Freak List – Randomized, Homogenized And Scrutinized (Joan Baez)
Another episode in a ongoing series that takes a casual look at the members of the Frank Zappa Freak Out List. In the spirit of aimlessness, the list has been randomized.
OK…here’s the scoop; obviously there are no set rules, no protocol for this exercise. I could go in any number of directions with any of these folks. I could play it straight and just point out some existing widely covered biographical information. I could do some research and attempt to uncover some trivia or little known interesting factoid. I could discuss some type of Zappa connection which, sometimes will be difficult because some on the list don’t have any connection other than the list. Or, I could spew forth my own thoughts and observations about a person or their work. In other words, editorialize.
No doubt, as we proceed, the editorializing will be creeping in because, I’m familiar with a lot of the folks on the list and their work and I have some degree of enthusiasm. And…some that I don’t know of (like Alois Haba the other day) I will look in to and become enthused. See, part of what makes this interesting to me is; I see FZ’s role here as a sort of cultural steward and the list as a device Frank was using to point us in certain directions. Once we reach a destination, it is up to us to form our own opinions…yeah, I guess that’s kind of how I see it.
So…Joan Baez…..she seems like a nice lady.
As far as her music goes, I have a vivid memory of hearing her sing on TV. I was maybe 4 or 5 and, I just did not dig it. It’s the vibrato really. Her vibrato just creeps me out.
Politically…socially…well, I just don’t see a whole lot of benefit from somebody traipsing around the world and warbling up a version of “We Shall Overcome” at some function to raise money or raise awareness for some cause and/or origination that almost always turns out to be shadow-funded by some globalist/corporatocracy entity.
This is one of those times I will side with Adorno…
But, I actually did find a Zappa connection. Turns out they did a couple of gigs together…
Freak List – Randomized, Homogenized And Scrutinized (Igor Stravinsky)
Another episode in a ongoing series that takes a casual look at the members of the Frank Zappa Freak Out List. In the spirit of aimlessness, the list has been randomized.
Dang!…day number two and the ol’ randomizer hits me with Igor Stravinsky. Sort of like having to face Nolan Ryan on your second day in the bigs, I suppose.
One problem is, there is a copious amount of stuff written about Stravinsky that is easily found and readily available.
And as far as Igor’s influence on the music of FZ goes…well, there are scholarly types that have thoroughly researched and have published extensive, exhaustive pieces.
So, I have decided to point out a few parallels between Stravinsky and Zappa that go beyond the normal things you hear about (rhythmic structure, stylistic diversity, harmonic deconstruction)…you know stuff like; they both enjoyed a good laugh, a good smoke…
…a shared love of Coco Chanel and…both Frank and Igor were more than willing to work with cartoonish animals…
He also composed a commissioned work for dancing elephants which eventually become George Balanchine’s Circus Polka. Stravinsky was able to negotiate a high commission from the circus for his composition.
Balanchine: “I wonder if you’d like to do a little ballet with me.”
Stravinsky: “For whom?”
Balanchine: “For some elephants.”
Stravinsky: “How old?”
Balanchine: “Very young.”
Stravinsky: “All right. If they are very young elephants, I will do it.”
You can’t always write a chord ugly enough to say what you want to say, so sometimes you have to rely on a giraffe filled with whipped cream. – Frank Zappa
Also, I found a couple of fascinating, behind the scenes, videos (no really, these are a bit lengthy but well woth the time) that demonstrate a common rehearsal ethic and an uncanny ability to coax high level performances of complex ideas from large groups of musicians.
Freak List – Randomized, Homogenized And Scrutinized
This is the start of a new undertaking for the tired old blog here.
What I’m proposing is this; I will be exploring, in a serial fashion, individuals listed as “These People Have Contributed Materially in Many Ways to Make Our Music What it is. Please Do Not Hold it Against them.”, in the liner notes of the Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention album Freak Out.
If you have passed by this blog over the years, you no doubt realize that many things Zappa have been part of the conceptual continuity around here in posts and comments.
