I know! I hadn't known ahead of time that he cannot speak louder than that; he's had damage to his vocal chords. If I had known, of course I would've brought a microphone. Next time... Thanks for watching. Ciao.
I certainly HOPE there's more to come! He seems like a very nice person, and a man who loved and respected his brother. We would do well if we all had family members like him.
Frank continued to grow musically throughout his life. Personally I think his final contemporary classical compositions are exquisite. If a fan thinks Frank's best work was early on, that probably says a lot more about the fan than it does about Frank.
Surely, the music a person likes says more about them than about the music. Aside from matters of taste, there are real frontiers in musical composition that Frank continued to advance throughout his life. Nicolas Slonimsky (preeminent 20th Century musicologist) described Frank as “THE pioneer of the next millennia of music”. If an early listener can’t yet appreciate the directions he went, I’d say it’s their loss, but n the other hand they have a wealth of wonderful listening experiences waiting for them. Thanks for posting this interview, btw.
@@SalamaSond Couldn't agree more. I also love Zappa's orchestral music, especially the Perfect Stranger and Yellow Shark albums. It's astonishing that even in the classical field Frank could write in almost any genre - from the tonal, late romantic/early modernist beauty of Outrage At Valdez to more clearly "modern" pieces like Times Beach, and even the neo-baroque Francesco Zappa stuff. And while you could often hear his influences, Zappa always had an original voice and was never a pastiche artist. I've always felt that there's something for everyone in Zappa's work, or at least everyone who loves music. The only aspect of his work I no longer care for very much is the "satirical" comedy rock stuff, even though that's the stuff that initially inspired me to listen to him.
Hey Bob. Thanks for sharing your memories about your brother. It really means a lot to us fans to hear new things about Frank's life. He was a very special person and a big influence, politically, socially, musically. He helped shape minds. ... Mozart, Stravinsky, Zappa... Zappa, like music itself. Is the best. Great interview Dorri.
+claytunes If you would like to know about Frank's home life after 1967, then try Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa by Pauline Butcher. It's the only book that describes Frank in detail behind the scenes during 1968 to 1972.
Bob Zappa, thanks for agreeing to do this interview and thank you Dorri for posting. I absolutely love Frank's music but unfortunately didn't discover it until he'd passed. Bob, it's obvious you loved and respected your brother and I'm sure he felt the same way.
Wow the guy thats in this video was my history teacher in school. He mentioned frank zappa was his brother but part of me didnt believe me. If you see him tell him Keith miles 2010 graduate at school for excellence said hello. I'm glad to see he's doing well
@@DorriOldsdo you actually keep in contact? A teacher in history myself - my uncle put me onto Frank Zappa. Lovely to hear him speak in subjects. Enjoyed the interview.
@@tottenhamteacher Bobby and I became great friends soon after he'd hired. me to help with his book "Frankie & Bobby: Growing Up Zappa" Our friendship lasted from 2015 until Bobby died Dec 8, 2018. I still miss him. He was a great guy and honorable man. I was at his lovely wedding to Diane Papalia Zappa. I have so many photos!
It's so wild to me that Frank Zappa's nephew studied under Bill Dixon. What a small, strange, wonderful world we're in. Thanks for doing all these interviews!
It's the chemo that kills people not the cancer, prostate cancer is rarely fatal if left untreated. What killed Frank was trusting the corrupt evil medical system.
Frank must have had terrible Doctors. Of course it was the 80s and 90s and diagnosing disease is somewhat better now. But back then I was working in a hospital Surgical areas and a GU operating clinic and Frank Zappa should have had better care sooner. I saw an interview with Frank where he said he repeatedly went to Doctors that didn't help him correctly. With his fame and wealth, you would think he would have had the best, and If he did, what happened. Well, I was not there so I don't know but I grew up in Edgewood and Aberdeen and Baltimore MD. 10 years after Frank and Family did. I read that Frank used to play with mercury that his Dad brought home from his job at Edgewood Arsenal, and so did I and my brother. I was a big Zappa fan from 1966 and still am a fan.
Brian Ingoldsby, who engineered "Hot Rats" ran a audio engineering school in North Hollywood that I attended. One night during our break he told us about working with Frank. Some new musicians had arrived and one of them was smoking a joint. Frank showed up and the noticed the musician with the pot and asked "hey man, can I have some of that?" and the fellow obliged, handing the joint over to Frank who then promptly stubbed the joint out on the guy's leg. This was a sort of "side bar"anecdote that Ingoldsby provided after someone in class asked him which album that he had engineered was his favorite. He immediately said "Hot Rats."
😮 Wow. It doesn’t reeeally surprise me - based on what I already knew about. But Geez. That is not a pretty side of Frank. Thanks for sharing that story!! When i was a young teen on acid, i got “Freak Out” from a used record store in Greenwich Village. I assumed they were all on some fantastic LSD. 😂😂😂
@ Giant Robot: Frank was never a mystery to me. After listening to his music for a year or so, I did an oral book report on him in '75 when I was a Junior in High School based on the biography "No Commercial Potential". I also have and read his autobiography a few times. It's simple. Frank was a highly intelligent and powerful maverick/iconoclast and brilliant composer/musician with a purpose to entertain and provide a product that was different from the mainstream and enjoy himself and the creative process. But I CAN understand your wonder at how Frank or anyone for that matter came to be so brilliant. For what it's worth, I think everyone is endowed with a quantity of life force and intelligence. Some got a lot of it, others, not so much.
Dweezil is named after Frank's nickname for Gail's pinky toe. The only reason it wasn't on his birth certificate was because the nurse refused to allow it... but he was always called Dweezil and apparently as a young child demanded it be reinstated on his birth certificate, if I recall correctly from the Real Frank Zappa Book.
Yes, that's true. Apparently Frank came up with a seven-word name (which included friends and band members) in the hospital because the nurse was going to let Gail sit there with labor pains until he had a more 'sensible' name.
That's the shits ! After having bought and read both of Bob's books I can see he did some hard living himself. Glad he could reconnect with nieces and nephews.
