The lighting and camera are really fantastic on this interview. Primo job, guys! People say Frank was an asshole, but every time I watch an interview, I can't help but notice how patient he is with interviewers.
Met him once when I was 19. He was respectful and he listened. And he'd just come out of a Mothers gig in which most of the audience had walked out when the band came onto the stage. I found him in that brief encounter to be indeed a patient, genuine human being.
Compared to the mic technique, they actually are. Perhaps the person being interviewed should have the mic in closer proximity, not the interviewer????????
Taking this whole interview (all the other parts) into account, i can say that i don't necessarily agree with everything he says but someone who has thought so deeply about such a variety of topics and come up with his own views on them instead of simply regurgitating popular rhetoric has to be respected. Very wise man.
This is a superb interview !! Thanks for posting this; it is really a rare, mature style of interviewing. Zappa usually holds a lot of contempt for the journalists that interview him, but in this case, Zappa seems to be willing to talk seriously and earnestly, without the nasty sarcasm he often has. I've watched this interview repeatedly, and it is definitely one of the best, most thoughtful, and dignified interviews ever done with Zappa. The director of this interview obviously knew how to shoot a serious interview, and Zappa seems to show a rare respect to the interviewer.
,,, there is an interview with Terkel that is as noteworthy and brilliant as the Terkel%Zappa one,, highly recammended ... owl th' wary beast n best fishes from bEARlin ... .. . ......
He does seem to be suffering here. I guess with the cancer he was in a lot of pain, but I guess he knew his time was short so he clearly wanted to be understood clearly here.
@@The7Portals that's because you're a twit. and both of those things are not mutually exclusive. He was a dissociative asshole who loved to sound cynical and edgy and he was a visionary and a remarkable musician.
I think that he had the curse of anger, and spent his time trying to get acknowlegment for his thinking ability, rather than just relaxing and enjoying whatever God gave him. There are lots of smart people in show biz, but they don't try to wear it like a banner.
So very insightful. Bang on about classical music not being a popular genre with young people because it hasn't video. He clarifies that very well at about 6:00. Theses old interviews are very enlightening as to the mind of Frank Zappa... such a deep thinker.
I miss Zappa. I wonder what he'd make of the world now. I imagine a panel show with him and Bill Hicks. That would be fun and educational. Luv and Peace.
I absolutely love Zappa. There is no-one like him now. No-one to make the kind of social commentary that he made when he was alive. A genius, there is no doubt of it. Zappa's music should be taught in schools...not just the music, but the lyrics too! Imagine getting taught how to play and sing 'Crew Slut' at school? That would have made my education MUCH more interesting...
I was fortunate enough to have seen Zappa live at Birmingham NEC in the late 80s. I don't believe I will ever get to see anything so superbly put together and performed ever again!
I'm SO JEALOUS of you! I would have loved to have seen him live. I've seen Dweezil twice, but that isn't the same. He's a phenomenal guitarist, just like his Dad was, though. I think Western society NEEDS another person like Uncle Frank, really badly. We're slipping further and further into a mire of materialism and corruption...money dictates everything these days.
Zappa shot the first feature length film on video (200 Motels) and in 1983 he predicted the model that would become online file sharing and downloading. Regardless of anyone's opinion of his music, which I love, nobody can accurately deny that the man was an innovative genius, in a wide variety of fields. www.techdirt.com/articles/20090405/1806484395.shtml
Oh man, thanks for attaching the cool article. Zappa saw the basics to computer information storage and file sharing early. Only time could have told us, and since his idea didnt grab then, we will never know. But his perception that music listeners like to "fondle and fetish" the vinyl and cardboard, is quite removed to me. I percieve it as extreme interest in the musicians, graphic artists, and engineers of the material, with a desire to learn more about it/them. Music makes humans feel things, and sometimes very intense. In his view, i must have thousands of fetishes that i want to fondle?? He difinitly had a different ( or weird, pending who's sayin it) perception to life, music, and people of the world. Some say he was a genius, I think he was one weird mothereffer (with a flair of arroagance), that would have been successful in whatever career path he chose. He was just too damn interesting not to be noticed, in whatever he did. It just happen to be music.
He mentored my dear friend when he was just starting out in the industry. He became a father figure to him. Gentle, loving and humble. And of course outspoken. His death wrecked my friend. Once he was done mourning his musical and philosophical style changed (for the better) drastically. He thinks of him daily.
The classical music video he described is pretty much exactly what Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are, and I'd say they've done a pretty good job at introducing kids to classical/orchestral music.
FZ may be long dead now, but his extraordinary music and ideas live on. It is the hater-trolls here who are truly dead - dead in their brains, dead in their souls, dead in their hearts. You have to wonder why they’re so threatened by a musician, and who or what causes them to search FZ online and take such trouble to post their worthless lies.
