On an improvised piece, which Zappa dubbed "Why Do They Fry Everything in Richmond?", musicians on drums, guitars, brass and reeds took turns playing in interweaving lines. They created an audial dream sequence of suspended relaxation.
In July, 1981, during the lull between issues of ThroTTle, Dale Brumfield found a review in a filing cabinet clipped from the Richmond News-Leader of the November 3, 1972 Frank Zappa concert at the Mosque (now the Landmark Theater). Zappa reportedly performed an improv piece during that show titled "Why do they fry everything in Richmond (especially at my hotel)"—a piece which strangely has never shown up on any of the numerous compilation albums released by his family since his death. Wanting to include as many big names as possible in the November/ December issue, Brumfield sent a letter to Zappa, asking him to do a drawing for the cover, mentioning the "Fry everything" reference. Zappa bit, and the self-portrait and accompanying letter arrived in late August, with postage due ("please leave 27 cents in the mailbox" the mailman wrote on the envelope).
"Dear Dale: It is not every day that someone asks me to draw them a picture, especially to use on the cover of a magazine . . . even a magazine from a place where they fry everything. Since your request is so utterly ridiculous, I will oblige you and I will draw something for you to use for your publication. Hope it helps. Thanks for your letter."
-Frank Zappa
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