G2E Ep 003 Frank Zappa

Goes2Eleven

INTRO

A quick warning: today’s episode contains profanity and adult content. Sensitive listeners may want to skip ahead to next week’s discussion of Michael Hedges. Also, I’ve changed some names around so that the people that acted like jerks in my story can continue doing so in relative anonymity.

Recordings: Matthew Cochran, “Cicadas at the Equinox” from Vapor Trail from a Paper Plane

PART ONE: ZAPPA IN THE SCIENCE LAB

I talk about an incident with a high school science teacher on the day I learned about Frank Zappa’s death, which takes us to a discussion of Zappa’s cultural relevance. We explore the Parents Music Resource Center and those oddball Senate hearings involving Frank, John Denver and co.

Videos: Frank Zappa on MTV in 1984 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eT8Ip5mpZ0; Frank Zappa and John Lofton on CNN’s Crossfire in 1986https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpdvfTlKjP8

Recordings: The Mothers of Invention, “Dog Breath, In the Year of the Plague” from Uncle Meat

PART TWO: TWO FRANKS AND A WATERMELON

From Frank Zappa’s first interviews promoting The Mothers of Invention’s 1966 debut Freak Out, Frank identified himself as a composer who chose rock instrumentation as his primary medium. Understanding this distinction is absolutely critical to appreciating Frank Zappa The Guitarist, because when Frank Zappa the Composer chose to highlight Frank Zappa the Guitarist, it was because Frank Zappa the Guitarist had something unique to contribute to the composition as a whole.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Watermelon in Easter Hay” from Joe’s Garage

Commercial Break: Bernunzio Uptown Music (music bed: Lionel Loueke, “Ami-O” from Mwaliko)

PART 3: A PASTICHE OF MUSICAL INFLUENCES (FILTERED THROUGH AN ICONIC MUSTACHE)

Frank is one of those rare musical figures who seemed to arrive fully formed, the master of his musical domain. As distinct and idiosyncratic as Frank’s compositional voice may seem, his music is an amalgam of disparate influences that he himself outlined in the liner notes of Freak Out. We take a look at some of the most prevalent influences throughout Fran Zappa’s compositional output.

Videos: Frank Zappa “The Lost Interview” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdncUKMFPiI

Recordings: Edgar Varese: Poème électronique; Mothers of Invention, “The Return of the Son of Monster Magnet” from Freak Out; Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring, San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.; Frank Zappa, “In-A-Gadda-Stravinsky” from Guitar, Muddy Waters “Country Blues” from Muddy Waters, the Early Recordings; Guitar Slim, “The Story of My Life” from Story of My Life; Howlin’ Wolf, “Who Will Be Next” from The Complete Chess Masters; Johnny Guitar Watson, “Three Hours Past Midnight” from Three Hours Past Midnight; Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, “I’m the Slime” from Overnight Sensation; Frank Zappa, “St. Alfonso’s Pancake Breakfast” from Apostrophe

Commercial Break: Santa Cruz Guitar Company (music bed: Leo Kottke, “Parade” from Leo Live)

PART 4: THE INSTRUMENTAL RECORDS

Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar, Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar Some More, and Return of the Son of Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar are superb documents of Frank Zappa the Guitar Player, but they’re mostly jam records without a lot of compositional content, so after a few minutes, the tracks get a bit tedious for my taste (send angry letters to [e-mail]). However, there are some tracks that are just plain irresistible, so I spin a couple of them.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Why Johnny Can’t Read” from Shut Up ‘n Play Yer Guitar; Frank Zappa, “St. Etienne” from Jazz from Hell; Frank Zappa, “Chunga’s Revenge” from Trance-Fusion

PART FOUR: A SIT-DOWN WITH STEVE VAI, 20 YEARS LATER

Another personal anecdote, this time about the great Steve Vai showing up at a coffee shop where I was playing a gig.

Recordings: Frank Zappa, “Dog Breath Variations” from Yellow Shark