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In Reply to: Re: "Where's that dynamo coming from"! Awesome FZ song. posted by Fred J on December 19, 2005 at 05:35:02:
"Give me that dirty love.....Like a tacky little pamphlet in your daddy's bottom drawer"Incredible story...and you have my utmost respect. My appreciation for FZ came about when a lost friend of mine played FZ one night and my life was changed. Who woulda thunk music could be so creative but carry a levity as to be so memorable.
"Whip me up some dragon lotion for your dirty love"Best Regards,
Follow Ups:
KensterSadly it seems many folks have really robbed themselves a great deal by being thrown off by some of Frank's obvious cynicsm
or seemingly sophomoric lyrical excesses, and as a result never really listened
to FZ, which is a damn shame because FZ has to be not only one of the most killer jazz guitarists ever, but has had some of the best
most accomplished and sympatico bandmates and ofttimes amazing synergy, but he is IMHO one of a handful of serious American Geniuses, Musical and otherwise Aaron Copeland etc.
FZ's writing brilliance is incredible in so many ways, and his integrity
is unparalled, he's never sold out in the least !
I haven't always found all of FZ's stuff immediately accessable
as I'm anything but well versed in Classical or jazz but I've eventually come to appreciate and truly love pretty much everything
he's done.Aside from all that FZ was also a very fine human being, ever hear the story of his motive for firing Lowell George and Roy Estrada ?
Agree 100%. His guitar prowess is amazing and as you mention..the caliber of his backup musicians is on par with his own talent.I have played FZ for people and most of them don't get it because as you mentioned, they focus on the lyrics. Those that do connect with it are as amazed as you and I. I still remember the first time I heard Apostraphe/Overnight Sensation.....all I can say is WOW!
The man was a frickin' musical genius in my book!
No I have not heard the story........
The way I heard it, Frank comes back to the studio one afternoon
and Lowell George and Roy Estrada are there working out the details
on "Willin" which Lowell had recently written, FZ summarily fired them both on the spot, they were quite upset to say the least and came back the next day ostenibly to try to get their gigs with the Mothers back, or at least find out what the deal was ?
and apparently FZ knowing they were less than highly ambitious was convinced that the song Willin was brilliant and proof of Lowell Georges amazing talent and knew he was more than ready for his own Band and with Roy Estrada's talent and his chemistry with Lowell they'd be a surefire success and knew that would never ever happen unless they were essentially forced to, despite the crippling effect of their loss would be to The Mothers. And that was how " Little Feat" came to be.
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I suppose you mean the beginnings of "Little Feat" ?I've heard that story a few times over the years, originally I believe my Uncle Bob Johnston who was an MCI A&R guy and has been in the recording industry for his entire life, and is a walking encyclopaedia of artist and recording minutea.
I'm also a long term Little Feat fan as well as FZ, so I've likely heard the story from a couple of fellow Little Feat afficianado's at different times as well.
It fits right in with FZ's personality and reputation as truly unique egocentric and brilliant artist as well as a fine human being.
I have his recent Biography but haven't had a chance to read it yet, that story may well be addressed in the bio.
Which one ?
Hell of a story and one I have never heard.Just goes to show that FZ had everybody's interest in mind and not using the available talent to further his own career.
Little Feat was an awesome band and it would have been a shame if the resulting events had not produced such an artistic band.
FZ had vision way beyond what most musicians posses and our musical world is forever in debt to him.
Thanks for story,
''Just goes to show that FZ had everybody's interest in mind and not using the available talent to further his own career''I had been following Zappa's career for a good while, bought most of his stuff, went to the shows, and read everything I could on him. And as much as I still adore his music, I believe the exact contrary.
When Zappa passed away, Tommy Mars said that, putting together his own band, he was following his ex-boss's advice to "go for the hungry". I am convinced that Zappa was an opportunistic and precisely did used the available talent of anyone who was around to further his own scope (and career obviously). Just a quick overview of the directions his music took precisely when specific key members were in the band should be edifying enough. This doesn't - as long as I don't have any proofs that he went as far as stealing away actual ''written'' material from these members, and I have never seen any - really diminish AFAIAC the masterful music and recordings creator I believe Zappa was. And a lot of those people (I am not referring to George Duke or Jean-Luc Ponty here) WERE the "hungry ones" and certainly benefited from being in such a ''popular'' vehicle as the Mothers (and the band later simply dubbed as "Zappa"), touring regularly and eveything.
So I'd say it was more a symbiosis than anything else.
Like anyone as driven and brilliant Zappa was a obviously very complex individual, but I think if he were primarily commercially or financially motivated he could have easily made geometrically more loot simply by toning down his lyrics, as well as writing music more in line with the current trends at the time.I also think that Musicians are quite often ego driven self absorbed and can even be Prima Donna's and recording industry folks traditionally are at times not unlike a species of Shark of the avaricious ruthless variety and even outright lowlifes on occaison.
I've heard numerous story's where just about any artist is said
to be either a prick or an asshole from different quarters, and I'd imagine envy as well as outright jealousy is often involved, I believe that's why they call them artists, no ? ;-)
''if he were primarily commercially or financially motivated he could have easily made geometrically more loot simply by toning down his lyrics, as well as writing music more in line with the current trends at the time.''I often wondered about this... By his own admission, the single "Big Leg Emma" was marketed with commercial pop in mind!! ...Can we imagine anything as remote from early 1967 pop as Emma?? Then come along Ian Underwood with girlfriend Ruth, and percussionist Art Tripp, and seemingly overnight we're wailing away in vast atonal scapes! I might be wrong but I think that Zappa was just too far away out there and inside his own thing to be REALLY savvy about what was "going on" (WHEN it was going on) in popular music and so be in a position to really have such a choice in the first place... And I'd say in the end his music was just the more zappaesque and precious for it.
...But how come someone as important as Ian Underwood sounds on an album as important as Hot Rats gets credited as one of the instrumentists only?
How come trombonist Bruce Fowler transcribes an improvised guitar solo, then harmonizes it for 3 or 4 horns - thus creating what is for a lot of the fans the musical paroxysm of ''Music for Low Budget Orchestra'' - and not receives credits as arranger? Or co-arranger?...
Same goes for trumpetist Sal Marquez in ''Big Swifty'' (etc? etc?)...
...Hey, this OT thread is bound to take us straight to Zappa's own birthday anniversary after all!!
Didn't Barry Manilow do a cover of Big Leg Emma on his seminal recording "I love so F#@king much I could just Shit LP ?Regards Fred
" She was my steady date until she put on wieght, she used to knock me out until her face broke out "
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nt
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It's an earlier post on this thread.
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