Zappa.com

The definitive Zappa biography hasn't been written yet, and I think it'll be tough job to get at the material while Gail is still holding the fort and making notes for her 'MEMOIR' --

I read the first edition of David Walley's book 30 years ago, before I even knew any English, and found it very interesting

Philip Dick mentions Zappa in that late Seventies trilogy, as an obscure but interesting musical figure. Dick was looking for doors of perception, or something like that, and it seems he suspected that Zappa had found one.

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We make a special art in an environment hostile to dreamers. Frank Zappa, 1971

Well, there's your problem. Miles wanted to expose some dirt, but there isn't very much, so he jumps on the N Lennon bandwagon and uses many dubious sources. I also recall quite a few "spicy" details that had no source mentioned. Miles is lying and you believe him because you want to. It's what many reviewers of the book did as well. It's like reading People's Magazine. Miles = trash can food.

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Join the PackardGoose forum! Send me a PM!

Hey, I never claimed to be above trashy tabloid junk.

BTW, if someone hasn't mentioned it here, go to the Book Depository for low priced books and free postage world wide. They have a good selection of books about FZ.

Also, I haven't read a book yet where I enjoyed it unreservedly or agreed with everything said in it, The Real Frank Zappa Book included. I think Miles' book is a good read even though there's a small percentage of dubiousness in it.

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The way I see it Barry, this should be a very dynamite show.

Slaven gets a little more interesting as he covers the recorded era. The prehistory of Zappa music was a little muddled.

But David Kostelanetz ("The Frank Zappa Companion") is a cunt!!!


--Bat

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<------PhotoArtWerk by debutante_daisy http://www.facebook.com/BatchainTheMovie

Erm. Can you remind us why. I'm sure he is, but can't remember the reason.

He pretends to be grounded in rock music criticism but elsewhere says his forte is classical and jazz, he's very haughty, condescending and above-it-all. He reeks of speech-police political correctness. From the foreword of the book you'd wonder why he would bother to write about Zappa having concluded long ago that Zappa was a thing that "bright adolescents" would find entertaining for a few years until they inevitably matured and outgrew their brief musical romance with him. It seems he believed that Zappa's "dirty-joke" lyrics and the crime of insensitivity to women was somewhat excusable for an early adolescent but a thing one just naturally outgrew and progressed into...what? Kostelanetz doesn't feel there's any need to say.

Hah! I wish I could dig way far back into this forum's archives and unearth the insane fantasy I came up with for Kostelanetz involving two major salvos of "ber-her-na-herna-herna-herna-her-herd" shit unleashed upon him!
David Kostelanetz is a cunt! But he's Da Boss and as we all know, http://www2.b3ta.com/top-10-cutest-kittens/

--Bat

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<------PhotoArtWerk by debutante_daisy http://www.facebook.com/BatchainTheMovie

Chortle chortle!

That's great!

I usually go between the Miles bio, and Electric Don Quixote...a few others that I can't seem to remember off the top of my head as far as getting any REAL information don't really stick out to me....Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play was IMHO pure trash!

I looked on my shelf...I also have MOTHER! The Frank Zappa Story by Michael Gray...can't say I remember it?!?!
And Necessity is....which was about the early Mothers.

Neither really jumps at me...

The Real FZ book, was mostly entertaining!

(then there's the Nigey Lennon book which was a waste of time, money, and brain cells)

electric don quijote is good but full of stupid trivial mistakes typical of an english person who dosent know american culture and history (GHWBush saying "see my lips", echo park is NOT in hollywood, give me a break, do yr f'in research! Also, mick DAGGER!?!! inexcusable- didnt he have an editor?).read it anyway.

Another vote here for "Electric Don Quixote" by Neil Slaven. Even with the mistakes, it's still a great read.

Has anyone read Zappa the Hard Way, about the Broadway the Hard Way tour and how the band kinda imploded?

Zappa the Hard Way
A good read, researched and written by a true Zappa fan

There are a bunch of Zappa books out there, read em all, but as they say don't believe everything you read....
The Real Frank Zappa Book by FZ is probably the only exception to the rule......

