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---------------------------------------------------------------- | alt.fan.frank-zappa FAQ The Main FAQ | | | | Maintained by Robbert Heederik (heederik@fwi.uva.nl) | | Original version by Rob Sweet (sweet@skat.usc.edu) | | Version 2.2, September 1, 1995 | ---------------------------------------------------------------- These are the Frequently Asked Questions (and answers) for the alt.fan.frank-zappa newsgroup. This file is posted twice a month. The original version of this FAQ was created by Rob Sweet . The current maintainer is Robbert Heederik . 1. About this FAQ The alt.fan.frank-zappa FAQ's are split up in these parts: The Main FAQ A collection of frequently asked questions appearing in the alt.fan.frank-zappa newsgroup and answers to these questions. Maintained by Robbert Heederik . ``Whatever Happened To ...'' Keeps track of all Zappa band members. Maintained by Douglas Obrecht . The Zappa Discography The ``official'' Frank Zappa Discography. Maintained by Vinsku Chandrasekhar . The Zappa Videography About Zappa's video's and bootleg tapes. Maintained by Robbert Heederik . Singles Discography Maintained by Robbert Heederik . The Zappa Bibliography Every book written by/over Zappa is listed here. Maintained by Vladimir Sovetov . Bootlegs A huge listing of all of the bootlegs. Maintained by Johan Wikberg . ``Vinyl vs. CD's'' Are there any differences between Zappa Vinyls and CD's? Yes. Maintained by Vladimir Sovetov . Notes and Comments Discusses Zappa's Lyrics. Maintained by Vladimir Sovetov . The '88 Tour The FAQ for the great '88 Tour. Maintained by Douglas Obrecht . Cruising with YCDTOSA An attempt to gather what affz said and will say about You Can't Do This On Stage Anymore (YCDTOSA). Maintained by Francesco Gentile . This part of the FAQ is bundled with the Notes and Comments FAQ. 2. General Questions 2.1. I heard that Frank Zappa has passed on. Is this true? Frank Vincent Zappa, who was born December 21, 1940, died in his Laurel Canyon home shortly before 6 PM PST, on December 4, 1993, after a long battle with prostate cancer. A short time later, his wife Gail announced that Frank had departed for his ``last tour''. Moon Zappa had this to say: (Originally posted by Mike Fitzmaurice) You have reached the Zappa Hotline. This is Moon. My mother and my family are asking those of you wishing to send flow- ers or to commemorate my father in some way, to make a dona- tion in Frank's name to the Office for Intellectual Freedom of the American Library Association, a 501-C tax-exempt organization, reachable by phone at 312-280-4223 or by fax at 312-440-9374, or to the Cousteau society, or GreenPeace, or any favorite environmental cause. My family is concerned about those of you who would like to express their sympathies, but are financially restricted. Just play his music, if you're a musician, and if you aren't, play his music anyway -- that will be enough for him. My family hopes to be able to announce a memorial service at some future date. Lastly, my mother asks that you be kind to your family, and to your friends, and most especially to yourself. 2.2. I just started listening to Zappa. Which albums should I check out? All of them, of course! If you already have a Zappa album, and you want something similar to that, take a look at these suggestions by Johannes Labisch . 2.2.1. I have album X and I like it very much. What are similar albums? Here's how to find out: o Check out why you like that album (lyrics?, jazz?, synclavier?,...). Find a ``class'' which matches. Then buy all the albums in that class that you don't have. ;-) o Search for the name of the album. Then look in which class that album is mentioned. If it sounds interesting, buy all the albums in the class. ;-) (No. I don't get any money out of it...) Thanks to everyone who had some input to that. The annotations describe how ``good'' the contents of that album fit in that class: all All (or at least very much) most Most (more than 3/4) part About half of it some Less then a half, but this stuff is ok. A plus sign (+) marks ``class leaders''. That does not mean that this album is the best (in that class), just it fits the best in that class. Sometimes there are more than one ``class-leaders''. Don't worry. 2.2.1.1. For the hardcore-fz-fanatics o These are just hints, don't take them too seriously. o Sometimes there are a few albums missing. If you think, a new listener should listen to that special album, send me a note. o If you think, a new listener should not be put in THAT direction (because there's a bad album in a class), send me a note. o If you think this is stupid: Go ahead and read again and again and again again ``Hi. I'm new. What album should i listen to?'' and DON'T send me a note. :-) 2.2.1.2. 1973-1975 o Apostrophe(') o Bongo Fury o One Size Fits All + o Over-nite Sensation + o Roxy & Elsewhere o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 2 2.2.1.3. 60's Satire o Absolutely Free (most) o Freak Out (most) o We're Only In It For The Money (most) + 2.2.1.4. Big Band Stuff o Make A Jazz Noise Here (most) + o The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. (part) o The Grand Wazoo (all) + o Waka Jawaka (most) o Zappa In New York (some) 2.2.1.5. Chamber Music o Ahead Of Their Time (part) o Burnt Weeny Sandwich (most) + o Francesco Zappa (all) (This album is not composed by Frank Zappa) o Lumpy Gravy (most) o The Perfect Stranger (part) o The Yellow Shark (most) + o Uncle Meat (most) 2.2.1.6. Collage o F.Z. Meets The Mothers Of Prevention (some) o Lumpy Gravy (most) + o Uncle Meat (most) o We're Only In It For The Money (most) + o Weasels Ripped My Flesh (some) 2.2.1.7. Complex Rock o One Size Fits All (most) o Roxy & Elsewhere (all) o Ship Arriving Too Late (most) + o Studio Tan (part) o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 2 (most) o Zappa In New York (most) + 2.2.1.8. Flo & Eddie o 200 Motels (most) o Chunga;s Revenge (most) o Mothers/Fillmore June 1971 (most) + o Playground Psychotics (part) o Just Another Band From LA (all) + 2.2.1.9. Guitar o Guitar (all) + o Hot Rats (most) o Joe's Garage (on ACT 2&3) o Shut up 'n'play yer guitar (all) + o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol 3 o Them or Us (some) 2.2.1.10. Jazz o Burnt Weeny Sandwich (part) o Grand Wazoo (all) + o Hot Rats (all) + o Sleep Dirt (most) o Uncle Meat (part) o Waka/Jawaka (most) o Make a Jazz Noise Here (most) 2.2.1.11. Live There are so many live recordings by Frank. So this class is propably not necessary. Anyway: It has no class leader. o Ahead of Their Time (all) o Baby Snakes (all) o Bongo Fury (most) o Broadway The Hard Way (all) o Does Humor Belong In Music? (all) o Guitar (all) o Just Another Band From LA (all) o Make A Jazz Noise Here (all) o Mothers/Fillmore June 1971 (all) o Playground Psychotics (part) o Roxy & Elsewhere (all) o Sheik Yerbouti (all) o Shut Up 'n' Play Yer Guitar (all) o The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life (all) o The Yellow Shark (all) o Tinseltown Rebellion (most) o Weasels Ripped My Flesh (most) o You Can't Do That On StageAnymore, Volume 1-6 (all) o Zappa in New York (all) 2.2.1.12. Love-Songs I bet there are more albums with that Do-Wop stuff... o Cruisin With Ruben and The Jets (all) + o Freak Out! (some) o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 4 (part) 2.2.1.13. Orchestral o 200 Motels (part) + o Ahead Of Their Time (some) o Lumpy Gravy (part) o Orchestral Favourites (all, with rock-group) o The London Symphony Orchestra (all) + o The Perfect Stranger (most) o The Yellow Shark (all) + 2.2.1.14. Sex o 200 Motels (some) o Joe's Garage (some) o Mothers/Fillmore June 1971 (most) o Overnite Sensation (part) o Sheik Yerbouti (some) o Thing-Fish (some) o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 6 (part) + 2.2.1.15. Stories o 200 Motels (some) o Ahead Of Their Time (some) o Apostrophe (part) o Joe's Garage (all) + o Just Another Band From L.A. (part) + o Playground Psychotics (some) o Studio Tan (part) + o Thing-Fish (all) + o Zappa In New York (some) 2.2.1.16. Synclavier o F.Z. meets the Mothers Of Prevention (most) o Francesco Zappa (all) o Jazz from hell (all) + o The Perfect Stranger (part) 2.2.1.17. The '84 Tour o Does Humour Belong In Music (all) + o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 3 o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 4 2.2.1.18. The '88 Tour o Broadway The Hardway (all) o Make