[Zappa-List] Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks
Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973 HIS ARMS AROUND a red-haired girl whose ample chest was covered with a Mighty Thor t-shirt, debonair Frank Zappa (32) sank deeper into the couch, flexed his bare bronzed torso, refused a Gitane ? Too strong for me ? and concentrated his mind on the latest edition of the Mothers of Invention. This is the first of my bands, he said, which possesses the technical facility to play the harder stuff from memory. The band, an octet, is currently on tour in Europe, and makes its only British concert appearance at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on September 14. The new lineup, which has already completed two tours of America and one in Australia, comprises Zappa on guitar and vocals, Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Ian Underwood (clarinet, bass-clarinet, flute, synthesiser), Bruce Fowler (trombone), George Duke (keyboards), Tom Fowler (bass-guitar), Ralph Humphrey (drums), and Ruth Underwood ? Ian's wife ? on marimba, vibes, typani, and assorted small percussion. It is not, said Frank, in any way a successor to or continuation from the 20-piece Grand Wazoo/Hot Rats orchestra which appeared at the Oval cricket ground last year. It doesn't sound like any band of any sort that you've heard any place ? the instrumentation alone gives it a completely different tone quality. As a result of the widely differing timbres of the instruments, you get a lot of contrast. Much of their material, too, is unfamiliar. 'St Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast', 'Don't Eat The Yellow Snow', two blues called 'Penguin In Bondage' and 'Slough My Throng', and lastly something called, 'Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?' which Frank describes as an instrumental with choreography. They'll also be playing some old favourites, specifically 'The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue', 'Green Genes', 'King Kong', 'Chunga's Revenge', and ? for the first time in five years and by popular demand ? 'Brown Shoes Don't Make It'. To coincide with the tour, there is (inevitably) A New Album ? by the same personnel plus trumpeter Sal Marquez. It's called Over-Nite Sensation, and contains none of the compositions mentioned above. Instead, it sounds like another sneaky attempt by the Mothers of Invention to get their cruddy music on the radio. There didn't seem much more to say about this new band until we'd all got a chance to hear it, so Frank discussed the Grand Wazoo tour: All the concerts were great ? except the one in London. It's tough to take a 20-piece electric band to a frozen cricket ground where the audience is trying to tear down the goal-posts (?) and burn them to keep themselves warm. But we broke all records at the Felt Forum in New York. The Grand Wazoo seemed, I suggested, like a pinnacle of his career, the object he's always been aiming at right from the days of Freak Out. It would have been that kind of a climax, if the band had been able to memorise the arrangements, and if the technical equipment had been of the right quality. The only thing that's important is whether you have the opportunity and the money to present your crazed ideas properly. 200 Motels wasn't done properly because there wasn't enough time or money. The Wazoo tour, for instance, did five concerts and grossed 90,000 dollars ? and I lost 2,000 dollars of my money on it. There was no way that I was going to make any. I gauge the success of something by whether I can appreciate the outcome on a personal spectator level. If all the parts aren't audible, it isn't right ? and that goes back to the technology and the money to provide it. On 200 Motels, the orchestra beat the shit out of the music ? they just didn't play it properly. I couldn't even recognise it when they'd finished. Most of the actors were non-professionals, and the whole thing was shot in 56 hours. We all needed more time, and if I'd had it, I've have gotten better performances out of everybody, because they were the right people for those roles. In spite of that, I think it was a good film, and I believe that over a period of years you're going to find out how many strange predictions in the script actually come true. Such as what? Well, pay particular attention to the dialogue between Mark, Howard, and Aynsley. No matter how twisted you think that plot is, it's based on things that had happened, or on things that were based on suppositions extrapolated from mathematical predictions of people's personalities. Returning to technology, Zappa explained that they've brought the PA system which used to belong to Chicago. It's a 52-input stereo system, with all kinds of studio-type facilities like limiters, compressors, tape-delay, phase-shifters, and variable equalisers. The guy who's mixing it all for us is Gary McNab, who engineered our last six albums. We finally got him out on the road. He's the third mixer this band has had ? the first one was Stephen Desper,