***** I don't think he was ignorant in regards to Elvis. Elvis was a shit musician. Myself or any of my musician friends and most musicians that I have met or listened to can play circles around Elvis. He was a shitty guitar player and his vocal style was a shitty impersonation of blues singers at the time, not to mention he never really wrote a song. He's only famous because women think he's handsome and he came along at the right place and right time to become famous. End of story. No talent whatsoever. Regardless of whether or not Zappa is your cup of tea, he is actually an excellent skilled guitar player that wrote thousands of compositions having actual musical integrity and complexity. Frank Zappa actually had shit to say, and said it regardless of morons' opinions toward him. He was musically educated far beyond the realm of 50s pop music, and anyone that is truly musically educated knows that Elvis is severely overrated.
This is the same interview where he called Jimi Hendrix "Musically illiterate"? What a pompous arrogant puff. Music is all about hearing not about seeing. Why would someone like Zappa, who is supposedly “musically literate”, need to be in a working relationship with Jimi in order to write his music down? It’s because Zappa and those pompous puffs who are like him are the ones that are “musically illiterate”. If Zappa was “musically literate” all he would have needed to do is use his ears to listen to Jimi’s recordings and use his ears to pick up Jimi’s notes and then play those notes on his instrument to find out which notes they are and then write those notes down on a score. But you see Zappa couldn't do that like most “literate musicians” because they need to see the notes played on an instrument in order to find out which notes they are and then write them down. Many so-called “literate” musicians also need to see the notes of a song on a score in order to play the song on their instrument. They can’t listen to a song and pick it up with their ear and then play it on their instrument because in truth, they are the ones who are “musically illiterate”. They don’t have the ear to pick up the notes audibly and transfer those notes to their instrument. Music is all about having a gifted ear and has always existed and was created and played by ear millennia before someone invented a technique to create images to represent the different pitches they heard. I can’t stand these pompous theorists who puff themselves up because they can do something that other musicians can’t do even though it has nothing to do with their musical capabilities which is all about the ear not the eye.
jack sqwat meaning simply that Hendrix couldn't read or write music, which is simple fact. Not that Hendrix wasn't a good musician. If Frank had thought that, he wouldn't have said Hendrix needed someone to transcribe his music.
Jimi didn't need anyone to "transcribe" his music. But they needed to be with Jimi in person in order to “transcribe” his music because they were unable to transcribe it by ear from his voluminous amount of recordings. They needed to see the notes he was playing on his instrument with their eyes because most instrumentalists who are trained from the beginning to read and write music can only pick up music by reading a score but not by the ear. That’s the difference between having a gifted ear and not having a gifted ear. Truly great musicians only need to hear the notes from recordings and then they can play (transfer) what they hear with amazing accuracy directly on to their instrument because being a gifted musician is about having a gifted ear and has nothing to do with the eye. That’s why many blind people are great musicians because it’s all about the ear not the eye. Here’s a mystery coming from a “musically illiterate”: There are only two things that have always existed…. two things that never had a beginning and will never have an end…. two things that will be here for eternity long after those dead temporary written down notes turn to ashes along with the puffed up arrogant theorists who exist by them…: Life and Music.
I think the reason Zappa gets such a hard time is because he managed to have views that pissed everyone off. He was adamantly anti-drugs, giving him an unpopular shake with his peers in the music industry who did. These were mostly liberals who were pro-drugs. This is one of many examples I could use of Zappa's views breaking conformity with his peers in the industry. Furthermore, he was adamantly anti-censorship, which was the work of pro-authoritarian, Christian conservatives. Zappa is probably best classified today as a Libertarian. He seems like he has conservative values, however.
I pretty much agree with most things Frank Zappa had to say, but I cannot understand how it is humanly possible not to find Beethoven's music interesting.
+Classical Music11 I dont know why but agree with zappa, find more interesting to stravinsky, wagner, revueltas, takemitsu, or some late baroque like js bach music or their sons, there is an amazing fuga from w.f bach that I really enjoy, I think is about the personality since childhood from each of us, not about each composer that we like or should like to us in the view of point of people.
A once in a life time GENIUS is this man you see on this video, and he lived well beyond his time! Physically he lived in the 70'ies, 80'ies but his mind was up to date to our time. Frank Zappa was considered a weirdo, a freak by mainstream because his words did not fit into the big lie. And no one likes to see, hear the truth when its ugly. It scares people. Thats exactly what Zappa did when he talked he freaked "them"out as he saw them for what they were about and exposed them with brutal naked truth. In a "Deal with it!" style. Days passed, White House isn't that white no more and the "freak" became a hero while the hero was exposed to be a freak and liar nasty SOB as it was said by the then "freak" Zappa. Amazing to see some unique people capable to understand complicated issues for being what they are before society accepts it.
+Anchovy Rancher Thanks for correcting me. You managed somehow to miss my point. Anyway, I correct it here for you: "... he lived his mature life in the 60'ies, 70'ies, 80'ies and passed away in early 90'ies...." - and now please feel free to comment on the meaning of my comment and discuss it! You agree? Or disagree with me? If yes then why? I made a statement above describing him as s genius who lived well beyond his time many people around him didn't understand him. Scared them so they labelled him Crazy. What was actually crazy is to label him crazy as he wasn't crazy at all. It is like a guy would be sent back from 2016 to 1920 to tell about cell phones and internet. He would try hard to explain that how it works but they didn't have phones yet so what ever he would say they wouldn't believe him.
