Zappa's work and legacy was completely defined by his personality, philosophy, and ideas. Zappa put his all into his music, and things released in certain periods of his life reflect who he was at the time, and the way he thought.
All of his songs have something to do with Zappa and who he was. From songs making commentary about things he felt strongly about, to songs about his family and children, his music wasn't just music - it was Frank. All Frank. In a world where cookie cutter love songs were the norm, Zappa was never afraid to put his all into his work.
Remember earlier in this blog when I discussed going to jail and how that affected Frank? (I think I discussed that...) This affected him his ENTIRE LIFE. He wasn't in jail for long, but themes spiking from that experience would continuously show up in his work throughout his life. He wrote about what he knew. Even his classical pieces were inspired - inspired by his life, his future, his family, his influences.
Conceptual continuity is the perfect example of how his life and legacy are completely affected by his work (or, the other way around). Everything he did - EVERYTHING - somehow tied into at least one other aspect of his life. Even things like the game show in 200 Motels tied in with events later in his life, like his appearance on Make Me Laugh.
While not all of the connections were obvious (and others not even intentional), it shows that Zappa's life was part of his opus, not just his music and compositions. Everything came full circle with Zappa.
/m u s i n g s a n d r a m b l i n g s o f a n e w f o u n d z a p p a f a n/
Friday, April 8, 2011
Zappa, the entrepreneur
As I've said before, Zappa was always looking out for opportunities to get his name out there. He was a very good businessman. Zappa knew that publicity was important, so he appeared on TV shows and in interviews quite often.
However, Zappa never sacrificed his art for publicity. If anything, it allowed him to express himself more. He would never have been able to fund 200 Motels if he was an unknown; it was thanks to his interviews, appearances, and connections with other bands and artists that he was able to produce such a thing.
Zappa's record label was also a smart business decision on his part. He handpicked all of his artists, some of whom (like Alice Cooper) even went on to achieve lots of success later on in their careers.
One thing that we learned at the end of this semester shocked me, though. I had no idea, prior to this class, that Zappa was asked to be Czechoslovakia's consultant for the government on trade, cultural matters and tourism. This never came to be due to interference from the US government. Zappa actually turned much of his attention over to business ideas and ventures later on in his career. Ever the entrepreneur and workaholic, he continued to work even after he was slowed down due to cancer.
Even in his final years, Zappa was doing interviews.
However, Zappa never sacrificed his art for publicity. If anything, it allowed him to express himself more. He would never have been able to fund 200 Motels if he was an unknown; it was thanks to his interviews, appearances, and connections with other bands and artists that he was able to produce such a thing.
Zappa's record label was also a smart business decision on his part. He handpicked all of his artists, some of whom (like Alice Cooper) even went on to achieve lots of success later on in their careers.
One thing that we learned at the end of this semester shocked me, though. I had no idea, prior to this class, that Zappa was asked to be Czechoslovakia's consultant for the government on trade, cultural matters and tourism. This never came to be due to interference from the US government. Zappa actually turned much of his attention over to business ideas and ventures later on in his career. Ever the entrepreneur and workaholic, he continued to work even after he was slowed down due to cancer.
Even in his final years, Zappa was doing interviews.
Zappa, the social critic
I'd like to concentrate on one song for this section: Valley Girl.
This song was co-written by Zappa's daughter, Moon Unit, who alerted him to this new trend starting in California. Zappa normally made social commentary on concepts, ideas, and things that he felt strongly against. He didn't know much about this before he wrote the song, but on his daughter's suggestion made a song about this new phenomena.
What's most interesting about this is how popular valley girls got AFTER this song was released. Zappa's song definitely helped popularize this stereotype, and it became more widely known because of him.
In this one rare case, Zappa's social commentary actually helped to make something more popular and more well known than it was to begin with!
This song was co-written by Zappa's daughter, Moon Unit, who alerted him to this new trend starting in California. Zappa normally made social commentary on concepts, ideas, and things that he felt strongly against. He didn't know much about this before he wrote the song, but on his daughter's suggestion made a song about this new phenomena.
What's most interesting about this is how popular valley girls got AFTER this song was released. Zappa's song definitely helped popularize this stereotype, and it became more widely known because of him.
In this one rare case, Zappa's social commentary actually helped to make something more popular and more well known than it was to begin with!
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Zappa, the musician-performer
Zappa was never what you would call theatrical. While his ideas were certainly out there, he was never in the business to put on a show. He was there for the music, and wanted to put the emphasis on it.
