Today’s Headline: ZFT vs Arf Society

Der Spiegel, on the day of the ZFT vs Arf Society/Zappanale trial:
Mother Of Intervention: Zappa Festival Defends Itself from… Zappa.

Quoth Goil Zeepee:

“One of the reasons you file a trademark is to protect the works of a person,” Gail Zappa told SPIEGEL ONLINE in a telephone interview. “I felt we were getting into territory where we were putting the audience at risk in terms of who Frank was. You become concerned.”

Thomas Dippel:

Dippel says that the Zappanale has long tried to get the kind of official rubber stamp that Gail Zappa insists is available. He claims that letters have been sent and that Zappanale people even met with Gail in Amsterdam at the beginning of the 1990s. He also says that he invited the Zappa family — including Gail, Dweezil and Moon — to an unveiling of a Zappa statue that now graces Bad Doberan.

Gail — who refers to the statue as an “impish creature” that “doesn’t look like Frank Zappa unless you argue that putting a moustache on any face looks like Frank Zappa” — says that very little communication has taken place with the Zappanale.

I guess you know where our sympathies lie, right?

Posted in Community, Frank Zappa, Music | Tagged , , , , , | 59 Comments

Bat Chain Puller

Barry and I had a very interesting discussion the other day concerning why some Zappa fans also become big Captain Beefheart fans, while some do not. The crux of the biscuit, so to speak, comes down to Beefheart’s appeal, lyrically, since both Frank Zappa and Don Van Vliet are appealing musically. For example, I offer the following live version of Bat Chain Puller from the French Chorus TV show in 1980 (I suggest you turn it up loud, too):

Posted in Captain Beefheart, Community, Music, YouTubery | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

Bylyder: Frank Zappa

Når Kringkastingsorkestret stiller opp i konsertserien “Bylyder” tar de med seg musikk av blant andre Frank Zappa.

Fredag 11. april kl. 19.30
Lindemansalen, Norges musikkhøgskole (Oslo)

  • Giovanni B. Pergolesi: Musikk brukt av Stravinsky i Pulcinella
  • Igor Stravinskky: Pulcinella, suite
  • Frank Zappa: G-spot Tornado
  • Frank Zappa: Dog Breath Variations
  • Frank Zappa: Revised Music for Low Budget Symphony Orchestra
  • Jon Øivind Ness: Fierce Kentucky Mothers of Doom: konsert for to tromboner og to ensembler
Posted in Frank Zappa, Music | Tagged , , | 11 Comments

Wagner & Schubert Have Intercourse

David Ocker is set to release a “big piece of music entitled Poof, You’re A Pimp” in April or perhaps May. Meanwhile, he writes:

suppose you just wanted to simply hear my piece Wagner and Schubert Have Intercourse and not read all the upcoming palaver. Just scroll to the end of this post for the download link. It’s easy. Or click HERE to skip down. Even easier. Yep.

More of David’s music can be found here.

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

FZ On Nightmatch

Recorded August 25, 1985, here’s yet another classic Zappa TV appearance that takes us back to the days of the PMRC and “porn rock”. Part one consists mostly of introductory stuff, so let’s skip right to part two:

part three, part four (yes, there are four parts!)

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music, Politics, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , | 18 Comments

Three Little Words

My thoughts lately have been occupied by the meaning of these three little words: Kill Ugly Radio. Exactly what do they mean, philosophically speaking? We know the definition of the individual words, but does knowing these components help us? We can guess as to why they were initially uttered. Why did Barry choose these three particular words, beyond their FZ reference, that is? What do these words mean to you? To me? To them? To anyone? The PHILOSTOPHER’s door is open. Speak your piece.

Posted in Miscellany | 5 Comments

Big Swifty — Up To Old Tricks

I was surfing the info highway when I came upon another fine example of what’s up with Berger Kahn, who hires them, and the sort of services that they provide their most important clients. Click here for more.