+Jack London I disagree that he was viewed as a weirdo by the mainstream. All through the 80s he was given vast exposure on mainstream TV. He was admired extensively by the media.
Who is 'them'? Who is 'they'? I think Frank Zappa was extraordinary but you give him far too much credit beyond his capabilities. Also, the media gave Frank Zappa great respect, particularly after he turned his attention to politics. You've really got the whole thing skewed.
There is a difference between constructive criticism and negative criticism. He has always done the latter without attempting to give the solution following his criticism.That is what closed minded people like Rush Limbaugh do and will never take responsibility for any of their own faults or mistakes. Those are the worst humans to ever live on this earth.
***** If you know he is one of the worst humans on earth(what a stupid comment) why are wanting to watch a interview with him? Oh I know, you are a troll.
These interviews were for an A&E program called "The Class Of the 20th Century" which was broadcast in 1992. They didn't use too much of this footage so it's interesting to see it here.
I am 40 and I am very glad that the younger generations love quality music and that they are impressed by quality people. Frank was far ahead of his time.
Traveled to aspen CO to attend the Aspen school of music it was one of the most memorable experiences, submerged in classical music. Some classical I’d engineered assisting rocked!
I take to heart his comment about how to get classical music over to kids. Part of my musical education was from Looney Tunes: Liszt, Grieg, etc. I discovered Gorecki's Third Symphony through the movie Fearless. Cartoons and kids' shows like Sesame Street are invaluable tools for introducing children to great music. And my parents helped, too. ;)
I'm puzzled why several of the people below have watched this - why would anyone want to watch/listen to someone that they don't like? Although I notice he does refer the aforementioned viewers at 4:45
a gifted man,now i'm his age i can relate to him,theres so much in life to take in + so little time,and to make "ones mark" as he did is amazing ,respects to you ,p
He's certainly right about audiences needing additional visual stimulation to really get into a piece of music they're not familiar with. Just take Disney's Fantasia, for example. How many kids weren't introduced to the classics by watching that? The sad part (and it's something you hear a LOT these days), is how these kids then grow up, associating the music with the film or video (or game) they watched as a child, rather than simply enjoying it for its own merits. Watch any of the reaction videos here on the tube, and inevitably, the kids are going to say "That's the song from Glee/High School Musical/Pitch Perfect!) or any number of other garbage. Very rarely do they know where the music actually came from and who wrote and/or performed it. And they certainly don't stop to think about what it possibly means. At least not on a more than superficial level. Music has become disposable, and it needs music videos to register with the public at all. For a week or two...
sou fã de Frank Zappa desde 1977 fiquei fã quando o ouvi a primeira vez, fico muito feliz quando vejo que tem muita gente que o conhece como eu. Zé Mesquita. Pirenópolis Goiás, Brasil
hi - I think that this was probably a bit earlier than 1990 - during the "presidential election" section zappa mentions americans that have damaged democracy (hoover, nixon, reagan etc.) and says "maybe bush too, we'll find out in a couple of weeks" which indicates that this happened after the election in November 1988 but before the inauguration in January 1989 - so maybe December 1988 is a good guess - hope that helps.
Yes, Edgar Vares was working on the worldfair in Brussels. The stand he workt on was Phillips Elecronic (who else?) a Dutch company. The Netherlands being pretty forward in those things in those days. No wonder Zappa got his dancing feet on the ground there first before getting real musical fame in the USA.
Frank is good guys , but his friend Captain Beefheart is the real thing . and he rarely speaks about him . C B was lead singer on the Hot Rats and Willie the Pimp.
It's a shame he failed to answer the first question about what he was like as a kid - 'got into trouble' but failed to explain what trouble. I would like the interviewer to have pressed more here. Also I found it painful watching him under duress. He looks ill and in pain. The light has gone out of his eyes.
As a Zappa fan I've read Frank's Real book and actually I don't like it. I think it rambles all over the place and leaves out so much that I wanted to know.
If you're into learning more about Frank Zappa, you might like to try my own book, Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa. It covers 1968 to 1972 when Frank was first famous with the Mothers of Invention, his life at home with his wife and first two children, Moon and Dweezil, at the log cabin in Laurel Canyon and later in Woodrow Wilson Drive where he lived for the rest of his life and where he died. It is not about the music, more about the man.
frank is right on the money about images having to be tied to a piece of music in order for some people to be interested in it. I was worried around this time that 'live' music would die because of MTV. I was wrong thank heaven. a prime example of what frank is saying (I'm surprised he didn't point it out) is ''ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK ''by Bill Haley. it was on the soundtrack of ''BLACKBOARD JUNGLE'.although the song had been in record stores for... a while (not as a soundtrack because only musicals released soundtracks back then ), it didn't hit pay dirt until the movie came out. It starts off w/ this soon to be rock classic .the rest as they say, is history. looking at it another way, I can't hear ''rags to riches'' by tony bennet the same way ever again after GOODFELLAS. the movie always comes into my head when I hear it.