A Jazz Noise Here (all) o The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life. (all) + 2.2.1.19. The Roxy Line Up o One Size Fits All (most) o Roxy & Elsewhere (all) + o You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore, Volume 2 (all) 2.3. I find some of Zappa's lyrics to be offensive. Is Zappa a sex- ist? Zappa has written many songs that seem to ``attack'' a particular lifestyle or belief system. Most people will find at least one of these songs to be directed at them personally. The best advice for those offended: Lighten up!. Zappa seems to believe that if you cannot laugh at yourself, then you are taking yourself too seriously. From The Real Frank Zappa Book, Chapter Am I A 'Sexist' - Or What? If you were to take all the lyrics I've ever written and analyze how many songs are about `women in demeaning posi- tions,' as opposed to `men in demaning positions' you would find that most of the songs are about stupid men. The songs I write about women are not gratuitous attacks on them, but statements of fact. The song ``Jewish Princess'' caused the Anti- Defamation League of the B'nai B'rith to complain bitterly and demand an apology. I did not apologize then and refuse to do so now because, unlike `The Unicorn', such creatures do exist - and deserve to be `commemorated' with their own special opus. The basic function of any ethnic protective PR organization is to do what Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-California) suggested on the `Larry King show' - ``maintain the fiction.'' (He used it in context of protecting the Reagan administration during the Iran-contra scandal, suggesting it was our duty as Americans to support the President by looking the other way.) Italians have an organization to `maintain the fiction' that no Italians are in the Mafia, nor do they sell drugs while engaging in murder for hire. If you want to believe that, fine - welcome to Fantasy Land. If you want to believe that wrestling is real, go for it - and if you want to believe that women are a wonderful species that: 1 never goes to the toilet; 2 can't possibly do anything wrong; 3 is completely superior to men, then believe it - whatever makes you feel good. 2.4. What are the names of Frank Zappa's kids? Frank's wife is Gail and his kids are named: Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet, and Diva Muffin. Dweezil and Ahmet have a rock 'n roll band named Z. From The Real Frank Zappa Book: When Dweezil was born, Gail decided to have `natural child- birth'. At that time, the only hospital in Los Angeles that would allow this process to occur with a Dad in the delivery room was Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. When it was time for the Big Delivery, we experienced a slight delay - we had to fill out a mass of papers before they'd let us in, riddled with irrelevant questions like: ``What religion are you?'' Gail looked at me and said ``What do we put?'' I said, ``Musician.'' That was the first thing that upset the admitting nurse. The second thing to spoil her afternoon was when she asked: ``What are you going to name the child?'' Gail said, ``Dweezil.'' Gail's got a funny looking toe which had been the source of family amusement so often that it had aquired a `technical name': it wasn't really a toe - it was a ``Dweezil.'' I thought then and continue to think today, that Dweezil is a nice name. Fuck the nurse if she didn't like it. The nurse pleaded and pleaded with us not to name the child Dweezil. Labor pains and all, she was going to make Gail stand there unless we gave her another name to put on the form. I couldn't see letting Gail suffer just to argue the point, so I rattled off an assortment of names of guys we knew: IAN (Underwood) DON (van Vliet) CALVIN (Schenkel) EUCLID (James ``Moterhead'' Sherwood) As a result Dweezil's original birth certificate name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. The nurse thought that was okay. In spite of this harrowing experince, we always called him Dweezil. He was five years old when he discovered the `real names' on his birth certificate. Dweezil was very upset, and demanded that steps be taken to rectify this tragedy. We hired an attorney and had his name legally changed to Dweezil. From the April 1993 Playboy Interview: PLAYBOY: Would they have been different had you named them Sally or John? ZAPPA: It's the last name that get's them in trouble. PLAYBOY: How? ZAPPA: I'm viewed as being weird. When somebody calls you weird, then anything you touch becomes weird. On the other hand, they like being weird. 2.5. Where can I find Zappa stuff on the net? 2.5.1. FTP The anonymous ftp site ftp.uwp.edu has lots of lyrics and pictures for many different artists. After logging in, type cd zappa.frank and you will end up in the right directory. Lately this ftp site has been extremely busy, so try these mirror sites first: Mirror of uwp's lyrics and pictures: www.wit.com /music ftp.sunet.se /pub/music Mirror of uwp's lyrics: ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/rec/music/vocal/lyrics/uwp Another good site is at aloysius.ee.tut.fi in the /zappa directory. There is a discography, a GIF directory and some sound files in Macintosh and Sun/NeXT formats. Guitar Tablatures can be found on ftp.nevada.edu. Look in the /pub/music/tabs/z/frank-zappa directory. This site is mirrored at these sites: ftp.uu.net /doc/music/guitar unix.hensa.ac.uk /pub/uunet/doc/music/guitar ftp.informatik.tu-muenchen.de /pub/rec/music/guitar/songs/nevada ftp.uni-stuttgart.de /pub/misc/guitar ftp.uni-paderborn.de /doc/guitar ftp.diku.dk /pub/music/guitar ftp.cosy.sbg.ac.at /pub/mirror/guitar 2.5.2. Gopher The All-Music Guide contains over 200,000 music titles. This contains reviews, ratings (!) and discographies of lots of artists, including Zappa (120K). Put this in your .gopherrc: Type=0+ Name=Zappa, Frank [AMG] Path=0/pop/z/za/zappa.f Host=allmusic.ferris.edu Port=70 Admin=All Music Guide 2.5.3. World Wide Web Thirteen Zappa pages are listed on Zappa Web Pages . These pages contain lyrics, GIF and JPEG images of the albums covers, photographs of Frank, interviews, articles, MIDI files, audio files, guitar tablatures, movies, and much more. This page also features links to sites about Captain Beefheart, Rykodisc, Mike Keneally, Vinnie Coliauta, Eric Dolphy and Edgard Varese. 2.6. What are those funny-looking uppercase acronyms I see when peo- ple are mentioning Zappa albums? (This is not really a frequently asked question, but has the vulnerability to become one.) Some of Zappa's album titles are longer than albums that most regular people listen to. To prevent Carpal- Tunnel syndrome in the typing fingers, some readers have abbreviated the album titles. These are some common acronyms and the full album titles: JABFLA Just Another Band From L.A. OSFA One Size Fits All SATLTSADW Ship Arriving Too Late Save A Drowning Witch SUNPYG Shut Up N' Play Your Guitar TBBYNHIYL The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life TMFU The Man From Utopia WOIIFTM We're Only In It For The Money YAWYI You Are What You Is YCDTOSA You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore RDNZL looks like an acronym, but is actually the title of a song that originally appeared on the album Studio Tan. On the original Warner Bros. vinyl release, the song was listed as ``Redunzl''. This is one of the albums that Warner Bros. released without Frank's permission, and Zappa filed suit against Warner to obtain the rights to those albums. 