At the beginning of the "Does Humor Belong in Music?" DVD, he even states:
NO LASER WEAPONS
NO FOG
NO OVER-DUBS
it was really just his band, playing their songs. While they were a bit crazy, he wasn't going to put on a show just to please people. He was enough of a show by himself. And people loved it. The crowd during this show was very into it, despite the lack of special effects or dance breaks. And why would you need them, when Frank's music was so interesting already?
Zappa brought concerts back to the way they should be. At a Zappa concert, it was just the audience, Frank, and the talented musicians he was playing with. There would be no guitar smashing, no stage diving, no costume changes (though he did a bit of that in DHBIM, for comedic effect!). If the performers on stage hammed it up a bit, that's just because that's their personality. He never put on a stage act. What you saw with Zappa was what you got.
Zappa was very professional, both in the studio and onstage. He expected his band to perform to a specific standard no matter when they were playing, and was not afraid to speak his mind when people got out of line. He hand picked his performers to be the best of the best, and expected that to show on stage as well as in a recording.
And he did a damn good job of it, too - he motivated his band to do things that people had never heard before, and still can't be fully replicated today.
At the beginning of the "Does Humor Belong in Music?" DVD, he even states:
NO LASER WEAPONS
NO FOG
NO OVER-DUBS
it was really just his band, playing their songs. While they were a bit crazy, he wasn't going to put on a show just to please people. He was enough of a show by himself. And people loved it. The crowd during this show was very into it, despite the lack of special effects or dance breaks. And why would you need them, when Frank's music was so interesting already?
Zappa brought concerts back to the way they should be. At a Zappa concert, it was just the audience, Frank, and the talented musicians he was playing with. There would be no guitar smashing, no stage diving, no costume changes (though he did a bit of that in DHBIM, for comedic effect!). If the performers on stage hammed it up a bit, that's just because that's their personality. He never put on a stage act. What you saw with Zappa was what you got.
Zappa was very professional, both in the studio and onstage. He expected his band to perform to a specific standard no matter when they were playing, and was not afraid to speak his mind when people got out of line. He hand picked his performers to be the best of the best, and expected that to show on stage as well as in a recording.
And he did a damn good job of it, too - he motivated his band to do things that people had never heard before, and still can't be fully replicated today.
Zappa, the composer
Throughout this course I've been surprised again and again by how different Zappa's compositions could be. From something that sounds like this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LvS8qKMAs8
to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-5Dxhp4OE
to even this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trqfeg-5Duo
his music just covers such a broad range of styles. If someone were to ever ask me to describe Zappa's music, I wouldn't know where to begin. Is it rock? Is it progressive? Is it classical? Truth is, it's a bit of all of those, and that's what makes Zappa's music so interesting.
Not only is he diverse, but he's deep [for lack of a better word], as well. Every song was written with a meaning, or a message. Certainly, not all messages are as important as others - while "Valley Girl" was making a commentary on a trend at the time, the lyrics weren't exactly poetic - all of his songs were written with a theme in mind. Whether he be commenting about social status, about the government, or something that he's just interested in, Zappa didn't just write songs for the sake of writing songs. He wrote them because he believed that he had something to say, and wanted to get it out there.
What I like most, I think, about Zappa's compositions is that he wrote everything for himself. Don't like his music? He doesn't care. He was a fairly well-known person at the time of his death, but I believe that he would have been just as happy with his life and what he managed to do if he wasn't. He had a love of music, and worked for himself.
His contributions have certainly inspired musicians nowadays, too. He was a pioneer of music in many aspects, and paved the way for artists who came after him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LvS8qKMAs8
to this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KS-5Dxhp4OE
to even this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Trqfeg-5Duo
his music just covers such a broad range of styles. If someone were to ever ask me to describe Zappa's music, I wouldn't know where to begin. Is it rock? Is it progressive? Is it classical? Truth is, it's a bit of all of those, and that's what makes Zappa's music so interesting.
Not only is he diverse, but he's deep [for lack of a better word], as well. Every song was written with a meaning, or a message. Certainly, not all messages are as important as others - while "Valley Girl" was making a commentary on a trend at the time, the lyrics weren't exactly poetic - all of his songs were written with a theme in mind. Whether he be commenting about social status, about the government, or something that he's just interested in, Zappa didn't just write songs for the sake of writing songs. He wrote them because he believed that he had something to say, and wanted to get it out there.
What I like most, I think, about Zappa's compositions is that he wrote everything for himself. Don't like his music? He doesn't care. He was a fairly well-known person at the time of his death, but I believe that he would have been just as happy with his life and what he managed to do if he wasn't. He had a love of music, and worked for himself.