Of the countless reasons I wish Zappa was still alive one of the most tantalizing would be to hear him dish on Trump and the last 4 years of surreal idiocy.
I'm surprised FZ doesn't mention "Fantasia" when he talk about videos of classical music. Dinosaurs and volcanic eruptions were certainly a great way to get my 8 year-old mind interested in Stravinsky's Rite of Spring!
"Now, if you were to take the premise, that a film which was constructed just for the purpose of visualising instrumental pieces. If the film was successful, then those pieces would a life of their own in the record market for the younger audience. If the film was something that that audience saw and enjoyed." I think this claim certainly has a ring of truth to it. Take Dir. Godfrey Reggio's 1982 film release 'Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance', the first film of the Qatsi trilogy. It has neither vocalised narration nor dialogue of any kind. Instead, the film's visual narration is complemented and driven by a minimalist contemporary classical music score by Philip Glass. Koyaanisqatsi currently has an IMDb rating of 8,3/10 (over 27K ratings). In my view, the huge popularity of the film is not least due to the stunning musical score, and in fact, the music itself became so popular that once the film was out, the Philip Glass Ensemble toured the world over, playing the music live in front of movie screens. I was a young metal -and ravehead when I first saw the film, but was immediately captivated by the score, even if it back then was completely new a strange kind of music to me.
That's true about classical music popularity being associated with images. Like in Apocalypse Now when they destroy the village. Thereafter the song was popularized for consumers
I wouldt be able to ask one intelligent question to a man like Frank. It seems any question seeems stupid and offensive to him. That said...thanks for the balls or naivity of the interviewer. We have this knowledge. God given. So hard not to believe and praise God after listening to this genious.
@ISamuelII Hey just said something at 7:45+ about Bush taking office in a few weeks. As well as the Nixin Lib inaguration which was in 1990. Miss this smart dood.
i think zappa as a child make bombs , loved chemistry and probably got his father in trouble for explosions , he gave up chemistrical explosions for music . a theory
It is well known (well perhaps not to you) that Frank Zappa is against drug use, and is not a drug user himself. His eyes are clear and he in no way looks stoned. Intelligent thought like his only can come out of a sober person.
The lighting and camera are really fantastic on this interview. Primo job, guys!
People say Frank was an asshole, but every time I watch an interview, I can't help but notice how patient he is with interviewers.
+Atacama Humanoid He was not an asshole. He spoke his mind, he provoked for good reason, he was no asshole.
Dave I'm glad you agree.
Met him once when I was 19. He was respectful and he listened. And he'd just come out of a Mothers gig in which most of the audience had walked out when the band came onto the stage. I found him in that brief encounter to be indeed a patient, genuine human being.
Compared to the mic technique, they actually are. Perhaps the person being interviewed should have the mic in closer proximity, not the interviewer????????
True but still a great interview and he was relaxed and cool in the interview
Taking this whole interview (all the other parts) into account, i can say that i don't necessarily agree with everything he says but someone who has thought so deeply about such a variety of topics and come up with his own views on them instead of simply regurgitating popular rhetoric has to be respected. Very wise man.
pre internet days were a lot like that
@@mhringrose true
This is a superb interview !! Thanks for posting this; it is really a rare, mature style of interviewing. Zappa usually holds a lot of contempt for the journalists that interview him, but in this case, Zappa seems to be willing to talk seriously and earnestly, without the nasty sarcasm he often has. I've watched this interview repeatedly, and it is definitely one of the best, most thoughtful, and dignified interviews ever done with Zappa. The director of this interview obviously knew how to shoot a serious interview, and Zappa seems to show a rare respect to the interviewer.
,,, there is an interview with Terkel that is as noteworthy and brilliant as the Terkel%Zappa one,, highly recammended ... owl th' wary beast n best fishes from bEARlin ... .. . ......
He does seem to be suffering here. I guess with the cancer he was in a lot of pain, but I guess he knew his time was short so he clearly wanted to be understood clearly here.
This is an amazing interview...one of the most honest and straighforward men
You make him sound like he’s some right rebel visionary. He’s just some dissociative asshole who loves to sound cynical and edgy.
@@The7Portals that's because you're a twit. and both of those things are not mutually exclusive. He was a dissociative asshole who loved to sound cynical and edgy and he was a visionary and a remarkable musician.
"Being interviewed is one of the most abnormal things that you can do to somebody else. It's two steps removed from the Inquisition" Frank Zappa
Frank has the curse of the thinker but seems to handle it well.
If you say so. ( )*( )
I think that he had the curse of anger, and spent his time trying to get acknowlegment for his thinking ability, rather than just relaxing and enjoying whatever God gave him. There are lots of smart people in show biz, but they don't try to wear it like a banner.
So very insightful. Bang on about classical music not being a popular genre with young people because it hasn't video. He clarifies that very well at about 6:00. Theses old interviews are very enlightening as to the mind of Frank Zappa... such a deep thinker.
I miss Zappa.
I wonder what he'd make of the world now.
I imagine a panel show with him and Bill Hicks.
That would be fun and educational.
Luv and Peace.
