Flying Up except the “hustle” isn’t the same as the “ambiance”. Zappa nailed the ambiance, but for sure, the hustle permeates everything LA. “Laid back” is a myth, LA is dog eat dog. I have trees, poinsettias, honeysuckle, etc., and a serious monthly nut. LA is for fuck sure a “hustle”.
Zappa has a great point about most things in America being a fad and losing the cultural value. Things like Buddhism and Yoga become hollow and meaningless when they become fads in the west.
Conservative Puritan I take the point about the transience of so many things in America but I don't think Buddhism or Yoga show any sign of going away. Besides, they've both been around much longer than the United States. Actually, I think it's well worth noting that Buddhism has been making the point about the transience of worldly things since long before the existence of the United States.
@Zeupater: I completely agree with your comment. I was simply pointing out the tendency for Westerners to turn things once held sacred into superficial fads.
Before the internet, this is what trolling looked like. All of Zappa's interviews intentionally challenge media as message and its no different here. Ruth Underwood's basically in the band at this point, and the interviewer clearly doesn't know it, so he really puts the screws to him.
@Google User Bro when you said that your brain got larger! Holy fuck I wish my vocabulary was as a big as yours so I can make dumb fucking points while sounding smart.
Google User He’s trolling in that at least part of the time he’s just jerking the interviewer around. The interviewer may know that but not know when he’s being played.
@Flying Up I meant someone who heard Zappa say something that seemed antagonistic to someone not yet aware of what he was describing. I don't know if I'm articulating it clearly.
@Flying Up I'm not as pessimistic as that but the general drift I agree with. Giving the benefit of the doubt til they prove themselves stupid works pretty good. What he said about women probably had to do with who he ran into on the road.
Zappa’s comic pessimism is refreshing, even when I don’t think the way he does. Ultimately he condemns himself along with the rest of us, it’s honest without truely being rude.
I heard a theory that he was only saying the exact opposite of what the interviewer wanted to hear, just to ser how far he could push the guy. It would definitely be in character...
for those reacting to the comments about women. the brilliant Carol kaye played guitar on Freak out (1966) and absolutely free, but quit because she didnt like the lyrical content.. other female band members had troubles with the live shows.. he`s talking of his experience.. he had worked with several female musicians, but they all quit. and thats why he says he dont think female musicians would fit in with the band.. as for the "I see most women as just stupid people who happen to wear dresses" Is just like he says that most people are just stupid.. he also thought most men are stupid people who happen to wear pants...
Yeah, but she was together with Ian (possibly married even then), so I suppose she was safe from any unwanted attention from the other guys in the band?
1:58 " Sure, I see a lot of changes. But I think they're all temporary things. . . and any change for the good always subject to cancellation, upon the arrival of the next fad. And the same thing with any change for the worst. . . you have a nation of people who are waiting for the next big thing to happen. "--He KNEW more about us as Americans than we ever knew about him. #truth #zappalives
@@tysfalsehood Nah. Frank is/was right. There are two rules to business: Never trust people who don't see the bigger picture for betterment and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It doesn't matter if it's Leona Helmsley or Donald Trump. I love to believe that musicians like new comers such as Nita Strauss or experienced musicians like Sheila E have a foothold on things, especially in the music business. But if it's one thing most Americans are superb at, it's forgetting history. And, the climb for change has to start at those who want to do the greater good for an even greater cost, which most people, even CEOs, are not willing to do. Frank was a strong supporter for women's rights and ( funny enough ) he once said ( in a 1993 British TV interview ) that more than half of his songs were about making fun of male behavior. So, he's still right. And it doesn't help that people still rely on trends for consumption ( follow the link for more ): www.marketwatch.com/story/why-a-woman-led-company-might-suffer-more-from-an-ethics-scandal-2019-10-28
@@tysfalsehood yeah but you can do it for fads or you can be like gene roddenberry. these people knew the difference. they knew what they were doing and didn't settle for less. people just copy them now and sell it as product. those people literally invented that sh*t. MLK had to convince nichelle nichols to stay on the star trek set. she was gonna quit for broadway or something like that. when the south didn't want to air it gene said tell the stations to go to hell. how many black girls with non-western names and with a leading role do you see in even modern shows? most will just take a couple LGBT, a black, maybe an asian, or whatever and throw em on the screen. it's too comfortable.
not to mention the bitch didn't last that long. Like zappa said, they can't handle it long term. Few men could either, but guys like Jimmy Carl Black would've hung in forever. Ruth underwood era is good, but so boring compared to the first 5 years.
@@kylej.whitehead-music309 Oh fuck off. There's countless women in music that are absolute powerhouses of creativity and talent. Classically educated musicians are great, don't get me wrong, but 95% of music's most influential figures aren't classically trained, many of which are women. I love how as soon as people hear that "she's one of the boys" they'll make an exception, but then continue on with their sexist redirect. Look at people like Björk, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Weyes Blood, Jarboe, the entire Riot Grrrl movement. Now that women are given more opportunities they're making more ground when it comes to innovation and experimentation in music - What a surprise.
