1994
FilmAmerica, Inc.
57 min.
Produced, written and directed by John Huszar
Narrated by Michael York
Includes 2 min. FZ interview, one of his last.
Includes a fragment of "Yes: Turn Left," improvised by Nicolas Slonimsky & Frank Zappa
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.
I was only able to watch it one and a half times.
"He's just a brilliant mind. And a very warm-hearted spirit. And these are qualities not often found linked together in human beings. And... I just liked him. One of the things I really liked about him was his wardrobe. I always was impressed with his wardrobe from the first time he came over, because he had that look. He had the look of a real guy from that era, you know what I mean? The right kind of shoes, the right kind of tweed, rumple, worn for a thousand years. Kinda... sport coat, pants too short. He was wonderful. He was a fully developed character."
YouTube: Slonimsky: Frank Zappa's Last Interview (01:14 min.)
Frank supplied scores for the first 13 episodes.
Music for the first season is credited as follows:
"Frank Zappa's music by appointment of her majesty, the Scarlet Pimpernel".
Here's some further info--stolen right from the pages of 'T'Mershi Duween': "FZ's synclavier/computer assistant Todd Yvega was given total creative freedom to arrange bits of Frank's music for Duckman; together with Scott Wilk he also created original music for the show."
Here's the synclaiver-only versions of stuff used in the show: T'Mershi Duween, Theme from Lumpy gravy, Holiday in Berlin, and Peaches en Regalia--synclavier versions--were all used in the first 13 episodes of Duckman.
Here's the complete info on the FZ snippets featured in the first season of "Duckman" (studio album versions unless otherwise noted):
Episode 1: 'I Duckman' (dedicated with fond memories to FZ):
00:45-01:13 "Porn Wars"Episode 2: 'TV Or Not To Be'
07:28-07:39 "Alien Orifice"
09:42-09:50 "Black Napkins" (YCDTOSA Vol. 6 version)
15:50-16:05 "T'Mwershi Duween" (synclaiver version)Episode 3: 'Gripes of Wrath'
00:47-01:01 "Theme from Lumpy Gravy" (synclaiver version)
04:19-04:36 "Big Swifty" (Make a Jazz Noise Here version)
05:23-05:47 "Grand Wazoo"
10:02-10:16 "The Torture Never Stops"
17:50-17:55 "Big Swifty" (MAJNH version)Episode 4: 'Psyche'
05:58-06:15 "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?"
14:53-14:58 "Dirty Love"
15:43-16:08 "Sinister Footwear II"Episode 5: 'Gland of Opportunity'
11:36-13:39 "Holiday in Berlin" (synclaiver version)Episode 6: 'Ride the High School'
04:16-04:27 "Hungry Freaks, Daddy"Episode 7: 'A Civil War'
14:10-14:20 "Frogs with Dirty Little Lips"Episode 8: 'Not So Easy Riders'
02:23-02:38 "Disco Boy"
12:16-12:33 "Help, I'm a Rock"
12:34-13:09 "What's the Ugliest Part of Your Body?"
16:10-16:30 "Friendly Little Finger"Episode 9: 'It's the Thing of the Principal'
15:50-16:28 "Peaches en Regalia (synclaiver version)Episode 11: 'Cellar Beware'
04:47-05:42 "Blessed Relief"Episode 13: 'Joking the Chicken'
18:10-18:24 "Theme from Lumpy Gravy" (synclaiver version)(that's the full spoo--damn my fingers hurt from typing all that!)
There's a neighborhood video rental store in my area that will buy pretty much anything that's in print, and they can't get the episodes. So better hold onto your tapes, those hometaped vids seem to be the only source of some versions of Zappa tunes.
I just saw this on a web page:
"DUCKMAN IS RETURNING TO TELEVISION IN THE US!! The good news is that Comedy Central has picked up the entire run of Duckman. The bad news is that they may not be showing them until the year 2000. In the meantime, word is that Paramount is trying to lean on UPN to put the show on after Dilbert."
We get Duckman here in Canada every night on Teletoon.
In the episode 'I Duckman,' the song "It Must Be A Camel" plays from 5:04 into the episode until 5:11 in the episode.
Also, the song that plays from 12:34-13:09 in the 'Not So Easy Riders' episode is actually "Take Your Clothes Off In Your Dance," not "What's the Ugliest Part of your Body?"
(CBS DVD Executive VP and General Manager Ken) Ross hopes to keep satisfying consumer demand through 2008 with the release of Duckman, a cult '90s animated program. An online petition for the series' DVD bow has garnered more than 7,000 signatures.
Additional informant: Noah McKelvie
May 23, 1994
World Video Distributors E/P/11003 (HEAD ON) [V.E.G.]
20 min.
"totally unrepentant"
"give a guy a big nose and some weird hair and he's capable of anything" Both quotes from a crappy, weird, pseudobiographical 20 minute mini-movie called "The Crazy World Of Frank Zappa". It's from "Visual Entertainment Group" and has "the guy screaming with forks in his eyes and a wrapped head" picture from Scorpions' "Blackout" album cover on the front of the box. It's piss poor quality and very weird. Um, did I mention that it's weird?
I found a video in Tower Records titled "The Crazy World of Frank Zappa" from the Music Colllection, A Visual Entertainment Group presentation, produced and directed by Richard Driscoll, narrated by Dominic Valentino, edited by Leroy Stamps, research by Wilma Skinner, design by Ski Newton and writtten by Jeremy Watkins.