Commenting on earlier comments regarding Ahmett..Gail... I read the open letter AHMET wrote ..TO DWEEZIL...IN THE FUCKING NEW YORK TIMES..where he childishly...stupidly ..selfishly... blatantly rants about what HE wants...what he believes... ANd I READ DWEEZILS REPLY...BEAUTIFULLY DONE...where he clearly and concisely corrects AHMETw Facts...repeating Ahmets words back to him ...paragraph after paragraph... AHMET LIES..MANIPULATED AVOIDED THE TRUTH...DWEEZIL NAILED HIM...ON GAILS THEFTS.LIES...ETC I LOVE MOON AND DWEEZIL..FRANK is proud of these 2 loyal souls🍻❤ Cheers MOON AND DWEEZIL for standing up for Frank's Dignity.
The book was good, but there were some odd bits left unclear and certainly there was probably a lot more interesting odds and ends he could have told to fill in more of the blanks. Overall, though, I did feel like I finally "got" Frank more than ever before-I always loved Frank, but he was always somehow inscrutable. I definitely did want to know how he got "that way" (whatever way that was, it's hard to tell) and this book helped me to understand better. Definitely. It's amazing, but when you can see a man as a child, suddenly he seems far less mysterious. I am now able to see interviews of Frank in his 30s and 40s and see the kid in Bobby's book. He still does seem superhuman to me in his perseverance, though; he maintained that resilience of youth well into his last days. He decided he'd had enough of other musicians eventually, but he never gave up and he never seemed to have a problem standing up for himself, for others he cared about and standing up for what's right. How does one get to be so damned cocksure, that's what I want to know!? Well, it's fairly well explained in the book. Part of it was inherent in his personality, the rest of it probably came about from arguing with his dad and being moved around constantly as a kid. One thing I wish Bob elaborated on was the little bit about Zappa making a deal with the devil. He could have given us more details on that, but he preferred to leave it hanging out there to be more intriguing, I guess. Personally, I found that annoying. It's interesting that he had a passing interest in the occult as a kid (don't most kids?) and he may have dated a witch (not that unusual in the 60s & 70s), but I think it's pretty clear from all of his lyrics that he does not believe in God, the devil or any other "cosmic debris." So... deal with the devil? I don't think so. Bob could have at least stated when he said this and what the context was. Frank was probably talking about a record contract and nothing more. Either that or making a simple joke. But, Bob just slips it in at the end of the chapter about Franks childhood interest in UFOs and the occult like maybe he really did make a pact with the devil. That's annoying. And kind of a crappy thing to do to Frank, imo.
pauline butcher bird So interesting! I had never heard he was interested in Crowley before. He wouldn't have found a "deal with the devil" kit in Crowley's work, though. Crowley's work isn't like that. I have a bunch of Crowley's books, too. It's pretty difficult reading and I don't think with Frank's work schedule he'd have much time to do anything with it, but I could see why he would find it interesting. Most people do who read it. it's not "devil worship" like it's often made out to be. Crowley was an odd duck, but not a Satan-worshipper.
I miss him. I was referred to him and he became a great client. We also became good friends and I was lucky enough to be at his wedding to Diane Papalia Zappa. Lovely woman.
Do you know the origin of the term "Knirps for moisture" from Penguins in Bondage? It was the name of an umbrella company/manufacturer in Montreal. I also believe the origin of Moving to Montana was the result of him seeing dental floss floating all around his tour bus as the result of gals making beaded jewelry and such. Guessing he thought " I should invest in this stuff, I could become a dental floss tycoon!" LOL
thanks for sharing, I only knew Frank for several years 1972-5 when he produced our album For Real. Got to spend some time with his while touring also, very interesting dude, got him to do some disco dancing at a club in San Diego after our concert along with the Doobie Bros.
+leftyfusion88 What he didn't add, but you can see him hesitating, is the fact that none of his family, Frank's mother, sister, nor brothers were invited to the funeral. In fact, since Frank was buried the next day, they didn't know until after Frank was buried that he'd died.
Ian Euclid Calvin Donald ...Dweezil was named after Ian Underwood, wind instruments, Euclid was Euclid James Sherwood, (Motörhead) sax player, Calvin was Cal Schenkel, who did all the album covers & art...and Donald was Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart). Dweezil insisted on going to court at the age of five, to make his name legally Dweezil.Frank told me he was real proud of him when the judge asked him why. He said "I like Dweezil. I don't need all those other names. Nobody calls me them." So he was allowed to change his name. It's bizarre, Bobby, that you don't know Dweezil's birth names, nor where they came from!
I remember talking to film critic Bill (the mustache) ? who claimed to be a friend of Bobby Zappa and was there for the Mother’s New York residency at the Garrick. He said they were the only ones who didn’t get high.
Lovely interview, Dorri. Seems like Frank went off like a skyrocket and you needed to see him by appointment after that. That'd be hard and a little awkward. A lot of families are connected by nice memories and thoughts, not necessarily regular communication.
Thanks for the kind words. Gail kept Frank from seeing his family. Maybe he put up with her controlling because he was never faithful to her!! It's strange how couples maneuver their relationships differently.
Really? Again with the question about the names of his kids? Every single interview... Is there a law somewhere that I don't know about, that you can't talk to or about Frank Zappa without mentioning his kids' names? I can only imagine how much everyone in the Zappa family inwardly rolls their eyes every time that comes up. What does it say about a culture when one of its greatest composers of the last century is known most for the "weird" names he gave his kids and for a poster of him sitting on a toilet?
MassExtinctionEvent Hi. You have to remember that Zappa fans are a segment of the population but articles I write are also for those who don't even know who Zappa was. Zappa's kids names are still funny and if someone never read about it, they will be amused. I think people focus on the names so much because it was a very Zappa-like quirk to give them the names he did. It kind of sums up his strange and wonderful obsession with words. I have more videos that I will post soon. Thanks for commenting.