Ty absolutely agree with the huge impact of influential female artists! Gotta say tho, if you’re implying that Björk wasn’t classically educated that just isn’t true. Not to rag on a legitimate point, I just think she doesn’t always receive credit where it’s due.
Why are the people from Blank on Blank and a lot of people in the comment section trying to make Frank look like the ultimate woman-hating misogynist A couple points that proove that statement isn't true at all Firstly, Zappa did use a female session bassist on the Freak Out album, the brilliant Carol Kaye, who quit because she didn't like the lude,crude and vulgar lyrics Frank wrote which is what he meant when he said a woman wouldn't fit in with The Mother's image and type of music, considering their music was full of vulgar and crude refrences to sex (including female groupies) so that's what made think a woman would out of place in the band Secondly, he did evetnually include a woman a year later namely Ruth Underwood who did a great job whithin the band Thirdly, when he was asked if a woman's place is the home he rejected that idea and basically said (in his own snarky) that women who are badly suited for such a life should make their own way in life by working in show bussines; in a factory etc. And his final comment that he thinks in MOST INSTANCES the women he met are really stupid people who JUST HAPPENED TO WEAR DRESSES is the same as saying most men are stupid people; which was the way he saw most people he interacted with, most of the time being right So anybody thinking he was a sexist or against women being in the music bussines or worse make him and icon for MGTOW type groups or any other group should revaluate their his choices And also I don't know why BOB animated him stepping on women and holding one in his hands as if he owns her like an object and holding them down is trying to put him in a negative light removing any nuance from what he said as if his views and comments are against women and I feel like this this distracts from the great insight he offers us on a fad crazed culture And one more thing, him saying he doesn't see women as one big group and that they all have their own skills and qualifications is pretty feminist in thinking and even humanising, something a lot of political groups including feminists often times forget
It takes someone of very high intelligence to convey broad ideas in such concise sound bites. One of the sharpest philosophical social observers of the 20th century. I like listening to him as much as his music. Also, who knew Woody Allen was so good at interviewing?
He said he wouldn't put a girl in the group, but just a few years later he added Ruth Underwood who would uncountably be the most talented percussion that would be in his band
I don't think that Frank's view on the avoidance of female members of in his band is necessarily derived form sexism per se (and despite how much I like the guy, this interview was taken at a time when female equality was still really struggling), it was more for the aim of courtesy towards his musical personnel. A lot of the stuff that the mothers did on stage at the time was very sexually raunchy and subjectively riskè and that would lead to live concert environments being very out of the ordinary for any touring musician. They would tend to tackle subject matter that would make just about anybody uncomfortable (and I mean anybody, not just women) and the way that the audiences interacted with it would at times be very hard to work with. Even when he did start hiring female personnel later on in the seventies, it was very rare for any of them to stick around for a long period of time. Besides orchestral and ensemble concerts (ie. The Grand Wazoo Band, The 1975 Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra concerts and the Yellow Shark Orchestra), the only female member of one of his rock groups who stayed with him for a relatively long period of time (around 2 years) was percussionist Ruth Underwood, but the others who did tour with him (namely Saxophonist Norma Bell and Vocalist Bianca Odin) ended up leaving after a short period of time due to complications that they faced with touring with Frank's band. Both Bell and Odin left for separate reasons (Frank found out Bell was doing hard drugs during rehearsals and kicked her out, and Odin left due to stress from the tour), but the common problem that both of them encountered was the behaviour of the audience brought on by the nature of the gigs. The raunchy sexual lyrics in a lot of Frank's songs and a ton of the themes ripping on popular culture addressed at the shows prompted audience members to be difficult to perform for, resulting in assholes at practically every other show making cat calls or shouting insults, or general discomfort with singing certain lyrics in general. I don't fully blame Frank for the hardships these band members faced at these concerts, I see it more just as certain themes or approaches working better with certain people. I don't fully know what Ruth's thoughts on the matter were, but considering that she was with Frank for way longer than either of those members, odds are she had to put up with a lot of the same stuff too, so I guess it just depends on how well somebody could adjust to those unusual settings (and it would be very difficult getting used to it). In short, I think that the nature of some of Frank's gigs and certain difficulties of being a female musician during that time period was largely the reason why we didn't see women in Frank's touring bands that often.
+Alex Greggary hmm. He says at 2:15 that Women's Lib is a fad... My takeaway is that women are a real subset with him. Disappointing in someone of his intellect
But as Alex explained more clearly, he sees them as a subset within the whole stupid human race, just as men are. Not subordinate, just equally stupid. And in regards to women's lib being a fad, there's an argument to be made there as well. Although women's lib is a more serious issue than most things labelled as a fad, just about any social or political movement - similar to pop culture phenomenons - has its share of mindless drones who are just along for the ride. Name any social or political movement (and keep in mind Frank was quite politically and socially conscious), and you will find people who claim to be active supporters, but are really just passive do-nothings with a lot of cheap talk. I think in his cynicism of the movement he is just extending a general observation that many people who talk the talk actually end up doing nothing of value and eventually return to their complacency - even when it is in their best interest to act.
