Zappa.com

Hello All,
Sometime in the late 80's, early 90's, I shot a piece for MTV, with Dweezil, Ahmet and Moon Unit, and Frank. We boarded a train in NY and shot the kids all the way to Washington DC. In the nation's capitol, we hooked up with Frank for a concert at, I believe, the National Theater. I was amazed by Franks kids. They're all amazingly smart and talented. At one point, we hooked up Dweezil, directly to the sound input of the Betacam and followed him with the camera as he walked through the train cars, seranading the passengers.

When we got to DC and got back stage so the family was together, it was quite a sight and a lot of fun. It's a very dynamic family and Frank, a very cool Dad.

If my memory is correct (and many chemicals say otherwise), after the shoot, Dweezil went on Howard Stern and said something about MTV. The next thing I heard about the piece was that MTV pulled it and it never aired. It might have been seen in Europe. If anyone has seen or (OMG) has copy of this, please let me know. MY days in TV are long over with, but it would be nice to think I left something behind.

Thank you all and thank you FZ, DZ, MZ and AZ. The new DVD/CD Rocks!

Very interesting. I may be able to tighten this hunt down:

Was it a Frank Zappa concert? If so then the latest most likely date is during the 1988 Broadway the hardway tour - These are the last dates Frank Zappa played. Any earlier the kids would have been too young. I note Diva was not there, probably because she would have been too young in 1988 (8 years old).

_________________
A Blanket in my Muesli. A Blanket in my what??

He's a CEO for Chrissakes!

Thanks Diplomatic.

Yes it was a Frank show. My career as a cameraman (before blowing out both knees doing stupid stuff with a 35lb camera on my shoulder) was about 88 to 93, give or take.

diva was onstage at least once during the '88 tour---see the "youngest member at frank zappa concert" thread, and you'll see a picture of her and frank. i hope you find a copy of it---too bad mtv were so thin-skinned about this, would've loved to have seen it. hopefully, mtv didn't destroy the tape. the best we can hope for is that the zappa family have it. nice home movies.

_________________
One two, buckle my shoe!

Yet another of the numerous reasons why MTV sucks the big one.

I love everybody's comments, keep'm coming.
MTV and VH-1 have moved so far away from their original intent and content, I don't watch anymore. All I know is that they have (or at least should have) a vault of incredible stuff that the world may never see again. If I told you all my stories from my days shooting for them, you'd be amazed. It wasn't an easy gig, working with a lot of very inexperienced producers, but I had the time of my life. The capper was working with Keith Richards, around the time of his first solo album with the Expensive Winoes.

Yeah, it seems that MTV should be renamed "the youth oriented lifestyle product network". All they ever show now are bad reality programs (was that redundant?). People argue and say, well there's MTV2, they play videos... But it says MTV2 - music isn't second... music is the best.
Everybody twist!

_________________
Shut Up 'N Play Yer Recently Modified with RadioShack Lavalier Microphones Guitar

Everybody knows that MTV stood for Music Television, key word - music. If they can't show music videos, I'd settle for musical programming like Behind the Music. Anyone remember what VH-1 stands for? When I was there, they changed their format and were already on their 3rd itineration.

Anybody? Video Hits One. They used that for a week at the beginning. LOL

At least you got to work for MTV when it was still sorta cool.

Actually, the more I think about it, MTV didn't REALLY start to suck until the mid '90s or so IMHO. Before that, it was actually watchable for the most part.

Agree! Jeesus, have you seen stuff like MADE? Where they turn geeky kids into Normal, Self-confident People? That stuff is dangerous. No other channel tells you how to behave and fit in society as well as MTV these days.

I was there before before the mind numbing reality crap that they show now. I was there when we did mind numbing infotainment.

When I shot for MTV, the only original productions were MTV News, The Week in Rock, House of Style and the scourge of the 20th century, Yo! MTV Raps. I was, at one time or another, the main cameraman on these show. The best part was drinking with Kurt Loder. House of Style was fun because I got to work with Cindy Crawford. On what turned out to be my last shoot, I was on the terrace of Rolling Stone Magazine's offices in NY with Cindy. She was wearing a Black, tiny, form fitting dress. Because of the nature of the dress and the nature of the show, we couldn't run a lavalier mic up under her dress. My sound guy pulls me aside after we start and says "I bet you wish you were doing sound." Apparently Cindy wasn't wearing any panties and he had to position himself with the mic, right in front of where she was sitting. He wouldn't trade spots with me. After we finished, I went to pick up a sand bag. I turned and my knee didn't. There was a loud pop and that was the end of my knee and the end of my career. There's no way to survive in NY as a freelance cameraman without doing handheld. I couldn't lock my knees anymore. I don't miss it one bit. I have a life time of stories and don't have to listen to those untalented people tell me what to do.

This might be a dumb question (and I apologize in advance if it is) but are you at least able to walk now?

I had a hard time walking after finding out Cindy didn't have any panties on. LOL I'm a mess, but a happy one. I've blown out both knees and have 2 rods, 3 plates and a cage in my neck. I've had over 75 procedures in my life including 10 major surgeries on my ear, nose, throat, both knees and my neck. I may look a little funny sometimes, but I get around just fine. It wasn't a dumb question at all. I appreciate that asked.

I work about 14 weeks out of the year, setting up computers and A/V equipment at (of al things) Medical Trade Shows. Life's still an adventure. Next time somebody complains to you about some minor stuff, you tell'em that you know a guy....

Just flipping the channels the other day, I saw a bit of that program for the first time. Not only is it a ripoff of "reality shows" like "The Swan" or "What Not to Wear", it actually takes a bad idea and makes it worse. Take a perfectly ok kid who likes being alone with his books, and turn him into the King of the Prom? How sad.

_________________
Let's hear it again for the London Philharmonic Orchestra!

Cue "MTV Get Off The Air" by the DKs at this point.

I was a staffer at MTV over at Unitel for about a year.
Then I grew a brain and have been working at CBS Broadcast Center across the street for over 20 years.

_________________
"It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it."

Better: cue "Trouble Every Day" from TTR: "Just about to get sick from watching MTV..."

_________________

Join the PackardGoose forum! Send me a PM!

Hi razookelly!
could it have been Feb of '88?
after playing 2/6 in NY, they then played 2/8,9,10 in Washington, DC at WARNER Theater . . .
ring any bells?
I've yet to find documentation out here of any video surfacing, even taped on vhs, yet . . .

_________________
" . . . On the outside now . . ."

I suspect that you smoke cigarette or you have smoked, am i right?

_________________
'N then I might just Jump back on An' ride Like a cowboy Into the dawn to Montana

It's great hearing from all of you.

The Warner Theater sound familiar. I guess it could have been.

Yes I smoke. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything. What's your hypothesis?

Cigarette can be the cause of alot of illness, it is like put sand in gas in car tank, or dust in air filter.

_________________
'N then I might just Jump back on An' ride Like a cowboy Into the dawn to Montana