1985-93
An Interview With Frank Zappa, Baltimore, August, 1985
August, 1985
Baltimore, MD
26 min.
A somewhat upset FZ talks about the history of radio in the USA, payola, the Watts riots from 1965, MGM, The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder, Freak Out! (1966), Tom Wilson, 200 Motels (1971), the First Amendment, producing The Factory, composing chamber music before playing guitar, showing his music to Massimo Freccia in Baltimore (1957), how each of his bands influences the material, music videos, the PMRC and censorship, how they will end up censoring inappropriate letters and numbers and changing the national bird from the eagle to the ostrich, the Senate hearings, and "The Chrome Plated Megaphone Of Destiny."
Lightnin' (quoted on Zappateers, May 20, 2010)
This is an interview conducted by a local Baltimore TV host. It was never aired and the footage was to be destroyed, because Frank would not sign any release papers for things talked about, some of which made the producers frightened. The raw footage was snuck out of the station and entrusted to me. I believe the time is right to unleash it.
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Baltimore Interview, August 1985 (25:57 min.)
Music Box Special
August 20, 1985
UK TV
46 min.
Interview and some rock videos.
From: Clarence
I think this refers to the MUSIC BOX special (british video channel, now defunct) aired from the EMI studios in the U.K. Most videos are unrelated to FZ (maybe theme related). Interview is very interesting, very european. FZ talks about classical music, nuclear war, how business will prevent wars (at least in his opinion), distribution deal with EMI, lawsuits against Warner and CBS, (supposedly) hatred in the rest of the world vs. non-hatred in the US (how about the blacks? 'You have to ask them').
Hollywood Close-Up
August 24, 1985
KABC
5 min.
Hosted by Cynthia Allison and Steve Edwards. Short report on the PMRC issue, with interviews to Susan Baker, Casey Kasem, Ronnie James Dio and FZ. Includes a short clip of "Whipping Post" from the Does Humor Belong In Music? video.
YouTube: Hollywood Closeup August 24, 1985 (04:48 min.)
CBS News Nightwatch
August 26, 1985
CBS TV
33 min.
On the "Nightmatch" segment FZ and Kandy Stroud debate about Porn Rock, with an introductory report which includes comments by Smokey Robinson, and later an interview with Dr. Thomas Radecki ("Natl. Coalition on TV Violence"), psychiatrist.
The first time I got involved with the PMRC issue was when I debated Kandy Stroud in Washington, D.C., on CBS Nightwatch in August 1985. It was supposed to be a one-hour taped debate in front of a live audience (which happened to include Stroud's young children, listening raptly as Mom recited the familiar litany of "oral sex at gunpoint," etc., etc.).
YouTube: Nightwatch—Part 1 (09:50 min.) · Part 2 (09:58 min.) · Part 3 (09:56 min.) · Part 4 (02:25 min.)
Secrets Of The U.M.R.K.
August 30, 1985
UMRK
Appears in:
This little batch of clips is from August 30, 1985—Frank records and then builds a vocal sample patch on the Synclavier, employing some very cool stereo effects.
Here's an unseen outtake from a bygone interview at FZ's house from August of '85, with a hilarious and typically insightful exploration of the lyrics to "Louie Louie."
Take Two
September 6, 1985
CNN
11 min.
FZ interviewed about the PMRC issue and the Senate hearings
YouTube: CNN "Take Two" August 25, 1985 (09:57 min.)
CBS Evening News
September 12, 1985
CBS
4 min.
Javier Marcote, March 2, 2009
EVENING NEWS: Investigation into pornographic rock lyrics night and day
September 12, 1985
CBS
Charles Ulrich, January 25, 2012
Bob Simon presents clips from interviews with Susan Baker, Tipper Gore, and FZ.
This show is the source of the Susan Baker and Tipper Gore samples heard in Resolver+Brutality.
YouTube: PORN ROCK CBS NEWS (04:11 min.)
ABC News Nightline
September 13, 1985
ABC TV
20 min.
Hosted by Ted Koppel. FZ (from Los Angeles), Kandy Stroud (from Washington) and Donny Osmond (from Los Angeles) debate about Porn Rock, with an introductory report by Jeff Greenfield which includes various musical clips and taped declarations by Susan Baker ("Parents' Music Resource Ctr"), Nat Hentoff ("Journalist"), Jeff Ling ("Parents' Music Resource Ctr"), FZ and Donny Osmond.
From: Jon Naurin
Ted Koppel leads a debate with FZ, Donny Osmond and Candy Stroud from the PMRC, on the subject of record labelling.
YouTube: Nightline—Part 1 (09:30 min.) · Part 2 (10:00 min.) · Part 3 (07:11 min.)
Senate Committee Hearings
September 19, 1985
Senate Commerce, Technology and Transportation Committee
CSPAN TV
33 min.
FZ's testimony with comments and questions by Sen. John Danforth (R-Missouri, Committee Chairman), Sen. J. James Exon (D-Nebraska), Sen. Albert Gore, Jr. (D-Tennessee), Sen. Slade Gorton (R-Washington), Sen. Ernest F. Hollings (D-South Carolina) and Sen. Paula Hawkins (R-Florida).
Audio appears on:
Finally on September 19, 1985, the Senate Commerce, Technology and Transportation Committee held a day of highly publicized hearings to discuss the PMRC's proposal.
From: Brian Lagerman
Hearings on rock lyrics. FZ appears for 33 min. There are 4 hours, 6 minutes of hearings available.
YouTube: Record Lyric Labeling—Part 1 (09:40 min.) · Part 2 (08:33 min.) · Part 3 (08:17 min.) · Part 4 (07:04 min.)
Capitol Journal with Hodding Carter
September 19, 1985
PBS TV
8 min.
From: Brian Lagerman
Frank, Tipper Gore and Susan Baker discuss censorship.
Town Meeting
September 29, 1985
KOMO TV, Seattle, WA
51 min.
Brian Lagerman
Frank at KOMO studios, Susan Baker in Washington with live studio audience discussing record ratings
Charles Ulrich (September 8, 2011)
Actually, it was Sally Nevius. <http://www.zappateers.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=12723>
Perhaps they switched at the last minute, since FZ says in Thou Shalt Not Steal that he'll be debating Susan Baker in Seattle on the 29th.
Register To Vote
October 2, 1985
PSA
8 min.
Twelve short clips asking young people to register to vote.
Additional informant (YouTube alert): Carlos Formby
YouTube: FZ Public Service Announcementes 1984 (06:46 min.)
Radio 1990
October 28-November 1, 1985
USA TV
5 episodes, from 7 to 13 min.
Frank co-hosts with Kathryn Kinley for the week, introduces videos (USA TV). Includes some clips from the PMRC hearings, "Register To Vote" PSAs, and footage from Does Humor Belong In Music?.
Radio 1990 was a thirty-minute program during primetime that ran on weekdays on USA network. A lot of the things seen on Night Flight were also shown on Radio 1990 like music videos and musician interviews. The program ran somewhere in the 1982 to 1986 time frame and was hosted by Lisa Robinson and Kathryn Kinley. Apparently Lisa Robinson was the original host and then became an interviewer/reporter after Kathryn Kinley was brought in.
The show also had musical guests help host the show and in August of 1985, Paul Stanley of KISS fame, was a co-host for an entire week.
Additional Informant: Omair Eshkenazi (YouTube alert)
YouTube: Frank Zappa Grabs Knee Of VJ (0:23 min.) · Frank Zappa—Radio 1990, USA TV, 1985—Part 1 (11:00 min.) · Part 2 (10:59 min.) · Part 3 (11:00 min.) · Part 4 (05:09 min.)
AM Philadelphia
October 31, 1985
WPVI-TV
17 min.
Interview with Frank Zappa & Kal Rudman (Music Forecaster) on the subject of censorship and the Senate hearings, with questions from the studio audience and some phone calls.
YouTube: Part 1 (9:07 min.) · Part 2 (7:56 min.)
The Ten O'Clock News
October 31, 1985
WGBH, Boston
14 min.
Description: Kennedy School forum on rating lyrics. Woman speaks on a Senate hearing on the Parent Music Resource Center proposal, which says the record companies have a responsibility to identify recordings with explicit lyrics, and have the option to print the lyrics on the album covers. Frank Zappa speaks. He argues against the Senate hearing, especially advocating for the rights of those who wrote the lyrics. He quotes PMRC member, Tipper Gore. He recounts the Senate hearing. Throughout his comments, he pokes fun at those involved.
The Ten O'Clock News was a weeknight local television news show, broadcast from 1976 to 1991 by WGBH, the Boston PBS affiliate. It replaced a pair of earlier news programs: The Reporters (1970-1973) and Evening Compass (1973-1974).
Informant: Javier Marcote
Boston TV News Digital Library: Frank Zappa on rating rock lyrics (13:47 min.)
FZ & Nicolas Slonimsky, c. 1985
c. 1985
Nicolas Slonimsky & FZ improvising "Yes: Turn Left." It appears in A Touch Of Genius—The Life And Times Of Nicolas Slonimsky/The First 100 Years (1994).
FZ, interviewed by Don Menn & Matt Groening, "The Mother Of All Interviews, Act II," Zappa!, 1992, p. 48
Every once in a while they do a little Nicolas Slonimsky birthday celebration here in Los Angeles. Composers contribute little compositions as birthday gifts. I've done two of those. [...] We've had some little discussions about technique in music. I'm reasonably familiar with his books, and on one occasion, when he came over here, we videotaped him, and I asked him to explain the theory behind the chords in that book of scales that most people are familiar with.
School Beat
January 5, 1986
KHJ-TV, LA
20 min.
FZ ("National Treasurer") discusses porn rock lyrics with Jim Hodson ("Prod./Host. Real Videos") and Norma Downs ("California State PTA Communications Comm."). Hosted by Roberta Weintraub.
From: Dan Watkins
Frank debates with two women and a Christian rock DJ about the PMRC. Frank seems very pissed here, and one of the women seems to constantly give Frank an ugly look. Frank is censored out for discussing Prince wanting to sing a song about someone "jerking off" with a magazine.
From: anonymous
Frank's super reads "Frank Zappa—National Treasurer." He appears with a christian rock video producer and 2 concerned ladies. I have a vhs copy of this show taped when it aired.
YouTube: School Beat, January 5, 1986—Part 1 (08:48 min.) · Part 2 (07:01 min.) · Part 3 (04:45 min.)
The NewMusic
January 25, 1986
CITY-TV, Canada
16 min.
Daniel Richler interviews FZ and his children. FZ shows some of the items from his basement, including some stuff from the Thing-Fish Hustler photo session, and talks about the PMRC issue and the Senate hearings, the Palermo riot. Moon talks about her childhood drawings and Dweezil plays his green guitar.
Includes footage from:
Executive Producer: Moses Znaimer
Director Of Music Programming: John Martin
Producer: Daniel Richler
Charles Ulrich (January 22, 2009)
I guess it was broadcast on January 25, 1986 (the day before Super Bowl XX), as there is a reference to Bob Hope's salute to the Super-Bowl with Donna Mills and Diahann Carroll, which aired on that date.
Informants: Javier Marcote, Bill Lantz, Charles Ulrich
Playboy At Night
March 8, 1986
Playboy Channel TV
8 min.
Includes footage from:
From: Brian Lagerman
Playboy video magazine. Subject is censorship. 1987 re-broadcast.
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Playboy Interviews (06:03 min.)
Miami Vice
March 14, 1986
Episode #60048 "Payback" AKA: Episode #41 (Season 2, episode 19)
NBC TV
48 min.
FZ guests as "Mario Fuentes"
[Pierre Boulez] was just in Los Angeles doing a concert here [February 11, 1986] and I couldn't go to it because I took a job on a television show called Miami Vice.
It's a popular American television show and I played a villain on the show and I was in Miami at the time that he was here. So I heard that the concert was really great and I would like to get a chance to work with him again, especially in live situation.
clintonbrownell
Featured Music: Sly & Robbie- Bass and Trouble, INXS- Three Sisters, Chris Isaak- Dancin', X- Soul Kitchen.
Patrick Neve
Someone sets up Crockett while he and Tubbs work with a govt agent to set up a reclusive drug dealer played by FZ. Incorrect sources list the air date as March 13, 1985.
Brian Lagerman
Franks appearance = 5 minutes, entire show = 48 min.
