Frank Zappa Vs. The Bunny Thugs
By Michael Davis
PASADENA—Okay, so there I was, kicking back with my favorite friendly female person, digging the rude aroma of the radio, when the music stops and these voices intrude upon the scene.
“Sick.”
“Yes, it certainly was, wasn’t it. You’ve just heard side one of the Lather album, an album that probably won’t be released for a long time due to the interference of Warner Bros. and the Cohen brothers. This is your old friend, Frank Zappa, talking to you directly from Pasadena on KROQ. What’s the number here? 106 point 7. It‘s a very cute radio station with an ugly rug on the floor and some really cheap equipment...”
Whaa? I mean, L.A. radio listeners kinda expect the unexpected from this maverick station, but this is un- heard of. What is going on?
Jerry K, the deejay, asks Zappa to explain and Frank obliges, skimming over most of the “legal crud” but giving enough details to paint a bleak picture of problems with Warner Bros. (I checked with Warners later and they were no-commenting.)
Frank concluded, “The way it stands now, my future as a recording artist is dangling in mid-air, pending court procedures which, in California for civil cases, can take anywhere from three to five years just to get a day in court and have your case heard. So since I don’t think that anybody wants to wait three to five years to hear my wonderful music, I’ve taken it upon myself to come down here and advise anybody interested in the stuff that I do to get a cassette machine and tape this album. You can have it for free. Just take it right off the radio.”
Amazing. Rock stars get involved in law suits all the time but it takes a cagey clown like Zappa to turn it around and make it work in his favor. [Maybe...—Ed.]
Read by OCR software. If you spot errors, let me know afka (at) afka.net