This video is a series of still shots with voice-over of random trivia. Cheezy computer animation effects gild the transitions between images - a border effect is used around scanned images of newspaper clipping. Topics covered Frank was born, Frank met Captain Beefheart, Frank played guitar. There are about five video clips on the tape the majority of which have been given a solarization effect - probably to hide the poor quality of the recordings. The interesting part of the tape is an interview conducted shortly before he passed on. I've never seen this interview but the problem on this tape is that the interview is sliced and diced - I'm sure there is a better source for the entire interview (don't know if this was an NBC interview). The bottom line is don't even bother with this video.
I gave away my copy years ago, but from memory:
I think all of the clips are from the BBC tribute special, some of which made it into the Biography show. From the approx. 20-30 minute total, subtract about a fourth to arrive at actual content (if you can call it that) - the sequences are divided by cheezeball titles that scroll horizontally at a snail's pace, saying stuff like "Frank Zappa Speaks About [some topic]". I recall that most of it is solarized, whether in a lame attempt at being avant-garde or an equally lame attempt at trying to hide the fact that it's all pirated material.
This video totally sucks; don't buy it. (The best thing about it is the pic on the cover, which is apparently stolen from a Scorpions cover, and is only there because it resembles FZ.)
I have this item. To add to the article on your page, the interview segment that Rick Hap refers to is taken from the BBC Late Show video. The solarization is definitely to hide a poor quality copy, because the sound during these segments is very poor indeed...
August 18, 1994
A&E
46 min.
Mr. Zappa appears in A&E's series "Class of the 20th Century".
(splat[at]darkwing.uoregon.edu) Would this be the same as the 55 minute A&E "Biography" show, hosted by Peter Graves? And what relation does it have to the BBC special?
Yes. That's what it is. It was broadcast TWICE. Once during the day and later that same evening. It was never broadcast again. I found out about the show from a huge advertisement in either Billboard or Rolling Stone. It was "A&E BIOGRAPHY ROCK AND ROLL WEEK".
It's the SAME program. A&E "borrowed" it instead of making their own production. The program is identical to the BBC show, except...the British announcer and Late Show titles at the beginning were replaced by Peter Graves and the A&E opening! It also has commercial breaks added, of course. The closing credits are the original BBC credits preceded by another Peter Graves comment. In addition to the usual A&E production logo at the end of the program, there is also a BBC productions logo screen which precedes it.
I saw this episode of Beavis and Butthead years ago, but I just found the approximate air date so here goes:
Beavis And Butthead-"Canoe" October, 1994
On this episode, Beavis and Butthead are flipping through the channels, and they come across the "You Are What You Is" video. They watch about a minute of it, saying it sucks. Then they change the channel and turn it back a few minutes later, and the video is still on ("This is still on? That pisses me off."). Kinda funny. Maybe Mike Judge is a Zappa fan, eh?
December 1994
ZDF, Germany
50 min.
Written & Directed by Rudi Dolezal & Hannes Rossacher (DoRo, 1993)
Killer special from German TV with ultimate rarities, unreleased outtakes.. great.
Ein Leben Als Extravaganza also includes parts of Purple Lagoon, Keep It Greasey, and Easy Meat from 8/26/78 Ulm; Sharleena and Bolero from 5/8/88 Vienna; and conducted improvisations from the Yellow Shark rehearsals. Plus interviews with Dweezil, Ahmet, Brian May, Keith Richards, Nicolas Slonimsky, Neil Jordan, Andy Summers, Jean-Luc Ponty, George Duke, Don Preston, Warren Cuccurullo, Peter Wolf, Steve Vai, and Chad Wackerman. And excerpts from Uncle Meat, The True Story Of 200 Motels, Baby Snakes, Video From Hell, Ohne Maulkorb, We Don't Mess Around, and New York & Elsewhere.
YouTube: Ein Leben als Extravaganza - Part 1 (08:32 min.) · Part 2 (08:24 min.) · Part 3 (09:10 min.) · Part 4 (09:39 min.) · Part 5 (03:16 min.) · Part 6 (09:36 min.)
January 18, 1995
5 min.
With Lou Reed and Moon
It's very rare in life to know someone who affects things; changes them in a positive way. I've been lucky enough to have known some in my life: Andy Warhol, Doc Pomus. People whose vision and integrity was such that it moved the world a bit. People who, through the articulation of their talents and intelligence, were able to leave things better than they had found them. People who were not only not in it for the money, to paraphrase Frank Zappa. Frank Zappa was such a person and of the many regrets I have in life, not knowing him a lot better is one of them.
Whether writing symphonies, satirical broadsides or casting a caustic glow across the frontier of madness that makes up the American political landscape; whether testifying before Congress to put the PMRC in its rightful lowly place, or acting as a cultural conduit for President Vaclav Havel and the Czech government, Frank was a force for reason and honesty in the business deficient in those areas. As we reward some with money for the amusement they supply to the cultural masses, I think the induction of Frank Zappa in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame distinguishes the Hall as well as the inductee. [applause]
Musicians usually cannot speak. That's why they communicate through their instruments. But Frank was one who could. And because music is pure, the musician is pure as well and when Frank spoke he demonstrated the power of purity. Who will do that now? I admired Frank greatly and I know he admired me. It gives me great pleasure to give this award to his daughter, Moon Zappa.