Brian Zavitz
I remember seeing the last bit of this episode, I think it was the only one I ever did see. I was flipping channels and there was Frank, playing some drug lord-type. All I remember is that at the end, he was forced to jump from a boat into the water (they couldn't arrest him for some reason). I think he went in holding his nose. He didn't do that great a job of acting, but then, neither did Don Johnson.
tep
I have a copy of it. Roberto Duran (the boxer) plays a guy that blows his head off in the first scene. Zappa talks about coke as "weasel dust" and jumps off a boat holding his nose. He looked great.
Stan Ivester
At a 1990 press conference in Prague, Frank said the producers of the show offered him the part but he initially turned them down (didn't say why). But then Dweezil, who was a big fan of the show at the time—it's OK, he was still pretty young—was really disappointed that Frank turned it down, so Frank called back and accepted the part.
Kristian Kier
Miami Vice was shown here in Germany on tv, too. Here all non-german films were aired with new german dialog, so everyone is able to understand the action. If the film is produced in stereo, and IIRC MV is stereo, then only the german language is listenable. Foreign films in mono are sometimes available with the original language, too. You can switch between the languages.
I found the german translation of "weasel dust" very funny, ("Wieselstaub") because I think this expression sounds very "Zappa" to me, and they made a word by word translation of this.
RERUN DATES:
Fri 2/26/99 FX 2pm cst
Thu 3/22/01 TNN 6pm and 11pm cst, 7pm est
Thu 10/11/01 TNN 3:00pm est
Thu 10/11/01 TNNW 6:00pm est
Fri 10/12/01 TNN 2:00am est
Fri 10/12/01 TNNW 5:00am est
Mon 3/11/02 TNN 2:00AM
Additional informants: Robbert Heederik, mikedp, Furbelly, Xavier Onassis, jaco0g
Maryland State Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings
March 18, 1986
Maryland State Senate
Appears in:
Audio appears on:
On [March 18, 1986], the Maryland State Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill proposed by delegate Judith Toth to modify the existing state pornography statute so as to include records, tapes and CDs. The bill had already
been passed [on February 14, 1986,] by the Maryland House of Delegates, and a Senate vote in favor would
have placed it into law in Maryland, creating a dangerous national precedent. [...] I was able to acquire video tape of the State Senate proceedings in 1987, just as I was editing together the first of the Honker Home Video projects. I decided to combine parts of my testimony with the actual statements made by Ms. Toth and Delegate Owens in a way that would dramatize the issue, and included this in a one-hour show called Video from Hell.
Maryland TV Interview
c. 1986
Unidentified Maryland TV
Appears in:
The show [Video From Hell] ends with me talking over the credits, in an interview with a Maryland TV station, giving the final chapter to this silly story [the Maryland State Senate Hearings].
The Barbour Report
March 20, 1986
KHJ TV, LA
18 min.
FZ talks about the Senate hearings, how he started writing rock & roll songs, his diminishing career, Bob Dylan's visit to the studio, his future speech on religion, and his appearance in Miami Vice .
Informant (YouTube alert): Javier Marcote
YouTube: Frank Zappa interview around 1986 (08:19 min.) ยท The lost interview of Frank Zappa (17:12 min.)
Crossfire
March 28, 1986
CNN TV
21 min.
Hosts: Tom Braden & Robert Novak
Guests: John Lofton (Washington Post) & Frank Zappa (Musician)
A CNN show called Crossfire covered the PMRC topic twice with me as a guest, the first time in 1985 (when I told that guy from The Washington Times to kiss my ass), and then again in 1987.
From: unknown
really amusing debate with John Lofton
From: daftbonk (October 28, 2004)
FZ's Crossfire appearance is tough to out-do. He provided a little more substance than [Jon] Stewart [on his October 15, 2004 appearance], and obviously his "kiss my ass" comment was beautiful. Anybody know if a video of this exists anywhere?
From: Charles Ulrich (May 13, 2005)
The video can be seen at <http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2658805>.
The Tonight Show
April 3, 1986
NBC TV
10 min.
Original Airdate: 04-03-1986
Host: Johnny Carson
Announcer: Ed McMahon
Conductor: Doc Severinsen
Director: Bobby Quinn
Guests: Zappa, Frank; Davis, Dorothy
Frank Zappa—Censorship, wanting to be introduced as a national treasure, testifying on censorship committee trying to censor explicit lyrics on records, PMRC
From: Ralph Wayvone
If Gail wants to smoke the tapes, it's STILL her business, right or wrong.
From: It Never Entered My Mind
Unless someone passes a bill in congress, declaring Zappa's recordings a "national treasure" . . . and have them carried off to the Smithsonian.
From: Jon Naurin
FZ actually referred to himself as a national treasure once. It was on the Late Show with Johnny Carson, though, so he might have been kidding . . .
Additional informant: computeruser
Scan from Eric Peterson's ZIRP
Sex, Violence & Family Values
April 6, 1986
ABC TV
14 min.
From: Brian Lagerman
Frank and 3 others on a Q&A panel about censorship.
CBS Morning News
August 5, 1986
CBS
6 min.
FZ and Sheila Benson discuss Ronald Reagan's concerns about the use of drugs in the movies.
YouTube: FZ CBS Morning News, August 5, 1986 (06:14 min.)
Mother's Day with Joan Lunden
August 14, 1986
Lifetime Television
18 min.
Hosted by Joan Lunden. FZ talks about his children's careers and names, and about the PMRC and record labeling issue.
I came to New York to do a show for the Lifeline Cable Network called "Mother's Day," which is like a parent's show. They devoted quite a bit of the show to talking about this stuff, with a studio audience, and it turned out to be a good show. It's the kind of a thing where you go, 'Oh, my God, do I have to go and do a parent's show?' But it turned out really good, so maybe when the thing goes on the air some parents will see it and say, 'Well, at least he's not so nauseating as people would lead us to believe. And maybe we should listen to him for a minute.' Even if they don't agree right away, but you have to create a possibility that someone would listen to you first, and then let him think about what you're saying.
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Various Television Interviews, 1980's (min. 04:42-22:28)
Unidentified live speech, c. 1986
c. 1986
Appears in ET obituary (December 6, 1993).
August 22, 1986, Interview
August 22, 1986
Appears in ET obituary (December 6, 1993). FZ talks about video fundamentalists.
KHJ-TV
KHJ-TV
August, 1986
14 min.
FZ talks about Ronald Reagan's war on drugs.
For today's EXCLUSIVE BACKER RELEASE, Joe Travers has given us about 15 minutes of pretty intense footage from August '86, in raw, unedited form, straight from the Vault.
In this interview, LA's KHJ-TV sat down with Frank in the UMRK to get his views on President Reagan's war on drugs . . . and while he's looking good in a tie, he is not mincing his words.
People Are Talking
October 31, 1986
KYW TV
4 min.
FZ talks about the Devil.
Informant: Javier Marcote (YouTube alert)
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Devil Worshipper? (02:14 min.)
Dweezil Zappa—"Let's Talk About It"
November 7, 1986
Music video
4 min.
Music video for the song "Let's Talk About It," from Dweezil's album Havin' A Bad Day (August, 1986), co-produced by FZ and Bob Stone. Featuring Moon Unit vocals and cameos by at least FZ, Don Johnson, Jane Fonda, Robert Wagner, Charlie Sexton and Daphne Zuniga.
Available at zappa.com
The Late Show
November 21, 1986
(also listed as November 26, 1986)
FOX TV
10 min.
Hosted by Joan Rivers
FZ talks about the names of his sons, AIDS and the PMRC hearings, with Chuck Norris and a disguised guy in attendance.
From: Kevbo (Fabulutz) (May 24, 2002)
Joan Rivers was guest hosting, and during her monologue she made some lame jokes about the names Dweezil and Moon Unit. When he finally came on, the first thing he did was chastise her for making fun of his children's names—basically that it's rude, and that she should consider their feelings. Don't remember much more than that. He did not perform.
From: Michael Gula
Do you at least remember Joan's response?
From: Kevbo (Fabulutz) (May 24, 2002)
She apologized! He put her on the spot and embarrassed her for using his kid's names as fodder for jokes. It was awkward and hilarious—especially if, like me, you don't much care for Joan Rivers.
She just made some corny comment on the opening of the show. The audience didn't even laugh, it was really a dorky comment about Dweezil's name or something like that. Her writers should know better than that, because that was tried once before on Johnny Carson when some young brat pack actor—I can't remember who it was—went on there and started making fun of Dweezil's name and got a real negative reaction from the audience. Some people might think that that's really funny. But Dweezil ain't no joke, not his name or his person.
YouTube: Frank Zappa interview 1986 (09:16 min.)
West Coast Story: Frontiers Of New Music
November 29, 1986
BBC 2
75 min.
Javier Marcote (January 26, 2009)
75'
29/11/1986
BBC 2
First of three programs
Documentary about the development of west coast music in the C20th.
Director: Michael MacIntyre
Executive producer: Dennis Marks
Cast: Alan Dykes, John Cage, Terry Riley, John Adams, Lou Harrison, Frank Zappa, Charles Amirkhanian, Robert Erickson, Paul Dresher, Daniel Lentz, Morton Subotnik.
Future Shock Week
December 7-11, 1986
The Movie Channel
8 min.
FZ introduces Brazil (Terry Gilliam, 1985), 2010 (Peter Hyams, 1984), 1984 (Michael Radford, 1984), The Omega Man (Boris Sagal, 1971) and Enemy Mine (Wolfgang Petersen, 1985).
YouTube: Frank Zappa The Movie Channel "Future Shock Week" December 7-12, 1986 (07:26 min.)
Sigma TV Interview
December 19, 1986
Sigma TV
Appears in:
"G-Spot Tornado"
c. January, 1987
3 min.
Appears in:
Includes footage from
FZ's 8mm home movies from c. 1959-1963.
The stuff of the twirling carnival amusement, that was shot 8mm in 1961, I shot that. In fact, I shot most of the stuff that is in there. And it's 8mm that's been transferred to video.
And the way it was done, it was in a layer where we took the carnival footage and just figured a setting point for the beginning of the music and started it off. And there was enough of it that it would run all the way through the piece. And then the other material was on a second machine and I flash-cut it, and then that was like one pass through to get—'cause you hit the buttons on the rhythm and you can make it go in there. And everything that didn't work, we went back and tweezed and replaced all those shots. And the whole video could have been completed in about three hours, if it weren't for the fact that the guy in the machine room wasn't watching the chroma on the vector scope [...]
All you gotta do is get an 8mm camera and go to the LA County Fair. [...]
That was also from— That was shot around 1959, it's Captain Beefheart and his family. [...] The stomach, that is Terry Wimberly, he used to play piano in this band that I had in high school. And the girl with the kleenex under her nose was Beefheart's girlfriend at that time, that was Laurie.
So really it's just a bunch of home movies that were all cut together.
January 15, 1987
Honker Home Video/MPI #MP 4001
62 min.
Bunny, Bunny, Bunny
David Allen
Details from: http://catalog.loc.gov/
Type of Material: Moving Image or Slide/Transparency
Brief Description: Bunny, bunny, bunny / director, Frank Zappa. 1987. 1 videocassette of 1 (VHS) : sd., col. ; 1/2 in. viewing copy.
Author on © Application: director: Frank Zappa; spoken text, performance: Frank Zappa, employer for hire of Lala Sloatman, Kyle Richards & Moon Zappa.
Bill
I think it's a play performed by Moon and some friends.
Marc Ziegenhagen
A friend of mine told me today, when I asked him about this, that it is mentioned on the liner notes of "Video From Hell" as an upcoming release, and is something that Moon shot.
Gary Titone
From my memory this is a Video title that was to be released on Honker Home Video. Buny Buny Buny was not the only title to never be released. Of the top of my head there was another release with Al malkin and American Disadent rings a bell. I'd have to go back and look at my HHV releases. Something is written on one of the boxes but from my memory BBB was a project that Moon was involved in. I never heard of anyone actually having it.
Society Pages (USA) #3, p. 5
Another video project is 'Bunny, Bunny, Bunny', which is loosely described as a punk version of the absurdist style of theater developed by dramatist and playwright Eugene [Ionesco], and is supposedly based around a conversation between three Valley girls. Although this project has been completed, we understand that for some mysterious reason, it will probably not be released to the public.