I didn't have a clue. I read the official autobiography when I was a kid but didn't know that Gail resented Frank's own family. If I recall right he might have mentioned his family members in passing while writing about Edgar Varese but I didn't expect this much hate from Gail in this scale. Frank kept this to himself. I'd pay good money for both of Bob's books
Frank wasn't bad looking nor particularly fat, but he still settled down with someone like Gail. The general rule among guys is you don't stick it in a crazy and Frank did at least 4 times.
Bob's theory is that Frank let Gail be however she wanted because he was screwing other women constantly and obsessed with music so not very attentive. Frank got a wife that put up with his unconventional lifestyle. She hated that he cheated but he must've known she'd never leave. I suppose one theory is that he rattled her nerves and drove her crazy (literally). But who knows what goes on between two people.
@@DorriOlds @Dorri Olds It's because frank zappa was a pussy whipped Jerk like most guys. It happened to Lennon too. Did you see the video where Yoko shrieked on a stage that was shared by legend Chuck Berry? All because lennon was too pussy to tell yoko to go the fuck home? Just cause these guys could write good music doesn't mean they know a thing about raising bitches.
+Mark Yates-White Yes, you're right Mark. I always loved Zappa's music but never followed his life. Since he's been dead for 22 years I'm sure a lot of young people don't know much about him so I'm glad Bob and I talked. I also wrote articles for TheFix and my own site: DorriOlds.com and now I've read Bob's very personal book so I've learned even more. Thanks for commenting.
Hi Wayne, here's what Bobby Zappa said, "That's a new one for me. Don't ever recall Frank doing that. 3 days w/out sleep doesn't sound like something he could or would do."
Concerning not allowing people in the band that did drugs ? Two glaring exceptions were Flo & Eddie... Howard Kaylan claims that Frank even smoked with him on three separate occasions. (& promptly went to bed after)
What I don't understand is why Bob has to explain the surname of the four kids of his brother (in a 9 minutes interview)... This has nothing to do with what Bob and Frank went through in life together...
I was just curious to hear him talk about it. But perhaps you're right. It didn't need to be in there. The interview was actually much longer than 9 minutes. I posted other video excerpts and wrote a few articles about it. Thanks for your comment though!
Thank you for this. I'm curious - what lead you here? Any particular reason? Been watching a lot of FZ on UA-cam lately ( me thinks with Gail's passing that this stuff is finally getting out, either that or I just missed it before) but this is the first that I even heard about his brother.
Hi Jeloeb! I spoke on a Book EXPO panel about social media and how authors can promote themselves. Someone came up to me and said he was Bobby Zappa's best friend and asked if I was interested in talking to him about his book. I was very interested to hear about Zappa's personal life. So I went to speak with Bobby. After I interviewed him, he asked me to copyedit his book "Frankie & Bobby: Growing Up Zappa." Now Bobby and I are close buddies.
is there anyone remotely like frank zappa? because they'd be worth listening to, wouldn't they- great upload! isn't you tube just the greatest thing, now virtually anyone can be world-famous overnight, potentially! i don't know why i haven't tried to make a 'viral video', but it's a good idea, - easier said than done, i bet! first, i need to have something to say-- haha!
hey Dorri...Thanks for the comment on my comment (why did you say that? he is such a nice man) answer: I am not sure so I deleted it. My only thought is that maybe he was saying something about Frank I didn't appreciate. Have a good one!
TY. i’m only seeing most of these comments now. But i always appreciate feedback. I’m so glad that the iPhone 14 Pro has much better features. Cheers, Dorri
+Bruce Leslie Definitely not on stage. They may have taken drugs while they were in their hotels or socialising. This did not concern Frank. Only in his presence did he demand no drugs.
He dealt with Flo & Eddie's ways, yes. They all smoked in front of Frank when they met John & Yoko, according to Howard Kaylan's book. Lennon asked if anyone had any dope right off the bat when they met; within minutes, Howie retrieved some from his hotel room. Frank did not partake. However, after the Montreaux Casino fire, Frank did smoke with Howie & Mark. Pot made Frank sleepy the few times he did partake. I guess Frank wanted to avoid a sleepless night that night; all their stage gear was destroyed that night (minus one cowbell). Frank toked up & went to his room shortly after- again, according to Howard Kaylan. There are a few photos of the band in the hotel lobby just after the fire. The photos show Howard, Mark & Ian Underwood. Their facial expressions are very dour. Understandably so. And worse was yet to come in London, just shortly after...😒
Fascinating...interview....i could not help but notice the room and its objects...what's with the framed cartoon figures on the wall and the paper tree and rabbit? You should re-interview him and post a better sequel now that you know what kind of space and person you are interviewing. I would appreciate it as would many others. Bob would also.
Actually, no, Bob probably wouldn't like that! Those are his wife's things. Her apartment - before they married - was already decorated with many crafts. It looks rather like a museum. They're happy together but Bob would've preferred the video with no sculptures in the background but neither of us felt it was important enough to spend the time making another video without them. If I ever do make another video with him, I will however bring a stronger mic. I hadn't known that his voice is very soft.
It happens. No one can ever expect what conditions they will encounter. Try a Lavalier mic, the ones that clip on a shirt or coat lapel. This is still a good interview.
Dorri Olds "Absolutely Free" was intended as a social message more than anything, although it does have that psychedelic sound to it that was so popular at that time. Also, freeks shouldn't be lumped in with stoners; a freek's claim to being a freek is to be different from everyone else, unless of course you meant "freak" ;-)
Dorri Olds Thank-you for clarifying the difference :-) Yes, I do remember "Hungry Freaks", off the "Freakout!" album. I think one of the best social statements Zappa made about the Hippie movement can be found in "We're only in it for the Money".
I can fix the audio in this video at no charge so anyone responsible for this video can contact me if interested. I listened to the video with noise reduction which fixed the loud background noise but the difference in volume between the two people I would have to process manually.