WOW! That show would be epic!!! :)
I absolutely love Zappa. There is no-one like him now. No-one to make the kind of social commentary that he made when he was alive. A genius, there is no doubt of it. Zappa's music should be taught in schools...not just the music, but the lyrics too! Imagine getting taught how to play and sing 'Crew Slut' at school? That would have made my education MUCH more interesting...
Ian Edmonds Zappa was against drugs.
That's right.
What's your point?
Lucia 23 Actually he wasn't, he just didn't find the need to use it. Despite this, he was still in favour of decriminalization and regulation of it.
I was fortunate enough to have seen Zappa live at Birmingham NEC in the late 80s. I don't believe I will ever get to see anything so superbly put together and performed ever again!
I'm SO JEALOUS of you! I would have loved to have seen him live. I've seen Dweezil twice, but that isn't the same. He's a phenomenal guitarist, just like his Dad was, though. I think Western society NEEDS another person like Uncle Frank, really badly. We're slipping further and further into a mire of materialism and corruption...money dictates everything these days.
Zappa shot the first feature length film on video (200 Motels) and in 1983 he predicted the model that would become online file sharing and downloading. Regardless of anyone's opinion of his music, which I love, nobody can accurately deny that the man was an innovative genius, in a wide variety of fields.
www.techdirt.com/articles/20090405/1806484395.shtml
Oh man, thanks for attaching the cool article. Zappa saw the basics to computer information storage and file sharing early. Only time could have told us, and since his idea didnt grab then, we will never know. But his perception that music listeners like to "fondle and fetish" the vinyl and cardboard, is quite removed to me. I percieve it as extreme interest in the musicians, graphic artists, and engineers of the material, with a desire to learn more about it/them. Music makes humans feel things, and sometimes very intense. In his view, i must have thousands of fetishes that i want to fondle?? He difinitly had a different ( or weird, pending who's sayin it) perception to life, music, and people of the world. Some say he was a genius, I think he was one weird mothereffer (with a flair of arroagance), that would have been successful in whatever career path he chose. He was just too damn interesting not to be noticed, in whatever he did. It just happen to be music.
Fantastic interview, I watched the whole thing. Thanks for posting!! it's great to see Frank so relaxed and articulate.
Though he's no longer with us on this plane, Frank's like an oracle we can refer to time and again (thanks to youtube) to keep our sanity
Are you serious?
He mentored my dear friend when he was just starting out in the industry.
He became a father figure to him.
Gentle, loving and humble.
And of course outspoken.
His death wrecked my friend. Once he was done mourning his musical and philosophical style changed (for the better) drastically.
He thinks of him daily.
Thanks for putting this back up, great interview.
I think I won't be sleeping tonight as I watch all 7 parts of this, Niles. FZ is amazing to watch and try to fathom.
Awesome interview! Thanks for posting!
Amazing interview, thank you so much for posting this!!!
The classical music video he described is pretty much exactly what Fantasia and Fantasia 2000 are, and I'd say they've done a pretty good job at introducing kids to classical/orchestral music.
Fantastic. thanks for posting!
I miss Frank
5:24 So true. People appreciate music for a big part (maybe even the biggest part) through associations they can make, while listening to it.
Definitely a genius. I so wish that he was still with us. In my beliefs. He still is. As a nations Conscious,
FZ may be long dead now, but his extraordinary music and ideas live on. It is the hater-trolls here who are truly dead - dead in their brains, dead in their souls, dead in their hearts. You have to wonder why they’re so threatened by a musician, and who or what causes them to search FZ online and take such trouble to post their worthless lies.
***** I don't think he was ignorant in regards to Elvis. Elvis was a shit musician. Myself or any of my musician friends and most musicians that I have met or listened to can play circles around Elvis. He was a shitty guitar player and his vocal style was a shitty impersonation of blues singers at the time, not to mention he never really wrote a song. He's only famous because women think he's handsome and he came along at the right place and right time to become famous. End of story. No talent whatsoever. Regardless of whether or not Zappa is your cup of tea, he is actually an excellent skilled guitar player that wrote thousands of compositions having actual musical integrity and complexity. Frank Zappa actually had shit to say, and said it regardless of morons' opinions toward him. He was musically educated far beyond the realm of 50s pop music, and anyone that is truly musically educated knows that Elvis is severely overrated.
Bill Wilstein so you met him and know this first hand?