The surprise was Bunny Bunny Bunny, the failed pilot for a post-punk sitcom Frank made of Moon, cousin Lala and their friend Kyle in the dangerous kitchen in the mid-80s. [...] GZ thinks it has merit as something the man himself completed, and plans to release it.
Titled "Bunny Bunny Bunny", this was a primitive one-camera video depicting a teenage Moon and two of her teenage friends mostly shrieking at each other, often all at the same time (leading to minimal intelligibility for large chunks of it). The "story", in as much as there could be said to be one, involved "Felicity" (Moon) being required to carry out chores for an offstage lady, the manufacture of some sort of potion recipe, and the playing of an inexplicable game (the loser's forfeit being to eat a lychee). While this was not totally devoid of amusement (Frank's first interjection, as director, feeding a line to Moon ["She drains my positives" or something] got a good reaction, as did an unexpected cutaway to a shot of a cat), its interminable length and relentless noisiness soon tried the patience of even the most devoted fans in the audience. Current theories include the suggestion that this screening was meant as a test to see just how much self-indulgence the hardcore fanbase can withstand. (Yeah, I stayed to the end. Many didn't.)
Egyptian Theatre
6712 Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywood, CA 90028
Sun, Aug 17, 2014 7:30pm
[...]
World Premiere!
"Bunny Bunny Bunny" (ca. 1987, 20 min.) Directed and produced by Frank Zappa, this one-camera shoot stars daughter Moon Zappa (a couple of years after their radio hit "Valley Girl") in improvised dialogue with her best friend Kyle Richards and her cousin Lala Sloatman.
Additional informants: Charles Ulrich, bigtyke66
Nightlife
March 5, 1987
Fox TV
16 min.
Includes "G-Spot Tornado" (1987)
Javier Marcote (March 28, 2009)
Nightlife with David Brenner.
Fox TV
March 5, 1987
16'
D.Brenner interviews FZ about synclavier. Different worlds to work for: a
machine & musicians ( like a summer camp & being a psicologist).
G. Spot Tornado video is seen on screen & FZ describes the pictorical
material was:
The "carnival" images were shot on 8mm camera in 1961.
The home movies ( flashes of people) was Captain Beefheart & his family shot
around 1959.
The stomach footage belongs to Terry Wimberly ( see Blackouts) & the girl
with the kleenex under her nose was Laurie, Captain Beefheart's girlfriend.
The Night School TV Show Project
1987
Frank continued his conversation with Arthur [Barrow] about his recent offer to take over the Joan Rivers Show slot on FOX. He was going to call it Night School. Arthur had told me about this earlier that week, and that Frank planned to have a band on the show and wanted Arthur to be the clonemeister and musical director of sorts, as well as field questions from the audience. He had been asked to brush up on current events in preparation to take on the added responsibility. Frank knew exactly what he wanted to do . . . he wanted to have guests as dissimilar to one another as possible, and from all sides of the political spectrum as possible (shades of Bill Maher seven years before "Politically Incorrect"), interspersed with music from the band, and mentioned that he wanted to show the contemporary side of the naked female breast in an idea he had about comparing them with those of the tribal women one sees in National Geographic, and on PBS. Thus pointing out the ridiculousness that it was okay to show the American people one set of mammalian protuberances and not another. It was all explained in the usual FZ droll delivery, and it was impossible not to laugh.
On February 5th, 1987, I went up to Frank's house for the first time in a while. I am not positive, but I'm pretty sure this was the time I brought my old friend Tom Brown with me, providing the hard-core Zappa fan with a dream come true experience. [...] Frank had invited me up to the house to talk about hiring me for an exciting new project he was working on. He was on the verge of getting his own late night TV show, which he wanted to call Nite School. [...] Frank wanted to have a house band, and wanted me to be the band leader and musical director. [...] But like so many of Frank's great ideas, this one never came to be. My guess is that the TV execs got cold feet.
What happened was FOX wanted me to replace Joan Rivers on a Friday night. And they had been planning the show for about three weeks, and I had chosen all my own guests, and I had this strange little program set up. And, on the Wednesday before the Friday, when they were supposed to do the show, they panicked. [...]
I was gonna have Daniel Schorr. This show was going to go in the air right after the Iran-Contra hearings had been finished, and Daniel Schorr had been covering the Contra hearings for National Public Radio, so he really knew what was going on there, and I wanted to get somebody on the air who could tell the real deal. Then I had a guy who was the producer of Pat Robertson's 700 Club, who was going to tell some of the secret inside poop about what Pat Robertson was really into.
And, I was gonna bring the Synclavier on the show and do some of that kind of music. And I, you know, it was a well rounded, different, sort of a show, but they panicked over, and they were gonna do a re-run. And then, somebody said, "Let's get Arsenio Hall."
The behind-the-scenes relations between [Joan] Rivers and network executives quickly eroded, and Rivers was eventually fired in May 1987. [...] Soon afterward the program was renamed The Late Show and featured rotating guest hosts including Suzanne Somers, Richard Belzer, and Robert Townsend. After firing prospective guest host Frank Zappa, producer John Scura replaced him with Arsenio Hall, who made his debut as a talk show host. Eventually, Hall was named the permanent replacement host in mid-1987.
Howard Stern Show (Pilot)
May 30, 1987
9 min.
Howard Stern and Robin Quivers talk with FZ (on a monitor) about Geraldo Riviera, Pat Robertson & Jimmy Swaggart, FZ's proposed TV show, his book, AIDS, etc.
Crossfire
June 13, 1987
CNN TV
22 min.
Hosts: Peter Gemma & Michael Kinsley
Guests: Jeff Ling (PMRC) & Frank Zappa (Rock Musician)
A CNN show called Crossfire covered the PMRC topic twice with me as a guest, the first time in 1985 (when I told that guy from The Washington Times to kiss my ass), and then again in 1987, when George Michael's sex song was 'controversial.' Believe it or not, ladies and gentlemen, the premise of that second debate on Crossfire was (don't laugh) "Does Rock Music Cause AIDS?", with an opening bumper that included clips from Mr. Michael's video.
From: Charles Ulrich (May 13, 2005)
FZ debates record labeling with Jeff Ling of the PMRC. The video can be seen at <http://www.ifilm.com/ifilmdetail/2664570>.
Also: Crossfire, June 13, 1987—Part 1 (10:00 min.) · Part 2 (10:06 min.)
The Robertson Report
June 21, 1987
I'm so happy to share this amazing piece of archival we found in the vault. It's from a panel show FZ made, that never aired, called "The Robertson Report". It was a sort of rebuke to Pat Robertson, shot in the Zappa house on June 21st of 1987.
Guests are (seated, Left to Right):
- Waleed Ali, who ran MPI Home Video and produced various film projects, including releasing a video magazine I made in the 80's with Tom Stern called 'Impact' (more on that craziness here).
- Jerry Straub, former producer of The 700 Club, among other shows, and author of Salvation for Sale. He had already left the 700 Club by the time of this recording.
- Edmund Cohen, author of The Mind of the Bible Believer
The Cutting Edge
June 28, 1987
MTV
4 min.
FZ talks about the difference between the old and the new executives from the record industry, a camp to control children behavior called Back In Control and the new PMRC strategy promoting safe sex.
YouTube: The Cutting Edge (04:17 min.)
John Barbour's Live Friday Night Talk Show
August 7, 1987
KHJ TV
43 min.
John Barbour discusses with FZ ("Musician, Bon Vivant"), Paul Krassner ("Satirist, 'The Realist'"), William L. Moore ("Publisher, UFO Researcher") and Wendell Faile ("Attorney Contest Winner") about the Joan Rivers Show, Russian humour, the Iran-Contra hearings, TV evangelists, Communism, TV shows cancelations, and UFOs. Then they answer questions from the audience above those questions and also record warning labels.
FZ on UFOs
John Barbour: Frank, do you believe in UFOs?
FZ: Yeah.
JB: You do, really?
FZ: Mm-mmh.
JB: Why?
FZ: I think that, uh . . . they're real!
JB: Why?
FZ: If you had to choose between "They're not real!" and "They're real," what do you got in the middle? "Maybe"? I think they're real!
Brian Lagerman
Frank and four others discuss numerous topics.. 1st gen.
"Peaches En Regalia"
c. 1987
3 min.
Version 1 includes footage from:
(*) not on version 2
Version 2 also includes footage from:
- FZ playing acoustic guitar in a room (B&W)
- Two male dancers and a guitar player in a room c. 1959-1963
- Birthday party home movie (B&W)
- FZ playing the Fender Jazzmaster with a matching suits group, c. 1961-1962
- FZ playing drums at a party, c. 1961-1962
- Don Preston as Uncle Meat, probably London, 1968
Version 1 appears in:
Version 2 appears in:
September 15, 1987
100 min.
Danish TV
September 22, 1987?
Danish TV
2 min.
Frank Zappa interview, Danish television 22-sept-1987 "Inventing Modern America" on rock'n'roll, hippies and yuppies.
the show was a mix of different people talking about this period in the US, footage of the Ohio shooting, etc.
Sorry—this was all broadcast.
YouTube: Frank Zappa interview, Danish television 22-sept-1987 (01:54 min.)
We Are What We Watch
November 18, 1987
Night Flight
25 min.
Produced & Directed by Frank Zappa
Features mostly material from Video From Hell, including:
- "G-Spot Tornado" (1987) including FZ's 8mm Home Movies c. 1959-63 (music: G-Spot Tornado from Jazz From Hell)
- Excerpt from Uncle Meat, 1970
- Pinewood Studios, January-February, 1971 from The True Story Of 200 Motels (music: Night School from Jazz From Hell)
- Ex Mattatoio di Testaccio, Rome, Italy, July 9, 1982 (music: Stevie's Spanking from You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1)
- Thomas Nordegg interview
- MOI 8mm Home Movies, 1969 (from Uncle Meat)/St. Etienne, France, May 28, 1982 (music: St. Etienne from Jazz From Hell)
- 1967 MOI at Garrick Theatre (from Uncle Meat) (music: Mr. Green Genes from Uncle Meat)
- The Palladium, NYC, October, 1977 (from Baby Snakes)
And but also:
FZ intro:
Okay, I am now on the video business. I started a home video label called Honker Home Video and we're going to release four objects this year.
YouTube: Zappa Nightflight—Part 1 (09:02 min.) · Part 2 (07:50 min.) · Part 3 (08:18 min.)
Behind The Stage Door—The Groupie Story
Unknown date (1988?)
5 min.
Interviews with FZ, Pamela Des Barres, Cynthia Plaster Caster and some other people talking about groupies.
YouTube: Groupies (04:43 min.)
The Oprah Winfrey Show
1988
34 min.
Oprah interviews Jackie Collins, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of Kiss, and Pamela Des Barres about groupies. FZ's appearance (18 secs. at the end of Part 1) is taken from The Groupie Story.
Informant: Álvaro Gallegos
YouTube: Kiss on Opra* '87 PART 1 (08:34 min.) · PART 2 (08:35 min.) · PART 3 (08:37 min.) · PART 4 (08:39 min.)
"Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk" rehearsal
c. early 1988
I read somewhere (or seen?) that there is a video of the development of "jesus think you're a jerk" during rehearsals.
FZ mentioned it during the 1989 Society Pages interview.
Somewhere in the basement is many hours of video footage of this [rehearsing] process, like almost an entire eight-hour rehearsal devoted to conjuring up "Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk".
Palace Theater, Albany, NY
February 2, 1988
Palace Theater, Albany, NY
Musicians:
FZ—lead guitar, vocals
Ike Willis—guitar, vocals
Scott Thunes—bass
Ed Mann—percussion
Chad Wackerman—drums
Mike Keneally—guitar, keyboards, vocals
Bobby Martin—keyboards, vocals
Bruce Fowler—trombone
Walt Fowler—trumpet
Albert Wing—sax
Paul Carman—sax
Kurt McGettrick—sax, clarinet
Appears in:
Beacon Theatre, NYC
February 4, 1988
Beacon Theatre, NYC, NY
130 min., audience recording
Songs:
- Black Page
- Dickie's Such An Asshole
- When The Lie's So Big
- Planet Of The Baritone Women
- Any Kind Of Pain
- Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk
- Sofa #2
- Packard Goose
- Torture Never Stops
- Why Don't You Like Me?
- Disco Boy
- Teen-age Wind
- Truck Driver Divorce
- Who Needs The Peace Corps?