@@DorriOlds No..I was very straight arrow in high school, and I was never a heavy imbiber. I had actually heard a lot of stuff in the mid-60's that had a similar sound and I never really considered whether songs were drug-influenced or not. It just struck me as fitting the sound environment of the time. I remember going to college and being astonished at how many people thought Zappa (and other bands) were into heavy drugs. San Francisco bands were infamous for drug use, but I was honestly mystified when people started sharing that the Beatles' songs had drug influences! I was really quite naive about that aspect of life. I just liked weird, funny songs played by good musicians!
@@garygomesvedicastrology I loved imbibing (from 11 to 26 years old). Not surprisingly, i crashed and burned but I’ve been sober now for 35 years. I still listen to tons of Hendrix, Led Zepp, Pink Floyd and others. I have fond memories of hearing that stuff in my young teens while tripping. Thx for commenting! Cheers.
@@DorriOlds Dorri, I wasn't entirely pure in college (particularly my Junior and Senior years in college) to be truthful, but I enjoyed life far more without intoxicants!
+pauline butcher bird the drug war is very unfortunate even today .I don't know if you're a big fan ,but I remember once I was visiting some upstairs neighbors, having a smoke and I started looking thru the guy's record collection.it soon became evident after about 10 albums actually, that he owned nothing but Zappa/Mothers vinyl .hilarious. Overnight Sensation is my personal favorite.
I interviewed Frank Zappa's brother! So much fun.
Dorri Olds Did he give any release info on the book?
I know! I hadn't known ahead of time that he cannot speak louder than that; he's had damage to his vocal chords. If I had known, of course I would've brought a microphone. Next time... Thanks for watching. Ciao.
Dorri Olds Really interesting. Thank you for posting this!!
Bob's book is available now at Barnes and Noble.
Yes, I hadn't known that Bob has a problem with his voice. He cannot speak any louder. Had i known ahead of time, I would've brought a better mic.
I certainly HOPE there's more to come! He seems like a very nice person, and a man who loved and respected his brother. We would do well if we all had family members like him.
The family gentleness is clear in this man's expressions. How sweet to see his brother talk about his brother.
Bobby is such a lovely man. Kind, honorable.
I worked with Bob at Simon $ Schuster we were on the same 3 person team. I remember him as a wonderful, funny soft-spoken, lovely friend. Miss u❤
Yes! He was a great friend. I miss him.
Frank continued to grow musically throughout his life. Personally I think his final contemporary classical compositions are exquisite. If a fan thinks Frank's best work was early on, that probably says a lot more about the fan than it does about Frank.
Or, it's just a matter of what someone likes to listen to, right?
Surely, the music a person likes says more about them than about the music. Aside from matters of taste, there are real frontiers in musical composition that Frank continued to advance throughout his life. Nicolas Slonimsky (preeminent 20th Century musicologist) described Frank as “THE pioneer of the next millennia of music”. If an early listener can’t yet appreciate the directions he went, I’d say it’s their loss, but n the other hand they have a wealth of wonderful listening experiences waiting for them. Thanks for posting this interview, btw.
@@SalamaSond Couldn't agree more. I also love Zappa's orchestral music, especially the Perfect Stranger and Yellow Shark albums. It's astonishing that even in the classical field Frank could write in almost any genre - from the tonal, late romantic/early modernist beauty of Outrage At Valdez to more clearly "modern" pieces like Times Beach, and even the neo-baroque Francesco Zappa stuff. And while you could often hear his influences, Zappa always had an original voice and was never a pastiche artist.
I've always felt that there's something for everyone in Zappa's work, or at least everyone who loves music. The only aspect of his work I no longer care for very much is the "satirical" comedy rock stuff, even though that's the stuff that initially inspired me to listen to him.
Hey Bob. Thanks for sharing your memories about your brother. It really means a lot to us fans to hear new things about Frank's life. He was a very special person and a big influence, politically, socially, musically. He helped shape minds.
... Mozart, Stravinsky, Zappa...
Zappa, like music itself.
Is the best.
Great interview Dorri.
+claytunes If you would like to know about Frank's home life after 1967, then try Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa by Pauline Butcher. It's the only book that describes Frank in detail behind the scenes during 1968 to 1972.
I've learned a lot about Frank over the years, but this is a part of Zappa history I did not realize could exist - thanks for doing this!
Bob Zappa, thanks for agreeing to do this interview and thank you Dorri for posting. I absolutely love Frank's music but unfortunately didn't discover it until he'd passed. Bob, it's obvious you loved and respected your brother and I'm sure he felt the same way.
Thank you!!
Bob seems such a self-effacing gentleman. Very interesting contrast to the forcefulness and frequent spikiness of Frank.
Wow the guy thats in this video was my history teacher in school. He mentioned frank zappa was his brother but part of me didnt believe me. If you see him tell him Keith miles 2010 graduate at school for excellence said hello. I'm glad to see he's doing well
Will do!
Their dad was a science teacher at mt bfs high school. Said he talked about everything but science
“Keith who?”
@@DorriOldsdo you actually keep in contact? A teacher in history myself - my uncle put me onto Frank Zappa. Lovely to hear him speak in subjects. Enjoyed the interview.
@@tottenhamteacher Bobby and I became great friends soon after he'd hired. me to help with his book "Frankie & Bobby: Growing Up Zappa" Our friendship lasted from 2015 until Bobby died Dec 8, 2018. I still miss him. He was a great guy and honorable man. I was at his lovely wedding to Diane Papalia Zappa. I have so many photos!
I think this video coulda been two hours long and it still woulda been very interesting. What a nice guy Bob was, truly! Rest in Peace.
Thank you! I miss him. He was a great friend.
What a lovely interview! Many thanks.
It's so wild to me that Frank Zappa's nephew studied under Bill Dixon. What a small, strange, wonderful world we're in. Thanks for doing all these interviews!
This is lovely. What a nice man.
Thanks!
I sometimes wonder if Franks Doctors were really "honest" about his check ups etc.
Thanks for sharing this interview it was quite interesting!!
Thanks!!
It's the chemo that kills people not the cancer, prostate cancer is rarely fatal if left untreated.
What killed Frank was trusting the corrupt evil medical system.
