Bourne: Do you think the audience expects you to be obnoxious?

Zappa: I don't think they expect it anymore. They did for a while.

Bourne: Did you ever expect to escape that image?

Zappa: Let me tell you something. I used to be purposely obnoxious onstage. That was definitely called for, based on the audiences we played for and the manner in which the text/content of the songs had to be put across to the audience. What we were saying at that time was something you didn't just want to say: "Excuse me, but I'd like to inform you that..." You went out there onstage and you yelled it at them, and smashed a few vegetables, because our audiences then were really very straight. There wasn't too much of the long-haired hippy element coming to see us. It was mostly very straight kids who needed to relate to the fact of other possibilities in life. (read more)