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Video From Hell

Transcription | Release Info | Cast and Crew | Notes and Comments

January 15, 1987
Honker Home Video/MPI #MP 4001
62 min.

Includes:

• "Video From Hell" Animated Sequence by Bruce Bickford, c. 1974-78
• "G-Spot Tornado" c. 1962-63
• Sigma TV Interview, December 19, 1986
• Excerpts from Secrets Of The U.M.R.K.
• St. Etienne, France, May 28, 1982 by Thomas Nordegg
• Ex Mattatoio di Testaccio, Rome, Italy, July 9, 1982
• "You Are What You Is"
• Excerpts from Uncle Meat, 1970 (included some unused footage)
• Pinewood Studios, January-February, 1971 from The True Story Of 200 Motels
• Hotel Room, Berlin, 1968 (from Uncle Meat)
• MOI Live Footage, Los Angeles, late 1968 by Cal Schenkel (from Uncle Meat)
• Adelaide Tonight, NWS Channel Nine, Australia, 1973
• The Palladium, NYC, October, 1977 (from Baby Snakes)
• MOI 8mm Home Movies, 1969 by Motorhead Sherwood (from Uncle Meat)
• Royal Festival Hall, October, 1968 (from Uncle Meat)
• 1967 MOI Recording Session for We're Only In It For The Money (from Uncle Meat)
• 1967 MOI at Garrick Theater (from Uncle Meat)
• We're Only In It For The Money Album Cover Photo Session (from Uncle Meat)
• Live 1967 MOI Unidentified Footage (Ripping the covers of the albums) (from Uncle Meat)
• Elliott Ingber Interview
• Metz, France, June 22, 1982
• Al Malkin "I Need Your Love"
• Excerpts from An American Dissident
• Zappa Testimony before the Maryland State Legislature, February 14, 1986
• Early 1986 Maryland TV Interview

The music:

• Video From Hell (unidentified Synclavier music)
• G-Spot Tornado from Jazz From Hell
• St. Etienne from Jazz From Hell
• Stevie's Spanking from You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 1
• You Are What You Is from You Are What You Is
• Night School from Jazz From Hell
• Dog Breath, In The Year Of The Plague from Uncle Meat
• King Kong from Baby Snakes (The Movie)
• Mother People from We're Only In It For The Money (1987)
• Mr. Green Genes from Uncle Meat
• King Kong from You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3
• Bogus Pomp from L.S.O. Vol. II

Release Information:

Video was packaged with Honker "No-D" Glasses (source: Kier)
Formats: VHS (NTSC and PAL), Beta

Quoted from the back of the box:

In a little over an hour, 'VIDEO FROM HELL' provides a preview of current
and projected Honker releases, including 'BABY SNAKES', 'THE TRUE STORY OF 200 MOTELS' and 'UNCLE MEAT' (all 1987 releases) along with segments of 1988 shows still in preparation ('YOU CAN'T DO THAT ON STAGE ANYMORE'--which will be released after the multi-CD package, 'I NEED YOUR LOVE'--the homespun philosophy of Al Malkin, and 'AN AMERICAN DISSIDENT'--the homespun philosophy of Frank Zappa).

Cast and crew:

Cast (approximately in order of appearance):
FZ
Bob Stone
Steve Vai
Ray White
Tommy Mars
Bobby Martin
Ed Mann
Scott Thunes
Chad Wackerman
Thomas Nordegg
Don Preston
Ringo Starr
Elgar Howarth
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
Ruth Underwood
Keith Moon
Janet Ferguson
Miss Lucy
Martin Lickert
Ian Underwood
Mark Volman
Howard Kaylan
Pamela Miller
Aynsley Dunbar
George Duke
Jimmy Carl Black
Billy Mundi
Roy Estrada
Manfred Lerch
Motorhead Sherwood
Buzz Gardner
Bunk Gardner
Ernie Sigley
Adrian Belew
Patrick O'Hearn
Peter Wolf
Terry Bozzio
Art Tripp
Dick Barber
Lowell George
Phyllis Altenhaus
Tom Wilson
Ray Collins
Sal Lombardo
Gail Zappa
Cal Schenkel
Jimi Hendrix
Elliot Ingber
Al Malkin
Joseph Owens
Judith Toth
Bruce Bereano

Film cameras:
Haskell Wexler
Frank Zappa
Cal Schenkel
Ed Seeman
Ray Favata
Tom Mangrevede
Peter Bos
Hermann Jauk

Video camera:
Van Carlson
Thomas Nordegg

Editors:
Raymond Bush
Booey Kober

Assitant editors:
Fred Simon
Lewis Bates

Audio:
Bob Stone
Arthur Sloatman

Telecine:
Joe Finley
Jack Tismeer

Color timing:
Rick Dalby

Post production engineers:
Terry Brown
Martin Soloway
Larry Eastteam
Chuck Slezak
Sam Thompson
Tom Houghton

Associate producer
Jill Silverthorne

Melted wax title sequence:
Bruce Bickford

Recording facility
Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

Post production facility
Pacific Video

Produced & directed by
Frank Zappa

Notes and Comments:

From Patrick Neve

Video from Hell is a sampler of what were, in 1987, current and future Zappa projects. Includes previews of Baby Snakes, The True Story of 200 Motels, and Uncle Meat videos.

From: Richard Fox

Contains clips of other videos, a sort of best of video Zappa. Of particular interest is Zappa addressing the Maryland State Legislature about censorship laws. This part is very amusing. There is also a clip from an Australian talk show appearance by Zappa in which Frank conducts the audience and show's band in a wierd little improv. There is also a clip from the 82 band playing King Kong (the "Blowjob" portion which is on Stage III) and a guitar duet between Steve Vai and Frank during Stevie's Spanking. Also, there is the song from Jazz From Hell, Night School, played over footage of the making of 200 Motels.

From: Patrick Neve

One of the first things you see in this film is the "music video" for G-Spot Tornado. I am personally convinced that the accompanying visuals to this piece are the 8mm films that Frank showed during his Mt. St. Mary's concert in 1963. Check this from the liner notes to the Lost Episodes:

"The program included a piece called "Opus 5," aleatoric works that required some improvisation, a piece for orchestra and taped electronic music, with accompanying visuals in the form of FZ's own experimental 8mm films (Motorhead Sherwood described one such film depicting the Los Angeles County Fair carnival, double exposed with passing telephone poles)."

Well, that's exactly what's shown in the video accompanying G-Spot Tornado! For a real kick, turn the sound down and listen instead to Opus 5 from the Mt. St. Mary's tape.

Additional informants: Kristian Kier, Infobrok, Ebay seller "rootehound"

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