Yeah, it happened that the best marimba player in the world had a vagina. Zappa wasn't about color or genitalia. Like he said, it was about "who fit in".
As a matter of fact, although Ruth Underwood didn't tour with him until years later, she actually first recorded with Frank and company on the Mothers of Invention's Uncle Meat album. Also, according to an interview of Ruth (in the Frank Zappa BBC documentary iirc), she regularly heard Frank's music at the infamous Garrick Theater shows in NYC circa '67 and enjoyed the music and stage performances so much that she approached him to play with the Mothers. So although Frank felt a woman wouldn't have fit in well with the Mothers' stage performance (for good reason considering how awkward it probably would have been to be a woman on stage in the midst of their male-oriented sexually explicit antics - because let's face it, it would be quite superficial for Frank to try and accommodate by trying to adapt their stage humor to a genuine female's perspective, which, being a male, he did not have), it didn't mean there weren't women out there who dug the music.
What Frank says about the potential of a woman coming on board "bombing out in the middle of the tour" basically happened with Bianca Odin during Philly '76.
"you can't judge people that way [as an homogenised group]" - flippin' heck, I wish more people thought that way! Funny & entertaining too... & fab music - worra Cat!
Me too! The individual has been destroyed by groups or and group think. People identify with a group: black, white, gay, brown or whatever instead of being an individual that can think for themselves and not just as a group. Mob mentality is never good and neither is democracy.
The entire time I'm looking at the drawn up version of Zappa thinking about how that really does not look like Zappa. Hard to concentrate. Wonder if the cartoonist/drawer was given a different picture as inspiration, as a prank. It really does not look like Zappa. Had to write it again.
3:53 Damn right it is Frank. More now than even in your time. And it was known even then. In fact... "We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares. "But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think. "What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us. "This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right." From "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" by Neil Postman.
Frank Zappa 1971: "I don't think there's a girl around that would fit in with what we do." Ruth Underwood (Who was in Frank's band from 1969-79): Am I a joke to you?
John and Yoko were both people to avoid during those years. I'm a John Lennon fan by the way but you got to face reality... Lennon was deeply perturbed to love Yoko and Yoko was kind of psycho to find Lennon a girlfriend for a couple of years... I realized that at 45 years old (kinda old). I'm still a Lennon fan BUT I appreciate the musicien a lot more than the man itself. It would have been cool to see him keep going out with May Pang (is that her name?). She was a real person with a heart who pushed Lennon to take care of Julian. That speaks to me !
THANK YOU!!!!! To those who don't know I requested this maybe a year ago, and Blank on Blank replied saying they would do it. So, this makes me really happy. Thanks guys! Keep on keepin' on.
They might be a bit more obscure, but I would love to see something involving Peter Christopherson or John Balance of the band Coil. Both of them are very interesting, talented individuals who I believe deserve a lot more attention
Frank Zappa didn't have a receding hairline either. While I'm all in favour of Zappa movies, documentaries, animations etc etc, but the least we should expect is that FZ is portrayed correctly.
yeah you're really thinking for yourself by literally embracing a thinking pattern you heard of a clip on youtube... but what bothers me is that you end up spewing some right wing shit reason theres a lot of people talking about social justice is because we now have freedom of speech in a sense that there is no real censorship on the internet and any joe can write anything anywhere 50 years ago standing on corner with friends was seen as some political gathering, in my country theres still a law that any group of 3 or more people can be viewed as a public gathering(and hence policed/tried as such) most shit social justice warriors spew is really just dumbass shit that no one needs to be interested in and can be seen as a fad, but to just brand any sort of version of fighting for social justice is just stupid right wing shit, fact that "social justice" discourse is now in public domain means everyone will try to claim it or associate with it and a lot of the talk will really be bullshit, but going against all sorts of social justice discourse is just authoritarian nonsense may i fucking remind you that there is society right out of your window and maybe you're not struggling but people are and as long as that continues there will be a need for "social justice, social justice" and i don't care if it can be used as a fad that teenagers will get out of after a week
Imagine a time when people said nice things about Los Angeles...
Imagine a future where using the word "imagine" isn't a cute internet fad.
. I miss LA in 70's and 80's ..
@@downthestretch85 There was a lot of cocaine and weirdos if I recall, maybe I was one of them.
If you can’t enjoy LA that’s on you.
read his book. he doesn't particularly love LA
"Ain't no hustle where I live"
I burst out laughing at that.
Ocean Sage Tetsuo and Youth album cover, I see u
@Flying Up exactly.
Flying Up except the “hustle” isn’t the same as the “ambiance”. Zappa nailed the ambiance, but for sure, the hustle permeates everything LA. “Laid back” is a myth, LA is dog eat dog. I have trees, poinsettias, honeysuckle, etc., and a serious monthly nut. LA is for fuck sure a “hustle”.
Flying Up you’re right calif has turned to shit over the last 50 years...good point.