2.7. What are those Frank Zappa CDs/cassettes on Rhino? Are they a ripoff or what? The ACTUAL, TRUE answer from Dan Rabin : They are copies of bootleg recordings that were originally marketed illicitly. Rhino asked Zappa for permission to release them legally. Zappa said yes: Rhino wasn't asking him to do any work, and he would get royalties this way and also help wipe out demand for the illegal products (hence `Beat the Boots') which have always infuriated him. Rhino made the recordings from the actual records, and took the cover art from the actual bootleg cover art. Naturally, the illegal bootleggers weren't about to cooperate by providing the original tapes, nor were they likely to complain about having their artwork copied. So there you have it. No one is trying to rip off the Zappa fan, but Rhino and Zappa have conspired to rip off the bootleggers who originally ripped off Zappa. There *are* interesting tidbits on the bootlegs, such as a version of `Holiday in Berlin' with words actually having to do with a sojourn in Berlin. The sound quality is terrible. This is the exact same tradeoff that potential bootleg- buyers have always faced, except that now they won't be breaking any law by making the purchase. If you weren't offended by the existence of the bootlegs in the first place there's no reason to be offended now. 2.8. What is T'Mershi Duween? What other FZ fanzines are available? T'Mershi Duween is a Zappa Fanzine published in Britain. T'Mershi Duween (c/o Fred Tomsett) P.O.Box 86 Sheffield S11 8XN UK Six (approx) issues of this A5 B+W Zappa Fanzine are released annualy. UK: UK pounds 8.00 Europe: UK pounds 9.60 ROTW: UK pounds 10.00 (surface) ROTW: UK pounds 13.00 (air mail) These prices cover six issues. American (or other) readers can send US$ in which case send $20 (surface) cash ($22 cheque);$25 (air) cash ($27 cheque). Otherwise cash, cheques, POs, giros etc. Please make eurocheques payable to B Tomsett for ease of cashing. Add UK pounds 3.50 if sending Giros from Switzerland. Send cash or bank cheque. We have a stock of back issues, namely numbers 10, 11, 18-34. Cost singly is UK pounds 1.35 (UK) UK pounds 1.60 (Europe) UK pounds 2.20 (ROTW). Or buy them all for UK pounds 21 (UK); UK pounds 23 (Europe); UK pounds 26 (ROTW). 2.8.1. Other FZ fanzines From: John Scialli : This is per Volume 4 of the TORCHUM NEVER STOPS (reference books) CURRENT MAGAZINES BLACK PAGE Piet de Doelder PO Box 9188 1800 GD Alkmaar NEDERLAND (Transfer Hfl. 30,- to the account of the Dutch Postbank no. 2320206 at the name of Piet de Doelder) SOCIETY PAGES Rob Samler PO BOX 395 Deer Park NY 11729-0395 UNITED SNAKES OF AMNERIKA ZAP Jean-Marie Orliange Petit-Billoux Peyrelevade F-19290 Sornac FRANCE MOTHER PEOPLE PO BOX 6443 Bridgeport CT 06606-6443 USA DEFUNCT MAGAZINE (but maybe there are humans left with piles of stuff collecting dust) YEARS OF PUBLICATION LISTED IN PARENS *Society Pages* (50 issues until '90) Society Boks 22 Bekkelagshogda 1109 Oslo-11 NORWAY (but get the mags from the alive Society Pages in Deer Park, NY (see above}) *Cucamonga* (1980-84) No address NEDERLAND *Da Werdz* (?) GERMANY *Totally Zappa* (?) No address USA (13 issues) *Cosmik Debris* (?) USA *Mother's Home Journal* (1972-73) Graig Pinkus USA *Hot Raz Times* (11 issues until '75)(from 1973) Urban Gwerder SWITZERLAND *L'oeil de Zappa* (1980-82, 6 issues) FRANCE *Dancin' Fool* (1 issue in 1984) GERMANY *Le Petit Zappa Illustre* (5 issues) 1 Rue de Iles F-06160 Juan-les-Pins *Absolutely Free* (9 issues until 1984) (A Newsletter) by Norbert Obermanns (author of Zappalog) Postfach 15 D-4048 Grevenbroich-3 GERMANY Sorry for the inconsistent formatting. My mind smells like fish. -Dr. Memory From Glenn : I think Mother People is history. If it's up & running again, don't subscribe. The asshole ran off with hundreds of subscribers' $ around '89 sometime. 2.9. Was Zappa's real name ``Frank'' or ``Francis''? Frank's full, real name was ``Frank Vincent Zappa''. For years, Zappa himself thought his first name was ``Francis'' and had even used it in press releases and album liner notes. He discovered later, when he saw his birth certificate, that his real birth name was ``Frank'', not ``Francis''. 2.10. What is the Zappa hotline? You can reach the official Zappa hotline by calling (818) PUMPKIN - (that's 818-786-7546). They answer on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:30 AM to 5:00 PM Pacific time. All other times you will hear a recorded message. Call this number to find out info for press releases, album releases, interviews, and other Zappa-related info. They also have a merchandising department that sells T-shirts, posters, etc. There is a magazine about Zappa called Society Pages, that can be ordered on the hotline. The Pumpkin mailing address is: BARFKO-SWILL P.O. Box 5418 North Hollywood, CA 91616-5418 USA The address for Zappa's distributor in London, England is: Music For Nations / Zappa Records 102 Belsize Lane London NW3 5BB From Johannes Labisch : In response to some inquiries as to the (European) addresses of the places which sell (Zappa) CD's: 2001 Versand Postfach D -- 60381 Frankfurt/Main phone +49-69-4208000 fax +49-69-415003 or 415004 The correspondence address for Z (Dweezil and Ahmet's band) is: Z c/o Hollywood North PO Box 5227 N. Hollywood CA 91616 2.11. What other recording acts did Zappa produce or play with? The following albums contain music that was produced and/or written by Zappa. There is some more detailed info in another FAQ documnet called ``Other Zappa Projects'' If anyone has more data on these recordings please email to me (heederik@fwi.uva.nl) and I will add it to the FAQ document. King Kong Jean-Luc Ponty Trout Mask Replica Captain Beefheart Good Singin', Good Playin' Grand Funk Flint Flint Lightning Rod Man Lowell George and The Factory Touch Me There Shankar Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up Jeff Simmons Permanent Damage GTO's An Evening With Wild Man Fischer Wild Man Fischer For Real Ruben and the Jets Go Boy Wonder Burt Ward (single) Would You Like A Snack? Jefferson Airplane Feel George Duke 2.12. What role did FZ play in the PMRC ``record-rating'' hearings? From the interview in Option Magazine, Jan-Feb 1987: Several months ago, it seemed a refreshing and deliciously ironic moment when Frank Zappa was spotted on television, testifying before a Senate committee. He was dressed in a jacket and tie, much as he was more than two decades ago for an appearance - in which he musically played a bicycle - on the Steve Allen Show. Before the committee, however, with the accumulated notoriety of the intervening years in evi- dence only as subtext, the talkative, knowledgeable and apparently incensed musician held forth as the most reason- able voice of the afternoon. Considering the urgent problems you'll find on the front pages of even the lamest paper, the committee was holding hearings on the non-issue of applying ratings to rock records. Zappa had come to Washington to help nip this bit of proto- fascism in the bud. Instigated by the Parents' Music Resource Center, a well-connected group of Washington wives with kids in school and time on their hands, the committee was examining the possibility of a casual link between rock music and drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, Satanism, concert violence and other things which no one could seem to recall having existed before 1956. Asked how something as trivial as record-rating became the subject of a Senate inquiry, Zappa simply remarked, ``A couple of blow-jobs here and there and Bingo! - you get a hearing.'' He added that Tipper Gore - wife of Senator Albert Gore and a key figure in the PMRC - had recently demanded that MTV president Tom Freston go to Washington to discuss the rating of music videos. While any legislation against the various music media doesn't seem likely at this point, Zappa notes that the current administration is doing what it can to further its own ideology, such as reviewing all documentaries being produced by both National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. (OP)- Within the last year the Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC) has requested that record companies rate records they produce similar to the current rating of films. You've been involved in this recent controversy. What did the record industry finally agree to? (FZ)- Well, to quote you from the Associated Press Wire Report, dated November 1, 1985, the basic points of the agreement between the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the PMRC are that ``parents' groups will have no role in determining what is explicit.'' Next, ``the record companies will determine what is explicit.'' When asked, ``What is explicit?,'' Stanley Gortikov (president of the RIAA) replied, ``What's explicit is explicit.'' Third, ``those artists whose contracts give them control over their packaging are free to ignore the understanding.'' Does this sound like something you could enforce? I think the record industry allowed the ladies to save a little face (by making a formal agreement at all), which just encourages them more. The PMRC has moved to new quarters in Virginia; they are no longer in Washington D.C. They have a new printed fund-raising package which heralds their victory while omitting those parts of the agreement that render it inoperable. The fund-raising package says that if you'll send them money, they