Category: Music

Lonesome Cowboy Nando

2013-04-10, 10:19 pm
Categories: Music

Via uploader Gianluigi Filippelli:

In 1987 the italian marine researcher Fernando "Nando" Boero published a paper about a new marine jellyfish discovered in California and named "Phialella zappai" in honor to Frank Zappa, his favourite rocker.

In 1988 Zappa decided to dedicate to Fernando the concert on 8th June 1988 at Genoa, and in particular the song "Lonesome Cowboy Nando", a variation of the most famous "Lonesome Cowboy Burt"

You can read the complete story here:
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/andymurkin/Resources/MusicRes/ZapRes/jellyfish.html

A new one by me, and a fun story. I think I like it even better than the Jimmy Swaggart version.

Musicians Only

2013-04-09, 10:32 pm
Categories: Music

Paul Colbert interviews Zappa in Zappa: Speak Out, Musicians Only, January 26, 1980. Another fine article from afka.net.

This one's about Joe's Garage -- yes, it is a series of discrete songs with a narration written in after the fact -- and it gets into a number of Zappa's usual favorite subjects, like the rotating band membership and his love of new technology.

Oh, and it's not just the narration that was added to disconnected songs on Joe's Garage -- the solos were, too.

Now here is an example of being different. The solos in JOE'S GARAGE had very little to do with the backing tracks. They were all recorded on the road TO OTHER SONGS.

"I came back with a stereo Nagra tape of just guitar solos and thought of songs where they could go. You try to find something that's in the same key but the time signature could be different. In "Packard Goose", the backing is in 4/4 and the solo was played in 15/16 in a totally different tempo. It was from the last show in Zurich during a song called "Easy Meat". The solo in "Keep It Greasy" – the rhythm background I think is in 21/16 and the guitar is in 11/4. The beats come together about once a month ..?

The Roxy Performances Trailer

2013-04-08, 9:14 pm
Categories: Movies, Music

The Zappa Family Trust released this trailer years ago -- as far as I can tell, the DVD has still not been released. Which is a bummer, because this is some of the highest-quality Zappa audio I've ever heard on YouTube.

Bobby Brown Goes Down

2013-04-04, 10:35 pm
Categories: Music, Politics, TV, Work

This seems like another one I didn't post because of the title -- but then again, it didn't stop me from headling a post "Crumpet-Munching Assholes: The Story Behind Bobby Brown Goes Down.

This is a pretty poor-quality video with pretty poor-quality audio, but looks like one of those rarities that's worth sharing. According to uploader Dave David it's from a 1978 special called Ohne Maulkorb.

(You know, since I mention it, I heard a coworker talking about how great Zappa is today, too. Like I say: starting to dig this place.)

I Promise Not to Come In Your Mouth

2013-04-03, 8:51 pm
Categories: Music

And on that note, here it is. I don't speak Portuguese but I think the notes say it's a group called Gravado performing in São Paulo. I don't see a date but it was uploaded in 2009, by somebody named tatimelloilha.

Nightline 1985, Part 3

2013-04-02, 10:02 pm
Categories: Games, Music, Politics, TV

Finale. Nice point on how Al Gore wasn't lobbying to regulate country music -- in much the same way that, more recently, California's Leland Yee wanted legal regulations of video game violence but not Hollywood film violence, despite FTC research showing that video game ratings are enforced more consistently than film ratings.

And seriously -- Marvin Gaye? That's the sexually explicit musician you want to protect your children from?

Pity about that last cutoff, but good that someone got a tape at all. Thanks again to uploader koolstrike.

Nightline 1985, Part 2

2013-04-01, 9:21 pm
Categories: Movies, Music, TV

More from Donny Osmond on how G-rated movies don't sell tickets and directors add more adult content specifically to avoid the G rating. (I hear that's the whole reason for the scene in Star Wars where Luke finds Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's charred corpses; prior to that scene being added, the film earned a G.)

And does anyone remember where interviewers could just say "A warning to our affiliates: we're going to go over"? I don't. Obviously live presentations and sporting events can go over time, but I don't remember seeing an interview do it -- aside from The Daily Show's frequent "Watch the rest on the Web!" schtick.

This one cuts off abruptly too, a product of YouTube's old 10-minute time limit.