Category: Music

Lost Interview Part 2

Continuing thoughts on McCarthy, and then a right turn to Elvis. And from there to the origins of Elvis's music in R&B and "race music" and the pernicious effects of good old-fashioned 1950's-vintage racism. Then Duck and Cover and politics in general, and more later...

Lost Interview Part 1

A late interview -- 1990; a few years before Zappa died. In this bit the interviewer asks him about early influences; Frank tells the oft-repeated story about phoning up Edgard Varèse on his fifteenth birthday. Then he moves on up through World War II, Eisenhower, and "that naughty old Joe McCarthy." Uploaded by TheNilesLeshProject.

Zoot Allures

Man, have I really not done Zoot Allures yet?

Here it is. Osaka, 1976; uploaded by wazoo17.

Fembot in a Wet T-Shirt/Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?

That bit about slow erosions of the First Amendment put me in mind of the Central Scrutinizer monologue from the beginning of Joe's Garage. Searching for that, I found a bunch of music by a tribute band called Central Scrutinizer. Here they are doing a couple other tunes from Joe's Garage:

Uploaded by Drum Channel Brasil.

Dangerous Kitchen

For some reason posting about wandering around my kitchen half-coherent made me think of this song.

Fort Collins, 1980, audience recording uploaded by YourArf.

Manzarek

Taking a Zappa break for this, from the late, great Ray Manzarek. Yeah, you've probably already heard Light My Fire a couple of times today, but dammit, there's a reason it's what pops into everyone's head when they hear his name.

Uploaded by MrBluesoundz.

Mr. Clean

A pre-Mothers recording with Zappa on guitar and backup vocals. Uploaded by haulofrecords.