This is so nice. Thank you, Lou. I really appreciate that. I'm a little dyslexic and earlier I freed my ass. I'm hoping my mind will follow. [sigh, sniff] [Applause] Um, thank you and, uhh, I know you know I had said that this is the year of the end of the bullshit promises and I am really sorry that my father missed that. And, um, uhh, I've almost, almost, forgiven the Wait Staff here because my heart is open from watching all of this. [gestures towards the screen on which Zappa montage had been shown] and it's very odd to be back there [backstage] before you come up because you actually hear the command given but I just want to say that this really belongs to his, his fans and um, music really is a language and I think that some languages are easy to understand than others. I don't think it's any accident that the Slavic countries really appreciated my father the most because it's really hard to get the accents down and everything. And, um, I just really want to say thank you and I think that he would really have enjoyed this. Thank you.
ZAPPA & THE ROCK UNROLLED HALL OF FARCE
"Ten days before the actual ceremony," says Gail Zappa, "we still hadn't received invitations. The producer said, 'Oh that's unconscionable! We can give you two free tickets.' Well, there's five of us of course. He said, 'Well, we can sell you additional tickets at fifteen hundred dollars a piece, but you can't sit together.' I just laughed. Moon had expressed an interest in going, so we decided she'd accept the award. A week before the ceremony, they called me and said Edward Van Halen -who would have been perfect - had turned down their offer to induct Frank because he doesn't do these things. So I suggested Johnny "guitar' Watson whom Frank knew, loved and had worked with. They said 'No.' I won't say why because I don't want to hurt Johnny, but I did tell them that Johnny was one of the most lucid and articulate people I'd ever heard interviewed. I suggested Aerosmith, but was told they were going to induct Led Zeppelin. So I suggested Led Zeppelin. Again they said no. I asked them who chooses these things and was told 'The Board.' I asked if there were any musicians on the board, and more importantly are there any black musicians. They had to call me back and they replied 'Yes one: Berry Gordy.'
"They then said 'We've invited Lou Reed to do it.' I was laughing. It was just so ironic. I said I'd talk to my kids and they were against it; they believed Lou had millions of chances to make up with Frank. So Lou called. I told him 'Listen, you said lots of shitty things about Frank.' We discussed it and he finally said 'If I said anything flip that was meant to be funny, I'm sorry.' Actually Frank admired him as a songwriter; 'Femme Fatale' and 'All Tomorrow's Parties' were two of Frank's favorites.
"We asked for a car to take Moon to the ceremony. The producer told Moon that I said she'd be giving clearance to use the Frank footage on MTV which was totally not true! He said 'That's OK, the show's running long, so we'll just cut Frank.' Moon called him back and made him apologize for making her father sound insignificant. A limo did take her to the show, but there was no-one to pick her up afterwards! I have this vision of her standing in the rain, flagging down a cab with the award in her hand...
"I watched the broadcast and they didn't play any of his music, although they played at least one song by every other artist. And then I heard Joe Perry say that Led Zeppelin has asked Aerosmith to induct them months before, so how come we only got word a week before? This is a man who went to Capitol Hill for these people! When Moon said Frank would have enjoyed it, she meant the musicians. As Lou said, it honored the Hall to induct Frank and not the other way round. It was stupid, insensitive and just thoughtless."
Before Lou Reed gives Zappa's induction speech into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame there is 2-3 minute FZ Montage. Looking at your videography I have made the list of clips shown in the montage chronological the best I could-
The Steve Allen Show (1963 bicycle appearance)
Garrick Theater Footage (attrocities on stage and audience shots)
Garrick Theater Pipco T-Shirt Footage
>From The Bitter End
Unidentified MOI Live Footage, c. 1968-69 (also shown in The Late Show)
Head (The Monkees' movie)
MOI Live Footage, Late 1968 (filmed by Cal Schenkel)
August 27, 1974 KCET (shown in A Token Of His Extreme)
Saturday Night Live (1976)
October 28-31, 1977 Palladium (shown in Baby Snakes)
John Smothers Interview (shown in We Don't Mess Around)
Saturday Night Live (1978)
Bruce Bickford Animation 1974-1978 (excerpts from Token and Baby Snakes)
October 31, 1981 LATE SHOW Palladium (shown in MTV Broadcast)
August 25-26, 1984 The Pier (shown in Does Humor Belong In Music)
September 17, 1992 Yellow Shark Premiere (shown in German PPV)
The Today Show (1993)
Beavis And Butthead: Canoe (1994)
YouTube: Frank Zappa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction (08:06 min.)
December 7, 1995
Jam Folge 19 (Viva II)
45 min.
Autoren: Rudi "Cadillac" Dolezal
In co-Produktion mit MAINHATTAN
co-Produzenten: Mike Raven
Eine DoRo Produktion für VIVA
(C) 1994
This episode (copyright 1994) was aired at least twice:
1) 12-07-95, 11pm-12pm (Viva II, now: Viva Plus)
2) 12-23-96, 1am-2am (no logo/station ident!) (Viva II, now: Viva Plus)Here's the origin of (austrian) 'DoRo' production company name: rudi DOlezal and hannes ROssacher (both guys founded DoRo, will have to check the 2nd name again, though. I think their FZ specials started the DoRo venture, meanwhile they produced lots of other music documentaries, i.e. Madonna etc.)
1995
January 28, 1996
NBC
During the scene where Matthew Perry meets Julia Roberts an advertising for Strictly Commercial (1995) appears in the background.