His contributions have certainly inspired musicians nowadays, too. He was a pioneer of music in many aspects, and paved the way for artists who came after him.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive...
"Talkin' it up!/On The Barry Gibb Talk Show/Talkin' about issues/Talkin' about real important issues"
- SNL, "Barry Gibb Talk Show Theme"
Is it just me, or does Howard Kaylan (of Zappa's Flo & Eddie era band, and also from The Turtles)
look like a lost member of the Bee Gees?
or, at least, the SNL version from the "Barry Gibb Talk Show" segment with Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon?
Maybe it's just the beard (and hair, and general look) but it can't just be me. Right? Maybe I'm just crazy. But this is something I kept focusing on during 200 Motels.
- SNL, "Barry Gibb Talk Show Theme"
Is it just me, or does Howard Kaylan (of Zappa's Flo & Eddie era band, and also from The Turtles)
look like a lost member of the Bee Gees?
or, at least, the SNL version from the "Barry Gibb Talk Show" segment with Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon?
Maybe it's just the beard (and hair, and general look) but it can't just be me. Right? Maybe I'm just crazy. But this is something I kept focusing on during 200 Motels.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Less than Perfect
"I'm not perfect, but I keep trying
Cause that's what I said I would do from the start."
- Hedley, "Perfect"
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/gcpro_audiosolutions_2010summer/#/14
There's something that really stands out to me in this article. Zappa says:
If there is one thing I manage to excel at, it's failure - I manage to fail at 100 percent of the things I do.
Zappa was never 100% satisfied with any of his work, according to this quote. He says that there is never enough machinery or personnel to get things "exactly right". He was his own hardest critic - he strived for perfection in everything he did, and rarely got it (perfection is a very hard thing to achieve!).
I've also noticed that Zappa has always been a very well-spoken man. I've only ever seen one musician who was as well worded (and opinionated) as he was; Marilyn Manson. Both of these men continue to surprise me with the more I learn about how smart they are, and how well-educated they are on the topics they speak about.
I truly believe that Zappa, like he said he would have been if not a musician, could have been a chemist or a physicist. He definitely has the mental capacity for these jobs, and I think he would have been just as innovative in those fields as he was in music.
Cause that's what I said I would do from the start."
- Hedley, "Perfect"
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/gcpro_audiosolutions_2010summer/#/14
There's something that really stands out to me in this article. Zappa says:
If there is one thing I manage to excel at, it's failure - I manage to fail at 100 percent of the things I do.
Zappa was never 100% satisfied with any of his work, according to this quote. He says that there is never enough machinery or personnel to get things "exactly right". He was his own hardest critic - he strived for perfection in everything he did, and rarely got it (perfection is a very hard thing to achieve!).
I've also noticed that Zappa has always been a very well-spoken man. I've only ever seen one musician who was as well worded (and opinionated) as he was; Marilyn Manson. Both of these men continue to surprise me with the more I learn about how smart they are, and how well-educated they are on the topics they speak about.
I truly believe that Zappa, like he said he would have been if not a musician, could have been a chemist or a physicist. He definitely has the mental capacity for these jobs, and I think he would have been just as innovative in those fields as he was in music.
Monday, March 14, 2011
The Process
"What does he want from me?
What should I try to be?
So many faces all around, and here we go"
- A Chorus Line, "At The Audition"
While I'm sure there are many different videos of people talking about their auditions for Zappa, I was drawn to this one as soon as I saw the name Steve Vai. I was introduced to Steve's music at a young age. When I was 10, I got a CD - Radio Disney: Kid Jams. This featured lots of popular music from the time, but one song in particular stood out for me: Steve Vai's cover of Wipeout. Even without any musical training, I could tell this track didn't belong on the CD - it was far too technical. He was a GREAT guitarist.
Steve, in this video, talks about what the auditioning process was like for Zappa's band (he recorded with Zappa from 1980-1982). Zappa never liked to hear the phrase "I can't do this" or the word "impossible", as Vai recounts. He pushed every one of his band members to their creative limits and expected nothing less than perfection from all of them.
Luckily, Vai made Zappa's cut. He has been called a virtuoso and one of the greatest guitarists alive, due to his knowledge of music and technical skill. Both the 10 year old and 22 year old me agree.
What should I try to be?