Kjell Eriksson Rockefeller Medicine model, is a killer.
According to Frank he had symptoms for many years but his doctors didnt test his psa for years
Frank must have had terrible Doctors. Of course it was the 80s and 90s and diagnosing disease is somewhat better now. But back then I was working in a hospital Surgical areas and a GU operating clinic and Frank Zappa should have had better care sooner. I saw an interview with Frank where he said he repeatedly went to Doctors that didn't help him correctly. With his fame and wealth, you would think he would have had the best, and If he did, what happened.
Well, I was not there so I don't know but I grew up in Edgewood and Aberdeen and Baltimore MD. 10 years after Frank and Family did. I read that Frank used to play with mercury that his Dad brought home from his job at Edgewood Arsenal, and so did I and my brother. I was a big Zappa fan from 1966 and still am a fan.
What a lucky guy----to grow up and spend some time with such a monster like Frank Zappa-----a genius and great man.
Enjoyed these stories of Zappa, he sure was into contemporary jazz and classical, that kind of music brought me to Zappa.
Am I the only one who paused the video and tried to picture Bob with a moustache?
Funny!
pictured him with a stash throughout th entire interview...uncanny resemblance
When you pause randomely the video sometimes you can see Frank expressions on the Bob's face
Fortune John: hahahaha. funny!
It's the eyebrows!
Thank you for this interview! Storytelling is a lost art.
Can't wait to read the book,,,,,Thanks for posting !
This is an insightful video, thanks for sharing.
Thnks for this little video Bob and Dorri.
I look forward to reading your book. I have always liked Frank’s music and I am keen to learn more about him, particularly when he was young.
Really great, thank you!
Brian Ingoldsby, who engineered "Hot Rats" ran a audio engineering school in North Hollywood that I attended. One night during our break he told us about working with Frank. Some new musicians had arrived and one of them was smoking a joint. Frank showed up and the noticed the musician with the pot and asked "hey man, can I have some of that?" and the fellow obliged, handing the joint over to Frank who then promptly stubbed the joint out on the guy's leg.
This was a sort of "side bar"anecdote that Ingoldsby provided after someone in class asked him which album that he had engineered was his favorite. He immediately said "Hot Rats."
😮 Wow. It doesn’t reeeally surprise me - based on what I already knew about. But Geez. That is not a pretty side of Frank. Thanks for sharing that story!! When i was a young teen on acid, i got “Freak Out” from a used record store in Greenwich Village. I assumed they were all on some fantastic LSD. 😂😂😂
Thanks for doing and posting this interview. It was great hearing about Frank from someone that new him so well.
@ Giant Robot: Frank was never a mystery to me. After listening to his music for a year or so, I did an oral book report on him in '75 when I was a Junior in High School based on the biography "No Commercial Potential". I also have and read his autobiography a few times. It's simple. Frank was a highly intelligent and powerful maverick/iconoclast and brilliant composer/musician with a purpose to entertain and provide a product that was different from the mainstream and enjoy himself and the creative process. But I CAN understand your wonder at how Frank or anyone for that matter came to be so brilliant. For what it's worth, I think everyone is endowed with a quantity of life force and intelligence. Some got a lot of it, others, not so much.
Dweezil is named after Frank's nickname for Gail's pinky toe. The only reason it wasn't on his birth certificate was because the nurse refused to allow it... but he was always called Dweezil and apparently as a young child demanded it be reinstated on his birth certificate, if I recall correctly from the Real Frank Zappa Book.
Curtis Killian I
Yes, that's true. Apparently Frank came up with a seven-word name (which included friends and band members) in the hospital because the nurse was going to let Gail sit there with labor pains until he had a more 'sensible' name.
synthonaplinth wow that’s ridiculous....what a shitty nurse.🙄🖕
Excellent interview! Love the book!
Thank you, Eric!!
He seems normal compared to Frank until you notice the background.
Thank-you so much! Bob and Dorri!
:) Thanks for commenting!
That's the shits ! After having bought and read both of Bob's books I can see he did some hard living himself. Glad he could reconnect with nieces and nephews.
Commenting on earlier comments regarding Ahmett..Gail...
I read the open letter AHMET wrote ..TO DWEEZIL...IN THE FUCKING NEW YORK TIMES..where he childishly...stupidly ..selfishly...
blatantly rants about what HE wants...what he believes...
ANd I READ DWEEZILS REPLY...BEAUTIFULLY DONE...where he clearly and concisely corrects AHMETw Facts...repeating Ahmets words back to him ...paragraph after paragraph...
AHMET LIES..MANIPULATED AVOIDED THE TRUTH...DWEEZIL NAILED HIM...ON GAILS THEFTS.LIES...ETC
I LOVE MOON AND DWEEZIL..FRANK is proud of these 2 loyal souls🍻❤
Cheers MOON AND DWEEZIL for standing up for Frank's Dignity.
Wonderful interview. Thanks!
Thank you for sharing this with us. ♥️
I didn’t know frank had a brother....very interesting...
He had another brother and I think a sister too.
This is fascinating, thanks.
Vincecouk: Thank you, too!! :)
Bob looks more like Dweezil than Frank, and FUCK AHMET!
Looks a bit like Andrew Cuomo.
He does look a lot like him, especially the eyes
I thought so too :)
different face....but it's like FRANK is looking
out of those eyes....
Brilliant! What a revelation to see those family bones articulated by an emotional presence.
Periurban: Yes, totally know what you mean. Thanks for commenting.
Bobby is a class guy,and I had a chance to interview him too..:)))))))))
cool. Do you have a link to your interview? Would love to hear or read it!
The book was good, but there were some odd bits left unclear and certainly there was probably a lot more interesting odds and ends he could have told to fill in more of the blanks. Overall, though, I did feel like I finally "got" Frank more than ever before-I always loved Frank, but he was always somehow inscrutable. I definitely did want to know how he got "that way" (whatever way that was, it's hard to tell) and this book helped me to understand better. Definitely. It's amazing, but when you can see a man as a child, suddenly he seems far less mysterious. I am now able to see interviews of Frank in his 30s and 40s and see the kid in Bobby's book.