1996
1996
1996
Something Weird Video
Sex Hygiene Scare Films
Presents short films on sexual hygiene that were shown to high school teenagers from the 1930s to the 1960s. Includes informational films on the human reproductive system, the values of chastity and the venereal diseases, gonorrhea and syphilis.
Volume 2: VD: name your contacts (1968, 21 min.) -- Sex in today's world (1968, 28 min.) -- The Pick-up / U.S. Army Signal Corps (1944, 37 min.) -- Boy to man (1962, 16 min.) -- Girl to woman (1965, 18 min.) Video/C 6074
Available from Something Weird Video for an even $20. Catalog #6117.
August 19, 1997
BBC2
Includes unreleased footage from FZ's BBC 1993 interview.
Reviews for the BBC Documentary, 'The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart'
Informant: Noah McKelvie
YouTube: The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart -- Part 1 (09:29 min.) · Part 2 (06:01 min.)
1997
93 min.
Directed by Wong Kar-Wai
I happened upon the synopsis for this movie:
Happy Together
"With gorgeous, saturated images set to an eclectic soundtrack of classic tangos, torch songs and Frank Zappa instrumentals, Wong Kar-Wai chronicles the stormy affair of a gay couple (Hong Kong superstars Tony Leung and Leslie Cheung) living as expatriates in Buenos Aires. "Stylistically brash. Pulsing with life. Captures the restless, open-to-everything spirit of youth" (Stephen Holden, New York Times). Letterboxed. Cantonese with English subtitles."
Someone a while back asked "Who would use Zappa in a movie?" It too me this long to recall "Happy Together" directed by Wong Kar-Wei. "Chunga's Revenge" is all over the thing, and what sounds like a "Fillmore 1971"-era "Happy Together" is over the closing credits, too (but it isn't from the album.)
It's the Turtles' original version, isn't it? There's also a long chunk of "I Have Been in You", cut right before the "little girl" part.
It's a terrific film, but there is a lot of gay love-making, so it probably ain't at any of the BlockBusters. Wong Kar-Wei (sometimes referred to as Kar-Wei Wong...it's very confusing) also directed "Fallen Angels" and "Chunking Express". The latter is easiest to find in Vid stores, as Quentin Tarantino was the "presenter" of its American distribution. All of the films are great, though "Happy Together" may be my favorite for the kick-ass (and repeated) use of "Chunga's Revenge." I think this movie won "Best Film" at Cannes a few years back.
It's the Chinese way: the family name (Wong) goes first, and then the given name (Kar-Wai). Some people try to reformat it the Western way, and come up with "Kar-Wai Wong".
1997
113 min.
Directed by Ang Lee
Movie released in 1997 stars Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver and apparantly uses the song "Dirty Love". It's included on the soundtrack album (1997 CD Velvel 79713).
Original score written by Michael Danna. Songs performed by David Bowie, Traffic, Frank Zappa and others.
Here's more info on the soundtrack: http://www.lukpac.org/~handmade/patio/weirdo/various.html#icestorm
"Dirty Love" on "Ice Storm Soundtrack" has a reverse stereo image relative to both the RYKO 1995 OS and SC versions. Tool used for discerning this fact: my two ears. The reversal of the image is most apparent with the drum track. Applying the mono feature, however, reveals no further audible diffences.
March 22, 1999
PBS
May 5, 1999
WDR TV
Yesterday our WDR had a docu (1hrs.) about the californian music scene, made for as additional material for teachers of music classes of schools. It had Zappa and the Mothers included, beginning with old black and white film material of the Watts riot with Trouble Every Day as background music. They also had b&w footage of the Mothers playing King Kong, probably from Essen 1968, but wasn't able to identify that.
Directly followed: The Doors. Interesting was a short b&w film excerpt of an open air festival, and how Jim Morrison got arrested on stage by three or four policemen. One pulled his microphone away, the others taking him from stage, with Jim doing a face like Kermit the frog. Very funny! 8-)
The docu was very interesting, covering the beginnings of Hippiedom up to recent american music, from Folk, Acid, Psychadelic to Pop, Mainstream and Hardrock.
There's a rerun of it on wednesday, 12. May at 7:00am.
Surfin' California
NEU
Die Musikszene in Kalifornien
2 Sendungen zu je 30 Minuten - ab 9. Schuljahr
Teil 3 + Teil 4
Mi. 05.05.99
7.00 - 8.00 Uhr
Mi. 12.05.99
7.00 - 8.00 Uhr
3.Vom Surf-Sound zum Acid-Rock
4.Vom Acid-Rock zum Gangsta-RapDiese beiden Sendungen gehören zum Multimedia-Paket "Surfin' California", das aus einer CD-ROM, der Internetsite "Learning Station" (http://www.learning-station.com) und vier Sendungen besteht. Die Sendungen vertiefen Aspekte der CD-ROM. Die beiden ersten Sendungen gehören in den geografisch-politischen Unterricht (Siehe im Inhaltsverzeichnis Geographie).
Beide Sendungen beschreiben die Entwicklung der kalifornischen Musikszene mit dem Schwerpunkt auf den 60er Jahren. Die Beach Boys, Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, Grateful Dead, Frank Zappa, Janis Joplin und die Doors sorgten damals für weltweites Aufsehen, auch wenn ihre Musik im Vergleich zu dem, was heute aus den Ghettos von Los Angeles in die Hitparaden drängt, geradezu harmlos wirkt.