So many faces all around, and here we go"
- A Chorus Line, "At The Audition"
While I'm sure there are many different videos of people talking about their auditions for Zappa, I was drawn to this one as soon as I saw the name Steve Vai. I was introduced to Steve's music at a young age. When I was 10, I got a CD - Radio Disney: Kid Jams. This featured lots of popular music from the time, but one song in particular stood out for me: Steve Vai's cover of Wipeout. Even without any musical training, I could tell this track didn't belong on the CD - it was far too technical. He was a GREAT guitarist.
Steve, in this video, talks about what the auditioning process was like for Zappa's band (he recorded with Zappa from 1980-1982). Zappa never liked to hear the phrase "I can't do this" or the word "impossible", as Vai recounts. He pushed every one of his band members to their creative limits and expected nothing less than perfection from all of them.
Luckily, Vai made Zappa's cut. He has been called a virtuoso and one of the greatest guitarists alive, due to his knowledge of music and technical skill. Both the 10 year old and 22 year old me agree.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Zappa Musical??
No other road, no other way
No day but today
- "Finale B", Rent
I'm not at all surprised that Zappa would appear on a show as mainstream and well known as Letterman. What's with this musical, though?? I've done multiple google searches on this topic and nothing surfaced - this seems to be the only video or article (that I can find, anyways) that mentions Zappa's Broadway musical. If he was still raising money for it, it's understandable that it never happened - Zappa is very "out there", and people aren't always interested in putting money into something that's not the norm. However, he even had a target date for when it was going to be released! As a fan of Broadway and musicals, I definitely would have gone to see something like this!
The premise is really interesting to me, and the puppet idea has been done recently, so now's the time, I think, for the Zappa Family Trust to release this musical!
Maybe one day, it'll surface? :) In any case, it'll be better than the Spiderman musical!
Something else that shocked me a bit was his story about the policemen who were at his show and danced - he said it gave a whole new dimension to the police force. In everything I've learned and read so far, Zappa has been made out to be very against authority and police in general. It's strange, to me, to hear him personally say otherwise.
No day but today
- "Finale B", Rent
I'm not at all surprised that Zappa would appear on a show as mainstream and well known as Letterman. What's with this musical, though?? I've done multiple google searches on this topic and nothing surfaced - this seems to be the only video or article (that I can find, anyways) that mentions Zappa's Broadway musical. If he was still raising money for it, it's understandable that it never happened - Zappa is very "out there", and people aren't always interested in putting money into something that's not the norm. However, he even had a target date for when it was going to be released! As a fan of Broadway and musicals, I definitely would have gone to see something like this!
The premise is really interesting to me, and the puppet idea has been done recently, so now's the time, I think, for the Zappa Family Trust to release this musical!
Maybe one day, it'll surface? :) In any case, it'll be better than the Spiderman musical!
Something else that shocked me a bit was his story about the policemen who were at his show and danced - he said it gave a whole new dimension to the police force. In everything I've learned and read so far, Zappa has been made out to be very against authority and police in general. It's strange, to me, to hear him personally say otherwise.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
"Promises of fame, promises of fortune
LA to New York- San Francisco back to Boston"
- Belle and Sebastian, "Seymour Stein"
An interesting article my dad found online:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090405/1806484395.shtml
Further proof of how innovative Zappa really was. He was a bit ahead of his time - I don't think that something like this would have worked at the time he was proposing it, as it would be very large-scale and I'm not sure the technology was fully developed at the time - but can you imagine? We'd all be listening (and viewing, if the TV cable idea went through too) to music in a totally different way.
Actually, this kind of sounds like Netflix for music.
Wow.
LA to New York- San Francisco back to Boston"
- Belle and Sebastian, "Seymour Stein"
An interesting article my dad found online:
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20090405/1806484395.shtml
Further proof of how innovative Zappa really was. He was a bit ahead of his time - I don't think that something like this would have worked at the time he was proposing it, as it would be very large-scale and I'm not sure the technology was fully developed at the time - but can you imagine? We'd all be listening (and viewing, if the TV cable idea went through too) to music in a totally different way.
Actually, this kind of sounds like Netflix for music.
Wow.
The Most Beautiful Man in the World
Found a picture of short-shorts guy, for your viewing pleasure. He also appears to be wearing some kind of low-cut onesie under it.
DOES humour belong in music?
"He'll be rewarded for never maturing, for never understanding or learning"
- Bo Burnham, "Art is Dead"
I watched a DVD the other night of a live Zappa show. It's from a much later time period than the one we're covering in class - 1984, to be exact. This wasn't Zappa performing with the Mothers or any incarnation of them since.