- We're Turning Again
- King Kong
- Stairway To Heaven
- Dancin' Fool
- Whipping Post
- I Am The Walrus
- Strictly Genteel
Marc DeCarlo Photos
There's also a 49 min. video made up by Marc DeCarlo with pictures and slides from two of the Beacon shows, February 4 & 5, with audience recordings as background sound.
Setlist informant: Chris Rigas
Informant: Javier Marcote
Beacon Theatre, NYC
February 5, 1988
Beacon Theatre, NYC, NY
12 min., audience recording
Songs:
Dickie's Such An Asshole, When The Lie's So Big, Planet Of The Baritone Women, Any Kind Of Pain
Informant: Javier Marcote
Beacon Theatre, NYC
February 6, 1988
Beacon Theatre, NYC, NY
72 min., audience recording
Songs:
Stinkfoot, I Ain't Got No Heart, Love Of My Life, Bamboozled By Love, Peaches En Regalia, Heavy Duty Judy, We're Turning Again, Packard Goose Medley, When The Lie's So Big, Planet Of The Baritone Women, Any Kind Of Pain, Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk, Sofa, Who Needs The Peace Corps?, The Torture Never Stops Medley, King Kong, Stairway To Heaven
Informant: Javier Marcote
Warner Theatre, Washington, DC
February 8, 1988
Warner Theatre, Washington, DC
On February 8, the first night of the Washington run, there was a news crew that had come to interview Frank. It was a live feed, direct from the theatre to television viewers citywide. As a backdrop to the interview the band stood on stage rocking and rolling relentlessly, but without actually producing any sound. The whole band was clumped up at the front of the stage rocking out, without actually doing anything. And of course Frank told me to get on my knees in front and do my rock star stuff. That would be something to get a tape of.
MTV Europe Interview
February 9, 1988
MTV UK
120 min.
YouTube user reldditmot (July 4, 2009)
MTV Interview with FZ and Steve Blame, 2.9.88
Informant: Omair Eshkenazi
YouTube: Frank Zappa—MTV Interview (08:43 min.)
CBS News Nightwatch
February 10, 1988
CBS TV
15 min.
Includes footage from Video From Hell. FZ talks about video fundamentalists, Pat Robertson, Iran-Contra, Oliver North, censorship & labeling, the Republican Party, fascist theocracy, Pat Robertson again, and Mario Cuomo as a good candidate.
YouTube: Frank Zappa tells Charlie Rose about Pat Robertson and Iran-Contra (14:53 min.)
Informant: Javier Marcote (YouTube alert)
Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
February 12, 1988
Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
30 min.
From: Brian Lagerman
Soundcheck and rehearsal, includes about 30 minute soundboard feed. From a 1st generation dub made before the masters were given to FZ.
From: Jon Naurin
FZ solo incl Watermelon In Easter Hay, FZ tries out tonight's loops, Sleep Dirt, Sofa, Girl From Ipanema, Zoot Allures
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Tower Theater Rehearsals, Part 5: Zoot Allures (04:28 min.)
Action News
February 12, 1988
WPVI TV, Philadelphia
1 min.
Glenn Leonard (October 15, 2011)
action news from feb 1988 is definitely feb 12, 1988. i saw the video crew recording during his solo in "penguin" and a reporter doing a bit with the show in the background (also penguin). it was broadcast that night on the 11pm news in philly.
Talking With Frank Zappa . . . Some More
February 14, 1988
Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA
Colonial Instructional Television, PA
26 min.
FZ interviewed by Chuck Ash, from the Pennsylvania State Police, on stage at the Tower Theater. FZ talks about the 1988 tour, the 1988 band, the auditions, music radio, drugs, how he started his vote registration campaign in 1971, mail order, his next releases, and the plot for his movie project about Mummers. Includes some scenes from the Tower Theater soundcheck (including "Zoot Allures" and "Sofa") and Baby Snakes. See also Talking With Frank Zappa (1981).
YouTube: Talking With Frank Zappa . . . Some More—Part 1 (09:49 min.) · Part 2 (09:54 min.) · Part 3 (05:45 min.)
Everyone That Is Except Frank Zappa!
February 19, 1988
Orpheum Theater, Boston, MA
24 min.
Noah McKelvie, February, 2008
[It] shows a little footage (at the beginning and ending of the clip) of the band performing "The Black Page" at the February 19, 1988 Orpheum Theatre concert. It also shows an interview with Frank Zappa backstage after (or before?) the concert.
[...] At the beginning [...] the Freak Out song "You're Probably Wondeirng Why I'm Here" is set to people walking into the Orpheum Theatre. [...] In addition to Frank Zappa's backstage interview and "The Black Page" excerpt the clip also shows an interviewer asking random people if they thought a lot of people registered to vote during the concert that wouldn't register at city hall.
Here's what Frank said over the vamp of "The Black Page" at the beginning of the clip:
"We have a project to get people to register to vote and so we have provided for your convenience some tables in the lobby where you can register easily and comfortably here at the concert. The first part of the show is about an hour and then we take a half an hour intermission and you can go back out there in the lobby and if you didn't register on the way in you can do it."
YouTube: FROM THE VAULT: Frank Zappa and the League of Women Voters | Boston Orpheum Theater, 1988 (05:47 min.)
Royal Oak Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
February 26, 1988
Royal Oak Music Theatre, Detroit, MI
Appears in:
Frank specifically put "When The Lie's So Big" and "Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk" at the beginning of the set because ABC News was taping the beginning of the show and he wanted to get that stuff in.
The 30th Annual Grammy Awards
March 2, 1988
CBS TV
Radio City Music Hall, NYC, NY
Javier Marcote (September 26, 2010)
30 Grammy Awards ( CBS tv)
March 2, 1988
Radio City Music Hall, NY, NY.
Winner award for the Best Rock Instrumental Performance: FZ for Jazz From Hell ( Nov. 1986)
ABC News—World News Saturday
March 5, 1988
ABC TV
3 min.
Hosted by Barry Serafin
Includes:
Music Hall, Cleveland
March 5, 1988
Music Hall, Cleveland, OH
120 min. (Poor first 20min, frequent obstructions)
Songs:
Black Page No.2, Dickie's Such An Asshole, When The Lie's So Big, Planet Of The Baritone Women, Any Kind Of Pain, Texas Motel (Norwegian Jim, Lousiana Hooker w/ Herpes, Strawberry Fields), Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk, Sofa, Let's Move To Cleveland, Packard Goose, King Kong (synclavier variations), I Am The Walrus, Andy, Inca Roads, Peaches En Regalia, Stairway To Heaven, Sharleena, Let's Make The Water Turn Black
Chris Rigas
One of the slightly better (but only slightly) audience recordings from the 88 tour.
For those who don't immediately know, this is the guitar solo from "Any Kind of Pain", recorded by fan Chris Boulet and the very same as appears on the "Broadway the Hard Way" album, but we're not sure if it's from Cleveland on March 5th or Columbus on March 6th. According to notes on the tape, it's 3/6, but according to Globalia.net, it's 3/5.
[...] And so you know, that clip is 100% of the footage we have from this show!
Primary informant: Chris Rigas
YouTube: I Am The Walrus (03:10 min.) · Any Kind Of Pain (Guitar Solo) (2:56 min.)
Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
March 6, 1988
Veterans Memorial Auditorium, Columbus, OH
It finally dawned on Frank after it got to be about 5:30 or so that there was no [name deleted]. That was upsetting to Frank because this was the night that the "60 Minutes" crew was supposed to come around. [...]
On to the show . . . it started out with some local luminary, while we were vamping "Black Page", giving Frank some kind of plexiglass-looking award thing, and dubbing him the honorary Secretary of State of Ohio, and the audience went entirely nuts. The "60 Minutes" guys were roaming the stage; they were also taping the rehearsal, so that stuff about [name deleted] not showing up might end up on CBS. But the cameramen were roaming the stage and it seemed like they just couldn't get enough of me, every time I turned around they had their cameras trained on me. I don't know what that was about.
The Columbus Dispatch (March 7, 1988)
To top it off, CBS' 60 Minutes had a camera crew recording the night for a future broadcast.
Buffalo After Midnight
March 9, 1988
Buffalo, NY
8 min.
Backstage interviews at Shea's Theater, Buffalo, NY. FZ talks about his band, vote registration, etc. Scott Thunes talks about the audience, the repertoire, etc.
War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY
March 11, 1988
War Memorial Auditorium, Rochester, NY
11 min.
Backstage interview at the War Memorial Auditorium. FZ talks about war, the Libertarian party, Mario Cuomo as candidate and the registration to vote campaign. Includes the first piece from the Rochester concert, "Chunga's Revenge."
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Interview & Chunga's Revenge, NY 1988 (10:49 min.)
WBNG Interview
March 17, 1988
WBNG, Channel 12, Binghamton, NY
DLHotch (Zappateers, June 12, 2009)
FZ was interviewed by the local CBS-TV station (WBNG, channel 12) in Binghamton, New York on March 17, 1988, prior to his performance that night. I remember him talking about how for previous tours he had tried to keep his message somewhat subtle but for the 1988 tour they were utilizing the baseball bat approach to get the message across.
Hackensack, NJ
March 20, 1988
Rothman Center, Fairleigh Dickinson University, Hackensack, NJ
Footage from the concert appears in Week In Rock (MTV, 1988). More pictures from the show at Syntheory.com.
Informant: Javier Marcote
CBS This Morning
March 28, 1988
CBS TV
6 min.
Interview by Harry Smith
Includes:
Music heard (from the rehearsal and the concert):
- Dickie's Such An Asshole
- The Black Page #2 (opening number)
- Any Kind Of Pain
- Packard Goose
- Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk
Patrick Buzby (January 21, 2007):
I see [the This Morning live footage was] labelled in the Videography as being from 3/6/88 Columbus.
However, I think it is actually from the first show of the tour, 2/2/88 Albany. Two reasons: FZ is heard commenting "Did you miss me?" at the start of his remarks during the Black Page vamp, which I believe only happened at the Albany show. Also, all songs shown in the clip were performed at Albany, but two ("Dickie's" and "Packard Goose") were not in the Columbus show.
Additional informat: Brian Lagerman
YouTube: CBS This Morning (06:01 min.)
MTV Register To Vote
c. April, 1988
MTV
1 min.
Register to vote PSA.
Appears in:
Today Show
April 1, 1988
NBC
5 min.
Maria Shriver interviews FZ (from Burbank) and Lee Masters (Executive VP, MTV) about the MTV Register To Vote campaign.
Abendschau
April 11, 1988
SFB1, Germany
2 min.
From: Clarence
I believe this to be the footage which was aired by a local german tv station (SFB1 in Berlin, evening news 'Abendschau', running time: 2:10) on 04-11-88 when FZ arrived at Tegel airport prior to his concert (04-12-88, Deutschlandhalle). Some footage from 1968 is included plus other concert clips.
Screenshots from Clarence:
Rock T.L.
April 12, 1988
RTLPlus, Germany
17 min.
B&W
Interview with FZ (dubbed in German). Includes footage from The Pier, NYC, 1984 ("Be In My Video") and a Berlin press conference.
Wembley Arena, London, UK
April 19, 1988
BBC
8 min.
BBC interview in the Wembley dressing room.
Appears in:
Olympen, Lund, Sweden
April 26, 1988
Olympen, Lund, Sweden
110 min., audience recording
Sweden TV recording appears in:
Songs:
Black Page, Dickie's Such an Asshole, Stick Together, My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama, Willie the Pimp, Montana, City of Tiny Lites, Pound for a Brown on the Bus, The Dangerous Kitchen, What's New in Baltimore, Outside Now, Eat that Question, Black Napkins, Disco Boy, Teenage Wind, Bamboozled by Love, Cruising for Burgers, Bolero, I am the Walrus, Illinois Enema Bandit, Stairway to Heaven
Setlist informant: Chris Rigas
Nattpatrullen
c. April 27, 1988
Swedish TV (TV3)
4 min.
Interview with FZ with Swedish subtitles before the Oslo, Norway, April 27, 1988 concert. He talks about touring again, the PMRC and audience participation. Includes parts of "Stink-Foot" and "Make A Sex Noise" from the Oslo concert.
Additional informant (YouTube alert): Javier Marcote
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Night Patrol Oslo, Norwegian TV 1988 (03:47 min.)
Norway Press Conference & Interview
April 28, 1988
Hotel Sheraton, Sandvika, Norway
43 min. & 10 min.
Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
May 1, 1988
Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden
100 min.
Kippevel
May 2, 1988
Dutch TV
23 min.
Interview with FZ talking about music, touring, politics, etc. The interview took place the day after the Stockholm, May 1, 1988, concert when Morgan Ågren and Mats Öberg sat in with FZ's band.
Includes footage from:
- Halloween, 1981 ("Fine Girl", "Black Napkins")
- 200 Motels ("Magic Fingers")
- "You Are What You Is" (videoclip)
- Johnny Guitar Watson: "A Real Mother For Ya"
- Wes Montgomery
- SNL '76 ("Purple Lagoon", "Peaches En Regalia")
- Dweezil Zappa: "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama"
CaptainJos (YouTube, June 23, 2010)
Dutch interview with Frank Zappa, at the time of the Broadway The Hard Way tour, on the VARA TV Show Kippevel. Interviewer: Jan Douwe Kroeske. May 2 1988. With Dutch subtitles.
YouTube: Frank Zappa Interview (1988) (09:54 min.)
Nightflight Scandinavia
May 7, 1988
14 min.
Includes:
- Johanneshovs Isstadion, Stockholm, Sweden (May 1, 1988) (parts of "Heavy Duty Judy" with "Dragonmaster" introductions of the band and guitar solo)
- Interview with FZ (Stockholm, April 30, 1988)
- "Peaches En Regalia" (1987)
FZ talks about the repertoire of the tour, the new LSO album, the remixes for CD release of the old albums, the PMRC and Dweezil's career.
(Note: also appears as "April 7, 1988" which is impossible, unless that date refers to another NightFlight Scandinavia show.)
YouTube: Nightflight Scandinavia—Part 1 (06:40 min.) · Part 2 (05:21 min.)
Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
May 8, 1988
Stadthalle, Vienna, Austria
Audience recording:
75 minutes, aud. rec.
Half the show only.
Songs: Black Page, Eat That Question, Black Napkins, Trouble Every Day, Penguin in Bondage, Hot Plate Heaven, Peaches en Regalia, Stairway to Heaven, Sharleena, Montana, City of Tiny Lites, Whipping Post
From: "G.D. Pratt"
There are also audience vidos of various 1988 gigs such as Vienna, and a few German shows. Quality varies, but Vienna is OK.
From: Kristian Kier
5-8 Vienna, Austria. Single shot audience. And sometimes the roof of the hall . . . and the colour goes "Now you see it—now you don't".
From : Javier (Al Fresco)
I have reviewed the list songs from the Stadthalle, Vienna, May 8, 1988 -
private video recording.
After "Black Page" the next theme is "Eat that Question" & not " Big Swifty" which did not appear in this recording.The rest of the list songs are right.
But above all this private video attracked my attention when "Stairway to Heaven" is playing & Ike Willis singing. Close to him on stage we can see a bearded-man with a cap & on his knees with a film camera. It seems to be he's charging a film reel or something & afterwards looks like he's testing the shooting & other guy comes to ask him something.
When "Montana" sounds we can see a glimpse of this cameraman who now is standing up, shooting the show.
As far as I know FZ confirmed himself that the show in Madrid (May 14, 1988) was shot as well. So that, now I think FZ had a crew member who shot some of the shows of 1988 tour & hope someday will be released officially those unknown concerts.
Informants: Chris Rigas, Jon Naurin
DoRo recording:
Soundcheck & concert.
Appears in:
DoRo: "41 Seconds With F.Z."
German Interview 1988
c. April-May, 1988
Germany
Appears in:
FZ talks about his first German concert in Essen and his 1968 concept of revolution.
Transcription
FZ: Well, the thing about Essen is the last book that I read all the way through was a book called The Arms Of Krupp by William Manchester, and here in this book, which is this thick, I read all about Essen, you know, and here we are, my first German performance in Essen. So I had spent the night before walking around to look at it. So it was kind of strange to start our experience in Germany off in this kind of an environment.
FZ: Well, the term "revolution" as used in these interviews here certainly does not apply to anything connected with the communist revolution. The revolution that I am speaking of is the act of change—changing from one set of behaviors to another set of behaviors. And I would like to clear up any misconception that may have ever existed in the minds of people in this country about connecting me with the word "revolution" in terms of a red revolution—I am a devote capitalist and I always have been, and I've been delighted to talk about it anytime somebody asked me, and if there's one thing that could be seen in terms of that other form of revolution—and it's specially true today—even the communists realize that Communism doesn't work. It doesn't work. So that's an interesting aspect of revolutionary development since 1968.
Interviewer: Your proposal was in 1968 infiltration, to infiltrate society where your parents have failed. You think the youth from then has reached something with that strategy?
FZ: I think that they have infiltrated, unfortunately, the people themselves who did the infiltrating once they got in there they decided to go for profit instead of for change. I think that Wall Street is a good example of infiltration of young people, but the people who got in there didn't go into Wall Street to change it, they run in there, you know, to make more money than their parents did. And the same thing is true in the entertainment industry like in television and in movies, there are a lot of young people working in those fields but they're not making things that are better.
Interviewer: What did you think about the music you played? The musicians . . .
FZ: Well, it's not much fun to listen to anymore. I would say that the level of musicianship throughout rock 'n' roll has come up in the last twenty three years, and, uh—one of problems that I had with the band is I can't hire a musician unless he's available, you know. At that time musicians who had conservatory skills like reading music and playing hard passages, they weren't working in the field of rock 'n' roll. Today there are people who have been trained in conservatories that are playing rock 'n' roll bands, so I think it's better all around for all groups.
Review—Zappa On Zappa
May 13, 1988
BBC
8 min.
Includes footage from:
- Old Grey Whistle Test (April 25, 1971)
- Interview with Frank Zappa (Wembley Arena, London, UK, April 19, 1988)
- Nationwide (January 7, 1983)
- Herman & The Hermits (1968)
- Colour Me Pop ("King Kong") (1968)
- Video From Hell (1987)
- Late Night Line-Up (July 3, 1971)
- BBC News (February 8, 1971)
- Old Grey Whistle Test (January 23, 1973)
YouTube: Zappa On Zappa (07:15 min.)
Bilbao
May 13, 1988
Pabellón de los Deportes de La Casilla, Bilbao, Spain
2 min.
Appears in Informe Semanal (TVE, May 14, 1988)
Al Fresco (Javier) (August 1, 2007)
Surprisingly I have verified with TVE in Bilbao (Spanish public TV) they filmed to Frank Zappa in that date & have an archive of 15'29'' which includes an interview to FZ performed by Juancho Vidal, the rehearsal with his musicians & images of the live concert filmed. Some of this footage was broadcast in a local tv program about that time.
There's also a short 2 min. clip from ETB (Basque TV) with FZ arriving at the airport and getting into a car.
Additional informant: Al Fresco (Javier)
Madrid
May 14, 1988
Auditorio de la Casa de Campo ("Rockódromo"), Madrid, Spain
A much better show [than the Barcelona one], which was also filmed professionally, was in Madrid. All the tapes from all the camera angles are in the vault, but there are technical problems which, so far, have rendered it impossible to sync the film to tape. That may get fixed in the future, and I hope it does, because it really is a much better show and no one has seen it yet.
Pat Buzby
The Barcelona video is in wide circulation. A show three nights earlier in Madrid was also taped (I believe only as a single-camera job) but is not in circulation.
ANDROPS (Andrés Gota)
The concert of Madrid (05-14-88) took place in the Auditorio de la Casa de Campo.
DS: I hear also that there was one made in Madrid. Is that right?
FZ: Yeah.
DS: Did you access tapes of that, and will we see any of that show?
FZ: [...] The thing from Madrid was just a three-quarter [inch tape].
Q: Can we get a complete video from either of the Barcelona or Madrid concerts from 1988?
A: The word "complete" is generally a troublesome one. But we are considering possibilities.
[...] Off the top of my head it was done by the broadcaster. And it is in the Vault. And it is a subject for discussion between myself and Joe from time to time. And the rights rest with us.
Additional informant: Al Fresco (Javier)
May 17, 1988
Palacio de los Deportes, Barcelona, Spain
120 min.
Rosengarten/Mozartsaal, Mannheim, Germany
May 25, 1988
Rosengarten/Mozartsaal, Mannheim, Germany
148 min.
The Black Page, We're Turning Again, Alien Orifice, When The Lie's So Big, Planet Of The Baritone Women, Any Kind Of Pain, Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk, Dupree's Paradise, Easy Meat, Sinister Footwear, City Of Tiny Lights, A Pound For A Brown, Outside Now, The Orange County Lumber Truck Medley, Bamboozled By Love, Ring Of Fire, Peaches En Regalia, Stairway To Heaven (incl. The Untouchables), I Am The Walrus, The Illinois Enema Bandit
Italy (prob. Milan), 1988
c. June 2, 1988
Milan (probably)
3 min.
Includes a short interview about trading between East & West and an excerpt from a "Black Page" rehearsal. Part of a show called "Grey Hair Rock 'n' Roll" produced by VIDEOMUSIC in 1990.
Stezzi63 (YouTube user)
I think that this footage is probably taken from the Milan show (June 2 1988).
The night before I was in Padua to see his concert and there were no cameras.
He went to other cities but I don't think that it may exist official tv recordings of those shows.
YouTube: Frank Zappa 1988—Excerpt from The black page (03:23 min.)
The Tonight Show
June 29, 1988
NBC TV
9 min. (Interview)
Hosted by Jay Leno
FZ talks about how he was asked to play in the Soviet Union, and how he tried to convince the guy who called him to tear down the Berlin Wall. Also appearing: Charles Fleischer and Sydney Walsh.
Original Airdate: 06-29-1988
Host: JAY LENO
Announcer: DOC SEVERINSEN
Conductor: DOC SEVERINSEN
Director: BOB OSTBERG
Guests: STROHECKER, DANNY & CAPASSO, SHANNON; FLEISCHER, CHARLES; WALSH, SYDNEY; ZAPPA, FRANK
FRANK ZAPPA—was asked to perform at the Summit in the Soviet Union but unfortunately was given late notice & was unable to attend; conversation he had with the gentleman that gave him the offer; why he thinks it might be a good idea to tear down the Berlin Wall.
Additional informant: computeruser
YouTube: The Tonight Show, June 29, 1988 (08:36 min.)
P.I.T. (Peter Illmanns Treff)
July 2, 1988
ZDF/3 Sat
10 min.
Hosted by Peter Illmann. Report on Montreux, includes an interview with FZ and live footage from "Sharleena," from Vienna, May 8, 1988. Also includes an interview with Dweezil and the video of his version of "My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama."
Parts of the interview also appear on:
Good Morning Australia
August 31, 1988
Network Ten, Australia
7 min.
FZ interviewed by Mike Gibson, in Hollywood, on registration to vote and his book.
YouTube: Good Morning Australia (06:20 min.)
Zappa & Kuryokhin
c. October, 1988
at 6:35 there is a photo : ZAPPA with KURYOKHIN:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF9GzeEKVNk
[Sergey Kuryokhin] landed in Tucson, Arizona on October 8, 1988, setting foot in America for the first time [...]. On his visit to America, [...] he even spent a week in LA meeting with counterculture überlord Frank Zappa. "Everybody keeps asking me about my meeting with Frank Zappa," he grumbles, "but Zappa just called me up and I went to his studio and we just talked and played music. It was fun, it wasn't work."
YouTube: Курёхин (38:23 min.)
Satellite Of Love
November 11, 1988
Kanal-1, Swedish TV
59 min.
Directed by Måns Hergren
Appears in:
A documentary in Swedish Television from 1988. The documentary was made by Måns Herngren. The subject was about the development of the satellite channels and television. Frank Zappa had a big part of the programe and he comments certain things about television in the US. The interview with Zappa was made at his home in Los Angeles.
Informant: Javier Marcote
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Satellite Of Love, Swedish TV 1988 (10:51 min.)
Unidentified Interview, c. 1988
c. 1988
Appears briefly on TV2 obituary (Sweden, December 6, 1993).
Cover Story
December 10, 1988
USA Network
23 min.
Profile on FZ
Includes footage from:
YouTube: Cover Story (USA Network)—Part 1 (06:18 min.) · Part 2 (06:11 min.) · Part 3 (06:08 min.) · Part 4 (04:13 min.)
