Wherein Barry Goes To Vorst

Posted on Wednesday, 05/31/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

For those interested, you can find my review of yesterday’s ZPZ in Brussels right over here. Apart from the music, a couple of notes:

  • For anyone outside of Brussels, Vorst Nationaal is insanely hard to find. I mean, we’d gone to mappy.com, printed out the itinerary, followed all the directions, and still managed to get lost somewhere between Etterbeek and the Montgomery Tunnel. In the center of Brussels: not a single sign saying “this way to Vorst”. Argh.
  • Getting out of Vorst at 1:30am: ditto. Times two.
  • It was cool to meet a couple of KUR-readers. Hi Vrnzr, hi Bert, hi Matias!
  • You there who made me drop my freshly purchased beer on the floor during intermission: you owe me 3 euro.
  • Dr Sharl is convinced that Napoleon M Brock blew her a kiss at the end of the concert. If anyone present at the show can corroborate this, I would like to hear from you!

Here’s a couple of pictures we took (click to enlarge). Pardon The Crappinessâ„¢ but our camera was running out of gasoline.

Posted in Personal, Zappa Plays Zappa | 5 Comments

Teaspoon Slide Guitar

Posted on Monday, 05/29/06 by Balint

“Tapping” is a guitar technique. What about“spooning”???

Posted in Amusing, Bizarre, Music | 3 Comments

ZPZ In Rome

Posted on Monday, 05/29/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Francesco Gentile (now there’s a Zappa-nick waiting to happen!) kindly sent me a bunch of pictures taken at yesterday’s ZPZ concert in Rome. Here’s the Flickr set — nice close shots of Vai and Dweezil.

Posted in Zappa Imagery, Zappa Plays Zappa | 7 Comments

From The Bitter End

Posted on Sunday, 05/28/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

YouTube really is a godsend for digging up rare video. Here‘s some sort of compilation which includes (at around 1:30) The Mothers Of Invention miming to Suzy Creamcheese on a TV show called “From The Bitter End”, back in 1967 — except FZ doesn’t mime the lyrics, he mimes “motherfucker” all the way through. Have a look (and be patient because it takes a while before the relevant footage comes on):

Thanks Fawlky!

Edit: some pretty graphic NSFW material in the above clip — you have been warned…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Audio/Video | 7 Comments

Won’t Get Fooled Again?

Posted on Friday, 05/26/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

An anatomy of conservative rock songs.

The number one omission, according to the criteria for this list, would have to be “Who Needs the Peace Corps?,” by Frank Zappa. Released in 1967, at the height of the flower-power summer of love nonsense, this song is a scathing indictment of all things hippy, making “Won’t Get Fooled Again” look tepid in comparison.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Pop Cult | 1 Comment

San Carlos CA, ’74

Posted on Friday, 05/26/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

For the next two weeks, we have for you another concert from the Roxy-era: Circle Star Theatre, San Carlos, July 20 ’74. Enjoy!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Friday Boots | 5 Comments

Zappa Gibson SG

Posted on Thursday, 05/25/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Gibson (you know, that obscure little guitar factory) just posted an interesting interview with Dweezil — I guess it’s safe to say the ZPZ promotion machine is now running at full speed. Interesting little find: there is apparently talk of a Gibson Zappa SG!

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Articles, Zappa Plays Zappa | 1 Comment

Weirdo Swag!

Posted on Thursday, 05/25/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

In the “Blatant Self Promotion” Department, have we got news for you! If you liked the weirdo ecards Dr Sharl and I provide over at weirdocards.com, you’ll be glad to know that some of those designs are now available on T-shirts, hoodies, tank tops, thongs, mugs, mousepads, posters and other what-have-you’s. Just head on over to the online store and have a look around. Unfortunately, anything to do with Zappa got refused by CafePress — however! There is Cheese! Cows! Hairdo’s! Punks! Sumo Wrestlers! Exclamation marks!

Posted in Personal, Pop Cult, Site News | 1 Comment

FZ & Ponty, Valbonne ’70

Posted on Thursday, 05/25/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Rhymin’ Title Man’s what I am. Via The Idiot, here’s a full download “in glorious mono” of Zappa and J.-L. Ponty live at the Festival de Valbonne, France, July 25th 1970.

The pair were supposed to play together at the festival with a new line-up of the Mothers. However, for some reason, Frank turned up on his own and a pick-up band was hastily assembled. The other two guys were noted French jazz players, drummer Aldo Romano and bassist Alby Cullaz.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Audio/Video | 5 Comments

Zappa On The Mike Douglas Show

Posted on Wednesday, 05/24/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Frank Zappa on The Mike Douglas Show, November 1976! When Frank comes on, you can see him think “oh great, I’m gonna have to shake hands with these bozo’s”, heheh.

(YouTube link. Via, of all places, a comment on my myspace profile.)

Update: Balint found part two of the show.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Zappa Audio/Video | 12 Comments

Peanuts

Posted on Wednesday, 05/24/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

As a US citizen, what could you possibly do for your country now that your president has proven himself to be an unbelievably inadequate, lying, disastrously shortsighted hand puppet for corporate America?
Why, censure Jimmy Carter! Yeah! That’s the ticket.

Posted in Politics, Silly | 3 Comments

Another Day, Another Device

Posted on Wednesday, 05/24/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

So you’re a typist doing your job and then — suddenly: gas attack! Good thing, you ponder, I’m wearing one of these! (via)

Posted in Silly | Comments Off on Another Day, Another Device

Whatever Happened to Punky Meadows?

Posted on Tuesday, 05/23/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Well, why don’t you read for yourself:

Today, he wears perfectly creased form-fitting jeans and an unbuttoned-to-below-the-sternum silk shirt; the look is no less immaculate than the one the now-52-year-old sported before he came back to the D.C. area almost 15 years ago. Meadows likes to keep his clothes immaculate. He likes to keep his hair immaculate, too: His chestnut mane is cut into a one-of-a-kind half-gladiator-helmet, half-California-swinger style with strategical blond highlights.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Pop Cult, Zappa Misc | 5 Comments

Yum! Cultural Stereotype Fest!

Posted on Tuesday, 05/23/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Ooh La La!

The French have been voted the world’s most unfriendly nation by a landslide in a new British poll published. They were also voted the most boring and most ungenerous. The Germans have no to reason to celebrate the damning verdict. They came second on all three counts. Italy was voted the world’s most cultured nation with the best cuisine, while the United States was named the most unstylish with the worst food.

Posted in In The News, Silly | 8 Comments

Cal’s Specials

Posted on Tuesday, 05/23/06 by Barry's Imaginary Publisher

Got a couple hundred bucks to spend? Cal Schenkel has some new artwork for sale at “special prices”…

Posted in Frank Zappa, Visual Arts | 3 Comments