will send you more examples of the horrors of these lyrics. They are making an industry out of this thing! Meanwhile, Reverend Jeff Ling, their consultant, has this new slide show that he is taking around. The night before I testified in the State Senate, I attended a cocktail party that a bunch of legislators were invited to. The bill had already passed in the House of Delegates. My objective in this exercise was to keep the bill from going anyplace in the Senate because if the Senate approves the bill it becomes law. But if you kill the bill in the Senate, it's dead. Delegates and Senators were coming to this cocktail party. Every time somebody would say, ``Here's Delegate So-and-So,'' I would say, ``Which way did you vote?'' And of the ones who voted for the bill, I always asked them, ``Why?'' Most of them were embarrassed that they had. And I would say, ``Would you care to apologize?,'' and hand them a piece of paper to get their apology in writing. I've got slips of paper from at least five delegates who voted for the thing with the most unbelievable quotes. I read the apologies in the Senate the following day. Here's some quotes: ``I was swept away by the rhetoric.'' And ``I had to vote that way because that's the way my district is.'' That guy came from a district where he might have had his legs badly mutilated if he hadn't done it. (See also ``How can I get a copy of the congressional hearings on record labeling?''.) 2.12.1. How can I get a copy of the congressional hearings on record labelling? From Jeff Rocca : To obtain a printed copy of the congressional record label hearing, send a check for $5 payable to ``superintendent of documents'' to superintendent of documents congressional sales office washington, dc 20402 and request a copy of the printed hearing on record labeling from september 19, 1985 (reference gpo stock number 052-070-06101-4). From Sky Raider <72607.612@compuserve.com>: The Government Printing Office no longer sells GPO #052-070- 06101-4. The item is available from Federal Depository Libraries, however. Contact your local, state, or state university library for information about the nearest Federal Depository Library. You will not be able to buy the tran- script, but you will be able to make your own copy. 2.13. Why isn't 200 Motels available on CD? United Artists owns the rights to it. Zappa probably had to sign away the soundtrack rights in order to get the film made and released by United Artists. United Artists was absorbed by MCA some time ago. However, there is a bootleg CD of 200 Motels. 2.14. What were Zappa's favourite records? From David Manno : KCRW in Santa Monica aired a tribute to Frank Zappa which included comments by Nicolas Slonimsky, Zappa music, and a re-broadcast of a 1989 program called Castaway's Choice, hosted by John McNally. This program contained interesting dialogue between Zappa and McNally, interspersed with excerpts from Frank's ten records he'd take to a desert island, and his reasons why. Frank said ``Back in the days when I had recreational listening time these are the things I would actually listen to.'' 1. Octandre by Edgard Varese 2. The Royal March from L'Histoire du Soldat by Igor Stravinsky 3. The Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky 4. Third Piano Concerto, first movement by Bela Bartok. Zappa: ``I think it is one of the most beautiful melodies ever written.'' 5. Stolen Moments by Oliver Nelson 6. Three Hours Past Midnight by Johnny Guitar Watson 7. Can I Come Over Tonight by The Velours 8. Bagatelles for String Quartet by Anton Webern 9. The Anton Webern Symphony, Opus 21 by Anton Webern 10. Piano Concerto in G by Maurice Ravel When asked if he could only keep one of the above, FZ chose Three Hours Past Midnight. Incidentally, I recall that Frank was once a guest on the Dick Cavett Show in 1980 (or thereabouts) and in terms of contemporary popular music, Frank stated that he was particularly fond of Lucky Number by Lene Lovich. 3. Questions regarding lyrics, rumors and conceptual continuity 3.1. I heard that Frank Zappa participated in a ``Gross Out'' contest on stage. Is this true? The following is from Frank's autobiography, ``The Real Frank Zappa Book'': The other fantasy is that I once `took a shit on stage.' This has been propounded with many variations, including (but not limited to): 1. I ate shit on stage. 2. I had a `gross-out contest' (what the fuck is a `gross- out contest'?) with Captain Beefheart and we both ate shit on stage, etc. 3. I had a `gross-out contest' with Alice Cooper and he stepped on baby chickens and then I ate shit on stage, etc. I was in a London club called the Speak Easy in 1967 or '68. A member of a group called the Flock, recording for Columbia at the time, came over to me and said: ``You're fantastic. When I heard about you eating that shit on stage, I thought, ``That guy is way,way out there.'''' I said, ``I never ate shit on stage.'' He looked really depressed - like I had just broken his heart. For the records, folks: I never took a shit on stage, and the closest I ever came to eating shit anywhere was at a Holiday Inn buffet in Fayetteville, North Carolina, in 1973. 3.2. What is a ``Florentine Pogen''? You might ask yourself why anyone would want to ask the above question. For those who are scratching your heads, there is a song called ``Florentine Pogen'' on ``One Size Fits All'', ``The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life'', and ``You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore vol. 4.'' Bjorn Lisper has the answer: ``Pogens'' is an anglified spelling of the Swedish bakery ``Pagens'' (where the ``a'' has a ring on top). ``Pagens'' is south Swedish dialect and means ``the boy's'' (cookies, say). In Sweden, Pagens makes all sorts of cookies, bread etc. It turns out that these Florentine Pogens being sold in California are a type of cookie that Pagens sells in Sweden, but under a different name. So Pagens seems to have some business in California as well. 3.3. Where can I go to get my poodle clipped in Burbank? At Ralph's Vegetarian Poodle Clipping. 3.4. Who is the bass player on The Grand Wazoo and Waka/Jawaka, cred- ited only as ``Erroneous?'' Ken Walter looked it up: I looked it up in ``Zappalog'' and his real name is Alex Dmochowski. According to the same source, he also played with: o Annette & Victor Brox o Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation o Graham Bond o Heavy Jelly o John Mayall o Michael Chapman o Peter Green From Dean Alaska : Erroneous auditioned for the band I was in about 10 years ago. It was easy to identify him with the picture in one of the records. I don't remember his real name but he said they used ``Erroneous'' because he was not a member of the musi- cians union. 3.5. What is the cat saying on the Barking Pumpkin logo? On the Barking Pumpkin (Frank's record company) logo there is a pumpkin saying ``arf!'' and a cat saying (in Kanji): ______ __\|/__ |__| ____ /|\ |__| | | _______ _|__| |__| |__|__| | |__|__| _______ _|___|_ ___|___ _|___|_ ____|____ / \ Someone was nice enough to inquire about this with someone else who could read this sort of thing. The literal trans- lation was given as ``sacred feces'' or in the current slang, ``holy shit''. ASCII Kanji characters provided by : Robert F. Casey, From John Scialli : The Real Frank Zappa Answer (as opposed to the real answer). When Tinseltown came out it was the first with the BP logo. I wrote Frank and he graciously replied within a month. here is the full text of his letter to me (I asked what's the cat saying & what's the cat's name)(also I'm an M.D. which explains Frankie's references): June 16, 1981 Dear John: In becoming a doctor, you probably spent too much time learning to read Latin, and that is why you can't understand what the cat is saying. Medical professors in our country would probably be more advanced if they spent more time reading Chinese and taking advantage of some of the things the Chinese have learned in the last three thousand years in the art of healing...but never mind. I believe the cat is merely saying, ``radio'' and the cat's name is not ``Mao''; as a matter of fact, I haven't thought of a name for her yet but I suppose ``Wanda'' would be okay. Obviously you must be doing your job really well. There probably aren't any sick people in your area - you must have cured them all, otherwise you wouldn't have any spare time to write me a letter. Keep up the good work. Yours truly, Frank Zappa 3.6. What is the Japanese text on the cover of Zoot Allures? From Dennis Guertin : Back when ZOOT ALLLURES came out I was working in an engi- neering department, which had a Japanese exchange engineer posted to Canada. I brought the album in to ask him and the converstaion went something like this: ``Yoshi, what's this say?'' ``Nothing.'' ``What do you mean ``nothing''?'' ``I mean it doesn't mean anything?'' ``Do you mean you can't read it?'' ``No, I can read it.'' ``Well, what's it say?'' ``Nothing.'' ``Yoshi, can you read this or not?'' ``I can read it.'' By this point I finally figured out that he meant since the meaning was not decipherable to him, it meant nothing to him. ``Yoshi, say what this says.'' ``I don't know what it means. It says ``Frank Zappa''''. Now, I don't know if he was pulling my leg and goddamn he WAS so polite he wouldn't have said ``Shit'' if his mouth was full of it, but that's what he said. I assumed his thought processes were going ``What's a frank zappa?''