Dennoch war es gerade diese Musik, die Kalifornien bis heute zum Zentrum der Musik-Industrie machte. Ihre Interpreten zählen oft immer noch zu den Top-Acts der Branche. Anders als heute war die Musik damals aber noch eingebettet in eine Lebensphilosophie, die zwar einerseits typisch kalifornisch geprägt war, andererseits aber einen unwiderstehlichen Reiz auf Jugendliche in der gesamten westlichen Welt ausübte.
Die Musiker und die mit ihnen verbundene Szene propagierten einen Lebensstil für eine ganze Generation. Dieser Konsens ist heute in viele verschiedene Richtungen zerfallen.
I'm not sure which one it was...but it was the History of Rock and Roll series, the one about the 70's. People mention Zappa once or twice, and there's a clip of him throwing a bunch of fake money at the audience and sneering.
I looked up Frank on the Internet Movie Database today, and found that archive footage of him was used in a flick called The Male Swagger. It was made this year, seems to be a sub-Mad-level spoof of Beowulf, and features a fake Hulk Hogan, a fake Malcolm X, a fake Jesus Christ and the real Alex Trebek. Anyone have any notion what on earth this is?
This appears to be a hoax perpetrated by students at St. Mark's High School in Dallas, Texas. At best, it's a real film by students at said high school.
Aside from Alex Trebek and FZ, none of the actors have any other film credits. Well, director/producer Darius Safavi appears to have had one guest appearance on a tv series (Sons of Thunder, a spin-off of Walker, Texas Ranger) and to be represented by a talent agency <http://www.mcalistertalent.com/casting.htm>.
Note that there are no reviews of the film at the IMDb, and only three user comments, all posted from the DFW area.
July 2, 2000
VPRO
52 min.
2000
AMC TV
145 min.
December, 2000
VH1
2 min.
Music heard (album versions except where indicated): Peaches En Regalia, My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama, Cosmik Debris, Don't Eat The Yellow Snow, I'm The Slime, Joe's Garage (Halloween 1981)
Includes footage from: Peaches En Regalia clip, 1970 England Press Conference, Halloween 1981, The Amazing Mr Bickford
Includes short interviews with: Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Zakk Wylde (Black Label Society), Scott Ian (Anthrax)
Informant: Noah McKelvie
YouTube: Frank Zappa -- 100 Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock #36 (01:59 min.)
June 8, 2001
105 min.
Directed by Alfonso Cuarón
Watermelon In Easter Hay (Joe's Garage version) is played during the closing credits of Y Tu Mamá También. It is also included on the soundtrack album.
Y Tu Mamá También is a Mexican film directed by Alfonso Cuarón. It was released in 2001 (June 8 in Mexico, October 6 in the USA). Alfonso and Carlos Cuarón were nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay.
During the closing credits there is a list of special thanks ("Agradecemos especialmente a:"), in which Gail Zappa is listed, and also there's a line at the end which says:
Y a "Watermelon in Easter Hay" de Frank Zappa
Also, at the end of the musical credits:
"WATERMELON IN EASTER HAY"
de Frank Zappa's "Joe's Garage"
Compuesta, producida e interpretada por FRANK ZAPPA
Cortesía de la Familia Zappa.
(P) 1994 RYKO Disc Inc. Licenciataria exclusiva mundialmente, The Zappa Family Trust
© Copyright 1979 The Zappa Family Trust
2001
97 min.
Directed by Jessica Villines
Just thought you might like to know that I produced a film on groupie/ artist Cynthia Plaster Caster in which there's a brief scene of Cynthia and Pamela Des Barres discussing their relationship with Frank. (There's also some contemporary footage of Cynthia with Miss Mercy of the GTOs.) The film is called "Plaster Caster" and is due for DVD and VHS release on Oct 7 by Xenon Pictures (relevant links below).
The movie
Xenon Pictures
Cynthia's own site
The Cynthia P. Caster Foundation
you guys just HAVE to see this movie. i'm by no means a film critic. i don't really know how to describe what i saw other than as a historical document of a time and of events that we all hold dear. cynthia had nothing but very, very nice things to say about frank. he was the first one to tell her that what she was doing was art, and did nothing but encourage her to continue. after the screening, as she was talking questions from the audience, someone asked her if she had a special relationship with frank. she almost started crying as she answered that she still misses him. quite a poignant moment. on the bright side, the movie has some very funny moments and touches on a lot of moments in our mythology.
i went, hoping to maybe get some insight into her original ideas and motivations. i think that i left with more questions than i had when i got there. i guess for her, she loves it-it's a way of life.
2001
So I happen across this "history of groupies" show VH-1 is airing. After the first couple minutes of clip-montage, the first segment-and-a-half consists largely of clips of The GTO's, Miss Pamela, Cynthia, and all sorts of Mudshark mythology, including a video interview snippet of FZ, an audio segment of "The Mud Shark," not to mention clips of Led Zeppelin and The Vanilla Fudge recalling (or decidedly not recalling) the event in question. Funny stuff.
To my knowledge, it was originally broadcast about a year ago and has been repeated seemingly quite a few times since.
April 21, 2002
VH1
100 min.
Director: Mark Waters
Screenplay: Jay Martel
Producer: Steven Haft
Jason Priestley as Charlie Burner
Mariel Hemingway as Tipper Gore
Dee Snider as himself
Griffin Dunne as Frank Zappa
It's down and dirty, it's rock and roll... and that's the way we like it. But when Senate wives meet Twisted Sister, things get a little weird on Capitol Hill.