My collection in no particular order:

Zappalog 1982
Norbert Obermanns

Viva! Zappa 1986
Dominique Chevalier

"Alla Zappa" 1993
Urban Gwerder

The Real Frank Zappa Book 1989
Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa In His Own Words 1993
Barry Miles

Mother! The Frank Zappa Story 1994
Michael Gray

Plastic People Song Buch 1980
Hardback

Frank Zappa
Plastic People Song Buch 1994
Corrected Copy

Frank Zappa
No Comercail Potential 1996
The Saga Of Frank Zappa
Updated Edition
David Walley

Frank Zappa A Strictly Genteel Genius 1996
Part One
Ben Cruikshank

Frank Zappa A Strictly Genteel Genius 1996
Part Two
Ben Cruikshank

The Frank Zappa Companion 1997
Four Decades Of Commentary
Richard Kostelanetz

Dangerous Kitchen 2002
The Subversive World Of Frank Zappa
Kevin Courrier

Cosmik Debris (the son of, revised edition) 2003.
Greg Russo

Being Frank: My Time With Frank Zappa 2003
New And Updated Edition
Nigey Lennon

Electric Don Quixote 2003
The Definitive Story Of Frank Zappa
Neil Slaven

Academy Zappa 2005
The Proceedings Of The First International Conference Of Esemplastic Zappology
Ben Watson And Esther Leslie

Frank Zappa 2005
Barry Miles

Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart And The Secret History Of Maximalism 2005
Michael Delville And Andrew Norris

Frank Zappa And Captain Beefheart ZAPPED 2005
Jeff Watts

Frank Zappa The Complete Guide To His Music 2005
Ben Watson

Necessity Is: The Early Years Of Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention 2005
Billy James

The Words And Music Of Frank Zappa 2006
Hardback The Praeger Singer Songwriter Collection
Kelly Fisher Lowe

The Words And Music Of Frank Zappa 2007
The Praeger Singer Songwriter Collection
Kelly Fisher Lowe

Hungry Freaks Daddy, The Recordings Of Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention 2007
Vol One, 1959 - 1969
Scott Parker

Hungry Freaks Daddy, The Recordings Of Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention 2008
Vol Two, 1970 - 1971
Scott Parker

On Tour With The Evil Prince 2005
Rene De La Salle

Zonx 1996
Zweitausendeins

Rock 'N' Roll Asylum 1984
Headley Gritter

Frank Zappa A Visual Documentary 1993
Miles

The Torchum Never Stops Vol 1 1991
The Torcum Team
The Torchum Never Stops Vol 2 1991
The Torcum Team
The Torchum Never Stops Vol 3 1991
The Torcum Team
The Torchum Never Stops Vol 4 1991
The Torcum Team

Zappa The Hard Way 2011
Andrew Greenaway

Freak Out! My Life With Frank Zappa 2011
Pauline Butcher

Them Or Us The Book 1984
Frank Zappa

And not only but also, in the bleeding fingers section:

The Frank Zappa Song Book Volume One
Frank Zappa

The Frank Zappa Guitar Book
Frank Zappa

Hot Rats
Frank Zappa

Apostrophe
Frank Zappa

Over-nite Sensation
Frank Zappa

One Size Fits All
Frank Zappa

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Thanks for the music Frank.

Well I'm about to get sick from watching my TV

I've read Zappa The Hard Way, and thought it was good, but not great. The narrative seems a bit back and forth at times.

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You gotta give the people something good to read, on a Sunday

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Well spotted Mr. Slime I received the softcover edition as a gift from an ex girlfriend who was trying to get back into my good books, amongst other things. Being a gentleman and all around nice guy, I didn't let on that I already owned a copy...

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Thanks for the music Frank.

Well I'm about to get sick from watching my TV

Disagree. Of course it is embarrasing to mess up the death date, but basically the facts are reported pretty properly. My problems with Miles start when he infers from the pure facts. No problem with the critical tone against FZ, but he has some tendency to over-interpretation and noticable limitations in the understanding of FZs art (but who hasn't?). All in all it is ok as biography but should be supported by at least one or two alternatives. If u have two or three parallel reads, the mistakes and wrong conclusions might counterbalance each others.
Sureley the most comprehensive summary of pure facts of the live of FZ. But where can i get it?

Don't know the other more recent books, but the real FZ book is probably still the best if u want to get some clues to find out what it is all about. For example the question: did FZ prefer synclavier or real musicians? Only one person in history was able to answer this properly.

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god, what a cheap bubble machine!!!