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I imagine this MUST have been discussed at some point on here, but I have never known the answer. Does anyone know the story behind Frank wearing blackface on the cover of this album? It does not really seem to fit the story of the album (at least my interpretation of it). It seems like a very deliberate act? Sure, I will take any half-baked ideas or guesses if you like, but I am actually looking for the reason the man had for doing it. Has it been discussed in an interview, etc? And before anyone gets any ideas, no, I am not trying to get into some sort of debate about racism.

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1 - It's not blackface.
2 - Why did you call it "a deliberate act" and why did you have to then say the thing about racism?
3 - You're fucking stupid.

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Well Sheik Yerbouti dressed has Sheik.
Joe's Garage i think it is just that easy Look's like Joe a Grease Monkey from a Garage,I think When it was called Arrogant Mop That sounds like another name for a Flake

Edit:I Forgot The Vinyl Cover Looks More like oil than the CD which does look like Boot Polish

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

The mop and the black facepaint cover was initially done for "Lather", but scrapped when Warner Bros halted the release of that quadruple LP. My guess is that FZ thought it would be good to use photos from this 1977 session for JG. No idea on what reason in particular. Maybe it was just plain AAAFNRAA? Now that I think of it, maybe the cover would've been a better fit for You Are What You Is? Because that album does have the title track which mocks the idea of wanting to be black when you're white and vice versa. The black makeup on the cover art would've certainly been ironically conceptual.

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Lies are like quicksand, soft and comfortable, but they will swallow us. Truth is like bedrock, hard and uncomfortable, but we can always stand on it

How Do You know What cover FZ took too WB
i remember posting this photo in the Lather thread

You My Be Jumping the Gun Has It is Debatable whether that Lather was broadcasted Radio in 1977 or 1979 Me and pbuzby never came too a agreement on the subject

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Arf you out of your fucking mind.

Because wearing a dress on the album cover had already been done.

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Ike wore that mop head for hair along with the thingfish dress when I saw them in 1980...

And that is black face don't kid yourself...