Frank Zappa Appreciation

 

I just posted a review of the ZPZ/RTF show in Eugene, Oregon on Sept 23rd, 2011 on the part of this board that deals with Live interviews.

 

I have to tell you that while I love a lot of Frank's material, that Dweezil's playing and shows are losing the feeling and I think that, while it is better and softer for the general public, in the end, it will probably make this whole thing redundant and forgetten along the wayside of some road to nowhere land.

 

If I was dad, I would have ripped my son for the work they did.

 

I guess that's the difference between an artist and everyone else, son or daughter included! Comparison is over and I think it is time Dweezil pulls the umbilical cord!

What's actually the problem? People are getting tired? Or is Dweezil palying badly, or what?

Between you and I, what I saw was a bored man! And the only thing that was left was for him to add a few moments of rock'n'roll glory, complete with dumb solo moments, to get the musicians more excited ... which in my book brought down the music to the level of rock'n'roll and not what Frank was doing -- the first thing he would do is tell the kid in the audience to shut up and leave and then put down the guitar and paly the tea spoons while conducting the rest of the band ... or something like it.

 

Honestly, and I can not verify this, I think that Dweezil feels that he has to do this for his mom in order to help maintain the Zappa Trust and further the name of the family and music. The problem with that is, that he is sacrificing his own work. However, Dweezil is NOT what dad was, and his music is quite conventional when compared to dad's, which means that his chances are extremely limited and he can do better by playing dad's music! Which is what he is doing ... but he's gonna have to do something different and find some guests to help energize the show, because I doubt that Geritol is the problem.

 

I love a lot of this music. It is by very far, some of the most creative things ever written in music in the 20th century, despite it having a few too many un-necessary bows to rock music, or what not. But a lot of the fun in it for all of us, is the strength with which it is put out and the un-repenting and un-compromising attitude towards what the music really means ... and I think that Dweezil is missing that step ... and it hurts!

 

My recomendation is to take a break ... and if he does it again, do it with new people and do it differently instead of trying to duplicate what is already know and have seen ... the comparison which does nothelp him much ... because there are many versions of the original that are better! And he automatically becomes 2nd rate! But I would probably turn it upside down ... like instead of the Moog solo in King Kong, I would do it with a Harmonica, or a Kazoo, and blow out the audience ... wow ... that was different ... that was cool ... and make people "remember" the piece of music ...

 

I can go back to the album and listen to the original ... I can go put on Babe Ruth's awesome version too ... and listening to Chick play the Moog solo is cool ... but it didn't make the song better ... because it was just trying to be faithful to the original.  You know what is like? ... you trying to duplicate Chuck Berry ... and you already know how many people have done that ... but you only enjoy it because you had a few drinks, and then go home and you don't care! ... you either blow out the audience to be understood and noticed, or forget it ... you're just another wannabe Frank Zappa band in the New York jazz clubs showing off their musicianship in this fusion!

 

I love this music dearly. But I think that what is happening to the trust in the release and showing off the music is restrictive and is starting to hurt the whole thing and in the end, it will hurt the moneys coming in. I have stated before that what Dweezil should do is find a piece or two that have never been done or released from the vaults, and put them on the stage ... and blow out the audience with them! ... but I wonder if Dweezil really has the ear and feel for music beyond the stuff that he plays and is comfortable with ... that one I'm not sure about ... but you know there is more work out there that has never been seen ... but Gayle and the folks around Frank were all rock'ies ... and they only know one thing ... and that rock idolatry that Frank despised and trashed so much ... is not going to help the Estate get better and release more music!

 

Just what we need ... a remastered version of Sweet Little 16! ... right on ... let's ... you got the idea!

 

 

... you either blow out the audience to be understood and noticed, or forget it ... you're just another wannabe Frank Zappa band in the New York jazz clubs showing off their musicianship in this fusion!  ...

 

I did not mention it, but RTf did do a lot of improvisation, but they also showed how to use it and play with it, which ZPZ did not ... and instead did the rock-show thing with the solo bits ... and in the end it takes away from the whole performance and the player's ability ... like a few fancy licks defines the musician ... NO it doesn't ... but playing with others and knowing how to solo WITH others, is what ZPZ did not do well ...

 

It really showed the difference between someone that really knew what music means to them, including a stage, and just another cover band ... I don't want to think of ZPZ as a cover band, but all of a sudden it is all it was!

 

Free up the music ... stop trying to be note perfect and blow out the sections that need it to make this stuff more important ... of go home, get stoned and listen to the original, like most of us do!

Got to admit Slart ... that's a pretty good sendup to Salvador Dali ...I never thought that Frank had any actual surrealism to his work. I rather thought that in that sense he was much more "modernistic" than the "surrealists" ever were ... but what the heck ... for folks that don't know art historyy it won't matter. The "surrealists" were not interested in socio-political commentary, and Frank was.

 

But I have to admit that cover is really off-track even though it is funny and fine to look at.

 

Sometimes, this is the bad thing about me ... I know too much art history, and I like to say that everyone here needs one book in their house ... Jensen's History of Art ... because there is no book that was ever written that was so clear about the history of the art and the time around it.  The only question I used to ask, even to the art teacher in school, was ... where's the music next to the art? ... where's the literature next to the art? ... to which I always got blank stares. I still do in PA!

 

How times change, hey?