. That reminds me: Anyone know the joke for which the punchline is ``What's an Ali McGraw?''. Been trying to remember it for a decade or two. From Johannes Labisch : I have an old interview (from that time) at home (german translated) where Franks is asked about these signs and he says it's his name, in two different ways of writing. One of it was ``Fu-ran-ku Zap-pa''. From Mark Erdman : Yeah, the five characters on the back cover are just random characters that can be read as ``Furanku Zappa''. It's not the way the Japanese people _really_ write his name, though. Actually, the characters for writing foreign names in Japanese are really simple, maybe 4 lines at most. The ones on the back cover are Chinese-style characters, which would usually be used to express ideas instead of sounds like the ones they write foreign languages or conjugate verbs with. I'm not sure why he put it on that cover, but I have a sus- picion about how it got there. In the book I mentioned last time, Frank said that when his son, Dweezil, was a kid he used to have a Japanese friend, and would try writing things in kanji all the time. So my theory is that Dweezil did it for the album. About the thing on the front cover - I'm not skilled enough to read it, but I recognize it as a _hanko_ print. These are little seals that Japanese people register and use as their signatures when they sign bank transac- tions. Usually, they're just the person's name in stylized form. I have a penfriend living near Yokohama whose father is a skilled _hanko_ craftsman. From Noriyuki Tsunofuri : The characters on the back cover can be pronounciated ``fu ran ku za ppa''. The hanko graphic on the front cover can be ``za ppa''. Those are kanji characters. There are three character systems in Japanese language. Two kanas, Hira-kana and Kata-kana, and Kanji. Kanas are Japanese invention and has no meaning in each character. You know ``A'' itself doesn't mean anything. It makes sense when it used with other characters. Combination. That's the same with kanas. But kanji is not the case. Kanji was imported from China, VERY LONG AGO (although usage and pronounciation is very different). And it does have meaning. Normally, in Japanese, foreign things and names are described in Kata kana. Its shape is simpler than kanji. I think that is what Mark Erdman says. Sometimes western people use kanji. I understand they want to have an ``oriental feel''. That's good but, as I've said, each Kanji has meaning so maybe they should be careful about the selection of character. Otherwise, it might give wrong impression. For example, the characters on the front cover of ``Zoot Allures'' mean ``miscellaneous leaves''. Some say it's inappropriate word which stands for ZAPPA because it reminds of drugs. We all know FZ was strictly against any kind of drugs. The back cover ones mean ``no-frantic-pain miscellaneous school''. (this school is not the school of medecine or law. The impressionist school, the Stoic school. That school.) That's better, I think. But basically, these character was chosen in accordance with pronouciation. So it's grammatically incorrect and as a sentence, it means nothing. Regarding the origin: the Mothers did concert tour in Japan, early 1976. It was the last tour as ``The Mothers'' and only Japanese tour of FZ. The Mothers performed once in Kyoto University, and hanko and name-plate were presented to FZ from student committee. FZ used the hanko on the front and words of the name-plate on the back cover. (according to the liner notes of MSI's edition of ``Zoot Allures'') FZ must be impressed people of Kyoto. They welcomed FZ in various unusual way. FZ performed superbly and the Kyoto concert became legendary among Japanese fan. 3.7. Who is on the cover of the ``Hot Rats'' album? The woman on the cover of ``Hot Rats'' is Christine Frka. She was one of the baby-sitters for Frank's kids and a member of the GTO's (Girls Together Outrageously), a group that Frank had produced an album for. She also recommended that Frank record Alice Cooper. She died of an overdose sometime in the '70's. (source: The Real Frank Zappa Book) 3.8. What is ``vloerbedekking''? From Victor Eijkhout : In the Orange County medley on Make a Jazz Noise Here, Frank says ``and you'll never hear vloerbedekking again''. This must have puzzled more people than just me. From Richard K. Fox: ``On a bootleg I have, at this point in the Orange County medley, Frank says ``May you never hear surf music again'' and they launch into the theme to Lumpy Gravy.'' Note: ``And you'll never hear surf music again'' is a line from Jimi Hendrix' ``Third Stone From the Sun'' From Cliff Heller : tapehavea called _Vitamin Deficiency_. It may or may not be the same as the one called _No Commercial Potential_. In addition to a few good bits by the Flo & Eddie Mothers, including the original Sofa, (Give me some floor covering under this fat floatin sofa is sung in Dutch contrasted to the German on YCDTOSA I)' From Victor Eijkhout : And since I'm Dutch I know that 'vloerbedekking' means 'floor covering'... Another mystery dispelled. (Don't you just love this sort of trivia...) From PUPP E. DOG: I'd like to pass on my own answer (Vluer-bedecking), for what it's worth. On ``The Orange County Lumber Truck'' (Track 6, Disc 1 of Make A Jazz Noise Here) what Frank actually seems to be saying is; ``May you never hear Fluer - Bedecking again!''. To Fluer - Bedeck is literally: to strew flowers, or in the case of music, to gratutitously ornament, or embelish the performance of a score with trills, flourishes, etc. This is one of Mr. Z's many classical - music in-jokes. It might be noted that this is also exactly what the band does with this medley. So with apologies to Victor, let's leave flooring to Y.C.D.T.O.S.A. #1 and salute a great Fluer - Strewer, Frank Zappa. 3.9. What are the backwards lyrics in ``Ya Hozna''? ``Ya Hozna'' is a song from the album ``Them Or Us''. The backward lyrics are from ``Valley Girl'' outtakes, ``Sofa #1'', and ``Lonely Little Girl''. From Johannes Labisch : Here is the corrected version of the Ya Hozna lyrics. The credit for doing this has to be given to todd@cup.hp.com (Todd Poynor), who listened to all the backward lyrics and checked out the running time at when they appear. I deleted the english translation of the word to ``Sofa'' and entered the german ones. 4:23 [English:] I am the heaven 4:15 I am the water 4:08 [German:] Ich bin deine Ritze 3:54 Ich bin deine Ritze und Schlitze 3:47 [English:] I am the clouds 3:42 [German:] Ich bin der Chrome Dinette [sic!] Ich bin Eier aller Arten Ich bin alle Tage und Naechte 3:22 Ich bin alle Tage und Naechte 3:20 (ha-ee-ya) 3:15 [English:] I am embroidered 3:09 [German:] Ich bin der Dreck unter deinen Walzen 3:08 [English:] Oh, no, [whip?] it on me, honey [?] 