He still does seem superhuman to me in his perseverance, though; he maintained that resilience of youth well into his last days. He decided he'd had enough of other musicians eventually, but he never gave up and he never seemed to have a problem standing up for himself, for others he cared about and standing up for what's right. How does one get to be so damned cocksure, that's what I want to know!? Well, it's fairly well explained in the book. Part of it was inherent in his personality, the rest of it probably came about from arguing with his dad and being moved around constantly as a kid.
One thing I wish Bob elaborated on was the little bit about Zappa making a deal with the devil. He could have given us more details on that, but he preferred to leave it hanging out there to be more intriguing, I guess. Personally, I found that annoying. It's interesting that he had a passing interest in the occult as a kid (don't most kids?) and he may have dated a witch (not that unusual in the 60s & 70s), but I think it's pretty clear from all of his lyrics that he does not believe in God, the devil or any other "cosmic debris." So... deal with the devil? I don't think so. Bob could have at least stated when he said this and what the context was. Frank was probably talking about a record contract and nothing more. Either that or making a simple joke. But, Bob just slips it in at the end of the chapter about Franks childhood interest in UFOs and the occult like maybe he really did make a pact with the devil. That's annoying. And kind of a crappy thing to do to Frank, imo.
not sure what you're talking about since Cosmic Debris just makes fun of everything woo woo supernatural and doesn't mention the devil.
+Atacama Humanoid While I was there in 1968, he took up an interest with Aleister Crowley who was definitely interested in the devil.
pauline butcher bird So interesting! I had never heard he was interested in Crowley before. He wouldn't have found a "deal with the devil" kit in Crowley's work, though. Crowley's work isn't like that. I have a bunch of Crowley's books, too. It's pretty difficult reading and I don't think with Frank's work schedule he'd have much time to do anything with it, but I could see why he would find it interesting. Most people do who read it. it's not "devil worship" like it's often made out to be. Crowley was an odd duck, but not a Satan-worshipper.
You sure that was Frank Or Jimmy Page ?
James Bruce I don't think she went on tour with Jimmy Page or wrote a book about Jimmy Page, so she's probably sure it was Frank. :)
Bobby Zappa a real one!!
I miss him. I was referred to him and he became a great client. We also became good friends and I was lucky enough to be at his wedding to Diane Papalia Zappa. Lovely woman.
Nice guy. Thanks for this!
Thank you! Yeah, he is a really nice guy.
He seems like a sweet guy.
He is!
Thanks for posting this.
Wow, first time I see Frank's brother speaking! The genius lives on, thanks!
Btw, I know all the lyrics too, hehe.
Do you know the origin of the term "Knirps for moisture" from Penguins in Bondage? It was the name of an umbrella company/manufacturer in Montreal. I also believe the origin of Moving to Montana was the result of him seeing dental floss floating all around his tour bus as the result of gals making beaded jewelry and such. Guessing he thought " I should invest in this stuff, I could become a dental floss tycoon!" LOL
The bunny is Bob's PR minder.
That’s his wife’s Bunny. Bobby wanted me to crop the bunny out. 🤣 But he was a good sport when i kept the bunny in the video 🤗
@@DorriOlds Well done both!
Frank hosted SNL in the late seventies.That's the first time I had ever seen him.I was in my teens.
Thank You for this.
Pure love.
Peace on erth.
thanks for sharing, I only knew Frank for several years 1972-5 when he produced our album For Real. Got to spend some time with his while touring also, very interesting dude, got him to do some disco dancing at a club in San Diego after our concert along with the Doobie Bros.
The first album I heard was Zoot Allures, I was kind of hooked after that.
Gail once said you either 'get' Frank or you don't, if you do you're in it for the long haul, never a truer word spoken
Hi from France. Interessant !
It must be just what they all need
Frank Zappa was a unique musician and performer.I'm glad that he was inducted into the Rock Hall.
Screw that R&R Hall of Fame for using someone Frank disliked intensly like Lou Reed to introduce Moon.
Frank said he named his second daughter Diva because she was the loudest screaming baby in the maternity ward, Bob.
ha ha. gone so many years and he still makes me laugh
Just started reading this book. Very,very good. Form this I think it sucks that he wasn't told Frank had died until the next day.
yes, it is disgraceful. So glad you're enjoying the book. Cheers, Dorri
+leftyfusion88 What he didn't add, but you can see him hesitating, is the fact that none of his family, Frank's mother, sister, nor brothers were invited to the funeral. In fact, since Frank was buried the next day, they didn't know until after Frank was buried that he'd died.
Yes, it's a terrible situation.
I know most all of franks lyrics RIP FZ
even the instrumentals....
Gosh, watching his brother makes me think of Frank being alive now. He would turn 75 this year.
Ian Euclid Calvin Donald ...Dweezil was named after Ian Underwood, wind instruments, Euclid was Euclid James Sherwood, (Motörhead) sax player, Calvin was Cal Schenkel, who did all the album covers & art...and Donald was Don Van Vliet (Captain Beefheart). Dweezil insisted on going to court at the age of five, to make his name legally Dweezil.Frank told me he was real proud of him when the judge asked him why. He said "I like Dweezil. I don't need all those other names. Nobody calls me them." So he was allowed to change his name. It's bizarre, Bobby, that you don't know Dweezil's birth names, nor where they came from!
I wonder why people feel so free to be rude on social media. Just saying.
thank you
You're very welcome.
again thanks...I subscribed
I remember talking to film critic Bill (the mustache) ? who claimed to be a friend of Bobby Zappa and was there for the Mother’s New York residency at the Garrick. He said they were the only ones who didn’t get high.
Sooooo interesting.
Lovely interview, Dorri. Seems like Frank went off like a skyrocket and you needed to see him by appointment after that. That'd be hard and a little awkward. A lot of families are connected by nice memories and thoughts, not necessarily regular communication.