The title of the show was "Does Humor Belong in Music?", which is taken from the name of a Zappa album. The songs were very different from what I was used to! There has been a bit of humor in all of Zappa's music, but listening to the lyrics of this show was almost like listening to a comedy album!
Regardless, I really enjoyed it. Since reforming the MoI in favor of more talented and more musically diverse musicians, he had clearly handpicked the best of the best musicians he could find. For instance, the drummer (who I Googled after the DVD) has been called 'one of the greatest drummers of all time' by several critics.
It was a bit strange nonetheless to hear him doing this kind of music. I also noticed that his other band members (particularly Ray White and Ike Willis, as well as some man in short-shorts and a tight shirt whose name I didn't catch) were doing a lot of the work for him. While Zappa played a bit of guitar and contributed some of the vocals, I felt like in the grand scale of things he didn't do much. I did enjoy the other vocalists though, a lot!
An interesting quote from the film to end the post:
"Well, to me a cigarette is food, you see. Now that may be a baffling concept to people in San Francisco who, who have this theory that they will live forever if they stamp out ah, tobacco smoke. I find this a little bit difficult to deal with, but, I live my life eating these things and drinking this black water in this cup here, OK?"
Friday, March 4, 2011
You Make Me Laugh.
"And all that I can do
Is just laugh."
- Nevershoutnever, "I Just Laugh"
Kudos to Zappa for keeping such a straight face. I would never have been able to hold laughter in! As it was, I was sitting down in my basement watching this laughing so hard my family came downstairs to see what I was doing! I DID see Zappa crack a bit of a smirk for some of it - at least he has a sense of humour! This man would have done very well in a staring contest or an improv troupe!
This ties in with my previous posts of Zappa doing anything to get publicity. I would never have pegged him as the game show type! I must say, though, that knowing a bit of background on him now, he incorporates humor into a lot of his work. This game show is definitely a good fit for him!
Is just laugh."
- Nevershoutnever, "I Just Laugh"
Kudos to Zappa for keeping such a straight face. I would never have been able to hold laughter in! As it was, I was sitting down in my basement watching this laughing so hard my family came downstairs to see what I was doing! I DID see Zappa crack a bit of a smirk for some of it - at least he has a sense of humour! This man would have done very well in a staring contest or an improv troupe!
This ties in with my previous posts of Zappa doing anything to get publicity. I would never have pegged him as the game show type! I must say, though, that knowing a bit of background on him now, he incorporates humor into a lot of his work. This game show is definitely a good fit for him!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
i don't care about clever, i don't care about funny.
"And I'll take my clothes off and it will be shameless
'Cause everyone knows that's how you get famous"
- Lily Allen, "The Fear"
Throughout the semester so far, I’ve learned a lot about Zappa and his entrepreneurial skills. He certainly had an eye for business – he would watch for any opportunity and take it the moment one arose.
Even early on, we’ve seen that he would do anything for publicity. He knew that he needed to get his name out there. This was apparent from a video we watched in class where he performed on the Steve Allen show playing a bicycle. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before (forgive me if I have) but here’s a refresher: he had only been playing it for around two weeks or so, and only ‘picked up’ the instrument (if you will) in hopes of getting on the show. Zappa certainly wasn’t dumb – he knew that to get his name out there, he needed to reach the masses somehow. Even though the Steve Allen show wasn’t necessarily aiming to the same demographic he was, he knew that it would be watched by a large audience, which was just what he needed.
He also worked for several nightclubs, and worked on the soundtracks for some movies such as The World’s Greatest Sinner. He also wrote songs for other artists. He clearly was a man of opportunity and strongly believed in taking any break he could get.
Unfortunately this idea of taking what he could get backfired on him in a big way. He was asked one day by an undercover cop to make a video for a stag party. Zappa agreed, and gave the man a price. However, the man didn’t want to pay such a high price, so Zappa instead told him that for $100 he could make an audio tape instead. With a female friend, Zappa faked a sex scene – this was easy to do, since it was all just audio. When Zappa gave the tape over to the gentleman, he was arrested on the spot, all of his tapes were confiscated, and he was charged with conspiracy to commit pornography. This resulted in some jail time for him, which stuck with him for the rest of his life.
While Zappa was definitely very opportunity-minded, he wouldn’t sacrifice his art for this. For his appearance on the Steve Allen show – yes, he had to do something weird to get noticed. However, he DID try to make music on the bicycle, and that kind of avant-garde experimental music would show up on some of his later albums. He was a risk-taker and not afraid to be himself and speak his mind.
Likewise, Zappa’s recorded music was a work of art. He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect and was very organized. Everything he did was thought through and was some kind of expression of his thoughts and beliefs. He also used his album art to express himself; every inch of the space he had was covered in words, photos, letters… anything went.
I certainly don’t believe that Zappa sacrificed his art. If anything, his art was made better by his attempts at being an entrepreneur. It gave him the means to showcase his talent, and gave the world the chance to see what he could do.
'Cause everyone knows that's how you get famous"
- Lily Allen, "The Fear"
Throughout the semester so far, I’ve learned a lot about Zappa and his entrepreneurial skills. He certainly had an eye for business – he would watch for any opportunity and take it the moment one arose.
Even early on, we’ve seen that he would do anything for publicity. He knew that he needed to get his name out there. This was apparent from a video we watched in class where he performed on the Steve Allen show playing a bicycle. I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned this before (forgive me if I have) but here’s a refresher: he had only been playing it for around two weeks or so, and only ‘picked up’ the instrument (if you will) in hopes of getting on the show. Zappa certainly wasn’t dumb – he knew that to get his name out there, he needed to reach the masses somehow. Even though the Steve Allen show wasn’t necessarily aiming to the same demographic he was, he knew that it would be watched by a large audience, which was just what he needed.
He also worked for several nightclubs, and worked on the soundtracks for some movies such as The World’s Greatest Sinner. He also wrote songs for other artists. He clearly was a man of opportunity and strongly believed in taking any break he could get.
Unfortunately this idea of taking what he could get backfired on him in a big way. He was asked one day by an undercover cop to make a video for a stag party. Zappa agreed, and gave the man a price. However, the man didn’t want to pay such a high price, so Zappa instead told him that for $100 he could make an audio tape instead. With a female friend, Zappa faked a sex scene – this was easy to do, since it was all just audio. When Zappa gave the tape over to the gentleman, he was arrested on the spot, all of his tapes were confiscated, and he was charged with conspiracy to commit pornography. This resulted in some jail time for him, which stuck with him for the rest of his life.
While Zappa was definitely very opportunity-minded, he wouldn’t sacrifice his art for this. For his appearance on the Steve Allen show – yes, he had to do something weird to get noticed. However, he DID try to make music on the bicycle, and that kind of avant-garde experimental music would show up on some of his later albums. He was a risk-taker and not afraid to be himself and speak his mind.
Likewise, Zappa’s recorded music was a work of art. He wanted every aspect of it to be perfect and was very organized. Everything he did was thought through and was some kind of expression of his thoughts and beliefs. He also used his album art to express himself; every inch of the space he had was covered in words, photos, letters… anything went.
I certainly don’t believe that Zappa sacrificed his art. If anything, his art was made better by his attempts at being an entrepreneur. It gave him the means to showcase his talent, and gave the world the chance to see what he could do.
Sunday, January 30, 2011
You see right through me.
"Don't wanna be an american idiot -
one nation controlled by the media"
Green Day - American Idiot
In class we watched a commercial Zappa made for Luden's Cough Drops.
Throughout the weeks so far, I've found out that Zappa was very into marketing himself. From getting himself on the Steve Allen Show (for playing the bicycle, which was basically just a gimmick to get himself on the show) to working on a porn movie (which later got him put into jail for a brief amount of time), he was always looking for new opportunities to put his name out there.
This is rather surprising for me, as he was very against the mainstream, from what I can get from his songs. However, the proof is in the video up there.
In a way, that's very smart of him, though. While the things he was doing may not have always been credible, he certainly did a good job of getting into the industry and acquiring a fan base, albeit small at the time.
one nation controlled by the media"
Green Day - American Idiot
In class we watched a commercial Zappa made for Luden's Cough Drops.
Throughout the weeks so far, I've found out that Zappa was very into marketing himself. From getting himself on the Steve Allen Show (for playing the bicycle, which was basically just a gimmick to get himself on the show) to working on a porn movie (which later got him put into jail for a brief amount of time), he was always looking for new opportunities to put his name out there.
This is rather surprising for me, as he was very against the mainstream, from what I can get from his songs. However, the proof is in the video up there.
In a way, that's very smart of him, though. While the things he was doing may not have always been credible, he certainly did a good job of getting into the industry and acquiring a fan base, albeit small at the time.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Supermodel Documentary Hour!
"Stone age love and strange sounds too,
Come on baby let me get to you
Bad nights causin' teenage blues,
Get down ladies you've got nothing to lose"
The Runaways - Cherry Bomb
This week, I watched a documentary on Zappa and the Mothers of Invention with my dad. While at first, it wasn't really anything I hadn't already seen in class (him playing the bicycle, for instance, was in the movie), I ended up learning a few things from this.