Re: [Zappa-List] Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks
Cool!!! Thanks, Chris! SOFA - Original Message - From: Chris Warner To: Zappa-List@yahoogroups.com ; Peter Warner Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 10:29 AM Subject: [Zappa-List] Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future ShocksRichard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973HIS ARMS AROUND a red-haired girl whose ample chest was covered with a MightyThor t-shirt, debonair Frank Zappa (32) sank deeper into the couch, flexed hisbare bronzed torso, refused a Gitane ? "Too strong for me" ? and concentratedhis mind on the latest edition of the Mothers of Invention."This is the first of my bands," he said, "which possesses the technicalfacility to play the harder stuff from memory."The band, an octet, is currently on tour in Europe, and makes its only Britishconcert appearance at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on September 14. The new lineup,which has already completed two tours of America and one in Australia, comprisesZappa on guitar and vocals, Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Ian Underwood (clarinet,bass-clarinet, flute, synthesiser), Bruce Fowler (trombone), George Duke(keyboards), Tom Fowler (bass-guitar), Ralph Humphrey (drums), and RuthUnderwood ? Ian's wife ? on marimba, vibes, typani, and assorted "smallpercussion."It is not, said Frank, in any way a successor to or continuation from the20-piece Grand Wazoo/Hot Rats orchestra which appeared at the Oval cricketground last year."It doesn't sound like any band of any sort that you've heard any place ? theinstrumentation alone gives it a completely different tone quality. As a resultof the widely differing timbres of the instruments, you get a lot of contrast."Much of their material, too, is unfamiliar. 'St Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast','Don't Eat The Yellow Snow', two blues called 'Penguin In Bondage' and 'SloughMy Throng', and lastly something called, 'Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?' whichFrank describes as "an instrumental with choreography."They'll also be playing some old favourites, specifically 'The Eric DolphyMemorial Barbecue', 'Green Genes', 'King Kong', 'Chunga's Revenge', and ? forthe first time in five years and by popular demand ? 'Brown Shoes Don't MakeIt'.To coincide with the tour, there is (inevitably) A New Album ? by the samepersonnel plus trumpeter Sal Marquez. It's called Over-Nite Sensation, andcontains none of the compositions mentioned above. Instead, it sounds likeanother sneaky attempt by the Mothers of Invention to get their cruddy music onthe radio.There didn't seem much more to say about this new band until we'd all got achance to hear it, so Frank discussed the Grand Wazoo tour: "All the concertswere great ? except the one in London."It's tough to take a 20-piece electric band to a frozen cricket ground wherethe audience is trying to tear down the goal-posts (?) and burn them to keepthemselves warm. But we broke all records at the Felt Forum in New York."The Grand Wazoo seemed, I suggested, like a pinnacle of his career, the objecthe's always been aiming at right from the days of Freak Out."It would have been that kind of a climax, if the band had been able to memorisethe arrangements, and if the technical equipment had been of the right quality.The only thing that's important is whether you have the opportunity and themoney to present your crazed ideas properly."200 Motels wasn't done properly because there wasn't enough time or money. TheWazoo tour, for instance, did five concerts and grossed 90,000 dollars ? and Ilost 2,000 dollars of my money on it. There was no way that I was going to makeany."I gauge the success of something by whether I can appreciate the outcome on apersonal spectator level. If all the parts aren't audible, it isn't right ? andthat goes back to the technology and the money to provide it."On 200 Motels, the orchestra beat the shit out of the music ? they just didn'tplay it properly. I couldn't even recognise it when they'd finished. Most of theactors were non-professionals, and the whole thing was shot in 56 hours. We allneeded more time, and if I'd had it, I've have gotten better performances out ofeverybody, because they were the right people for those roles."In spite of that, I think it was a good film, and I believe that over a periodof years you're going to find out how many strange predictions in the scriptactually come true."Such as what?"Well, pay particular attention to the dialogue between Mark, Howard, andAynsley. No matter how twisted you think that plot is, it's based on things thathad happened, or on things that were based on suppositions extrapolated frommathematical predictions of people's personalities."
