For those who wanted a cite that Ozzy Osbourne claimed Frank Zappa liked a little blow occasionally…
That’s from “I Am Ozzy,” Ozzy’s autobiography. You may have to click ahead to the #3 allusion to Zappa.
You don’t have to believe Ozzy, of course, but at least you now know I wasn’t making things up.
Here’s one reason I have a hard time respecting Zappa, even when he was doing something GOOD!
Zappa wrote some very good, very PRETTY (yes, I mean that) chamber music. But after writing a pretty piece of music, he’d undercut himself by deliberately giving it a goofy title. Now, to SOME people, that may just mean Frank always kept his zany sense of humor and never took himself too seriously. But to me, it’s a cop-out that borders on cowardice.
An artist is always taking a risk when he/she tries to do something serious and lofty. There’s always a chance that, if you aim high and fail, you’ll look foolish. But a great artist takes that risk.
By giving a serious classical piece a silly title like “Envelopes” or “Mo and Herb’s Vacation,” I think Zappa was giving himself an easy way out. If people liked what he did, he could bask in their admiration. and if they didn’t, he could just give his trademark sneer and say, “Ha. That was satire, asshole. Too bad you’re too stupid to get it.”
Well that and his reams of raunchy misogynist pornographic lyrics that are occasionally hilarious. I don’t think you’re going to find very many female fans. I think he was one of his generation’s geniuses but his appeal is limited. He put together some awesome bands and wrote some beautiful music, but jeez those lyrics.
Not just the lyrics. I read a Zappa biography, and the author complained that one of Zappa’s most beautiful instrumentals had the title “I Promise Not To Come In Your Mouth.”
Yeah, it hurt his ability to be taken as seriously as he deserved.
Hmm. Is that what was being referenced by “Lick My Love Pump” in This is Spinal Tap?
Frank Zappa is the epitome of an “acquired taste”, he fits that bill perfectly.
My first orange sunshine voyage, party circa 1970, someone put on the album Hot Rats…
I thereafter stopping listening to anything else but Zappa (and Hendrix) for quite some years:) I even grew the required mustache and soul patch…
(eh I was a kid)
It is an acquired taste tho…and some is just horrible IMHO, but some of his orchestral arrangements are beautiful.
I listen to most everything nowadays, but kinda dislike opera.
Came in here to say just this. But it wasn’t just the titles IIRC, but also the compositions themselves. They’d be moving along beautifully and then he’d throw in something that I’m sure he thought was very iconoclastic, but was just stupid. I got frustrated with his legit compositions for this very reason.
At any rate , Pierre Boulez was a collaborator and fan, so I’d have to argue with him I suppose!
Uh, I think it’s much closer to a hiccup than a fart. And rhythmic abnormalities like the ones that appear in the fourth movement of the Second are extremely common LvB’s work, so I’m unconvinced.
Is your handle a nod to the Martin?
Of course he’s a genius. He was instrumental (ha!) in getting Alice to the masses.
Yes. Yes, it is!
Right on!
I love my 73’ D18. I bought it directly from Mitch Ryder’s guitar tech after a show in San Fran in 84’.
Very nice! I have one that’s about the same vintage - 1977 that I bought new, having saved up my guitar teaching money for over a year.
Put Zappa in the mad genius category. Very few of those come along with any degree of notoriety. It’s just hard to believe that he wasn’t on drugs though. Unless you factor that maybe he really was mad.
He wasn’t nuts. He had his own vision and just didn’t give a shit about anybody else’s.
Acquired taste??!? I first heard the album “Freak Out!” in the early 70’s when I was in high school and became an instant fan. I saw him in live performances twice. He had one of the hardest working bands I ever saw.