3:06 (ha-ee-ya) 3:04 (ha-ee-ya) 3:00 [German:] Ich bin hier 2:58 (ha-ee-ya) 2:47 Ich bin der Autor aller Felgen und Damask-Paspeln 2:39 Ich bin der Chrome Dinette [Radio:] You're a lonely little girl 2:28 But your mommy and your daddy don't care 2:24 [German:] Ich bin hier 2:22 (ha-ee-ya) 2:17 Und du bist mein Sofa 2:12 [Radio:] You're a lonely little girl [German:] Ich bin hier 2:01 Und du bist mein Sofa 1:57 (cadenza) [Moon:] I'm, like, [green? grief?] I'm, like, [squat?] I'm, like, so Repeat, like, so Oh, I'm, like, [?.... appalling...?] I'm, like, okay, like, so 1:43 Oh, I'm so 1:31 [German:] Ich bin dein geheimer Schmutz und verlorenes Metallgeld 1:27 (Metallgeld) 1:25 (ha-ee-ya) 1:20 Und du bist mein Sofa 1:15 Ich bin hier 1:13 (ha-ee-ya) [Moon:] You'll never [? she's ... ] Like, so; like, so; like, so 1:06 Okay, I like it [German:] Ich bin hier 0:54 And you are my sofa Und du bist mein Sofa 0:50 (cadenza) [Moon:] Yeah, like, [...?...], faster, faster Go, do it, do it [right? great?] Yeah, I'm feelin' good I'm lookin' great Yeah, fer shure 0:38 Like, no way [German:] Ich bin hier 0:26 Und du bist mein Sofa 0:22 (cadenza) Ich bin hier 0:10 Und du bist mein Sofa 0:06 (cadenza) 3.10. What does WPLJ stand for? WPLJ is an acronym for a ``wine-cooler'' type drink, that was popular in the 40's and 50's. It is made with white port wine and lemon juice. It also inspired the group ``The Four Deuces'' to write a song about it. This song, ``WPLJ'', was later redone by Zappa, and may have influenced the choice of call letters for a New York radio station. From Mark Parisi : Here's the complete chronology of WPLJ. White Port and Lemon Juice was a popular wine cooler. A california R&B group liked the drink, so they wrote and recorded a song about it. The group was the Four Deuces, and the song was WPLJ, a big R&B hit on Music City Records in about 1955. Zappa, as we all know, was a huge R&B fan, liked the song, and decided to record it, and it showed up on Burnt Weeny Sandwich (GAWD this is a tasty little sucker!). The studio version is much closer to the original than the live versions. Any good oldies record store should have the Four Deuces version in some format. I think that the WABC-FM people changed their call letters before Zappa did his version of the song. I remember hearing comments about ``The R&B classic that became a radio station'' some time in the late sixties. From Diane Reese : In the '70s, a progressive FM station in New York City known as WABC-FM changed its call letters one day to ``WPLJ'' -- I was listening to them (cleaning up my bedroom, if my memory serves) the first day they broadcast under the new call let- ters, and they were slyly asking listeners to call in and tell them what we thought their call letters stood for! The overwhelming response was, as you'd expect, ``White Port and Lemon Juice'', with Zappa references abounding. Your chronology is backwards, Zappa came first, and at least SOMEONE involved in picking the new call letters was a fan. 3.11. Who is Francesco Zappa? There is a Frank Zappa album called ``Francesco Zappa''. It is music from an (obscure) Italian composer whose name Frank had seen somewhere, possibly Grove's Music Dictionary. The modern-day Zappa decided to record this Baroque music on his Synclavier and it became one of his first projects to employ the Synclavier exclusively. From Mats eriksson There actually WAS a composer named Francesco Zappa living in Italy during the Baroque-era. When I bought the album and read the text on it I thought it was a joke. But I have found the real Francesco Zappa mentioned in music literature (written before the album was released). I don't know if the music on the album is composed by the real Francesco, but if you give me some time I just might be able to verify this. From Dianne Hackborn : Yes, it was composed by Francesco: The music of Francesco Zappa is from the collection of the Music Library at the University of California, Berkeley. But I still think the album should be listened to like ``Cruisin' with...'' :) 3.12. Who is Brother A. West? ``A Few Moments With Brother A. West'' is a song from the album, ``The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life'', which features an arrogant TV evangelist-type person doing a little ``rap''. From Glenn : A West is the artist who did the lil cartoon things in The Real FZ Book. I saw the show in Philly where that track came from & Frank announced after the intermission that AW was a friend & was pulling our legs BUT imagine that there are people out there like that _for real_! 3.13. Did Zappa invent the wah-wah peddle? From John Scialli : I asked Frank this during a radio appearance on Allan Han- delman's East Coast Live Show (Allan's 27th interview of Frank over the years!) originating on WRFX, Charlotte, NC 11/1/92. FYI I'll type my question, the form of which cracked Frankie up, since it was asked with a potentially shit-eating grin: John Scialli (JS): I've got a couple of questions....One of these has to do with one of these stories that's been around for 25 years. I guess it's a myth or something and I've certainly perpetrated sic it at times. Something that you did..something...let's see...you put it on the stage floor...I guess you stepped on it. Let me see how to put this delicately...Frank starts to protest what he thinks the question will be...Did you invent the wah-wah peddle? Frank Zappa (FZ): Did I what??? JS: Did you invent the wah-wah peddle? FZ: No I did not. I was one of the first people to buy it and use it but I..eh..The first wah-wah peddle I saw was a Vox wah-wah peddle that had on the bottom of it ``The Clyde McCoy Wah-Wah Peddle'' 'cause I think they probably had to...they felt they had to license the idea of ``wah-wah'' from Clyde McCoy who was a trumpet player who used to use a wah-wah mute on his trumpet. That was 1967 when I got that...but I did not invent it. 3.14. What is a ``Telefunken U-47''? In the song ``Crew Slut'', from ``Joe's Garage Act I'', there is a line that goes: ``It looks just like a Telefunken U47.'' This is a not-so-subtle phallic reference. From : The U47 by Telefunken is a VERY expensive relic from the days of vacuum tube amplification systems and anyone fortu- nate enough to own one MIGHT let you look at it (from a dis- tance) for a price. Actually touching one is out of the question. Every one I have seen has been hand carried and kept under lock and key. They are a condenser microphone with a vacuum tube preamp and have what is subjectively called a ``warm sound'' compared to modern devices. The U47 is invaluable when recording a no-talent puke with a ``fin- gernails on a chalkboard'' type voice, as it can almost make them sound human. It can make a talented performer sound superhuman and a quality instrument sound like angels singing. Several decades ago, Telefunken was bought out by, or changed their name to, Neuman (sic) (pronounced Noy_man) and released the U87, a modern version with squarish edges and a solid state preamp. They are expensive but very common and are seen in radio stations and in rock videos, usually with a round, white ``spit-screen'' in front of them. If you have a chance to get either one TAKE IT! Even if you are not a musician. A U47 would probably get you a lifetime of backstages passes or at least the first pick of the groupies. Note: The other German microphone company spells their name ``Neu- mann'', and also made U47, U67 tube microphones. I am not sure what the difference is between a Telefunken U47 and a Neumann U47. 3.15. What is ``Phydeaux 3''? In the song ``Fembot in a Wet T-shirt'', from ``Joe's Garage Act I'', there is a line that says ``Weren't you the girl who was stuck to the seat on Phydeaux 3'' ? From Sam Rouse : I think Phydeaux was the name of Frank's tour bus(es) for a number of years. The first time I saw him (Portland OR Paramount, probably sometime in 1976) the tour bus behind the hall was painted to look just like a Greyhound bus, but the word ``Greyhound'' that normally occupies the entire side of the bus was replaced with ``Phydeaux'' (same letter- ing style), and the sleek greyhound logo picture was replaced with a dorky-looking, crosseyed dog saying ``Arf!''. I don't know whether Phydeaux 3 refers to the third incarnation of the bus, or the third in the fleet that may have been in existence by the time of JG. Tour busses I've seen at subsequent tours didn't have the FZ graphics, but I guess the name stuck. In the cityscape on the back cover of the Absolutely Free lp is a sign showing a dog collar and the caption 'BUY A FYDO fits swell'. From PUPP E. DOG : The Band's Buses, on one of their West Coast tours were labeled ``Phideaux One'',``Phideaux Two'', etc. Phideaux = Fido, as in Doggy! This is part of a running gag which con- cerned Frank's road Manager's (don't remember his name) sup- posed *love* of dogs. See Y.C.D.T.O.S.A.