RE: [Zappa-List] Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks
Nice article. Its always interesting to get some insight about what Frank was thinking when these vintage recordings were made. So he thought felt forum was a good one and so on. Jim L From: Zappa-List@yahoogroups.com [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Chris Warner Sent: Tuesday, September 05, 2006 9:30 AM To: Zappa-List@yahoogroups.com; Peter Warner Subject: [Zappa-List] Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973 HIS ARMS AROUND a red-haired girl whose ample chest was covered with a Mighty Thor t-shirt, debonair Frank Zappa (32) sank deeper into the couch, flexed his bare bronzed torso, refused a Gitane ? Too strong for me ? and concentrated his mind on the latest edition of the Mothers of Invention. This is the first of my bands, he said, which possesses the technical facility to play the harder stuff from memory. The band, an octet, is currently on tour in Europe, and makes its only British concert appearance at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on September 14. The new lineup, which has already completed two tours of America and one in Australia, comprises Zappa on guitar and vocals, Jean-Luc Ponty (violin), Ian Underwood (clarinet, bass-clarinet, flute, synthesiser), Bruce Fowler (trombone), George Duke (keyboards), Tom Fowler (bass-guitar), Ralph Humphrey (drums), and Ruth Underwood ? Ian's wife ? on marimba, vibes, typani, and assorted small percussion. It is not, said Frank, in any way a successor to or continuation from the 20-piece Grand Wazoo/Hot Rats orchestra which appeared at the Oval cricket ground last year. It doesn't sound like any band of any sort that you've heard any place ? the instrumentation alone gives it a completely different tone quality. As a result of the widely differing timbres of the instruments, you get a lot of contrast. Much of their material, too, is unfamiliar. 'St Alphonzo's Pancake Breakfast', 'Don't Eat The Yellow Snow', two blues called 'Penguin In Bondage' and 'Slough My Throng', and lastly something called, 'Don't You Ever Wash That Thing?' which Frank describes as an instrumental with choreography. They'll also be playing some old favourites, specifically 'The Eric Dolphy Memorial Barbecue', 'Green Genes', 'King Kong', 'Chunga's Revenge', and ? for the first time in five years and by popular demand ? 'Brown Shoes Don't Make It'. To coincide with the tour, there is (inevitably) A New Album ? by the same personnel plus trumpeter Sal Marquez. It's called Over-Nite Sensation, and contains none of the compositions mentioned above. Instead, it sounds like another sneaky attempt by the Mothers of Invention to get their cruddy music on the radio. There didn't seem much more to say about this new band until we'd all got a chance to hear it, so Frank discussed the Grand Wazoo tour: All the concerts were great ? except the one in London. It's tough to take a 20-piece electric band to a frozen cricket ground where the audience is trying to tear down the goal-posts (?) and burn them to keep themselves warm. But we broke all records at the Felt Forum in New York. The Grand Wazoo seemed, I suggested, like a pinnacle of his career, the object he's always been aiming at right from the days of Freak Out. It would have been that kind of a climax, if the band had been able to memorise the arrangements, and if the technical equipment had been of the right quality. The only thing that's important is whether you have the opportunity and the money to present your crazed ideas properly. 200 Motels wasn't done properly because there wasn't enough time or money. The Wazoo tour, for instance, did five concerts and grossed 90,000 dollars ? and I lost 2,000 dollars of my money on it. There was no way that I was going to make any. I gauge the success of something by whether I can appreciate the outcome on a personal spectator level. If all the parts aren't audible, it isn't right ? and that goes back to the technology and the money to provide it. On 200 Motels, the orchestra beat the shit out of the music ? they just didn't play it properly. I couldn't even recognise it when they'd finished. Most of the actors were non-professionals, and the whole thing was shot in 56 hours. We all needed more time, and if I'd had it, I've have gotten better performances out of everybody, because they were the right people for those roles. In spite of that, I think it was a good film, and I believe that over a period of years you're going to find out how many strange predictions in the script actually come true. Such as what? Well, pay particular attention to the dialogue between Mark, Howard, and Aynsley. No matter how twisted you think that plot is, it's based on things that had happened, or on things that were based on suppositions extrapolated from mathematical predictions of people's personalities
