Zappa - a booga of a good talker
By Roger Greenaway
When I was a little lad in the big brash 60's it was in vogue to be wierd. You put on your floppy, flowery shirt, your floppy flowery hat and hung a Littlewood's hippy bell around your neck and you were a part of the Haight-Ashbury revolution – despite the fact that you were living in Stoke Poges or Stockland Green.
Freedom! Yes we really thought it meant something. But the flower power thing even got messed up along Haight-Ashbury and after a years waiting for this mystical freedom ideal to be enacted the cynicism set in.
Now if you're wondering what all that has to do with Frank Zappa, musician extraordinaire, take a listen to one of the earliest Mothers albums, We're Only In It For The Money. That's where the cynicism found It's first public voice.
Sharp
Zappa, from L.A. just up the coast from the freaked Frisco Scene, conceptualised the problems of a generation while they were still getting high pointing out the problems of their parents.
Zappa's cynicism was never bitter. More amused than hurt by the mistakes of his contemporaries, he turned his
[...]
point and moved on. The flower power lampoon needed no
reputation so Zap moved on. The Classical Hot Rats, the
futuristic Weasels Ripped My Flesh, the silly period of Howard
Kaylan and Mark Vorman which produced the unbelievable burlesque
Live At Fillmore album, and now the intellectual musical base of
a Mothers including jazzmen like Jean-Luc Ponty as well as
perennial
Zapperite, Ian Underwood.
Cross
This particular Mothers is in town for a concert at Wembley Empire Pool, on September 14th, and to publicise the latest Mothers album out on August 31.
"It's like a cross between We're Only In In For The Money and Hot Rats," says big Frank sprawled out on a leather sofa in the plush Kensington hotel he's using as his base. "But then it's like nothing you've ever heard before. "
Not too an insight, so Frank decides to talk about the cover instead.
There's our two roadies. No, the heads of two roadies on one body. There's a map of Florida with Milwaukee pin-pointed. Milwaukee in Florida? "There's a pair of soiled underpants and a crumpled beer can and ... ." Frank meanders on enjoying the intricate description of the package. From what he said, the new one seems like the story of a tour. Agree Frank?
Teenies
"Well some of it is about incidents on tours we've had and some of it's about incidents we will have on tours in the future."
And the soiled underpants? Are the Mothers turning on the teeny boppers?
"We had one concert where we asked everyone to take off their underclothes and we had two bras and one pair of guy's trunks."
Not exactly sladish.
"But in America at least, most of our audience is 16-year-old male boys.
A pause, "male boys?" Yes Frank, you did say that. A lovely line and one that Frank has to pursue until it's exhausted.
"We do have girls at our concerts though. I mean we haven't gone glam and glit. That isn't why we attract so many male boys. After one gig we had three girls come backstage to see us. However 33 and one third per cent of those three girls were wearing glitter in their hair, another 33 and one third per cent were wearing rouge on their eyes and 25 per cent of those three girls were virgins."
And just so you know how many levels Mr. Zappa can operate on, he stretches his legs, sips his iced lager, and lays heavy words about his former label, Verve!
Frank's now with Warners and his dealing with them seem, on the whole, good. It wasn't so pleasant with Verve.
"They're a very bad company. I have nothing positive to say about them at all."
Warners have even given Frank the chance to control advertising for the band, "We've made great spots for radio. Listen to Luxembourg they're going on there soon.
Booga
"There's this beautiful d.j. voice which comes on with: Yeah, it's Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention with a booga of a new album. "The idea of a booga of an album ..."
Frank smiles. We all smile. Why not? He's a booga of a good talker. Just another of the many talents Mr. Z has at his disposal, Despite [...] cynicism.