This is the same interview where he called Jimi Hendrix "Musically illiterate"? What a pompous arrogant puff. Music is all about hearing not about seeing. Why would someone like Zappa, who is supposedly “musically literate”, need to be in a working relationship with Jimi in order to write his music down? It’s because Zappa and those pompous puffs who are like him are the ones that are “musically illiterate”. If Zappa was “musically literate” all he would have needed to do is use his ears to listen to Jimi’s recordings and use his ears to pick up Jimi’s notes and then play those notes on his instrument to find out which notes they are and then write those notes down on a score. But you see Zappa couldn't do that like most “literate musicians” because they need to see the notes played on an instrument in order to find out which notes they are and then write them down. Many so-called “literate” musicians also need to see the notes of a song on a score in order to play the song on their instrument. They can’t listen to a song and pick it up with their ear and then play it on their instrument because in truth, they are the ones who are “musically illiterate”. They don’t have the ear to pick up the notes audibly and transfer those notes to their instrument. Music is all about having a gifted ear and has always existed and was created and played by ear millennia before someone invented a technique to create images to represent the different pitches they heard. I can’t stand these pompous theorists who puff themselves up because they can do something that other musicians can’t do even though it has nothing to do with their musical capabilities which is all about the ear not the eye.
jack sqwat meaning simply that Hendrix couldn't read or write music, which is simple fact. Not that Hendrix wasn't a good musician. If Frank had thought that, he wouldn't have said Hendrix needed someone to transcribe his music.
Jimi didn't need anyone to "transcribe" his music. But they needed to be with Jimi in person in order to “transcribe” his music because they were unable to transcribe it by ear from his voluminous amount of recordings. They needed to see the notes he was playing on his instrument with their eyes because most instrumentalists who are trained from the beginning to read and write music can only pick up music by reading a score but not by the ear. That’s the difference between having a gifted ear and not having a gifted ear. Truly great musicians only need to hear the notes from recordings and then they can play (transfer) what they hear with amazing accuracy directly on to their instrument because being a gifted musician is about having a gifted ear and has nothing to do with the eye. That’s why many blind people are great musicians because it’s all about the ear not the eye. Here’s a mystery coming from a “musically illiterate”: There are only two things that have always existed…. two things that never had a beginning and will never have an end…. two things that will be here for eternity long after those dead temporary written down notes turn to ashes along with the puffed up arrogant theorists who exist by them…: Life and Music.
I think the reason Zappa gets such a hard time is because he managed to have views that pissed everyone off. He was adamantly anti-drugs, giving him an unpopular shake with his peers in the music industry who did. These were mostly liberals who were pro-drugs. This is one of many examples I could use of Zappa's views breaking conformity with his peers in the industry. Furthermore, he was adamantly anti-censorship, which was the work of pro-authoritarian, Christian conservatives. Zappa is probably best classified today as a Libertarian. He seems like he has conservative values, however.
I pretty much agree with most things Frank Zappa had to say, but I cannot understand how it is humanly possible not to find Beethoven's music interesting.
+Classical Music11 What do you think the word "interesting" regarding to music mean`s
+Classical Music11 I honestly find it a bit boring, and I am a fan of classical in general..
+Classical Music11 I dont know why but agree with zappa, find more interesting to stravinsky, wagner, revueltas, takemitsu, or some late baroque like js bach music or their sons, there is an amazing fuga from w.f bach that I really enjoy, I think is about the personality since childhood from each of us, not about each composer that we like or should like to us in the view of point of people.
I doubt there was sarcasm. He was incredibly straight and sincere in this interview. And to be fair, why shouldn't he be?
+Classical Music11 I am not surprised by that at all. Frank leaned more toward the off-center, non-mainstream.
simply one of a kind. amazing thanks for posting. zappa only speaks the truth
This interview was conducted for an A&E series called "The Class Of the 20th Century." A pretty good series in 1992.
A once in a life time GENIUS is this man you see on this video, and he lived well beyond his time! Physically he lived in the 70'ies, 80'ies but his mind was up to date to our time. Frank Zappa was considered a weirdo, a freak by mainstream because his words did not fit into the big lie. And no one likes to see, hear the truth when its ugly. It scares people. Thats exactly what Zappa did when he talked he freaked "them"out as he saw them for what they were about and exposed them with brutal naked truth. In a "Deal with it!" style. Days passed, White House isn't that white no more and the "freak" became a hero while the hero was exposed to be a freak and liar nasty SOB as it was said by the then "freak" Zappa. Amazing to see some unique people capable to understand complicated issues for being what they are before society accepts it.
+Anchovy Rancher Thanks for correcting me. You managed somehow to miss my point. Anyway, I correct it here for you: "... he lived his mature life in the 60'ies, 70'ies, 80'ies and passed away in early 90'ies...." - and now please feel free to comment on the meaning of my comment and discuss it! You agree? Or disagree with me? If yes then why? I made a statement above describing him as s genius who lived well beyond his time many people around him didn't understand him. Scared them so they labelled him Crazy.
What was actually crazy is to label him crazy as he wasn't crazy at all. It is like a guy would be sent back from 2016 to 1920 to tell about cell phones and internet. He would try hard to explain that how it works but they didn't have phones yet so what ever he would say they wouldn't believe him.
+Jack London I disagree that he was viewed as a weirdo by the mainstream. All through the 80s he was given vast exposure on mainstream TV. He was admired extensively by the media.
Who is 'them'? Who is 'they'? I think Frank Zappa was extraordinary but you give him far too much credit beyond his capabilities. Also, the media gave Frank Zappa great respect, particularly after he turned his attention to politics. You've really got the whole thing skewed.
What does he say, in essence?