#1, Babbette for more on this. As several people pointed out Phideaux Three is the bus Mary was on (Joe's Garage). Fido is also mentioned in the various 'Stinkfoot' versions, while poodles get mention in 'The Poodle Lecture' (Y.C.D.T.O.S.A. #6) and the various 'Dirty Love's. Note also, the *many* barking dog effects in his work. The obvious conclusion: Frank likes dogs. Well hey, dogs like Frank too! From James McCartney : At one show I saw, his tour bus had in the little marquee above the front windshield (usually reserved for the name of the destination or ``CHARTER'') the word: ``SHOWUSYRTITZ''. 3.16. How is the Mudshark dance performed? ``Mudshark'' is a song that first appeared on the ``Live at the Filmore East'' album. The song is a folkloric retelling of bizarre events that occured at a Seattle hotel with members of the rock group ``Vanilla Fudge'' and their groupies. From Glenn : I have a recording of Frank describing the Mudshark Dance to the audience. You open your legs, clasp your hands together & squat! To do it in 4/4 time, step left, step right, squat, rest. All the time you should have your hands together down by the knees. The Mud Shark dance was described by FZ in Melbourne 6/29/73. 3.17. Where do the guitar solos from ``Guitar'' and ``SUNPYG'' come from? From Mikkola Hannu and others: GUITAR Sexual Harassment In The Workplace > Stinkfoot Which One Is It > Black Page #2 (YCDTOSA5) Republicans Do Not Pass Go > Drowning Witch 2nd Solo Chalk Pie > Zoot Allures In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky That's Not Really Reggae When No One Was No One > Zoot Allures Once Again Without The Net > Andy or Lets Move to Cleveland Outside Now ( Original Solo ) > Joe's Garage II > Broadway Album Jim And Tammy's Upper Room > Advance Romance (YCDTOSA5) Were We Ever Really Safe In San Antonio > Drowning Witch 2nd Solo That Ol' G Minor Thing Again > City Of Tiny Lights Hotel Atlanta Incidentals > Green Hotel That's Not Really A Shuffle > Zoot Allures Move It Or Park It > Them Or Us, Black Page #2 (YCDTOSA5) Sunrise Redeemer Variations On Sinister #3 > Tinseltown Rebellion Album & Easy Meat Orrin Hatch On Ski's > Ride My Face to Chicago But Who Was Fulcanelli? > Drowning Witch For Duane > Whipping Post GOA > Lets Move to Cleveland Winos Do Not March > Sharleena or Yo Mama (Sheik YerBouti) Swans? What Swans? > He Used to Cut the Grass ???? Too Ugly For Show Business > Show opener, first set, Berkeley '81 Systems Of Edges > Inca Roads = Shut Up #4 Dont Try This At Home > Them Or Us, Black Page #2 (YCDTOSA5) Things That Look Like Meat Watermelon In Easter Hay > Joe's Garage III Canadian Customs Is That All There Is It Aint Necessarily The St James Infirmary > King Kong ( YCDTOSA Vol 3 ) From Glenn : Republicans is probably from Let's Move to Cleveland. That's...Reggae is City of Tiny Lites Sunrise Redeemer is also Cleveland Things...Meat is City of Tiny Lites SUNPYG Five-Five-Five Hog Heaven Shut Up N Play Your Guitar Some More > Inca Roads While You Were Out > A song of its own Trecherous Cretins Heavy Duty Judy > ( Best Band ) Soup N Old Clothes > Illinois Enema Bandit 12-11-80 Variations On The Santana Secret Chord Progression > City of tiny lights 12-11-80 Gee, I Like Your Pants Canarsie Ship Ahoy > Song of its own but followed straight after Zoot Allures solo in Osaka The Deathless Horsie > ( YCDTOSA Vol 1 ) Shut Up N Play Your Guitar > Inca Roads Pink Napkins Beat It With Your Fist Return Of The Son Of Shut Up N Play Your Guitar > Inca Roads Pinocchio's Furniture > Chunga's Revenge (performed at the Berkeley Community Theatre, 12-5-80) Why Johnny Cant Read Stucco Homes > Studio Jam Canard Du Jour > Studio Jam From Glenn : Gee I Like Your Pants is yet another Inca Roads . 3.18. Did Al DiMeola play with Frank Zappa? On the song Peaches III, from ``Tinseltown Rebellion'', Warren Cucurullo played a guitar parody after Frank's introduction, ``Let's hear it for another great Italian, ladies and gentleman, Al DiMeola''. BUT ... From Stan Ivester : Al isn't actually on that album. Warren is doing his DiMeola impression on guitar, & Frank is joking about that on the album. Al played on ``Clowns on Velvet'' and ``Ride Like the Wind''(!) at the Ritz, NYC, with Frank's band on 11/17/81. I believe Al requested that his solo on ``Clowns'' not be released because he was unhappy with it for some reason. In fact, they didn't even play at the same time then since Frank can be heard on the tape complaining that they didn't have enough hookups to plug in 2 guitars simultaneously. As far as I know, that's the only time these 2 great Italians ever got together in concert. From Pat Buzby : Al DiMeola sat in with FZ's band at a concert at the Ritz in NYC, 11/17/81, on ``Clownz On Velvet'' and a cover of the Christopher Cross hit ``Ride Like The Wind.'' FZ wanted to release this performance of ``Clownz'' officially, but DiMeola refused because he didn't think his solo was good enough. (Having heard this tape thanks to a kind gentleman in this newsgroup, I agree with DiMeola.) BTW, if I remember right, ``All You Need Is Glove'' lists ``Clownz'' as being just over a minute long. If this timing is accurate, then the cut they released is heavily edited. The full performance is pretty long. 3.19. Who is Suzy Creamcheese? Suzy Creamcheese was a longtime groupie/friend of The Mothers and Zappa. Her real name is Pamela Zarubica. She is often confused with Pamela Des Barres, another friend of the Zappa family. Maybe they look alike too ? From Paul D. Herzog : If Suzy Creamcheese's real name was Pamela Zurubica (this would be good FAQ material, but I don't know the whole story), then it wasn't Miss Pamela from the GTOs. That Pamela was Pamela Miller, later Pamela Des Barres after mar- rying the singer/actor....check out the book ``I'm With the Band'' for some great stories about Frank and other rock icons from the 60s and 70s.... From John V. Scialli : Pam Z was the main Cheese, Pam M, later aka Pam DB was the GTO & nanny. However in the source interview of Pam Z by David Walley for Walley's dumb-but-hard-to-find-and-I-got- one book, No Commercial Potential Pam Z mentions also being a nanny for the kids and as working on the GTO album. 3.20. like? Mine is black. Why did they switch covers? What happened to ``Bolero''? What was the original cover to ``Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life'' This album is from the short-lived '88 tour. The tour ended after personal problems between band members caused Frank to dissolve the band, even though he believed that it was prob- ably his finest touring force assembled. This would turn out to be Zappa's last tour. When the CD was released, it included a version of Ravel's ``Bolero''. Apparently, those responsible for the publishing rights of Bolero were not flattered by Zappa's rendition, and new releases of TBBYNHIYL did not include Bolero. I recently saw a black covered version with Bolero. So I don't know what the story is. An ``undosclosed source'' has told me that that the Ravel people had a change of heart and OK'ed the Bolero version. Who knows ? From David Lee : The original cover shows the band on stage. What I heard was that they neglected to get permission from the guy who took the shot, and he shows up suddenly and wants all sorts of revenue from the cover publication, and Frank said no way so he just changed it to black. I was lucky enough to find an original cover version used at a local record store. See also the '88 Tour FAQ. 3.21. Is it ``Bobby Brown'' or ``Bobby Brown Goes Down''? Sheik Yerbouti contains a track called ``Bobby Brown''. There seem to be two different CD versions of Sheik Yerbouti. One the latest release the song is titled ``Bobby Brown Goes Down'', while on the earlier release it is titled ``Bobby Brown''. The lyrics in the booklet of the new release indicate that the song is really titled ``Bobby Brown''. And before you ask, the song is not about the 'popstar' with the same name. Check out the ``Vinyl vs. CD'' FAQ if you are interested in the differences between Zappa's Vinyls and CDs. 3.22. Some ``Civilization, Phaze III'' Questions 3.22.1. ``Civilization, Phaze III'' or ``Civilization Phase III''? From John V. Scialli : Lemming be the furst to offer some FAQ's having to do with Civilization Phaze III. OR is it Civilization, Phaze III (with a comma between C and P). The CD and accompanying text show it both ways. The cover has Phaze III in a differ- ent color, implying a midifier or subtitle role, maybe. 