Shoutout to scallops hotel
His fad perspective is very insightful. That seems to be why lots of social and political movements that are based on the people end so fast.
Zappa has a great point about most things in America being a fad and losing the cultural value. Things like Buddhism and Yoga become hollow and meaningless when they become fads in the west.
Conservative Puritan I take the point about the transience of so many things in America but I don't think Buddhism or Yoga show any sign of going away. Besides, they've both been around much longer than the United States. Actually, I think it's well worth noting that Buddhism has been making the point about the transience of worldly things since long before the existence of the United States.
@Zeupater: I completely agree with your comment. I was simply pointing out the tendency for Westerners to turn things once held sacred into superficial fads.
Zeupater yeah I agree. Although spiritualism really isn't political and social. So yeah
Spot on, say I.
Before the internet, this is what trolling looked like. All of Zappa's interviews intentionally challenge media as message and its no different here. Ruth Underwood's basically in the band at this point, and the interviewer clearly doesn't know it, so he really puts the screws to him.
I was wondering about her when he said that.
@Google User ur calling zappa limited ? Lol
Google User damn dude, you are so smart!! I also love criticising people with niche words without expanding on it. If I could give you money: I would.
@Google User Bro when you said that your brain got larger! Holy fuck I wish my vocabulary was as a big as yours so I can make dumb fucking points while sounding smart.
Google User He’s trolling in that at least part of the time he’s just jerking the interviewer around. The interviewer may know that but not know when he’s being played.
Frank is a mad genius. His voice even has great tone.
He himself was an instrument.... that's how good he was
Nothing mad about him.
Every time I hear a frank Zappa interview I go "wow that guy is smart"
because he calls all people stupid and discredits everything?
Michael because he is practically always fully informed on the subject he’s talking about
@@arlenmargolin1650 cool
Umm it's cuz he is
@@Michael-lc8yl Yeah, partly.
This is hilarious because Ruth Underwood was basically in the group at this point and he’s just fucking with the interviewer.
His humour is so dry 😏👍 he’s antagonistic in his replies, and he often really meant what he was saying... but it was said with humour.
Thomas Hope His humor is often the biggest obstacle for my enjoyment of his music. It’s so often banal, middle school boy jokes.
@Flying Up Isn't this the way it is. When someone challenges your perceptions, they don't want to budge
@Flying Up I meant someone who heard Zappa say something that seemed antagonistic to someone not yet aware of what he was describing. I don't know if I'm articulating it clearly.
@Flying Up Zappa's delivery and depth could be challenging, but usually spot on
@Flying Up I'm not as pessimistic as that but the general drift I agree with. Giving the benefit of the doubt til they prove themselves stupid works pretty good. What he said about women probably had to do with who he ran into on the road.
Zappa’s comic pessimism is refreshing, even when I don’t think the way he does. Ultimately he condemns himself along with the rest of us, it’s honest without truely being rude.
I heard a theory that he was only saying the exact opposite of what the interviewer wanted to hear, just to ser how far he could push the guy. It would definitely be in character...
I use Zappa interviews as my bed time story's....then the animation keeps me awake...zappa interviews should receive a grammys
Thank you for the like
I’m actually watching this before I’m going to bed
The man made a career out of “don’t tell me what to do”
But anybody who worked for him had to damn well do exactly what Frank told them to do....
@@jennyjohn704 they chose to be there
for those reacting to the comments about women. the brilliant Carol kaye played guitar on Freak out (1966) and absolutely free, but quit because she didnt like the lyrical content.. other female band members had troubles with the live shows.. he`s talking of his experience.. he had worked with several female musicians, but they all quit. and thats why he says he dont think female musicians would fit in with the band.. as for the "I see most women as just stupid people who happen to wear dresses" Is just like he says that most people are just stupid.. he also thought
most men are stupid people who happen to wear pants...
Ninja Sushi I’m guessing you haven’t gotten laid in a while.
@@NinjaSushi2 Oh man, you might be getting older but you certainly aren't getting any wiser. Facts and logic have a place but they aren't everything.
@@Nosferatu981 haha you'd be right. I also don't have any diseases. Plenty of that shit going down these days.
@@Proxima256 it is for me.
Ninja Sushi bruh did you unironically use “facts and logic” in your comment? Incel detected lmao.
Dang PBS studios, this was a fantastic production! Loved the animation and art, loved the music and Zappa will always be a legend, thank you so much!
Zappa sounds so damn chill. I miss him
Guess this was before Ruth Underwood joined the group.
Yep
Nope. Ruth played on "Uncle Meat" released in 1969.
Yeah, but she was together with Ian (possibly married even then), so I suppose she was safe from any unwanted attention from the other guys in the band?
She definitely changed his mind
Yep, she was one of the greatest members he ever had!
Zappa being on point as always. Sun Ra would be a great subject for this series
Frank zappa is like the walrus that you filmed crushing your car... awesome, peculiar and in real time...
You can't deny that this guy was legend.