Thanks for the kind words. Gail kept Frank from seeing his family. Maybe he put up with her controlling because he was never faithful to her!! It's strange how couples maneuver their relationships differently.
I think you are on the money there!
Damn, I'd like to read that book. Guess I'll have to look/keep an eye out for it.
Want more interview...
+rongravy you can order it here: www.amazon.com/Frankie-Bobby-Growing-Up-Zappa/dp/099647790X
Seems like a great guy!
Bertil Knudsen He really is. Very kind, warm, unpretentious.
just bought the ebook! this will be interesting.
i was always partial to We Are Only In It For The Money
That was my first lp.
@@progger53 My first LP was Todd Rundgren’s “Runt”
it's cool when Frank uses words like lookit.
That's a very Southern California slang. Our kids would say that when we lived there briefly.
Frank was only HOT from 68-72 ?!?! naahhhhhh I'd say 68-80. After Joe's Garage is when things kind of got slow.
Thanks for setting me straight, John. :)
+Dorri Olds lol
+John Patton I totally agree with you.
He left you behind ,,,Does humour belong in music ,Them or us to name but two
Fair enough, but add You Are What You Is & the Guitar series as well, huh ? 😎
Wasn't he Minnesota Tishman in Uncle Meat? "I'm using the chicken to measure it."
Great book.
Really? Again with the question about the names of his kids? Every single interview... Is there a law somewhere that I don't know about, that you can't talk to or about Frank Zappa without mentioning his kids' names? I can only imagine how much everyone in the Zappa family inwardly rolls their eyes every time that comes up.
What does it say about a culture when one of its greatest composers of the last century is known most for the "weird" names he gave his kids and for a poster of him sitting on a toilet?
MassExtinctionEvent Hi. You have to remember that Zappa fans are a segment of the population but articles I write are also for those who don't even know who Zappa was. Zappa's kids names are still funny and if someone never read about it, they will be amused. I think people focus on the names so much because it was a very Zappa-like quirk to give them the names he did. It kind of sums up his strange and wonderful obsession with words. I have more videos that I will post soon. Thanks for commenting.
Sheesh..Zappa fans are such misanthropes! I am one of them.
Look at Elon Musk
I didn't have a clue. I read the official autobiography when I was a kid but didn't know that Gail resented Frank's own family. If I recall right he might have mentioned his family members in passing while writing about Edgar Varese but I didn't expect this much hate from Gail in this scale. Frank kept this to himself. I'd pay good money for both of Bob's books
So much awful stuff going on under the radar. :'( I feel bad for Bob and for Moon and Dweezil. Sad stuff.
Frank wasn't bad looking nor particularly fat, but he still settled down with someone like Gail. The general rule among guys is you don't stick it in a crazy and Frank did at least 4 times.
Bob's theory is that Frank let Gail be however she wanted because he was screwing other women constantly and obsessed with music so not very attentive. Frank got a wife that put up with his unconventional lifestyle. She hated that he cheated but he must've known she'd never leave. I suppose one theory is that he rattled her nerves and drove her crazy (literally). But who knows what goes on between two people.
@@DorriOlds @Dorri Olds It's because frank zappa was a pussy whipped Jerk like most guys. It happened to Lennon too. Did you see the video where Yoko shrieked on a stage that was shared by legend Chuck Berry? All because lennon was too pussy to tell yoko to go the fuck home? Just cause these guys could write good music doesn't mean they know a thing about raising bitches.
Diva was named because she screamed loudly. Dweezil was Franks nickname for one of Gails toes. Commonly known facts.
Yes, thank you. learned a lot since I first met Bob. I always loved Zappa's music but never followed any info about Zappa's personal life.
interviewer asks lots of questions that are answered in zappa's book, and on his wikipedia page, even. bob gave great answers though.
+Mark Yates-White Yes, you're right Mark. I always loved Zappa's music but never followed his life. Since he's been dead for 22 years I'm sure a lot of young people don't know much about him so I'm glad Bob and I talked. I also wrote articles for TheFix and my own site: DorriOlds.com and now I've read Bob's very personal book so I've learned even more. Thanks for commenting.
I'd like to ask Bob, When did Frank Find Out/Realize He could Stay Up 2 or 3 Days without Sleep? That may have Contributed to His Health Problems?
Good question. I'll ask Bob.
Hi Wayne, here's what Bobby Zappa said, "That's a new one for me. Don't ever recall Frank doing that. 3 days w/out sleep doesn't sound like something he could or would do."
He did say that caffeine was his drug.
Concerning not allowing people in the band that did drugs ? Two glaring exceptions were Flo & Eddie... Howard Kaylan claims that Frank even smoked with him on three separate occasions. (& promptly went to bed after)
mellotronage Interesting! I’ll tell Bobby. Thx.
Quietly spoken ..
I knew I spelled it right(wrong)!
What I don't understand is why Bob has to explain the surname of the four kids of his brother (in a 9 minutes interview)... This has nothing to do with what Bob and Frank went through in life together...
I was just curious to hear him talk about it. But perhaps you're right. It didn't need to be in there. The interview was actually much longer than 9 minutes. I posted other video excerpts and wrote a few articles about it. Thanks for your comment though!
Great
Thank you for this. I'm curious - what lead you here? Any particular reason? Been watching a lot of FZ on UA-cam lately ( me thinks with Gail's passing that this stuff is finally getting out, either that or I just missed it before) but this is the first that I even heard about his brother.
Hi Jeloeb! I spoke on a Book EXPO panel about social media and how authors can promote themselves. Someone came up to me and said he was Bobby Zappa's best friend and asked if I was interested in talking to him about his book. I was very interested to hear about Zappa's personal life. So I went to speak with Bobby. After I interviewed him, he asked me to copyedit his book "Frankie & Bobby: Growing Up Zappa." Now Bobby and I are close buddies.
Just saw your reply. Thank you Dorri. That's great how that happened. A lot of times it's those serendipitous moments that are the best.
good stuff~ !