Showbiz Today
December 19, 1988
CNN
3 min.
The interview also appears in CNN Showbiz obituary (December 6, 1993) and 2 obituary (December, 1993). FZ talks about air molecules, love songs, the PMRC and old albums. Includes footage from Video From Hell (1985).
Rudi Dolezal & FZ in LA
c. 1989?
Zappa Home, LA, CA
Appears in:
January 31, 1989
Honker Home Video
59 min.
"Schöner Poesie Is Krampf . . . "—Internationale Essener Songtage 1968
February, 1989
West 3, Germany
60 min. (FZ content, 8 min.)
Ein Film von
Michael und
Joachim Rüsenberg
Includes footage from:
Oscar Bianco, December 8, 2007
The documentary is built coupling some 68 archive videos (interviews and live performances) with various late eighties takes, including some FZ interviews. It includes short extracts of the 1968 Essen performances by various artists, including Amon Düül, Gunter Hampel, John McLaughlin, Alexis Corner, Julie Driscoll, Tim Buckley, The Family and The Mothers Of Invention.
The video has a '88 copyright (West 3).
Most interesting it features some short video excerpts of a "King Kong" live performance that for what I know are not available elsewhere (the fragments are about 45 seconds long . . . ).
About the Zappa contents: the documentary starts out with the Berlin riot footage that has been shown elsewhere. Then there is a short FZ interview segment (taken from the original Essener Songtage documentary) but it's difficult to hear what FZ is saying because of the German language overdub. You can hear the two opening notes of "In The Sky" but then it cuts to a FZ 88 (probably) interview and "In The Sky" is not featured here.
Near the end of the movie short segment of a live "King Kong" from 1968 are nested with the 88 FZ, where he's giving his recollections of the festival and his thoughts about "revolution", "red revolution" and "young people infiltration".
An interesting thing is that the "King Kong" footage belongs to a different performance that the "In The Sky" footage that is available in a short clip I have with the label "Essener Songtage outtakes" (the band wear different clothes).
At now I think that the "In The Sky" belongs to a short TV performances, while "King Kong" comes from the Festival performance. But these are just speculations.
Also note that the 1968 interviews segments that appear in this documentary are instead from the same footage available in the "In The Sky" outtake I cited above.
The name of this (now) famous 1988 TV docu is: "Schรถne Poesie ist Krampf" (the long name is: "Schรถne Poesie ist Krampf im Klassenkampf")
English: "Beautiful poetry is cramp in the class struggle"
It was recently re-broadcasted here in Germany in the night from Sunday to Monday (2018 08 13) by WDR Television for the first time in HD quality—with NO upscaling from previous SD versions. The picture quality is simply outstanding!
In terms of video quality, it should be the best that is currently technically possible—you can even see the film grain.
I think it was the first re-broadcast since 1988. It was broadcastet in the WDR TV series: "Rockpalast—From The Archives". They combinded this docu with another docu of that time: "Panoptikum—Internationale Essener Songtage 1968", with previously unreleased material from artists like Alexis Corner and others.
So this new re-broadcast has much more detail. Previous versions have blocky artefacts, clearly visible during camera movements and in murkier picture areas, which are typicall for VHS transfers and sometimes SD qualtiy too.
Sure, in those days, 1968 and 1988, they didn't filmed with HD-Cameras, but now it's of course possible to image more detail from older masters via the higher HD bitrate.
Informant: Oscar Bianco
The Arsenio Hall Show
February 1, 1989
FOX TV
12 min.
Includes:
From Steve Ramirez
One of the funniest things I ever saw on TV was when Frank was on the Aresenio Hall show several years ago (go figure). Ass-Hall, is his usaul boot-licking "style" introduces Zappa as "the Z-man"!! Zappa comes out with a slighty amused look(sneer) on his face.. Hall was trying to get some kind of "outrageous" response out of Frank by asking him stupid questions about his kids' names, etc., which Frank answered very straight, actually he said that "luna" which translates to "moon" ius a very common name in other parts of the world and it was only because Americans were so lame and uptight that anyone made a big deal about it. Aresenio was clearly out of his element by then . . . Then, he asks Zappa about a song he's writing about Michael Jackson, Zappa says that he was watching a news story about a MJ tour and they were interviewing a black girl who was about 10-11, they asked her what she thought about Michael, and her response was (imagine Zappa imitating a little black girl" " . . . he UGLY! he look WHITE!!". Zappa quips, "that about says it all for me . . . ". Hall is visibly shaken, he can't seem to tell if Zappa was kidding or not, they cut to a commercial with nothing else being said. they come back from commercical, Hall says he's not going to ask FZ anymore questions and they both just sit there for about 30 seconds until the band starts playing the closing theme !! Hall looking very uncomfortable, Zappa with this "cat-that-ate-the-canary" grin.. Excellent!!
YouTube: The Arsenio Hall Show (09:53 min.)
Prozor
April?, 1989
TVZ, Zagreb, Yugoslavia
15 min.
Hosted by Drazen Vrdoljak
Javier Marcote (May 25, 2009)
TV Z "Prozor"
Zgreb Tv
Yugoslavia
UMRK
April 1990 (?) vs 1989*
15'.16'' ( begining missing)
* ( According to info I found probably this interview was performed in mid 1989 when FZ was in Spain in Madrid, Seville & Ibiza when he presented several projects incluiding the World Orchestra for Expo '92 as he mentioned to flight for Spain on 25th to meet with the person in charge of the bugdet).
FZ recalls Zgreb & Ljubljana shows in '75.
His ethnic album collections ( Bulgarian, Macedonia, Indian, Arab & Albanian interesting music).
Presents his proposal for World Orchestra to Expo to celebrate in Seville 1992.
The humorless music of the moment vs serious but funny music.
Videos excerpts of Baby Snakes, Stevie Spanking Zappa's solo ( Rome '82), Adelaide Tonight '73. Complete video of "You are what you is".
skoljic (Zappateers, June 22, 2009)
Interviewer is Drazen Vrdoljak, famous Croatian music critic.
Larry King Live
June 5, 1989
CNN
13 min.
FZ talks about The Real Frank Zappa Book, lyrics on records, the power of televangelists, the names of his children, radio, why he didn't drive, the Zappa sound, and then some phone calls about John Lennon, drugs, music, lyrics. It also includes some extracts from Honker Home Video to the sounds of "G-Spot Tornado" from Jazz From Hell.
Appears in:
Additional informant: Mondolunch
YouTube: Larry King Live, June 5, 1989—Part 1 (06:20 min.) · Part 2 (06:55 min.)
"At Home With Frank Zappa"—CBS This Morning
June 9, 1989
15 min.
FZ, "born 48 years ago," talks about TV, stuff in the room, The Real Frank Zappa Book and how it was made, his cottage industries, the Grammy for "Jazz From Hell," the Synclavier, how his favorite rock artist is Allan Holdsworth and raising up his kids.
YouTube: At Home With Frank Zappa—Part 1 (06:38 min.) · Part 2 (05:50 min.) // At Home With Frank Zappa 1989—Part 1 (08:33 min.) · Part 2 (06:10 min.)
The Arsenio Hall Show
June 19, 1989
FOX TV
10 min.
FZ talks about his driving license, love lyrics, his book, the band of the show, CNN, PMRC, the homeless problem in the USA and Ronald Reagan.
From Bill Moxim
Yes! I remember that. I thought it was HILARIOUS that he even DID an Arsenio show! I couldn't believe it. Arsenio was such an IDIOT! He knew -nothing- about Frank Zappa or his music, other than what he most likely read in the bio. If I remember correctly I believe Frank just kinda had this sneer when speaking with him. I do recall the comment about the band after a break. He said something like "You have a really great band there, you should let them play more often" (or maybe " . . . an entire song once in a while") or something like that.
Fuera de serie
June 21, 1989
TVE 1, Spain
80 min.
1st part of the special TV show about the 3rd Ibiza 92 festival that took place in the Ku discotheque, Ibiza, June 1-3, 1989. FZ appears briefly on the title credits.
Informant: Javier Al Fresco
Fuera de serie
June 28, 1989
TVE 1, Spain
68 min. (FZ appearance: 1 min.)
2nd part of the special TV show about the 3rd Ibiza 92 festival that took place in the Ku discotheque, Ibiza, June 1-3, 1989. FZ acted as MC, introduced the festival and some of the groups, including Duncan Dhu and La Luna Les Canta.
Informant: Javier Al Fresco
Headline News
July 3, 1989
CNN TV
2 min.
Report on The Real Frank Zappa Book with a short interview to FZ.
YouTube: Headline News (02:22)
Focus
November 7, 1989
FNN
20 min.
Javier Marcote (May 16, 2009)
FFN-Focus
USA Cable
November 7, 1989
19'.56''
FZ interviewed about his business with Russians.
(He was introduced through his friend & owner of Kramer guitars who had a plant there last February).
His role as deal maker there. Explains the joint venture dealing in Soviet Union & provides examples.
Frank replies phone calls at studio asking about his book, business, drugs, art & environment.
Pro-Choice Rally
November 12, 1989
Rancho Park, Los Angeles, CA
Videotaped by Dweezil Zappa.
DS: Also, congratulations on your speech at the pro-choice rally.
FZ: (chuckles) The prayer?
DS: Yeah, that was pretty cool. I was very surprised to hear that. It was, I thought, a good thing to do.
FZ: Yeah, I thought so, too.
DS: How many people were there?
FZ: A hundred thousand. The press reported twenty [thousand]. They tried to make it look small. It was a hundred thousand. Not my count. That was the announcement at the event. [Richard] Dreyfus was on before I was, and I think he was the one that said it. I looked out there, and to me, it looked like a hundred thousand people, I've seen twenty thousand before, and this wasn't twenty thousand. They were all over the fuckin' place.
DS: Do you think you surprised any feminists that might've been there?
FZ: No question, but I had a lot of good reports about, y'know, people appreciated the fact that I showed up, and, uh . . . Dweezil videotaped it.
DS: No shit?
FZ: I've got the whole prayer on tape, plus, you can hear people praying along with it, (laughter) and I'm thinkin' about stickin' that on an album.
DS: The tapes that I've heard of it . . . I got to hear a cassette tape of it from somebody who was out in the audience with a little cassette job, and it sounds great! Particularly, there was one kinda long line in the speech that ended with " . . . asking for the death of a Supreme Court Justice . . . ", and it's really cool when ya listen to it on the tape as they repeat back, 'cause the first part of that line is jumbled up, and then, the last, about, four or five words coalesce, and they all say it right together . . .
FZ: How 'bout the one that goes. "HUH!"?
Pro-choice activists flocked by the thousands to Rancho Park on Sunday for a star-studded rally that featured dozens of politicians and Hollywood celebrities—from the cast of the television show "L.A. Law" to the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who exhorted the crowd to "fight for the right of self-determination."
[...] The day was intended to mobilize pro-choice forces in the wake of last July's U.S. Supreme Court decision giving states more power to restrict abortions.
The Rancho Park celebration, reportedly the nation's second-largest, drew 20,000 people, according to Los Angeles police. But rally organizers put the figure at 100,000.
Crossfire
November 16, 1989
CNN TV
19 min.
Javier Marcote (May 16, 2009)
Crossfire: "Is this art?"
November 16, 1989
CNN TV
19'.06''
Host: Pat Buchanan
Guests: Bob Beckel, Rep. William Dannermeyer from Washington & Frank Zappa ( from LA)
Due to an exhibition art in NY, the discussion focuses on why it has to be subsidized by goverment budget and not sponsored when they deem offensive & pro-Comunist vs the view censorship & homofobia by others.