Posted in Miscellany | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Zappanale #19: The Line-Up

Thomas, aka Head Honcho of Zappanale, just confirmed the following bands for this year’s edition:

  • Anti Agressive Action Band aka “Underground Sensation”, USA, feat. members of Voice of Cheeze, Ugly Radio Rebellion Band, DOOT
  • Low Budget Research Kitchen, Portugal
  • Wrong Object, Belgium
  • Finnish Zappa Tribute Band, Finnland
  • Paul Green School of Rock plays Zappa and YES, USA
  • Electric Orange, Germany
  • Panzerballett, Germany
  • Delicious Band Research Kitchen, France
  • INDUKTI, Poland
  • Alamaailman Vasarat, Finnland
  • Zappa Circus, Hungary
  • UZVA, Finnland
  • Jazzproject Hundehagen, Germany
  • Fattore Zeta, Italy
  • Bogus Pomp Semi Acoustic Orchestra, USA

Special guests:

  • Denny Walley
  • Napoleon Murphy Brock
  • Stanley Jason Zappa

Muchos kudos to Thomas for gathering such an eclectic slash exquisite mix of bands — especially in view of the upcoming ZFT vs Zappanale trial (April 9).

We’re with you bud. Music Is The Best.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Music | Tagged , , | 10 Comments

Je Suis Dans Ta Vie! (Todeloo Doot)

We interrupt this program for a bit of nostalgia for the old European folk (preferably of the French persuasion).

Over the weekend Sharl and I watched Podium — wait, let me rephrase that. Over the weekend I gently persuaded Sharl to join me in watching Podium. Now before you get any weird ideas, Podium is a comedy about a Claude François imitator whose main character is played by Benoît Poelvoorde of Man Bites Dog fame.

Now who is this Claude François character, I hear you ask. Well, behold:

That’s CloClo performing the classic Alexandrie/Alexandra for you, somewhere back in the late 70s. Pretty shocking for those Young Sophisticates among you, I imagine. Yet I need only hear the beginning notes of that tune and BOOM — there I am: barely 10 years old, fresh out of the bath, hair neatly combed, gushing over those background dansers also known as Les Claudettes. Everything, needless to say, was much better in the seventies. Yes? (No? Discuss.)

Anyway, back on topic: imagine our surprise when during the end credits of Podium, this pops up:

To be fair, it was Sharl who spotted this. It was I who freeze-framed the screen and took the picture. But hey, see that? In their “thank you” list, they actually include Frank Zappa! One can’t but wonder why…

Moving on, here’s another tune that you may actually be familiar with:

Pfeh, a My Way cover, you shrug? Quite the opposite.

Posted in Frank Zappa, Movies, Music, Pop Cult, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , , , | 30 Comments

The Dresden Dolls — Post-War Trade

In a comment in a previous post I alluded to a new revolution in how new bands, their labels, and their fans are making music, selling said music, as well as interacting regarding individual merchandising. In this regard, The Dresden Dolls have developed a unique relationship with their fan base called Post-War Trade:

…so here it is, the age of over-inter-connectedness and the internet and it’s time to change the world. I want to create an internet exchange forum in which really talented artists and artisans can directly reach out fans instead of posting photos their wares to the internet to get feedback. this is awesome but i would really like to see these artists making MONEY and doing BUSINESS with our fans. so it was that after years and years of discussion, the concept of Post-War Trade was born.

my good friend and fellow artist Katie Kay has agreed to take on the job of trying to organize this conceptual nightmare into a daydream reality, but we obviously can’t do it without YOU. the main idea is to get as many artists and artisans as possible to submit their work, we will pick the stuff we think is amazing enough to be reproduced en masse, and the featured items will be sold on the net with the majority of the profit going back to the artist.

it’s the DEMOCRATIC FUTURE OF MERCHANDISING! how AWESOME!!!!

no artist is too professional or amateur to get involved. ANYTHING GOES.

The Dresden Dolls are an American musical duo from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 2001, consisting of Amanda Palmer (vocals, piano, harmonica, ukelele) and Brian Viglione (drums, percussion, guitar, vocals). They describe their style as “Brechtian punk cabaret”.

Does their 2004 video, “Coin-Operated Boy” from their self titled debut record remind anyone of a late 1970s FZ song?

Posted in Miscellany, Music, Pop Cult, YouTubery | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments