music.

Amazingly, during a crazy time when all things seemed possible, the students were able to convince the city government of their worthy Zappa cause. Even more remarkable, was that the students commissioned local sculptor Konstantinas Bogdanas to create the bust. Prior to this commission, Bogdanas sculpted only what the state told him to sculpt, which was mostly Lenin statues and other heroes of the socialist revolution.

And here is an interview with the sculptor:

In the far right corner is Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus, while rock legend Frank Zappa stares from the left. But the subject that made Bogdanas best known, Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, is noticeably absent from the cluttered display.

PERFECT and Corny

Nowadays I happen to meet really nice people. Does it have anything to do with nice music? I don’t know. But the thing is that conductor Tom Trapp was kind enough to answer my few questions about the 100% Zappa project.

Nice text – the keywords are: arranging, first Zappa-experience, WAZOO, rehearsals, imrovisation, Gail Zappa, love of music… Have fun! (Thank You, Mr. Trapp!)

The Continuing Saga Of Franko Zappacio

1. part
Gail Zappa discovers that Isaak is Jane23’s real child’s father. Jane23 asks his husband not to take away Gail Zappa’s position, together wanted it to make jump they. Paul Sempschi obliged to reveal the old secret. His mother just turns up in this moment, that let Dweezil Zappa put his cloak out from the house. Xorg and Jane23 decided that they go abroad again.

“A telenovela is a limited-run television serial melodrama of the type made famous in Latin America.” Oh yes. And this is our cheap version – a story generated totally and exclusively by machines: after I’ve given the names, the thing called Brazilizator made up the story, and after it (“I’m also programmed for conversational English!”) an online translator – voilá! – turned it into “English”. No “human elements” or other ulterior motives added! :-)

Curious? Continue reading “The Continuing Saga Of Franko Zappacio”

Zappa University

Every summer for the last seven years, Arthur Barrow has served as a valuable resource in Joseph Klein’s classroom, where Klein immerses UNT students in the world of Frank Zappa — from the music of The Mothers of Invention to the political and social implications of the lyrics.

A nice article in North Texan Online with Barrow’s story (did I mention he’s my favorite bassist?) Some more:
Frank Zappa’s band played for BBC Radio in 2003 on the 10th anniversary of his death:

Frank Zappa Anniversary Session Mar Vista Philharmonic
Albert Wing: tenor sax
Bruce Fowler: trombone
Walt Fowler: trumpet and flugelhorn
Kurt McGettrick: baritone sax, bass clarinet and flute
Tommy Mars: Hammond organ, Fender Rhodes and vocals
Vinnie Colaiuta: drums
Arthur Barrow: bass

Recorded by Bob Stone
Produced and mixed by Arthur Barrow
Recorded at Lotek Studio, Mar Vista, Los Angeles on 7 th November 2003

Gee… ever heard about it, anyone?

Uri Balashov On The Making Of The Cover of Civilization, Phaze III

Nice interview with the artist – thanks to Vladimir Sovetov.

Well, Frank said that it’s very special record in his life, the very last. He said that his disease is incurable. In fact I know that he is seriously ill, but really hoped that US medicine can cope with this type of cancer. But unfortunately it hadn’t worked in Frank case. So he felt it and would like to see some sort of grave mound as a basic image on the cover. I thought it over and decided that I may try to put some soothing kind variation of this theme. I mean, that may be subconsciously some therapeutic role was also assigned to me by this job. That’s why I decided to make some sort of cheer up, you know, the reminder, very obvious for anyone with some mystical experience, that even after a physical death there are a lot of adventures ahead for your soul, and the symbol of it is Egyptians.

And it continues:

Yes, it was modeled after frescoes in Egyptian pyramids with scenes of pharao family having some royal fun like, you know, Nile’s alligators hunt. Everyone here have microphones and electric wires are everywhere, and everybody listen how and where it sounds. The wires winded in loops and coils which are an essential part of the Egyptian system of symbols and should remined about eternity and infinity. Zappa himself is a pharao and like in a mirror, here and there at once, passing his endless wire from one universe to another, the wire on which everything is suspended…

Gee, it’s nice. I did not know this story. I wish I had it as a good quality, big poster.

By the way: one of these days I was just thinking about the graphic works on the albums (of You-Know-Who). In CD-size these are not very good – wouldn’t it be a great idea to make a big picture-book with all the (best) covers? (Ever seen the graphic works in the vinyl version of Joe’s Garage???? Unbelieveable!!!)

A Reader’s View, 2007

Another year is (almost) over, so as a reader of this site (for years now!!!), I’d just like to wish good luck and happyness to the Owners Of This Site, and a Happy New Year – to Barry’s Imaginary Publisher and Dr. Sharleena!
They might think they’re doing it for their own pleasure. Hah! How wrong they are. They are doing it for us! So what can I say after all these years, after all the things happened this year, etc. etc?

Just one tiny “thank you!”

Thank you!

Just one???? Nooooo! Thank you some more!!! :-)

And all the best for 2008!

Conceptual Continuity Circle

The last few days I’ve been listenning the wonderful CD of the Banned From Utopia (the best ever versions of some tunes!), and that led me to create this continuity-chain (or circle):

Chad Wackerman plays beautifully on drums -> surprise: his brother, Brooks Wackerman (a drummer, also!) plays on the new KoRn album -> the KoRn album also features Terry Bozzio (see the video) -> yes, he (TB) was the guest of the ZPZ tour -> but if you check the page of that tour, you’ll se only ONE update (=1) from 2007: one single picture of Ray White – of whom answers.com says that also played in the Banned From Utopia – sang in Jailbait Babysitter (thanks for The Idiot for the info!).

Otherwise Dweezil says:

Speaking of new material, I plan to release a live ZPZ album from the 07 tour early next year. I am also in the process of reviewing footage that was shot by my good friend Charlie Boswell in Austin Texas for another ZPZ DVD. We filmed 30 new songs – different from the last ZPZ DVD.

David Ocker About 100% Zappa

I really like it when someone speaks about something that is really close to him. And I’m also glad when it has something to do with a fine concert that I saw.

…the results were as good or better than the studio LSO recordings which Frank edited repeatedly. But these live unedited recordings were light years beyond what the LSO produced at the Barbican in 1984. Very encouraging.

David Ocker about the 100% Zappa concert. Nice text. Thank you!

100% Zappa – On The Radio!

Tomorrow (thursday) the whole program of the MR Symphony Orchestra will be aired on the radio – of course you’ll be able to listen to it online. At 19.35 (in Hungary).
A tiny video of the program can be seen here. Hey!

Update: the program can be downloaded here. Just scroll down to 19.35 – it’s in Real Audio format. The segments start at 19.00, 20.00, etc, so you’ll have to download two parts.