I’ve never in my life heard a comparison like that but somehow it applies wonderfully to Zappa
"a temporary occupation for your imagination"
1:58 " Sure, I see a lot of changes. But I think they're all temporary things. . . and any change for the good always subject to cancellation, upon the arrival of the next fad. And the same thing with any change for the worst. . . you have a nation of people who are waiting for the next big thing to happen. "--He KNEW more about us as Americans than we ever knew about him. #truth #zappalives
And somehow, women are more relevant in music than ever before. Obviously that's one change Zappa couldn't predict.
@@tysfalsehood Nah. Frank is/was right. There are two rules to business: Never trust people who don't see the bigger picture for betterment and absolute power corrupts absolutely. It doesn't matter if it's Leona Helmsley or Donald Trump. I love to believe that musicians like new comers such as Nita Strauss or experienced musicians like Sheila E have a foothold on things, especially in the music business. But if it's one thing most Americans are superb at, it's forgetting history. And, the climb for change has to start at those who want to do the greater good for an even greater cost, which most people, even CEOs, are not willing to do. Frank was a strong supporter for women's rights and ( funny enough ) he once said ( in a 1993 British TV interview ) that more than half of his songs were about making fun of male behavior. So, he's still right. And it doesn't help that people still rely on trends for consumption ( follow the link for more ): www.marketwatch.com/story/why-a-woman-led-company-might-suffer-more-from-an-ethics-scandal-2019-10-28
@@tysfalsehood yeah but you can do it for fads or you can be like gene roddenberry.
these people knew the difference. they knew what they were doing and didn't settle for less.
people just copy them now and sell it as product. those people literally invented that sh*t. MLK had to convince nichelle nichols to stay on the star trek set. she was gonna quit for broadway or something like that. when the south didn't want to air it gene said tell the stations to go to hell.
how many black girls with non-western names and with a leading role do you see in even modern shows? most will just take a couple LGBT, a black, maybe an asian, or whatever and throw em on the screen. it's too comfortable.
“Trouble Every Day” could not be more relevant ... miss you FZ❤️
Ruth Underwood! Long serving female member percussionist in the band and crucial to the Zappa sound in the 70s.
I am glad you guys finally did a Frank Zappa interview, great animation as well.
I remember FZ standing up to Al Gores wife, Tipper, at a congressional hearing about music censorship !
Justin when John Denver, Frank Zappa AND Dee Snyder are linked up against you... you know you done messed up!
No girls in the band? And then he hired Ruth, one of the best musicians in any of his bands.
Yeah, because she wasn't a token female. AShe was conservatory educated. Zappa hired TALENT, not social justice brownie points.
not to mention the bitch didn't last that long. Like zappa said, they can't handle it long term. Few men could either, but guys like Jimmy Carl Black would've hung in forever. Ruth underwood era is good, but so boring compared to the first 5 years.
@@kylej.whitehead-music309 Oh fuck off. There's countless women in music that are absolute powerhouses of creativity and talent. Classically educated musicians are great, don't get me wrong, but 95% of music's most influential figures aren't classically trained, many of which are women. I love how as soon as people hear that "she's one of the boys" they'll make an exception, but then continue on with their sexist redirect. Look at people like Björk, Kate Bush, Fiona Apple, Weyes Blood, Jarboe, the entire Riot Grrrl movement. Now that women are given more opportunities they're making more ground when it comes to innovation and experimentation in music - What a surprise.
Ty absolutely agree with the huge impact of influential female artists! Gotta say tho, if you’re implying that Björk wasn’t classically educated that just isn’t true. Not to rag on a legitimate point, I just think she doesn’t always receive credit where it’s due.
@@tysfalsehood Most of the influential figures, .... many which are women." What area and genre of music are you talking about?
Man this guy was so smart and cool. Miss you frank
Why are the people from Blank on Blank and a lot of people in the comment section trying to make Frank look like the ultimate woman-hating misogynist
A couple points that proove that statement isn't true at all
Firstly, Zappa did use a female session bassist on the Freak Out album, the brilliant Carol Kaye, who quit because she didn't like the lude,crude and vulgar lyrics Frank wrote which is what he meant when he said a woman wouldn't fit in with The Mother's image and type of music, considering their music was full of vulgar and crude refrences to sex (including female groupies) so that's what made think a woman would out of place in the band
Secondly, he did evetnually include a woman a year later namely Ruth Underwood who did a great job whithin the band
Thirdly, when he was asked if a woman's place is the home he rejected that idea and basically said (in his own snarky) that women who are badly suited for such a life should make their own way in life by working in show bussines; in a factory etc.