Circus Of The Stars #14
November 22, 1989
CBS
From: Bill (June 8, 2004)
You Don't Have Every FZ Video Yet
Directed by Tony Charmoli
Cast (in credits order)
Stacy Keach . . . . Himself (Ringmaster)
Barbara Mandrell . . . . Herself (Ringmaster)
Leslie Nielsen . . . . Himself (Ringmaster)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Willie Aames . . . . Himself (Performer—Human Cannonball)
Kristian Alfonso . . . . Herself (performer)
Melissa Sue Anderson . . . . Herself (performer) (as Melissa Anderson)
Rebeca Arthur . . . . Herself (performer)
Mayim Bialik . . . . Herself (performer)
Karen Black . . . . Herself (Performer-Elephant Act)
Maureen Flannigan . . . . Herself (performer)
Jennie Garth . . . . Herself (Performer-Trapeze Artist)
Deidre Hall . . . . Herself (performer)
Telma Hopkins . . . . Herself (performer)
Omri Katz . . . . Himself (performer)
Allan Kayser . . . . Himself (performer)
David Leisure . . . . Himself (performer)
Mario López . . . . Himself (Performer—Trapeze Artist)
Jamie Luner . . . . Herself (Performer-Comedy Acrobat)
Julie McCullough . . . . Herself (Performer—High Wire Act)
Alan Rachins . . . . Himself (performer)
Lynn Redgrave . . . . Herself (performer)
Giovanni Ribisi . . . . Himself (as Vonni Ribisi)
Tracy Scoggins . . . . Herself
Alex Trebek . . . . Himself (performer)
Ben Vereen . . . . Himself (performer-Circus Band Leader)
Fred Willard . . . . Himself (performer)
David Yost . . . . Himself (performer)
Ahmet Zappa . . . . Himself (Performer-Comedy Acrobat)
Frank Zappa . . . . Himself (uncredited)
MTV Fineline
December, 1989
GTV Ch. 9, Australia
1 min.
December 1989
GTV Ch 9
MTV Fineline interview
Richard Wilkins asks Frank about why he refuses to line up for a Drivers License.
1 minute
MTV Australia
December 1, 1989
GTV Ch. 9, Australia
11 min.
December 1 1989
GTV Ch 9
MTV
Richard Wilkins in the Sydney studio Interviews Frank in L.A with footage from Dub Room Special & Does Humor Belong In Music? Not fitting into Hollywood/Pushing Boundaries in Music Censorship/Sponsorships & Endorsements/Awards/The Real Frank Zappa Book/Smoking in an Australian Picture Theatre in the 70's.
11 minutes
Decade
December 13, 1989
MTV
60 min. (FZ interview: 3 min.)
FZ interview also appears in News At Night (MTV, December 6, 1993)
Air Date: 12/13/1989
Rec Date: 10/30/1991
Producer: Corradina, Linda
Topic/Names: Jackson, Jesse; Rock Music; Politics; Jackson, Michael; Television History; Media Criticism; Motion Pictures History; Ellerbee, Linda; Madonna; Fashion; Reed, Lou; Pop Music; Peabody Award; Roseanne; Lee, Spike; Malkovitch, John; Geldof, Bob; Mellencamp, John; Tyler, Steven; Bernhard, Sandra; Michael, George; Byrne, David; Haring, Keith; Zappa, Frank; Turner, Tina.
Summary: MTV presents a journey through the 1980's as reflected in and seen through fashion, entertainment, popular culture, and music. Some of the personalities that populated the period contribute stories, recollections, and personal points of view that enable the audience to review the "Decade".
Informant: Javier Marcote
FZ in Prague, Czechoslovakia
January 20-24, 1990
444 min.
Appears in:
From: Brian Lagerman
1/20 through 1/24/90, private recording of Frank's visit. Filmed with his knowledge. Covers 3 full 120 tapes and 72 mins. of 4th tape.
Short Reuters press clip from ITN Source:
Zappa chatting to Czech president Vaclav Havel.
Zappa walking along street, followed by journalists.
MTV News Clip
February 1, 1990
MTV
1 min.
MTV News clip, from 1st February 1990 reporting on Zappa's visit to Prague
Informant: Javier Marcote
YouTube: Frank Zappa—MTV News Clip (01:16 min.)
MTV Interview
February, 1990
MTV
FZ talks about composing music in the USA and record labeling. A fragment appears in an MTV obituary from December, 1993.
March 25, 1990
TBS
48 min.
Frank Zappa Two Way for Nu Joysy
c. April, 1990
Scenes of the shooting appears in Musik Werkstatt (1990).
Musik Werkstatt
April 8, 1990
ZDF, Germany
15 min.
"Rock'n Roll und Avantgarde: Frank Zappa" by Henning Lohner
FZ working with his Synclavier and talking about it and his compositions with Henning Lohner. Includes scenes of the shooting of Frank Zappa Two Way for Nu Joysy.
I just finished doing a documentary for German television. They shot there for two days and at the end of the second day, Scott and Mike Keneally came over, while we were videotaping upstairs, and I told the interviewer, "Why don't you ask these guys what happened to that 1988 band?" And so, for the first time, I actually heard it, in their words, what went on. So, I got a nice piece of video tape of Scott and Keneally answering all those questions in detail.
Footage from the same interview appears in:
Informant: Javier Marcote
Zappa V Praze
June, 1990 (also listed as February, 1990)
Czech TV
30 min.
Includes footage from:
From: Chris Rigas
This is a documentary account of FZ's first visit to Czechoslovakia in January of 1990. It was broadcast on Czechoslovak TV in Februery of 1990. It shows Frank arriving at Prague's Ruzyne airport, which was filled with fans. Also shown is US ambassador to Czechoslovakia Shirley Temple Black saying that she does not know who Frank Zappa is. Other footage included FZ taking a sip from a bottle of Becherovka, which was passed around the crowd in a nightclub. FZ also sings Love of my Life accompanied by the Czechoslovak rock group Pulnoc [*]. My copy of this tape is a 1st generation made from a PAL master, which was taped for me by a friend in Czechoslovakia.
[*] Actually he sings "Love Of My Life" over the Tinsel Town Rebellion track, but on another scene he can be seen singing some Russian words with an accompanying band, probably Pulnoc.
Additional informant: Javier Marcote
YouTube: Zappa v Praze (10:00 min.) · Zappa v Praze 2 (09:42 min.) · Zappa v Praze 3 (10:00 min.) · Frank Zappa—Chto za Huinya? (1990) (2:57)
Zappa V Praze
June, 1990 (also listed as February, 1990)
Czech TV, pre-broadcast
62 min.
From: Chris Rigas
This is a longer, pre-broadcast and unedited version of the above show. It includes a time bar on the bottom of the screen.
Pražákum, tem je hej ("It's Alright For The Praguers")
1990
93 min.
Screenshot from Zappateers
aka Prager leben gut (German version)
Directed by Karel Smyczek
Documentary about Pražský Výběr with FZ in it. More info here.
Jon Naurin
There's a cool little video for Fine Girl that FZ produced with a czech film team circa 1990. As I've understood, it was tacked to the end of a czech music film, called "Prager leben gut" in german.
YouTube: Zappa, Kocáb, Pavliček (3:50 min.)
The Journal
July 17, 1990
CBC Television, Canada
7 min.
THE JOURNAL, SHOW #2168 [...] In a 2x1 ex Toronto and Los Angeles, Cameron speaks with Journal Arts Correspondent Laurie Brown and Frank Zappa, composer-musician, who discuss censorship and subliminal messages in music. (7:18)
Zappa on never hearing any subliminal messages and evangelical ministries are behind the idea to try to control youth of today
Zappa on Osbourne (Ozzy) trial being thrown out of court twice
Zappa says he doesnt believe we need a government or civic agency to control what we listen to
Informant: Javier Marcote
Lost Interview c. 1990
c. 1990
Interview by Niles Lesh. Some fragments appear in The Clash Of The 20th Century (1992) and Frank Zappa—Mini Biography (2013).
Niles aka YouTube user nwrhino (April 29, 2008):
The total interview runs about an hour and covers music politics and popular culture from 1950s through 1990.
This interview was never released. It was recorded in 3 segments 1990 in LA, but never completed as a final project.
This was a project to highlight Frank Zappa's 50th birthday and his 30 of the music industry most strident years. Intended to be kind of retrospect of what happened to the personal growth and idealism of 60's as it whitewashed into the self indulgence of the 70s and 80s and the corporatism of America. It was never completed upon his death.
"And the thing that I like about Albert Einstein and I hope it's not an apocryphal story. He liked the television show that I liked, which was "Time For Beany". I heard a story that he left an important meeting one time telling the people he had to go watch "Time For Beany". And I hope that's true." (Frank Zappa in The Lost Interview)
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Lost Interview—Early Influences (1-7) (09:59 min.) · McCarthy, Elvis & Racism(2-7) (09:35 min.) · The Presidential Elections(3-7) (09:51 min.) · Beatles, Stones & Censorship(4-7) (09:30 min.) · Hendrix, UFOs & Sex (5-7) (09:52 min.) · Problems with Democracy(6-7) (09:35 min.) · Message to the Future (00:52 min.)
Portland General Electric Ad
1991
From: Zomby Woof
The following television commercial is transcribed from page 139 of "Communication Arts #33" (1992) . . . samples of advertising that advertising people check out. You may find one in your library. Current technology does not allow me to scan the video stills. Maybe someone out there can, if they find it.
Client: Portland General Electric
Title: "Zappa"
(Open on extreme close-up of Frank Zappa)
Frank Zappa:
Portland General Electric offered to pay me to be in this commercial. I told them "I refuse to sell your product." They said, "Great." In fact, I said I would tell people to use less of it. And they said, "Perfect."
(Super)
Current thinking on energy. Portland General Electric.
From: Joe Franks
Back in 1991 or so, the commercial came on and I saw it once. It was the first time in my entire life that I saw Frank Zappa. I was like maybe 8 or 9. My Dad told me who he was and that he had Cancer . . . . . It was a short commercial, and I wish I woulda caught it on video. He looked really old to me then. He didn't look as old as the Yellow Shark cover picture(makes me so sad btw). But when I first saw the Apostrophe CD, and saw his face on the front, I immediately recognized him. He looked about like that in the cameraview (as pictured on Apostrophe cover), but looked much older.
YouTube: Frank Zappa Commercial For General Electric (00:25 min.) · zappa01 (00:23 min.)
Showbiz Today
June 4, 1991
CNN
4 min.
Report about bootlegging. FZ talks briefly about Beat The Boots.
Informant: Javier Marcote (YouTube alert)
YouTube: Frank Zappa—The Week In Rock, MTV 1988 (05:29 min.)
June 24, 1991
Nahranove Sportoni Hale, Prague, Czechoslavakia
June 30, 1991
Budapest, Hungary (Magyar TV 2)
43 min.
FZ & The Ensemble Modern in LA
July, 1991
Joe's Garage & UMRK, LA, CA
Appears in:
The New Music
July 21, 1991
Canadian TV
10 min.
Javier Marcote, April 11, 2009
War Music
ITV
July 21, 1991
10'
FZ interviewed about Beat The Boots; r&r business thru world of video;the voter registration from '88 tour; historical & political facts( Middle East) unknown for US people; get ideas from different tv news & wondering why are they are talking about this, now?
Video snippets of "You are what you is; Dinah-Moeh Humm (Pier '84); G.Spot Tornado, Baby Snakes (79)".
Charles Ulrich, June 13, 2009
Here's a more complete list of video snippets (mostly from DHBIM?):
You Are What You Is, Dinah-Moe Humm, Keep It Greasey, G-Spot Tornado, Dancing Fool, Hot Plate Heaven, Trouble Every Day, Baby Snakes.
YouTube: Frank Zappa Interviewed for 'The New Music' (1991) (07:11 min.)
Raw Power
August 31, 1991
ITV
7 min.
Javier Marcote (April 7, 2009):
Raw Power
ITV
August 31, 1991
7'
Hotel room interview. FZ talks about his own business work vs major record companies, MTV & beverages endorsement. Also when S. Vai joined the band.
Be in my video; St. Etienne; Stevie Spanking & You Are What Your Is; video snippets.
Appears in:
Informant: Javier Marcote
YouTube: Frank Zappa—Raw Power, Interview 1991 (03:19 min.)
October 10, 1991
WDR 3, Germany
60 min.
Your Vote
October 24, 1991
Learning Channel
28 min.
Javier Marcote (April 11, 2009)
Your Vote
Learning Channel
USA Cable
October 24, 1991
28'
FZ host & narrator ( voice over). To register & vote rights vs historical times & views.
Sounds Of The 60s: 1968-9—In Living Colour
November 30, 1991
BBC 2
30 min.
Javier Marcote (January 22, 2009)
Covers the era of flower power and Sergeant Pepper, with acts including Herman's Hermits, Manfred Mann and Alan Price, as well as The Hollies, Julie Driscoll, Arthur Brown and the Rolling Stones.
On screen participants: Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix Experience, Mothers of Invention, Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band, Small Faces, Move, Kinks, Moody Blues & Who.