It's 1986 and the only thing lobbyist Charlie Burner wants is his blank tape tax passed so he can schmooze his way into a cushy corner office. He thinks it's in the bag until prominent Senator wife, Tipper Gore gets an earful of her kids' latest record collection. Suddenly, Prince doesn't sound so charming and Tipper leads the Washington Wives down the warpath to ban "porn rock." They create a banned song wish list and call it "The Filthy Fifteen." This turns the music industry on its head and Charlie has to choose between saving his job or saving rock music.
Charlie makes a choice and looks for rock and roll rebels to join the cause, amassing the most unlikely crew of freedom fighters ever. What else could bring together Frank Zappa, Dee Snider and John Denver? It's musicians vs. mothers on Capitol Hill. Once in awhile you gotta stand tall, open your mouth and let freedom sing.
It was a big lie. [They got it wrong] intentionally. It was really laughable, it was so pathetic. I think there was really an intent to glorify the RIAA. There was definitely an intent to convince the public that the RIAA gives a f--k about artists' rights, which is a joke. I didn't see anything in that entire piece that resembled Frank Zappa in any way. Frank stood up for individual rights, for the First Amendment, for artistic freedom...and more importantly, every single one of his albums since 1971 says, "Register to vote" on them, ever since the 18-year-old vote was passed.
This film is an insult to the Constitution of the United States, an insult to the Congress. It's an insult not only to Frank but to the people who, for whatever reason, formed the PMRC. It's not representative of Tipper Gore or Al Gore, or most of the senators, or even the way a hearing is conducted. They wanted the record companies to bend over, which they did, to get the blank-tape tax passed. The whole thing was just preposterous. The idea that Frank would be gunning for anyone, making threatening phone calls! When you're taking what actually happened and fantasizing it and massagingit to suit your own needs, everyone should question, "What is VH1's relationship to the RIAA? Do they own them?" I think they do.
June 20, 2002
90 min.
2002
Mezzo/Cityzen TV
53 min.
Directed by William Streik & Michael Willis
Informant: Oscar Bianco
September 11, 2003
Fort Worth, TX
10 min.
In 2003, the Smithsonian opened a traveling exhibit consisting of artifacts related to the September 11 attacks.
At the Fort Worth, Texas exhibit, the local newspaper had put together a video montage of images capturing the local effect of the attacks. American Airlines' headquarters is here, as is Lockheed-Martin (makers of things that fly really fast and drop big bombs) and a big Naval Air Station.
Well, the music chosen for this montage was none other than "Get Whitey" and "Outrage at Valdez". Unfortunately, this montage doesn't seem to be available on the web, but it was quite moving, and the music chosen could not have been a more perfect match.
The guy who put the montage together was Max Faulkner, the director of photography at the Fort-Worth Star-Telegram. He is apparently a huge FZ fan.
October 29, 2003
Conspiracies Episode 5 "The truth behind Satan's servants..." (TECH
TV)
While watching the TV series 'Conspiracies' tonight on the Tech-TV channel, FZ was included in the episode called 'Satanic Panic'. I was not paying attention to the program and only realized near the end of his screen time that it was Frankie offering his opinion on the music industry.
I was surprised to hear in the program that some religious folk/entities state the band name KISS is supposed to mean 'Knights in Service to Satan' and that the band name AC/DC actually means 'Anti-Christ/Devil's Children'. I feel so enlightened after hearing that.
Just as an FYI. I'm sure you've all seen or heard this section of interview. This particular show was on Satanists. The odd thing is this particular interview section was taped long before Tech TV existed and before most people, including myself, knew the internet existed. The interview clip was taped during the PMRC hearings because they also used old footage of Tipper Gore and her fellow Washington wives. FZ's comments were the familiar line that Satan doesn't exist and that listening to Satanic lyrics will not send you to hell.
I watched the episode again and paid attention to FZ's comments. He mentioned that even though you (used as a generalization) and he (FZ) might not like an artist or a band, someone else may and the offending artist(s) should not be banned by governmental edict. FZ added that there is no devil and music can't hurt you.
'Conspiracies' is a former BBC series rebroadcast in the USA by Tech-TV.
November 26, 2003
SVT 2
35 min.
December 7, 2003
The E! True Story Hollywood
Episode #314: Rock Stars Daughters
E! Entertainment Television
While cruising channels in great boredom last night I came across Baby Snakes of all things on VH1, quickly replaced by Roxy footage, quickly replaced by an interview with Moon and Diva.
This show is seen on E! True Hollywood Story - originally aired on Dec 7, 2003 - it airs again this Saturday Dec 20, again on Dec 23, Dec 28 and Dec 29. Not sure where and when the Zappas show up in this 2-hour show.
I saw this last night, too. It must be pretty new.
Yeah, Frank's all over the thing. Multiple interviews with Diva, Moon and Gail and even some interview footage of FZ.
The program had bits of Baby Snakes, Roxy and some footage of FZ conducting Ensemble Modern (I think that's who it was). It even ended with a shot of him sitting in a chair saying, "This is Frank Zappa and you're watching E, Entertainment Television." (Or something to that effect.
Pretty cool.