And his final comment that he thinks in MOST INSTANCES the women he met are really stupid people who JUST HAPPENED TO WEAR DRESSES is the same as saying most men are stupid people; which was the way he saw most people he interacted with, most of the time being right
So anybody thinking he was a sexist or against women being in the music bussines or worse make him and icon for MGTOW type groups or any other group should revaluate their his choices
And also I don't know why BOB animated him stepping on women and holding one in his hands as if he owns her like an object and holding them down is trying to put him in a negative light removing any nuance from what he said as if his views and comments are against women and I feel like this this distracts from the great insight he offers us on a fad crazed culture
And one more thing, him saying he doesn't see women as one big group and that they all have their own skills and qualifications is pretty feminist in thinking and even humanising, something a lot of political groups including feminists often times forget
It was a trip when my former high school principal told me that Frank Zappa used to be a student at my former high school
I'm so happy for this, Blank on Blank :)
Zappa is my hero. Thank you!
The Naked Ant mine too!
I requested this a while ago and I'm so glad you guys made this!
This sht has serious weight in what is happening today right now. So on point.
Interview was done on June 6th, 1971, the same day John Lennon joined him on his concert... Am I weird for remembering that?
Yes.
Must be a trivia guy for sure
"aint no hustle where i live" i think im going to steal that one
Please do Captain Beefheart!
I agree! Please do Captain Beefheart!
YOU would...lol
+jjoosseepphh
uhh. Wut?
What does everyone think of beefheart I enjoy his first album but hit a brick wall after that
I'd totally do Captain Beefheart. I'd make him wear the trout mask
This is a real treat!! I don't usually like animation but I have changed my mind today!! Great stuff thanks!
You guys finally did Zappa! Awesome!
I’ve come to the realization that Zappa himself was a fad. He says something, and the peer group says YES!
Peer group? I think you mean the audience. Zappa had no peers.
It takes someone of very high intelligence to convey broad ideas in such concise sound bites. One of the sharpest philosophical social observers of the 20th century. I like listening to him as much as his music. Also, who knew Woody Allen was so good at interviewing?
I'm deeply loving all of these videos
Thank you so much
Fidget Spinners?
yeah, fidget spinners
Adam O'Coin Tide pods? Yeah, Tide pods..
He said he wouldn't put a girl in the group, but just a few years later he added Ruth Underwood who would uncountably be the most talented percussion that would be in his band
She was in The Grand Wazoo band in Sept, 72, a little over a year acter this interview.
And she had already appeared in Uncle Meat three years earlier
I don't think that Frank's view on the avoidance of female members of in his band is necessarily derived form sexism per se (and despite how much I like the guy, this interview was taken at a time when female equality was still really struggling), it was more for the aim of courtesy towards his musical personnel. A lot of the stuff that the mothers did on stage at the time was very sexually raunchy and subjectively riskè and that would lead to live concert environments being very out of the ordinary for any touring musician. They would tend to tackle subject matter that would make just about anybody uncomfortable (and I mean anybody, not just women) and the way that the audiences interacted with it would at times be very hard to work with.
Even when he did start hiring female personnel later on in the seventies, it was very rare for any of them to stick around for a long period of time. Besides orchestral and ensemble concerts (ie. The Grand Wazoo Band, The 1975 Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra concerts and the Yellow Shark Orchestra), the only female member of one of his rock groups who stayed with him for a relatively long period of time (around 2 years) was percussionist Ruth Underwood, but the others who did tour with him (namely Saxophonist Norma Bell and Vocalist Bianca Odin) ended up leaving after a short period of time due to complications that they faced with touring with Frank's band.
Both Bell and Odin left for separate reasons (Frank found out Bell was doing hard drugs during rehearsals and kicked her out, and Odin left due to stress from the tour), but the common problem that both of them encountered was the behaviour of the audience brought on by the nature of the gigs. The raunchy sexual lyrics in a lot of Frank's songs and a ton of the themes ripping on popular culture addressed at the shows prompted audience members to be difficult to perform for, resulting in assholes at practically every other show making cat calls or shouting insults, or general discomfort with singing certain lyrics in general.
I don't fully blame Frank for the hardships these band members faced at these concerts, I see it more just as certain themes or approaches working better with certain people. I don't fully know what Ruth's thoughts on the matter were, but considering that she was with Frank for way longer than either of those members, odds are she had to put up with a lot of the same stuff too, so I guess it just depends on how well somebody could adjust to those unusual settings (and it would be very difficult getting used to it). In short, I think that the nature of some of Frank's gigs and certain difficulties of being a female musician during that time period was largely the reason why we didn't see women in Frank's touring bands that often.
I felt his label of "Stupid people in dresses" spoke for itself.
Stu VS I felt that he meant it in the sense that everybody's equally stupid, and that the only difference between all of us is what we wear.
+Alex Greggary hmm. He says at 2:15 that Women's Lib is a fad... My takeaway is that women are a real subset with him. Disappointing in someone of his intellect
But as Alex explained more clearly, he sees them as a subset within the whole stupid human race, just as men are. Not subordinate, just equally stupid. And in regards to women's lib being a fad, there's an argument to be made there as well. Although women's lib is a more serious issue than most things labelled as a fad, just about any social or political movement - similar to pop culture phenomenons - has its share of mindless drones who are just along for the ride. Name any social or political movement (and keep in mind Frank was quite politically and socially conscious), and you will find people who claim to be active supporters, but are really just passive do-nothings with a lot of cheap talk. I think in his cynicism of the movement he is just extending a general observation that many people who talk the talk actually end up doing nothing of value and eventually return to their complacency - even when it is in their best interest to act.