Execute producers: John Archer & Michael Jackson
Series producer: David Jeffcock
Editors: Chris Kaye & John O'Connor.
Ivo Niehe—Profile
December 11, 1991
TROS, Netherlands
15 min.
Ivo Niehe visits FZ's house and interviews him about Americans, the consumption of beer, reading & TV, the Synclavier (including a visit to the control room), Dr. Ruth. Also includes scenes from an interview c. 1985, an FZ's report from Moscow for FNN, Prague's 1990 concert, "Stink-Foot" from KCET TV 1974 and "Black Napkins" from The Palladium 1981,
YouTube: Niehe meets Zappa 1991—Part 1 (09:11 min.) · Part 2 (04:23 min.)
The Class Of The 20th Century
January-April, 1992
Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E)
600 min. (10 hours)
Includes fragments of the "Lost Interview c. 1990."
Class Of The 20th Century
Richard Dreyfuss hosts this time capsule that gives a personal perspective on the events of the 20th century. Amid footage of World Wars I and II, Prohibition and the Roaring '20s, the Cold War, Vietnam, Watergate and the AIDS crisis, renowned Americans William F. Buckley, Mickey Mantle, Ralph Nader, Frank Zappa, Oprah Winfrey and others share their experiences. 9 1/2 hours on six tapes.
Cast: William F. Buckley, Richard Dreyfuss, Mickey Mantle, Oprah Winfrey, Frank Zappa
The Class of the 20th Century, a 13-week documentary series debuting this week on the Arts & Entertainment Network [...]. Frank Zappa recalls hiding under the bed during blackouts in World War II.
Noah McKelvie (April 14, 2008)
I was reading wikipedia's article on Woodstock and in the section of the musicians who refused their invitation was a quote by Frank Zappa and it said the source of the quote was from A&E's "Class Of The Century" serial. Just for confirmation I copied and paisted the quote from wikipedia and here it is:
Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention Quote: "A lot of mud at Woodstock. We were invited to play there, we turned it down."—FZ. Citation: "Class of the 20th Century", U.S. network television special in serial format, circa 1995.
On a show for Bill Moyers called "The Class of the Twentieth Century" I said that the faces that really belong on Mount Rushmore are J. Edgar Hoover and Joseph McCarthy and Walter Winchell and Hedda Hopper and maybe even Roy Cohn and Michael Milken, because they've had the greatest impact on American society. They have shaped the way things are done in this country. One of the problems with the world in which we live is that people have become accustomed to lies upon lies upon lies.
Informants: computeruser, Javier Marcote (YouTube alert)
YouTube: Hippie Fashion (02:14 min.)
From The Vault
June 1, 1992
UMRK
Available at:
- Zappa.com ("Zappa On Politics: A Nation Of Laws," "Zappa On Politics: The Legal Profession" & "Zappa On Politics: The Republican Party") (2007)
- Democracy In Action (Phoenix Arizona, KAET TV) (October 23, 1992)
FZ & The Ensemble Modern in Frankfurt
July, 1992
Fabrik, Frankfurt, Germany
Appears in:
Yellow Shark press conference
July 21, 1992
Frankfurt, Germany
85 min.
Appears in:
From: Chris Rigas
News conference given by FZ in Frankfurt covering the Yellow Shark concert. This recording features the press conference as taped from two different angles. Angle 1 footage is 46 minutes long, while Angle 2 footage is only 38 minutes long.
August 15, 1992
Nickelodeon
19 min.
Devórame 2
August 17, 1992
TVE 2, Spain
7 min.
From Al Fresco (Javier) (October 2, 2007)
FZ playing "Bolero" from a Spanish live concert (6:50)
Rehearsals for Yellow Shark, Alte Oper, Frankfurt
September 16, 1992
Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
36 min.
Scenes of FZ and the Ensemble Modern rehearsing "Food Gathering In Post-Industrial America, 1992" (25 min.), "G-Spot Tornado" with the dancers (4 min.), and "Welcome To The United States" (5 min.).
unicrayon (Zappateers) (May 1, 2009)
Frank Zappa rehearsing with Ensemble Modern, the day before the opening night of the Yellow Shark tour.
Unedited source tape, never broadcast.
YouTube: Frank Zappa rehearsing with Ensemble Modern (1992) (3:34 min.); 1992-09-16 Frank Zappa—The Yellow Shark Rehearsal Part 1 (9:52 min.) · Part 2 (9:36 min.) · Part 3 (6:17 min.) · Part 4 (3:56 min.) · Part 5 (6:35 min.)
Interview, Frankfurt, September, 1992
September, 1992
Frankfurt, Germany
Appears in Heute Journal obituary (ZDF, December 6, 1993).
Informant: Javier Marcote
September 17, 1992
German PPV
30 min.
September 17, 1992
Alte Oper Frankfurt
88 min.
Backstage footage from Yellow Shark, Alte Oper, Frankfurt
September 16-17, 1992
Alte Oper, Frankfurt, Germany
4 min.
From YouTube user Rien Post:
In 1992 I worked on Frank Zappa's last tour, The Yellow Shark. Here's some of the backstage footage, shot before and after the opening night in Frankfurt, Germany.
YouTube: On Frank Zappa's Yellow Shark Tour (1992) (4:27 min.)
Aida
c. October, 1992
German TV
3 min.
"Zappa haut auf den Bush"
Mainly includes footage from TV Specials by DoRo, including a report of Prague, 1991.
Informant: Javier Marcote
January 8, 1993
UMRK
90 min.
March 12, 1993
BBC-2 TV
48 min.
The Revenge Of The Dead Indians (Die Rache der toten Indianer)
1993
130 min.
A film by Henning Lohner
with:
Yves Bazillou
Michael Berger
Gary Burton
Farid Chahboub
Noam Chomsky
Merce Cunningham
Jacqueline Daubert
René Delesalle
William Forsythe
Corinne Fortin
Betty Freeman
Frank O. Gehry
Murray Gell-Mann
Matt Groening
Ben Habdallah
Rutger Hauer
Dennis Hopper
Ellsworth Kelly
Alison Knowles
Raymond Kurzweil
Edward Lorenz
Benoit Mandelbrot
Yehudi Menuhin
Mohamed Ben Methnic
Marvin Minsky
Heiner Müller
M. Neraqueller
Jean Nouvel
Yoko Ono
Goolaganaden Parianen
Baramouh Parianen
Soopaya Parianen
Tomaso Poggio
René Sancier
Richard Serra
Giorgio Strehler
Shankar & Caroline
Claude Trouvé
Iannis Xenakis
Frank Zappa
John Zorn
Music: John Cage
Director of Photography: Van Theodore Carlson
Executive Producer: Peter Lohner
Editor: Sven Fleck
Written by Holger Hof and Henning Lohner
Directed by Henning Lohner
Includes:
FZ appearances:
- 0:09:01—Think about a chemical compound which had part of its ingredients being Beethoven's 5th AND "Louie Louie" at the same time, coexisting in the same universe, and all part of the same substance.
- 0:11:36—Why not? Nobody's ever heard it. Let's listen to it.
- 0:42:26—HL: So why is it called 'Cage File'? FZ: This has textures in it that remind me of John Cage compositions that I've heard before.
- 1:07:29—What is that doing to your brain?
- 1:07:38—The nice chord, and a smashing glass at the same time. One thing indicates violence, the other thing indicates rest. What does your— How does your emotional mechanism in your body compute this audio artifact that you've been confronted with? What do you do with it? Let's find out.
- 1:34:12—Dust.
- 1:34:56—Mind.
- 1:34:57—Muscle memory.
- 1:35:01—Nowhere.
- 1:35:21—Serial organization.
- 1:35:35—The Real World.
- 1:35:52—Why not?
Deutschland 1993
Beta SP, U-matic LB, 130:00
Director/Picture/Sound: Henning Lohner
Script: Holger Hof / Henning Lohner
Music: John Cage
Director of Photography: Van Theodore Carlson
Editing: Sven Fleck
Editor: Christoph Jörg
Production: Peter Lohner
Time of Production: Mai 1992 to Februar 1993
Locations: USA, Japan, Hong Kong, Europe, Tschechei,
Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands
Summary by Henning Lohner (from imdb.com):
This is a full-length documentary honoring the life and work of American
composer and artist John Cage, who died in New York August 12th, 1992.
John Cage is considered to be one of the most influential composers of
the 20th century. Personalities from all fields of endeavour introduce us
to the life and work of this great American artist. This film is structured
according to the compositional methods practiced by John Cage and
translates these musical processes freely to the film medium.
Links:
http://www.medienhaus-hannover.de/distribu/v_engl/loh_rac2.htm
http://www.rutgerhauer.org/filmography/reven.php
DVD Release
The Revenge of the Dead Indians: In Memoriam John Cage, a composed film directed by Henning Lohner, 1993 (Mode Records Mode 197, 2008)
Additional informant (YouTube alert): Javier Marcote
YouTube: The Revenge of the Dead Indians: In Memorian John Cage (trailer) (4:08 min.)
Today Show
May 14, 1993
NBC TV
10 min.
Interview by Jamie Gangel
Appears in:
From: "Hoodoo"
Out of curiosity, does anyone know when in FZ's last days was the Today Show interview.
From: John Henley
It was in the summer sometime, maybe June. (May 14th? -ed.) It was the "Today" show. When the clip was over, Katie Couric said to the interviewer—whose name I forget exactly, I think it was Jamie Gangel—"It looks like he was a tough interview," meaning it was hard to get decent answers to her questions, but Gangel took her to mean that his physical condition made it hard for both of them to sit and talk.
From: "Hoodoo"
Thanks. I was really shocked at how bad Frank looked and you could just see how much pain he was in. Seeing him with his full grey beard was disheartening with his emaciated face. I'm glad I got to see the interview that morning but it wasn't very uplifting.
From: Jon
. . . when he was asked what he wanted to be remembered for he replied "I don't want to be remembered for anything."
From: Peter de B. Harrington
It seems to me that if you are interviewing someone who is terminally ill, it just might be a bit tactless and impolite to ask them, "what do you want to be remembered for?"
From: John Henley
It was the Today show, the interviewer was their regular celebrity interviewer Jamie Gangel, and to be fair she seemed both awed by Frank and obviously uncomfortable with his desperate condition.
He may have said the above but what I do remember him saying was "It doesn't matter" how he was to be remembered. She wasn't prepared for that and asked why it didn't matter. Frank shrugged and said "It's not important."
He may have been playing with her head, he may have been tired out and uninterested in saying more; but I have always felt he was telling the truth. When you can't work anymore, you're done [he seemed to be saying], and after you're gone, it won't matter to you whether anyone remembers. The world moves on. In other words, he was rejecting this notion of celebrity-from-the-grave.
If it's important to other people that you be remembered, that's their business—it can't be yours. And those other people would probably better spend their time keeping up with the living world.
SevenLoad: Zappa Interview at "NBC's Today Show" 1993 (10:20 min.)
E! Howard Stern Interview
June 27, 1993
E!
22 min.
From: Chris Rigas
The radio "shock jock" interviews Moon Unit Zappa. In the middle of the interview Frank joins the interview via the phone.
Additional Informant: Javier Marcote (YouTube alert)
YouTube: Howard Stern And Moon Unit Zappa (06:41 min.)
Amerikanische Traeume
July 11, 1993
ZDF German TV
8 min.
Varèse & Zappa
From: Clarence
Correct title is 'Amerikanische Traeume'. It was aired: 07-11-93, Copyright: ORF 1992 (austrian TV)—so I guess they showed it before the german broadcast . . . It features several artists (Beatles, Stones etc.) and a small segment is dedicated to FZ. Once again (see 'Jam' pics) a DoRo production with the same material they've used in their other FZ documentaries (1970 interview, Vienna, Philadelphia 1980).
Interview about Slonimsky, c. October, 1993
c. October, 1993
1 min.
Appears in A Touch Of Genius—The Life And Times Of Nicolas Slonimsky/The First 100 Years (1994)
Tal
I think his contribution for the Slonimsky documentary was videotaped in October. He could hardly speak by that time. It was pretty short. Believe me, you don't want to see the Slonimsky tape. I had tears in my eyes when I saw that one.
Jon Naurin
I was only able to watch it one and a half times.
Maintained by Román García Albertos
http://globalia.net/donlope/fz/
This section formerly maintained by Reverend Neve
This dog last modified: 2019-08-09