I saw all of it. It was great and very illuminating - even for me. I met Moon in 1977 when she was a kid. I would never have come out an volunteered any opinions about the personal life of the family (don't think I ever did that - if I did , so be it but no offense intended,) but it was very interesting for me to hear Moon say the things that she did about Frank. It was like an update - from a more mature point of view - of stuff that she and Dweezil and Ahmet said in a Rock star's kids documentary from like 5-8 years ago - which was basically "tough to live in the shadow of such a genius". Anyway in the Rock Stars Daughters thing it was interesting to hear - from Moon - that they hardly ever saw Frank for long stretches - and that Valley Girl was essentially motivated by a note that she finally wrote to Frank saying that she need some personal-quality time with him. The result was that he woke her up in the middle of the nite - hustled her down into the studio to create/sing Valley Girl. That's great - Frank SO immersed in his work that quality time took place in the studio. We used to see the kids come in while we were working - Frank would stop for a while and spend time with them - talk for while - ask them about school etc - and then back to work - it was a reminder for all of us that this guy has 2 families - his band and engineers - and his wife and sons and daughters. And he was a very patriarchal figure.
Gail/Moon talking about Moon's birth - FZ told Gail the baby's name would be Motorhead or Moon - "you pick".....and then as told by Moon - a bittersweet opportunity to finally spend some time with Frank when he got sick - because he was finally available. And some GREAT Frank footage - at home and on stage, Frank basically admitting that his relentless working and touring had taken a huge toll on him. Frank was addicted to his work - that is common for artists. But Frank was - you know -MEGA.
Bottom line: a bigger understanding of who Frank is, the level of his genius, and that no matter what you love the guy to death and beyond - eternally. It is his playing of the duality that somehow increases my own love for Frank, and perhaps for others it is the same. Not always easy - but always deep.
rock on
ed
January 23, 2004
Dweezil & Lisa Episode #LD1A03
"St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast Party"
Food Network
January 23's episode of Dweezil & Lisa's show on the Food Network featured lots of pancakes with lots of Frank Zappa's St Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast playing in between. There was also a dinner/pancake party where the chef made a statue of Frank made out of fruit - Gail and Ahmet were there too - Frank's music was playing in the background...Dweezil went on to tell of a story where Frank once brought home pancakes home from Austria to share with his family because they were so splendid...
March 13, 2005
Directed by Josh Rubin
Episode #10: 1979
July 14, 2006
VH1
60 min.
I was watching I Love The 70s Volume 2 and during the 1979 episode they had a small segment on Frank Zappa. The footage/audio was interspersed with interviews from some other celebrities.
In his segment, there were 4 brief video excerpts from Baby Snakes and two brief audio Joe's Garage excerpts interspersed with interviews. One excerpt from Baby Snakes that was used in his segment was a little "Revenge Of The Knick Knack People" segment that took place at Village Recorders! The other excerpts from Baby Snakes that I could recognize was a little portion of the live Palladium version of "City Of Tiny Lites", the count-in (1-2-3-4!) from the Baby Snakes Rehearsal that appears at the beginning, and a part of the "A Pound For A Brown On The Bus" Bass solo.
The segment also featured a bit of audio from "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee" while showing tubes (the kind they take a urine sample in) in a laboratory. The other song from Joe's Garage that was used was "Catholic Girls" set to somebody walking down the steps out of a church.
December 8, 2006
NRK 1, Norway
50 min.
December, 2006
Universal
4 min.
Musical video by U2
April 22 & 29, 2007
Nederland 2
120 min.
Directed by Frank Scheffer
This may or may not be the same as Frank Zappa: The Present-Day Composer Refuses To Die (2000) and Frank Zappa: Phase Two--The Big Note (2002) or even Frank Zappa: Civilization Phaze III (unreleased)
Twee Uur van de Wolf documentaires: Frank Zappa- A pioneer of the future of music, Part l & ll Voorpremiere maandag 2 april, Omroepbioscoop in het Ketelhuis, Amsterdam Ruim veertien jaar geleden overleed Frank Zappa.
A pioneer of the future of music Part I & II is een hommage van Frank Scheffer aan een eigenzinnig genie. Zappa was niet alleen een van de meest bijzondere rock-artiesten maar ook een van de meest uitzonderlijke componisten van de twintigste eeuw.
De film bestaat uit archief-materiaal met o.a. interviews met Zappa en een immense hoeveelheid geluid- en beeldmateriaal van o.a. performances, studio-opnames en filmische experimenten die Zappa gedurende z'n hele leven zelf geregistreerd en gearchiveerd heeft.
Frank Scheffer maakt in de film gebruik van verschillende technieken om, net als Zappa, zo optimaal mogelijk het 'collage-principe' tot z'n recht te laten komen.
De premiere wordt ingeleid door Willem de Ridder: legendarisch VPRO-hoorspelmaker en meesterverteller.
Maandag 2 april, Het Ketelhuis 4 (schuin t/o Ketelhuis)
Zaal open 19.00 uur, Aanvang 19.30 uur.
Wil je bij deze premiere aanwezig zijn? De entree is gratis, maar je moet wel even reserveren bij het Ketelhuis: 020-6840098
Kun je niet op 2 april? Frank Zappa- A pioneer of the future of music, Part l & ll wordt op zondag 22 en 29 april uitgezonden om 19.00 uur op Nederland 2.
Translation (kindly provided by Marc Schouwenberg):
Two 'Het Uur van de Wolf' [=name of the TV-show] documentaries: "Frank Zappa - A pioneer of the future of music, Part l & ll". Pre-premiere on Monday 2 April, in the cinema at 'Het Ketelhuis' [=name of the venue], Amsterdam. Over fourteen years ago [sic] Frank Zappa passed away.