In 1976, I bought my first FZ album. By 1978, I had his catalog 1 1/2 times.
thanks for posting these, and also putting them is a playlist
Zappa doesn't need anybody to defend or explain him. He knows quite well how to express his thoughts and ideas. Not knocking anybody for doing so.
There is a difference between constructive criticism and negative criticism. He has always done the latter without attempting to give the solution following his criticism.That is what closed minded people like Rush Limbaugh do and will never take responsibility for any of their own faults or mistakes. Those are the worst humans to ever live on this earth.
*****
If you know he is one of the worst humans on earth(what a stupid comment) why are wanting to watch a interview with him? Oh I know, you are a troll.
Thanks for posting this. FZ was brilliant man whi is sadly missed. A great American.
These interviews were for an A&E program called "The Class Of the 20th Century" which was broadcast in 1992. They didn't use too much of this footage so it's interesting to see it here.
Thanks for the info, I love this interview !!
you can add me, a 17 years old kid that was REALLY amazed by him the first time i heard him, which was one week ago:]
You're 27 now, I'm 17 and I'm simply amazed by Zappa and his music.
I am 40 and I am very glad that the younger generations love quality music and that they are impressed by quality people. Frank was far ahead of his time.
so brilliant and patient, too. opinionated, but so interesting and articulate. thx! arrffff
I’m sure I’m not the only who goes to sleep listening to this interview.
@TheNilesLeshProject Thankyou so much. This is great.
Interview takes place in 1990
that interviewer has the voice of kevin spacey
lol
The first thing he said, and I thought, "Spacey?".
I go to sleep listening to this interview after a long day of work.
RIP Frank. the mind police haven't won yet.
Well, they're around the corner now.
Frank was the mind police.
Traveled to aspen CO to attend the Aspen school of music it was one of the most memorable experiences, submerged in classical music. Some classical I’d engineered assisting rocked!
Happy Birthday, sweet man.
I love the story that he wanted to talk to a man who could make such strange music. I feel the same way.
interesting person and deep thinker
Jesus, imagine Zappa living through the current Trump presidency.
No one really cares my friend... you guys can’t stop talking about Trump.. what a way to live..,
@@nadominhoca stop spilling oil
I take to heart his comment about how to get classical music over to kids. Part of my musical education was from Looney Tunes: Liszt, Grieg, etc. I discovered Gorecki's Third Symphony through the movie Fearless. Cartoons and kids' shows like Sesame Street are invaluable tools for introducing children to great music. And my parents helped, too. ;)
Incredible, this man is just saying the unfiltered truth about America and its citizens. He is an inspiration.
For those who actually absorbed the words of this interview in its entirety, then this should be there: "Obama should be there".
He seems to not be bothered by what others feel of think of him.
As he should
I'm puzzled why several of the people below have watched this - why would anyone want to watch/listen to someone that they don't like? Although I notice he does refer the aforementioned viewers at 4:45
I always liked the crazy free-form Jazz score on those cartoons also. The conductor episodes were great.
a gifted man,now i'm his age i can relate to him,theres so much in life to take in + so little time,and to make "ones mark" as he did is amazing ,respects to you ,p
He's certainly right about audiences needing additional visual stimulation to really get into a piece of music they're not familiar with.
Just take Disney's Fantasia, for example. How many kids weren't introduced to the classics by watching that?
The sad part (and it's something you hear a LOT these days), is how these kids then grow up, associating the music with the film or
video (or game) they watched as a child, rather than simply enjoying it for its own merits.
Watch any of the reaction videos here on the tube, and inevitably, the kids are going to say "That's the song from Glee/High School Musical/Pitch Perfect!) or any number of other garbage. Very rarely do they know where the music actually came from and who wrote and/or performed it.
And they certainly don't stop to think about what it possibly means. At least not on a more than superficial level.
Music has become disposable, and it needs music videos to register with the public at all. For a week or two...
Wish I was around to see this mans life play out in real time
thanx for this
great sound and insights
Amen, Zappa, Amen.
Everything he says is still relevant now.. The guy was a true genius. If there was ever a second Renaissance it was called ZAPPA.
great stuff bro !!!
I really really miss this guy and his music that we can never hear........u know.....
sou fã de Frank Zappa desde 1977 fiquei fã quando o ouvi a primeira vez, fico muito feliz quando vejo que tem muita gente que o conhece como eu. Zé Mesquita. Pirenópolis Goiás, Brasil
still enjoying those ciggs though !, i loved frank Zappa attitude to cigarettes and coffee.
hi - I think that this was probably a bit earlier than 1990 - during the "presidential election" section zappa mentions americans that have damaged democracy (hoover, nixon, reagan etc.) and says "maybe bush too, we'll find out in a couple of weeks" which indicates that this happened after the election in November 1988 but before the inauguration in January 1989 - so maybe December 1988 is a good guess - hope that helps.
He were an real extraordinaire person.
Yes, Edgar Vares was working on the worldfair in Brussels. The stand he workt on was Phillips Elecronic (who else?) a Dutch company. The Netherlands being pretty forward in those things in those days. No wonder Zappa got his dancing feet on the ground there first before getting real musical fame in the USA.