Two Words: Ruth Underwood.
His discription of New York is my experience of LA. Helps to have money.
LA used to be nice.
Bear in mind that this interview took place 50 years ago. Things might have been somewhat different back then.
Awesome animation for an excellent Zappa interview
Note for listeners - none of the music here is Zappa's.
He was so far ahead of time in each and every way!!
my favorite interview ever
I don't see a credit for the visuals on this interview but they are just brilliant. I love all of them.
"I don‘t think that there‘s a girl around that would fit in with what we do"...then along dome the phenomenal Ruth Underwood.
He predicted the NPC meme.
No, conformists have been around for a rather long time.
nice avatar
If you truly value "unique thinkers", Frank is in the Club. He's a charter member.
that part about not having to avoid homeless people in cali really didn't age well
Frank Zappa is more LSD than LSD
He’s mind bendingly hilarious in the most articulate of ways . His utterances would make perfect sense played completely backwards.
Four decades later, fad = trending.
oh my god this is so good never stop
Interesting to note that in later years he did have a female percussionist whose name escapes me.
Ruth Underwood; also had some female vocalists in there a couple of times. Apparently he found a girl that fit in, it just took a while.
And Dale Bozzio and a few others
Ruth was such a monster player. Love their live stuff from that era.
Yeah, it happened that the best marimba player in the world had a vagina. Zappa wasn't about color or genitalia. Like he said, it was about "who fit in".
As a matter of fact, although Ruth Underwood didn't tour with him until years later, she actually first recorded with Frank and company on the Mothers of Invention's Uncle Meat album. Also, according to an interview of Ruth (in the Frank Zappa BBC documentary iirc), she regularly heard Frank's music at the infamous Garrick Theater shows in NYC circa '67 and enjoyed the music and stage performances so much that she approached him to play with the Mothers.
So although Frank felt a woman wouldn't have fit in well with the Mothers' stage performance (for good reason considering how awkward it probably would have been to be a woman on stage in the midst of their male-oriented sexually explicit antics - because let's face it, it would be quite superficial for Frank to try and accommodate by trying to adapt their stage humor to a genuine female's perspective, which, being a male, he did not have), it didn't mean there weren't women out there who dug the music.
That's funny cause now LA is lookin more and more like New York.
dude clearly had no time for PC
yr one of the idiots he was talking about
Still doesn't
wow this interview with Jason Lee really makes me realize how much him and frank zappa have in common
very groovy interview. Mad respect for the Zappa man!
So good!! I hope you could do Captain Beefheart eventually ;)
That looks nothing like Frank Zappa.
i thought zappa was the other guy at first
You're right. From what I've seen in other clips and photos, he was not a cartoon.
@@Randgalf xD
Badass interview.
I have yet to download my full copy of The Smith Tapes from the original Kickstarter :D
What Frank says about the potential of a woman coming on board "bombing out in the middle of the tour" basically happened with Bianca Odin during Philly '76.
"you can't judge people that way [as an homogenised group]" - flippin' heck, I wish more people thought that way! Funny & entertaining too... & fab music - worra Cat!
Me too! The individual has been destroyed by groups or and group think. People identify with a group: black, white, gay, brown or whatever instead of being an individual that can think for themselves and not just as a group. Mob mentality is never good and neither is democracy.
AMAZING JOB!!! GREAT ANIMATION!!! LOVELY ZAPPA SPEACH!!
Great stuff. Any more of this genius ? If so, whip in on out boy!
The entire time I'm looking at the drawn up version of Zappa thinking about how that really does not look like Zappa. Hard to concentrate. Wonder if the cartoonist/drawer was given a different picture as inspiration, as a prank. It really does not look like Zappa. Had to write it again.
the cartoonist/drawer will just have to try a bit harder next time;)
The voice is all wrong too.
got the hair montage at least
+Lugh Summerson the voice was all wrong? how? you know that's Frank Zappa's voice don't you?
Mistri Jah
“Some people's hot
Some people's cold
Some people's not very
Swift to behold”
3:53 Damn right it is Frank. More now than even in your time. And it was known even then. In fact...
"We were keeping our eye on 1984. When the year came and the prophecy didn't, thoughtful Americans sang softly in praise of themselves. The roots of liberal democracy had held. Wherever else the terror had happened, we, at least, had not been visited by Orwellian nightmares.
"But we had forgotten that alongside Orwell's dark vision, there was another - slightly older, slightly less well known, equally chilling: Aldous Huxley's Brave New World. Contrary to common belief even among the educated, Huxley and Orwell did not prophesy the same thing. Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think.