Thank you!
is there anyone remotely like frank zappa? because they'd be worth listening to, wouldn't they- great upload!
isn't you tube just the greatest thing, now virtually anyone can be world-famous overnight, potentially! i don't know why i haven't tried to make a 'viral video', but it's a good idea, - easier said than done, i bet! first, i need to have something to say-- haha!
hey Dorri...Thanks for the comment on my comment (why did you say that? he is such a nice man) answer: I am not sure so I deleted it. My only thought is that maybe he was saying something about Frank I didn't appreciate. Have a good one!
Ah, I see. Just so you know, Bobby loved Frank completely. Tears still come to his eyes a lot of times when he talks about him.
He could play Leonard Nimoy in a biopic.
Dorri I think you can use compression to bring in the voice a little louder.
TY. i’m only seeing most of these comments now. But i always appreciate feedback. I’m so glad that the iPhone 14 Pro has much better features. Cheers, Dorri
Frank Did put up with Flo and Eddie's pot smoking
+Bruce Leslie Definitely not on stage. They may have taken drugs while they were in their hotels or socialising. This did not concern Frank. Only in his presence did he demand no drugs.
He dealt with Flo & Eddie's ways, yes. They all smoked in front of Frank when they met John & Yoko, according to Howard Kaylan's book. Lennon asked if anyone had any dope right off the bat when they met; within minutes, Howie retrieved some from his hotel room. Frank did not partake.
However, after the Montreaux Casino fire, Frank did smoke with Howie & Mark.
Pot made Frank sleepy the few times he did partake.
I guess Frank wanted to avoid a sleepless night that night; all their stage gear was destroyed that night (minus one cowbell). Frank toked up & went to his room shortly after- again, according to Howard Kaylan.
There are a few photos of the band in the hotel lobby just after the fire. The photos show Howard, Mark & Ian Underwood. Their facial expressions are very dour. Understandably so. And worse was yet to come in London, just shortly after...😒
"A pair of gym socks, formerly owned by Carl Zappa and still damp."
Beautiful interview.
Carl Zappa.
@@kurancy
oops...youre right. Carl Zapppa
Gail did not let Frank's own mother say her last goodbye or some such jazz...
so disgraceful!
She was a very disturbed and angry woman IMHO
Fascinating...interview....i could not help but notice the room and its objects...what's with the framed cartoon figures on the wall and the paper tree and rabbit? You should re-interview him and post a better sequel now that you know what kind of space and person you are interviewing. I would appreciate it as would many others. Bob would also.
Actually, no, Bob probably wouldn't like that! Those are his wife's things. Her apartment - before they married - was already decorated with many crafts. It looks rather like a museum. They're happy together but Bob would've preferred the video with no sculptures in the background but neither of us felt it was important enough to spend the time making another video without them. If I ever do make another video with him, I will however bring a stronger mic. I hadn't known that his voice is very soft.
It happens. No one can ever expect what conditions they will encounter. Try a Lavalier mic, the ones that clip on a shirt or coat lapel. This is still a good interview.
Thank you!!
Dorri Olds "Absolutely Free" was intended as a social message more than anything, although it does have that psychedelic sound to it that was so popular at that time. Also, freeks shouldn't be lumped in with stoners; a freek's claim to being a freek is to be different from everyone else, unless of course you meant "freak" ;-)
MrGtoriginal I meant "freak" - in the Seventies - and even now - freaks look like Grateful Dead heads. Do you remember Zappa's "Hungry Freaks"? :)
Dorri Olds Thank-you for clarifying the difference :-) Yes, I do remember "Hungry Freaks", off the "Freakout!" album. I think one of the best social statements Zappa made about the Hippie movement can be found in "We're only in it for the Money".
I can fix the audio in this video at no charge so anyone responsible for this video can contact me if interested. I listened to the video with noise reduction which fixed the loud background noise but the difference in volume between the two people I would have to process manually.
I never considered Freak Out as psychedelic-sounding.
Had you done acid? “Help, I’m a Rock” sounded wonderfully trippy to me. ☺️
@@DorriOlds No..I was very straight arrow in high school, and I was never a heavy imbiber. I had actually heard a lot of stuff in the mid-60's that had a similar sound and I never really considered whether songs were drug-influenced or not. It just struck me as fitting the sound environment of the time. I remember going to college and being astonished at how many people thought Zappa (and other bands) were into heavy drugs.
San Francisco bands were infamous for drug use, but I was honestly mystified when people started sharing that the Beatles' songs had drug influences! I was really quite naive about that aspect of life. I just liked weird, funny songs played by good musicians!
@@garygomesvedicastrology I loved imbibing (from 11 to 26 years old). Not surprisingly, i crashed and burned but I’ve been sober now for 35 years. I still listen to tons of Hendrix, Led Zepp, Pink Floyd and others. I have fond memories of hearing that stuff in my young teens while tripping. Thx for commenting! Cheers.
@@DorriOlds Dorri,
I wasn't entirely pure in college (particularly my Junior and Senior years in college) to be truthful, but I enjoyed life far more without intoxicants!
@@garygomesvedicastrology You are a lucky man! Smart too! If only I’d felt that way. Addiction is soul-crushing.
RIP Robert
I miss Bobby. He was a great friend. A kind & honorable person who smiled a lot.
Good video, but I wish the audio was better.
Yes, me too. I hadn't known ahead of time that he cannot speak louder. Would've brought an extra mic. Thanks for commenting.
+pauline butcher bird the drug war is very unfortunate even today .I don't know if you're a big fan ,but I remember once I was visiting some upstairs neighbors, having a smoke and I started looking thru the guy's record collection.it soon became evident after about 10 albums actually, that he owned nothing but Zappa/Mothers vinyl .hilarious. Overnight Sensation is my personal favorite.
overnite sensation is how its spelled on the album......
+pauline Butcher Bird was FZ's secretary for a time.
Great video, is there a part 2?
There are a few videos. Go to my channel and click on videos and you'll see 3 more. Thanks for your interest!
It's strange how he looks like Ahmet, at some angles. Uncle's meat, maybe...