His talking about classical music with video accompaniment brings Fantasia to mind haha
He looks thrilled!
Good interview
thank you very much for sharing this video
Intelligent guy. Very rare on this planet.
Jumpy ass Beta/VHS/Whatever format...but definite thumbs up for this! THANK YOU!!!
Good vid.
Frank is good guys , but his friend Captain Beefheart is the real thing . and he rarely speaks about him . C B was lead singer on the Hot Rats and Willie the Pimp.
MUSIC IS BEST
It's a shame he failed to answer the first question about what he was like as a kid - 'got into trouble' but failed to explain what trouble. I would like the interviewer to have pressed more here. Also I found it painful watching him under duress. He looks ill and in pain. The light has gone out of his eyes.
As a Zappa fan I've read Frank's Real book and actually I don't like it. I think it rambles all over the place and leaves out so much that I wanted to know.
If you're into learning more about Frank Zappa, you might like to try my own book, Freak Out! My Life with Frank Zappa. It covers 1968 to 1972 when Frank was first famous with the Mothers of Invention, his life at home with his wife and first two children, Moon and Dweezil, at the log cabin in Laurel Canyon and later in Woodrow Wilson Drive where he lived for the rest of his life and where he died. It is not about the music, more about the man.
5:41 Fantasia :D
What a intelligent, maverick man he was.
I understand what Frank means. Most people that choose to listen to The Blue Danube have probably seen 2001 beforehand.
oh well ! there it is !!
And the depressing thing is, as our pop music gets gradually worse, musical illiteracy can only increase.
frank is right on the money about images having to be tied to a piece of music in order for some people to be interested in it. I was worried around this time that 'live' music would die because of MTV. I was wrong thank heaven. a prime example of what frank is saying (I'm surprised he didn't point it out) is ''ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK ''by Bill Haley. it was on the soundtrack of ''BLACKBOARD JUNGLE'.although the song had been in record stores for... a while (not as a soundtrack because only musicals released soundtracks back then ), it didn't hit pay dirt until the movie came out. It starts off w/ this soon to be rock classic .the rest as they say, is history. looking at it another way, I can't hear ''rags to riches'' by tony bennet the same way ever again after GOODFELLAS. the movie always comes into my head when I hear it.
This is the real think tank!!!
Zappa was a genius..
Of the countless reasons I wish Zappa was still alive one of the most tantalizing would be to hear him dish on Trump and the last 4 years of surreal idiocy.
Who is the interviewer? His voice sounds familiar
Great interview---but I wish Uncle Ned would stop playing with the camera!
I'm surprised FZ doesn't mention "Fantasia" when he talk about videos of classical music. Dinosaurs and volcanic eruptions were certainly a great way to get my 8 year-old mind interested in Stravinsky's Rite of Spring!
"Now, if you were to take the premise, that a film which was constructed just for the purpose of visualising instrumental pieces. If the film was successful, then those pieces would a life of their own in the record market for the younger audience. If the film was something that that audience saw and enjoyed."
I think this claim certainly has a ring of truth to it. Take Dir. Godfrey Reggio's 1982 film release 'Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance', the first film of the Qatsi trilogy. It has neither vocalised narration nor dialogue of any kind. Instead, the film's visual narration is complemented and driven by a minimalist contemporary classical music score by Philip Glass. Koyaanisqatsi currently has an IMDb rating of 8,3/10 (over 27K ratings).
In my view, the huge popularity of the film is not least due to the stunning musical score, and in fact, the music itself became so popular that once the film was out, the Philip Glass Ensemble toured the world over, playing the music live in front of movie screens. I was a young metal -and ravehead when I first saw the film, but was immediately captivated by the score, even if it back then was completely new a strange kind of music to me.
FZ isan amazing human being
That's true about classical music popularity being associated with images. Like in Apocalypse Now when they destroy the village. Thereafter the song was popularized for consumers
Huh... Music videos for classical music... Now that's a really good idea.
Coincidentally, Disney's Fantasia played a big role in me getting into classical music.
Tracking is the process of VCR tuning into the best signal
jutubaeh blah blah blah
I wouldt be able to ask one intelligent question to a man like Frank. It seems any question seeems stupid and offensive to him. That said...thanks for the balls or naivity of the interviewer. We have this knowledge. God given. So hard not to believe and praise God after listening to this genious.
An army of Frank Zappa's would be exquisitely effective. Don't you think?
@GaryNull I said the same fucking thing in another video, about missing Zappa and Carlin! I fucking love you!
@ISamuelII Hey just said something at 7:45+ about Bush taking office in a few weeks. As well as the Nixin Lib inaguration which was in 1990.
Miss this smart dood.
There were no inaugurations in 1990. Especially not a Nixon inauguration since he’d been out of office for 16 years at that point.
.
i think zappa as a child make bombs , loved chemistry and probably got his father in trouble for explosions , he gave up chemistrical explosions for music . a theory
It is well known (well perhaps not to you) that Frank Zappa is against drug use, and is not a drug user himself. His eyes are clear and he in no way looks stoned. Intelligent thought like his only can come out of a sober person.
what year was this recorded?