1: I hate Kim Fowley, a lot. I first encountered him in the movie The Runaways and the book Neon Angel by Cherie Currie, and immediately disliked him. He's described as being a pig and just generally a bad person. I shouldn't judge a person based on just someone else's account of who he is and what he's done (I obviously don't know him in person). However, everything I've been taught about this man was bad, so finally putting a face to the name didn't help matters.
2: Wild Man Fisher is awesome. There was a clip of him on Laugh In (I think, anyways) just... making weird noises and moving his hands around a lot. It was really interesting to watch. He really does have a lot of talent, in my opinion - it's just not the kind of talent you would hear in the mainstream. I'll definitely be looking up more of his music and performances.
3) The way Zappa broke up the Mothers wasn't very nice. He took the whole band by surprise, from what they say, and just let them go. I understand he wanted to move on as a musician, and make different music with different people, but the way he actually did it just seemed so... brutal.
The documentary as a whole was pretty interesting. I did learn more about Zappa's beginnings than I did in the class, and saw the history of the first incarnation of the Mothers, which we haven't covered in class yet.
Thursday, January 13, 2011
I'm somewhat wiser now...
"Go cry on somebody else's shoulder
I'm somewhat wiser now, and one whole year older."
Mothers of Invention - Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder
We've been listening through Zappa's first album with the Mothers of Invention in class. Freak Out! is... well... interesting.
I didn't really know what to expect from this CD. It was written with what sounds like something me and my friends call "music ADD" - inability to stick to one type of music, or one song for too long. One song on this CD will be rock, the next is doo-wop, the next avant-garde experimental, the kind of stuff you would expect someone like Pink Floyd to do (except obviously written years before they began doing this).
I didn't like every song I heard, that's for sure. While the subject matter was easy enough to understand with both the lyrics and commentary from the teacher, it was just not the kind of music I would normally listen to. There were a few tracks I thoroughly enjoyed, just from a musical point of view - Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, Who Are The Brain Police, and Wowie Zowie, among others.
This first album has some recurring themes; American values and society (and how he doesn't like them), relationships (mostly making fun of them, though), and authority issues. The latter stems from the group he hung out with at the time, affectionately known as the Freaks. These people were not your typical crowd of the day, and many had long hair (*gasp*). Because of this, they were constantly getting in trouble with the law, for no good reason. This hit home with me - in every generation, there's at least one or two groups that get picked on by authority for the way they look. In Zappa's day, it was the Freaks - in mine, some of them are the goths and emo kids. Even in my father's youth (he was in high school in the 70s), he was watched carefully by store managers and cops for having long hair.
Zappa also used the album art of the Freak Out! album to further illustrate his views and ideas. From liner notes explaining who songs were written for and why, to lists of people he found influential, Zappa used the sleeve as a blank canvas, and also as a marketing tool.
I think I'll have to listen to this album over again. I can't fully appreciate something with just one listen.
I'm somewhat wiser now, and one whole year older."
Mothers of Invention - Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder
We've been listening through Zappa's first album with the Mothers of Invention in class. Freak Out! is... well... interesting.
I didn't really know what to expect from this CD. It was written with what sounds like something me and my friends call "music ADD" - inability to stick to one type of music, or one song for too long. One song on this CD will be rock, the next is doo-wop, the next avant-garde experimental, the kind of stuff you would expect someone like Pink Floyd to do (except obviously written years before they began doing this).
I didn't like every song I heard, that's for sure. While the subject matter was easy enough to understand with both the lyrics and commentary from the teacher, it was just not the kind of music I would normally listen to. There were a few tracks I thoroughly enjoyed, just from a musical point of view - Go Cry on Somebody Else's Shoulder, Who Are The Brain Police, and Wowie Zowie, among others.
This first album has some recurring themes; American values and society (and how he doesn't like them), relationships (mostly making fun of them, though), and authority issues. The latter stems from the group he hung out with at the time, affectionately known as the Freaks. These people were not your typical crowd of the day, and many had long hair (*gasp*). Because of this, they were constantly getting in trouble with the law, for no good reason. This hit home with me - in every generation, there's at least one or two groups that get picked on by authority for the way they look. In Zappa's day, it was the Freaks - in mine, some of them are the goths and emo kids. Even in my father's youth (he was in high school in the 70s), he was watched carefully by store managers and cops for having long hair.
