[SteveFord]

I am REALLY looking forward to this one.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4F0rT0F6OQ

[Mike B.]

I would like to see it also. The first time I saw him I was offended by the show. I went to be entertained. I was young and had no idea what they were about. The last time was when Frank had Flo and Eddie with him. I had matured enough to really get into it. I remember it as being a very fun show. 

[SteveFord]

I really miss Frank Zappa, both for his music and social commentary.

I saw Flo and Eddie a few years after they left the Mothers, they were just kind of silly doing a Kung Fu Fighting parody and the Hippo Limbo.

[Mike B.]

Strange deal. I just got this invitation from our main performing arts center.


Zappa Live
Hult Presents
Mon., November 23 at 7 pm; $15 for in-person viewing in Soreng Theater

With unfettered access to the Zappa family trust and all archival footage, ZAPPA explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career that never shied away from the political turbulence of its time. Alex Winter’s assembly features appearances by Frank’s widow Gail Zappa and several of Frank’s musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.

“You will learn way more about the man than you could possibly imagine. Let the great freakout commence!” - Rolling Stone

[dB Cooper]

Steve, thank you for alerting us to this. It should be of interest to anyone who wears tennis shoes or the occasional python boot.

[grsimmon]

I absolutely am going to rent this,  I believe from Apple TV.   Few denizens in all of music have spanned the genres that he did in compositional output.

[jonbee]

The Mothers were a staple for my college years.
I saw them twice. The second time I took a half dozen young women from a Catholic Girls' college and it probably changed their lives. Seeing Flo and Eddie parading around singing "Penis Dimension" with pool cues sticking out of their crotches, fronting a killer band was an eye and mind opener!
It was at the Opera House in Chicago around 1969 and the 3000 people were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up. Hundreds of people were literally rolling in the aisles.
I've never seen anything like it. A riot of joy and overstimulation. A Freak Out worthy of the name, orchestrated by the maestro.
FZ was a bonafide genius musician, performer, and free thinker. I know many Europeans and Russian artists also admired him, despite the language differences. Those of us who followed him know his influence was world wide, totally out of proportion to the record sales.

[displayname]

We rented this a couple weeks ago via whatever streaming rental option Alamo Drafthouse is using. That's easily our favorite local theater, so we wanted to support them where we could. That's also how I first heard about this documentary, which should result in some cash for it as well.

Anyway, really well done. Not much I'd change about it. I'm not a huge Zappa fan, but I've slowly explored some of his work over the past few years. Really cool to see how he was always working, and never seemed to run out of ideas.

[jonbee]

I watched it last night. Interesting, as Frank certainly was. I would have liked more of his music as played by his great bands and orchestras.

[JDoyle]

The Mothers were a staple for my college years.
I saw them twice. The second time I took a half dozen young women from a Catholic Girls' college and it probably changed their lives. Seeing Flo and Eddie parading around singing "Penis Dimension" with pool cues sticking out of their crotches, fronting a killer band was an eye and mind opener!
It was at the Opera House in Chicago around 1969 and the 3000 people were laughing so hard they couldn't stand up. Hundreds of people were literally rolling in the aisles.
I've never seen anything like it. A riot of joy and overstimulation. A Freak Out worthy of the name, orchestrated by the maestro.
FZ was a bonafide genius musician, performer, and free thinker. I know many Europeans and Russian artists also admired him, despite the language differences. Those of us who followed him know his influence was world wide, totally out of proportion to the record sales.

Great post!

[dB Cooper]

We rented this a couple weeks ago via whatever streaming rental option Alamo Drafthouse is using. That's easily our favorite local theater, so we wanted to support them where we could. That's also how I first heard about this documentary, which should result in some cash for it as well.

Anyway, really well done. Not much I'd change about it. I'm not a huge Zappa fan, but I've slowly explored some of his work over the past few years. Really cool to see how he was always working, and never seemed to run out of ideas.

It's out?!? AllI found was a Kickstarter page

[jonbee]

It's out?!? AllI found was a Kickstarter page

Netflix has it on dvd, amazon prime and others are streaming it.

[dB Cooper]

Aha! Thanks
 Lifelong fan, saw him live 3 times

[jonbee]

Aha! Thanks
 Lifelong fan, saw him live 3 times

Not for everyone, for sure, but for me behind the showman is the astonishing music, which is what he was really about. I listened to Yellow Shark and we're only in it for the money today, and his vision and creativity is breathtaking for me, all these decades later.

[dB Cooper]

Not for everyone, for sure, but for me behind the showman is the astonishing music, which is what he was really about.

Funny you should mention that. I have often told people that- whoever you are- I can find a Zappa piece you'll like, and a Zappa piece you'll hate. This goes for fans too! Some of the later stuff seems to have been designed to 'weed out' the casual listener, almost "Prove you're serious about hearing this music."

Third party performances that 'get it right' are rare, but one album that does is 'Prime Meridian' by Meridian Arts Ensemble (brass quintet plus drums). It's got a killer version of 'Peaches' along with other FZ material. Apple doesn't have it  but it's on Tidal and Qobuz. MAE went to FZ's house in his later days and played for him, which they found a little intimidating. Apparently he was very supportive though, and on the spot took their sheet music and "started marking it up with arrangement suggestions based on the instrumentation [they] were using." Definitely recommend the MAE which has FZ arrangements on about 4 albums but that one is my favorite.

[jonbee]

Third party performances that 'get it right' are rare, but one album that does is 'Prime Meridian' by Meridian Arts Ensemble (brass quintet plus drums). It's got a killer version of 'Peaches' along with other FZ material. Apple doesn't have it  but it's on Tidal and Qobuz. MAE went to FZ's house in his later days and played for him, which they found a little intimidating. Apparently he was very supportive though, and on the spot took their sheet music and "started marking it up with arrangement suggestions based on the instrumentation [they] were using." Definitely recommend the MAE which has FZ arrangements on about 4 albums but that one is my favorite.

That's great to know. I'll look for it.

[dpatters]

Hot Rats for me. Had tickets for the Dweezil tour which was cancelled due to covid in late March.

[won ton on]

It was a pretty good doc.too bad they didn't go past the mid 70's and into the 80's.