"A pioneer of the future of music Part I & II" is Frank Scheffer's tribute to an extraordinary genius. Zappa wasn't just one of the most remarkable rock musicians, he was also one of the most exceptional twentieth-century composers.The movie features archive-material of interviews with Zappa and a great amount of sound and video material of performances, studio-recordings and cinematographic experiments which Zappa himself had been registering and archiving during his life.
In the movie, Frank Scheffer uses a wide range of techniques, just like Zappa, in order to carry out the 'collage-principle' as good as possible.The premiere night features an introduction by Willem de Ridder: legendary for his VPRO radio plays and a great narrator.
Monday 2 april, Het Ketelhuis 4 [=address] (diagonally across 'Het Ketelhuis' [?])
Doors open at 19.00, The show starts at 19.30.Do you want to be at the premiere? Entrance is free, but you will have to make a reservation at 'het Ketelhuis': 020-6840098.
Can't be there on 2 april? "Frank Zappa - A pioneer of the future of music, Part l & ll" will be broadcast on sunday 22 and 29 april at 19.00 on Nederland 2 [=TV-station].
Frank Zappa
A pioneer of the future of musicFilm in two parts by Frank Scheffer about Frank Zappa (1940-1993), not only one of the most exceptional rock-artists, but also one of the most unique composers of the 20th century. The documentary is a tribute to a self-willed genious; to the man who - as an intangible critic - observed the (American) society for decades with sarcasm and ingenious wit.
"If you deviate from the norm, it might lead to progression"
Frank ZappaA Pioneer of the future of Music Part 1 & II exists of archived material and interviews with people who worked very close to Zappa and have been inspired by him. This material to a large extent is derived from the Vault, the massive - for a large part still unrevealed archive, in which everything which Zappa has ever recorded is stored: performances, studio-recordings, experiments, family-events, meetings, movies, and everything else he was interested in.
Also in this documentary are parts of former Frank Scheffer films and the 1971 Roelof Kiers VPRO film about - and in collaboration with - Frank Zappa.
Part I is a renewed acquaintance with FZ, his music, the seventies, era of performances of Freaks, flower children…
Interviews with Gail Zappa and famous Mothers of Invention: George Duke, Ian Underwood, Mark Volman and Bruce Fowler.
Part II focuses on the influences of Frank Zappa on the music industry. Musicians like Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and Napoleon Murphy Brock talk about their collaboration with Zappa. Frank Zappa's compositions today are being performed in concerthalls. Not just by the Ensemble Contemporain, but also by the Teheran Symphony Orchestra from Iran. Both are to be seen in the documentary, as well as Dweezil Zappa, who performs today with his father's material.
A documentary from Frank Scheffer.
Alright, after having seen both parts of the Pioneer documentary, I can tell you that it's definitely not the same as Frank Scheffer's earlier films about FZ. However, it's not a completely new thing either. I think what Scheffer did is that he discarded the original idea of a trilogy, and instead he decided to re-edit the material from "Present Day Composer" & "Phase Two" and turn it into a new two-part documentary, adding some exclusive things as well. The division between the two parts isn't parallel to the division between the earlier docs though; he mixed it up a little bit, so Pioneer #1 contains material from both earlier films, and Pioneer #2 also contains material from both.
Here's a list of the footage which I thought was never available before:
PIONEER PART 1
- New Denny Walley-footage (which apparently was originally part of "Phase Two: The Big Note", but I still haven't seen that one).
- Archive footage of the GTO dancing on stage with the MOI; and new interviews with Miss Pamela and Miss Mercy.
- I think the sequence of Freaks dancing at a MOI show (at the Garrick?) was longer than I've seen at any place else, but I might be wrong about this.
- Archive footage of The Grand Wazoo Orchestra, "on the road" as well as "during soundcheck". That material seems to have been recorded on silent film, because 'unfortunately' it is accompanied by the studio version of The Grand Wazoo, which we all know by now... Well, let's hope for Imaginary Diseases #2!PIONEER PART 2
- Malcolm McNab playing the Bebop Tango, originally entitled "Malcolm McNab" (was this also already in The Big Note?).
- New interviews with the ZPZ-special guests, meaning: Napi (telling how hearing Frank's music for the first time was like the greatest orgasm he ever had); Bozzio (when he played The Black Page correctly for the first time, FZ said "Bozzio, you're a fucking genius"); and Vai (demonstrating how FZ taught him What's New In Baltimore).
- New interview with Dweezil, also mainly about ZPZ.
- ZPZ live footage, including BlackPage, Echidna'sArf, and Sofa (live in Paris).
Additional informant: Corné van Hooijdonk
November 26, 2007 (UK)
February 5, 2008 (USA)
Classic Rock Legends
65 min.
The life and work of Frank Zappa are examined in this superb new critical review, which features new in-depth interviews with industry insiders, rock journalists and respected critics plus highlights from the songs that re-drew the face of rock music.
Including: Veteran music journalist Chris Welch. Welch interviewed Zappa in 1968, and shares his memories of his meeting with a true legend of modern times.
The insights of Ben Watson, author of the acclaimed Zappa books The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play and Frank Zappa: The Complete Guide to His Music. A lifelong fan and frequent correspondant, Watson also interviewed Zappa 6 weeks before his death.
Further insights from Ian Fortnam of Kerrang!, Uncut and NME and industry player Gem Howard-Kemp.