Frank Zappa - Does Humour Belong In Music?
"I-oh-I, will rock you like a nincompoop..." - Tinsel Town Rebellion
Frank
Zappa, a name that has been synonymous with drugs, excess and "what the
fuck was that?" who said himself that he was an anachronism that makes
the ugliest music on the planet.
Is that right?
Well, I
can't say. I have numerous albums by this man including Zoot Allures,
Joes Garage, The Best Band In The World You Never Heard Of, Shaved
Fish, Studio Tan and You Are What You Is - possibly more, I'm not sure.
I
first came across his music when watching an episode of The Old Grey
Whistle Test in 1978 (I know, half of you weren't even born then - I'm
an old git, what can I say?), where they showed a claymation video of
City of Tiny Lights and shortly after, got to hear the album Zoot
Allures.
He said he's not a fun guy because he didn't do
drugs. In fact he was a staunch objector to the use of recreational
drugs - even marijuana, which made him a bit of an enigma as far as the
American officials were concerned. Yet when asked if he was so anti
drugs, why did he smoke cigarettes?
His reply was that for him,
cigarettes were food. "Now that may be a baffling concept for those
people who live in San Francisco who believe they will live for ever if
they stamp out tobacco smoke..."
His music isn't for everyone,
that much is for sure. It's eclectic - to put it politely, outrageous -
to put it mildly, and huge fun. I saw him in Brighton when he was doing
the Best Band In The World You Never Heard Of tour, where he and the
band did a version of Stairway to Heaven that ran the gamut of musical
genres and blew me away.
But that's not on this DVD!
What
is present is a collection of songs that anyone who has ever heard
Frank's music will recognise, like Dinah-Moe Humm, He's so gay, Keep it
greasy and Dancin' Fool to name but a few.
It gives a good insight how someone who could produce a stunning live show without the use of lasers, fog or overdubs.
With
Ray white on guitar and vocals, Ike Willis - guitar and vocals, Scott
Thunes - bass, Bobby Martin - keys, vocals, sax and horn and Chad
Wackerman on drums, this is a veritable feast for the ears, eyes and an
assualt on the senses. What would you expect from a man who named his
daughter Moon Unit and his son Dweezil?
"I don't know much about dancin', that's why I wrote this song, one of my legs is shorter than the other and both of my feets too long" - Dancin' Fool - Frank Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) R.I.P.