Zappa also used the album art of the Freak Out! album to further illustrate his views and ideas. From liner notes explaining who songs were written for and why, to lists of people he found influential, Zappa used the sleeve as a blank canvas, and also as a marketing tool.
I think I'll have to listen to this album over again. I can't fully appreciate something with just one listen.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Introducing Me.
"I'll try to do my best to impress
But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest
But you wanna hear what lives in my brain
My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?
At times confusing, slightly amusing
Introducing me"
Nick Jonas - Introducing Me (Camp Rock 2)
I figured that there's probably nothing better than an introductory blog post to start this off. After all, you probably know just as much about me as I know about Zappa (nothing, if you weren't aware). So, a little introduction about me:
My name's Meghan, and I'm a 22 year old music fan. I'm currently in my first semester at university, and reeeeeally want to be a music journalist/editor in the future.
My music taste is very eclectic, though if you ask my father he'll say I'm not musically diverse yet. If you want proof, though, I'll grab my iPod and list the first 10 songs that come on shuffle:
1. Something Corporate - Fall
2. David Bowie/Queen - Under Pressure
3. Glee Cast - Thong Song
4. Dir En Grey - Cage
5. Ke$ha - Dirty Picture [pt 2] feat. Taio Cruz
6. We Came As Romans - Conditions
7. All Time Low - Poppin' Champagne
8. Jonas Brothers - Inseparable
9. Hyper Crush - She's a Freak
10. Drake - Houstalantavegas
Okay, so it may not be the most accurate representation of my musical taste. Two of my favourite artists are not represented on there (Paramore, and Jack's Mannequin). However, the styles of music are clearly diverse: there's pop on there, classic rock, visual kei, dance, screamo, and rap. My friends hate listening to my music on trips because they never know what to expect - they could be listening to metal, and find themselves suddenly listening to a song from a Disney soundtrack.
Regardless of how weird I think my taste in music is, I will agree with my dad on one thing: it needs more breadth, and depth.
This is what led me to joining a class on Frank Zappa.
While, at this point, I know little about him - from what I've heard, he's eccentric, talented, and named his kids really weird things - I'm open to learning more about him. Both my dad and uncle consider themselves Zappa fans, and while not obsessive like some of his other fans, they do enjoy his music and know a lot about him.
Anyways, that's probably all you're going to get out of me for now ;) I don't really think I'm in much of a position to say anything about Zappa yet, as I've only attended one class. Expect something with more substance later on!
But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest
But you wanna hear what lives in my brain
My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?
At times confusing, slightly amusing
Introducing me"
Nick Jonas - Introducing Me (Camp Rock 2)
I figured that there's probably nothing better than an introductory blog post to start this off. After all, you probably know just as much about me as I know about Zappa (nothing, if you weren't aware). So, a little introduction about me:
My name's Meghan, and I'm a 22 year old music fan. I'm currently in my first semester at university, and reeeeeally want to be a music journalist/editor in the future.
My music taste is very eclectic, though if you ask my father he'll say I'm not musically diverse yet. If you want proof, though, I'll grab my iPod and list the first 10 songs that come on shuffle:
1. Something Corporate - Fall
2. David Bowie/Queen - Under Pressure
3. Glee Cast - Thong Song
4. Dir En Grey - Cage
5. Ke$ha - Dirty Picture [pt 2] feat. Taio Cruz
6. We Came As Romans - Conditions
7. All Time Low - Poppin' Champagne
8. Jonas Brothers - Inseparable
9. Hyper Crush - She's a Freak
10. Drake - Houstalantavegas
Okay, so it may not be the most accurate representation of my musical taste. Two of my favourite artists are not represented on there (Paramore, and Jack's Mannequin). However, the styles of music are clearly diverse: there's pop on there, classic rock, visual kei, dance, screamo, and rap. My friends hate listening to my music on trips because they never know what to expect - they could be listening to metal, and find themselves suddenly listening to a song from a Disney soundtrack.
Regardless of how weird I think my taste in music is, I will agree with my dad on one thing: it needs more breadth, and depth.
This is what led me to joining a class on Frank Zappa.
While, at this point, I know little about him - from what I've heard, he's eccentric, talented, and named his kids really weird things - I'm open to learning more about him. Both my dad and uncle consider themselves Zappa fans, and while not obsessive like some of his other fans, they do enjoy his music and know a lot about him.
Anyways, that's probably all you're going to get out of me for now ;) I don't really think I'm in much of a position to say anything about Zappa yet, as I've only attended one class. Expect something with more substance later on!
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