3.22.2. What's the phone number? From John V. Scialli : Next, in Act II somebody (I don't have it here but imagine its one of the Ensemble Modern) says a phone number shown in the booklet as 30 11 03 1 1 4 3 6. This is a Berlin number (Country code 49). When you call it you get an operator ``intercept'' as we in the US call the taped message. This one says the German translation/equivalent of ``You have reached a number not in service.'' I tried it although if someone had actually answered I'm not sure what I would have said. A universal ``snork'' I suppose. According to a German Zappa fan: Although I did not try out the mentioned Berlin Phone- Number personally I think, that the message You got was ``Kein Anschluss unter dieser Nummer''. This simply means: ``No connections for this number''. It is in fact a stan- dardized message. From Johannes Labisch : The code number begins with 30, which is, in fact, Berlin, if you call from outside of germany (in germany it 030). The next three numbers are 110, which is the german code for the police (``Notruf''). You should use this number only in case of any emergency! Of course, any number starting with 110 is wrong. So please, Zappa fans in the world: Believe that you will get the ``Kein Anschluss unter dieser Nummer'' message if you call. If you want to hear this message, try an endless series of 111111111111, and you get the same message. DON'T TRY TO BLOCK THE EMERGENCY NUMBER! (I think the computers of the german telekom are smart enough, so they don't block, but, du you know the *german* telekom? Everything is possible in that company...) 3.22.3. What does ``Waffenspiel'' mean? From John V. Scialli : Waffenspiel ends CPIII. What is all the banging? When Frank's kitchen was being remodeled, he told some inter- viewer that he really liked the sound of the hammering and taped it for future use. As well there are sounds of semi- automatic weapon fire. I presume this is from the LA riots. Although there was no shooting around Frank's place, he did run his VCR continuously for a few days and recorded all of what was on CNN during that time. I have said this before and I'll say it again that the juxtaposition of the two types of banging is Frank's way of referencing one of his favorite songs: The DANGEROUS Kitchen. This is absolutely true or my name ain't Ben Watson (and it ain't!). 3.22.4. What does ``Dio Fa'' mean? From Remco Takken: Dio Fa goes back to the end of the eighties when FZ was com- misioned to compose an opera to be performed in Italy in 1992. Zappa mentions this in the end of The Real FZ Book. He considered this project a failure. The theme of the opera is: ``People believe football is God, but, it is said (at least in Torino), ``God is a liar'' -- Dio Fa.'' 3.23. What does ``Confinement Loaf'' mean? On ``Broadway the Hard Way'' the song ``Bacon Fat'' contains the lyric: Check out the politics Practiced by this oaf And if they ain't just right Feed him Confinement Loaf. The songs ``Any Kind Of Pain'' and ``Dickie's Such An Asshole'' mention confinement loaf too. From Ngo Bach Long : This is explained in a little bitty on the vinyl version of Broadway the Hardway (just before Dickie's such an asshole). Zappa explains that ``confinement loaf'' is an invention of the United States prison system. A diet consisting of a slice of ``confinement loaf'' (made from bean by-products) and a glass of water is supposed to calm ``problem prison- ers'' down right away. Then he says: ``My question is: when will confinement loaf reach United States high schools?'' From Gary Worsham : Yo, ho! Once again the answer is offered by a Society Pages Interview with Ike. The day of the show, he read an article about feeding prisoners some sort of ``loaf'' containing saltpeter to reduce their sex drive and generally make them nicer people. Extrapolate at will! 3.24. What's with the credits omissions on ``Roxy & Elsewhere''? At the end of Roxy and Elsewhere's Bebop Tango FZ credits the band members but doesn't mention Don Preston and Jeff Simmons. Not only are the names listed on the album, but their pictures are also there, apparently from the same stage as the others, but who can tell. From Pat Buzby : Most of R & E was recorded at the Roxy in December '73. The lineup that FZ introduces at the end of the CD is the one that played these shows, with Jeff Simmons appearing as a guest on ``Dummy Up.'' (This is verified by footage in the True Story of 200 Motels video.) Most of these tracks were overdubbed, and some outside musicians were involved in doing so. However, ``Son Of Orange County'' and ``More Trouble Every Day'' are from four-track ``road tapes'' from the Edinboro and Chicago shows in May '74. The lineup at this point was the same as the above, but minus Ruth Underwood and plus Jeff Simmons, Walt Fowler and Don Preston. There are no overdubs on these two cuts. Shortly thereafter, FZ trimmed down the band, reintroduced Ruth, and he had the lineup that did YCDTOSA 2 a few months later. 3.25. What does ``Manny the Camper wants to buy some white'' refer to? The song ``Wind Up Workin' In The Gas Station'' from ``Zoot Allures'' contains the lyric: Manny the Camper wants to buy some white Wind up workin' in a gas station Manny the Camper wants to buy some white Wind up workin' in a gas station From Mark H. Weber : Actually, it's something you use all the time - unleaded gasoline. Back in the old days (60's and early 70's) almost all gasoline contained lead. Old Coleman-type camping lanterns and stoves required unleaded gasoline for fuel - the lead would foul up the ``generator'', which converted the liquid gasoline into vapor. From Society Pages #1 Interview with Frank Zappa pt. 1 12/22/89: Frank Zappa: Hello?! Hello?! Hello?! Den Simms: Here we go. (To Rob & Eric) So what was the thing you had said about "Manny the Camper" on the way here? Frank Zappa: He wants to buy some white. Manny the camper wants to buy some white. Ya wait long enough, all the songs come true. Eric Buxton: Who was the original Manny the camper? I know he wanted white gas, but who was he? Frank Zappa: Just anybody named Manny who had an RV, y'know. Eric Buxton: And here he is. Frank Zappa: Yeah, I'm sure he has an RV too. It's probably bullet proof. One more thing is maybe he'll return to Managua. You could go unnoticed in such a place (laughter). 3.26. Why didn't Warner Brothers release ``Laether''? From Ulrich: According to Watson in The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play, Zappa gave Warner Brothers the separate albums all at once. When they refused to release it as a multi-album set and/or refused to accept the albums as fulfilling his con- tractual obligation, he set about re-editing the material into Laether, to be released on another label. Warner Brothers blocked that deal and released the original albums after all, with the ugly covers and no credits. Reply from Stan Ivester : I think Watson may have this backwards. I believe Lather was the original product and not the other way around. Watson's book was the first place I saw the situation described as being like this, and he may just be mistaken about it. Other opinions? Reply from Bill Lantz to Ivester: That's the way Frank has talked about it. Although he has referred to what became Sleep Dirt as being Hot Rots III (Waka Jawaka being II). Does this confuse me? Yes it does. Ivester again (doesn't this guy have a job?) Well, here's what I think happened. (I might be completely wrong, but this does seem to square with the known facts.) First, Frank delivered the 4 completed Lather disks to Warn- ers. They balked, thinking it was just a contractual- obligation package. (Mo Ostin or someone was quoted as say- ing something like, ``What is it, just Frank and his gui- tar?'') I don't think the cretins even listened to it. So, after trying to release the whole package through Phonogram but being thwarted by interference by Warners, Frank went back and reedited the material, adding some stuff, and gave Warners the separate albums (but only finished artwork for Z in NY). Warners further pissed Frank off by deleting Punky's Whips from Z in NY, and so Frank gave no further support for preparing the releases of the rest of the albums, which Warners instead put out in their own ugly cover art/bad pressings. 3.27. What are ``Mandies''? On the song ``Flakes'' from ``Sheik Yerbouti'', Adrian Belew says ``Wanna buy some mandies, Bob?''. From Marc S. Greenberg : ``Mandies'' is slang for the depressant (barbiturate?) drug mandrax. It was very big in the 70's just like quaaludes. Zappa gets even more direct regarding Dylans drug use on the Saarbrucken '78 Boot with ``Wanna buy some acid, Bob?'' Made me laugh.