"What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one. Orwell feared those who would deprive us of information. Huxley feared those who would give us so much that we would be reduced to passivity and egoism. Orwell feared that the truth would be concealed from us. Huxley feared the truth would be drowned in a sea of irrelevance. Orwell feared we would become a captive culture. Huxley feared we would become a trivial culture, preoccupied with some equivalent of the feelies, the orgy porgy, and the centrifugal bumblepuppy. As Huxley remarked in Brave New World Revisited, the civil libertarians and rationalists who are ever on the alert to oppose tyranny "failed to take into account man's almost infinite appetite for distractions." In 1984, Orwell added, people are controlled by inflicting pain. In Brave New World, they are controlled by inflicting pleasure. In short, Orwell feared that what we fear will ruin us. Huxley feared that what we desire will ruin us.
"This book is about the possibility that Huxley, not Orwell, was right."
From "Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business" by Neil Postman.
great work! ... and i like the interview as well ;)
Frank Zappa 1971: "I don't think there's a girl around that would fit in with what we do."
Ruth Underwood (Who was in Frank's band from 1969-79): Am I a joke to you?
wonder if being around john and yoko influenced his opinion on women
Being around Yoko for an extended period of time would probably make me swear off women and music - and probably life too.
probably just daily life experience...
Oh, harsh. Funny as shit, but harsh.
he wasn't calling for the death of all women so he couldn't have spent THAT much time with yoko!
John and Yoko were both people to avoid during those years. I'm a John Lennon fan by the way but you got to face reality... Lennon was deeply perturbed to love Yoko and Yoko was kind of psycho to find Lennon a girlfriend for a couple of years... I realized that at 45 years old (kinda old). I'm still a Lennon fan BUT I appreciate the musicien a lot more than the man itself. It would have been cool to see him keep going out with May Pang (is that her name?). She was a real person with a heart who pushed Lennon to take care of Julian. That speaks to me !
I think Zappa would be sad to see that nearly all large US cities are now like NYC was back in 1971.
This is around the time of the Fillmore album. FYI: he enjoyed NY more in later years.
Kony 2012, let's get him! (2019 and he's still chillin')
Totally forgot about that shit. I was maybe twelve years old at the time.
Zappa knew about NPCs before they were called NPCs.
You do realize that term IS A FAD
I felt personally attacked when he said grand funk railroad 😂
Good.
Grand Funk is dope
Love this animation ! Viva Zappa !!!
what a wonderful channel
Frank Zappa: musician / comedian / intellectual
he answers how most think in their head. gotta respect that I guess haha
THANK YOU!!!!! To those who don't know I requested this maybe a year ago, and Blank on Blank replied saying they would do it. So, this makes me really happy. Thanks guys! Keep on keepin' on.
Also, this must have been before Ruth Underwood was in the group. She was, and still is, a monster percussionist.
They might be a bit more obscure, but I would love to see something involving Peter Christopherson or John Balance of the band Coil. Both of them are very interesting, talented individuals who I believe deserve a lot more attention
Zappa was a legend and always will be a legend.
Frank Zappa didn't have a receding hairline either. While I'm all in favour of Zappa movies, documentaries, animations etc etc, but the least we should expect is that FZ is portrayed correctly.
Amazing man, and musician. I wish he was more optimistic about people as individuals.
Good Interview
1:18 "It's just a little different in Los Angeles"
Well, not anymore. Especially with the dog-shit and homelessness part.
What a great mind... R.I.P
A rapper named Milo sampled this interview under his Scalops Hotel alias.
Check out "Over a Carnage, a Rose Prophetic". It's pretty good.
He always had such a unique view on....everything!
Fast forward 4 plus decades, "social justice....Yeah, social Justice".
He's spinning in his grave.
yeah you're really thinking for yourself by literally embracing a thinking pattern you heard of a clip on youtube...
but what bothers me is that you end up spewing some right wing shit
reason theres a lot of people talking about social justice is because we now have freedom of speech in a sense that there is no real censorship on the internet and any joe can write anything anywhere
50 years ago standing on corner with friends was seen as some political gathering, in my country theres still a law that any group of 3 or more people can be viewed as a public gathering(and hence policed/tried as such)
most shit social justice warriors spew is really just dumbass shit that no one needs to be interested in and can be seen as a fad, but to just brand any sort of version of fighting for social justice is just stupid right wing shit, fact that "social justice" discourse is now in public domain means everyone will try to claim it or associate with it and a lot of the talk will really be bullshit, but going against all sorts of social justice discourse is just authoritarian nonsense
may i fucking remind you that there is society right out of your window and maybe you're not struggling but people are and as long as that continues there will be a need for "social justice, social justice" and i don't care if it can be used as a fad that teenagers will get out of after a week
svenlittlecross Being against social justice isn't necessarily right winged and its not a viable solution to help people.
“Nationalism....Yeah, nationalism”
alexandra galici nicely put, didn't quite understand the ending tho... maybe bc English isn't my native language
Care to explain?
The animation is so good it’s distracting. I’m not mad though.
ok.
Zappa is the most interesting guy to sit for interviews.
omg this is so good
zappa predicted that we would live in a society
Zappa is one cool cat.
Frank was so refreshing in his frankness!
Great !!