I have always got a kick out of musicians’ lists of influences…often times because they are banal and insipid. Zappa’s Freak Out list however is another matter completely.
I got the idea for this whole thing because I started to watch a documentary this morning, (Zappa, Frank – The Freak Out List
Partially Full Disclosure And Disclaimer:
I’ve never owned a copy of Freak Out on vinyl and I haven’t spent a great deal of time digesting the list and researching the people included. But, I am familiar with a lot of the folks on the list, some from associations with FZ and a lot of them from my own curiosity.
Also, I am not obsessed with Zappa and don’t have a complete knowledge of the trivia and minutiae. I’ve been a fan of Frank’s music, business and various philosophies since the 70s. I say all this in case you are a Zappatista and have somehow found these pages…this is more a glance at a list of people who have made some interesting contribution and I’m doing it for my own education and entertainment as much as anything…but, your contributions will be welcomed.
OK then, from Zappa wiki Jawaka, here is the list…
Composers, conductors etc.: Bulent Arel, Pierre Boulez, Robert Craft, Cecil Forsythe, Alois Haba, John Tasker Howard, Charles Ives, Mauricio Kagel, Luigi Nono, Leo Ornstein, Vincent Persichetti, Maurice Ravel, Silvestre Revueltas, Roger Huntington Sessions, Arnold Schönberg, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Igor Stravinsky, Jack Tillar, Edgar Varèse, Anton Webern.
Popular Singers, Songwriters, Musicians & the likes: Dave Aerni, Joan Baez, John Beck, Molly Bee, Richard Berry, Charles Brown, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Teddy Bunn, Albert Collins, David Crosby, Skip Diamond, Willie Dixon, Eric Dolphy, Don & Dewey, Bob Dylan, Bill Evans, Johnny Franklin, Ernie Freeman, Gene & Eunice, Vernon
Greene, Buddy Guy, Slim Harpo, Chuck Higgins, Joe Huston, Bobby Jamieson, Don Julian, Terry Kirkman, Roland Kirk, Chatur Lal, Preston Love, Junior Madeo, Steve Mann, Little Arthur Matthews, Barry McGuire, Big Jay McNeely (“Cecil James McNeely”), Charles Mingus, Vic Mortenson, N.C. Mullick, Johnny Otis, Joe Perrino, Elvis Presley, Bob Reiner, Sabicas, Ravi Shankar, Jim Sherwood, Frankie Lee Simms, Guitar Slim, Lightnin’ Slim, Alice Stewart, Don Vliet, Donald Woods.
Producers, road managers, etc.: Dick Barber, Paul Buff (“Paul C. Buff”), Mark Cheka, Herb Cohen, Jim Economides, Brian Epstein, Snuff Garrett, Jim Guercio, Jesse Kaye, Bob Keane (“Bob Keene”), Art Laboe, Phil Spector, Nick Venet, Tom Wilson.
Movie Stars, TV & Radio Personalities, Entertainers…: Diane Baker, Melvin Belli, Huggy Boy, Lenny Bruce, Rosemarie De Camp, Frank De Cova, Joe De Santis, Fred C. Dobbs, Bruce Gordon, Hunter Hancock, Lew Irwin, Wolfman Jack, Jeepers, Charles Middleton, J. Arthur Rank, B. Mitchell Reed, Herman Rudin, Sabu, Bill Stulla, Tim Sullivan, Sonny Tufts, John Wayne, Hal Zeiger.
Painters, Writers & others: Salvador Dali, Jules Feiffer, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, James Joyce, Eberhard Kronhausen, Loeb & Leopold, Sacco & Vanzetti, Robert Sheckley, Cordwainer Smith, Bram Stoker, Theodore Sturgeon, Yves Tanguy, Avedis Zildjian.
Teachers, friends & acquaintances: Sandy Schwanekamp, Leonard Allen, William Ballard (“Mr. Ballard”), Sylvia Brigham, Sidney W. Brossman (“Dr. Brossman”), Don Cerveris, Uncle Ed, Phyllis Altenhaus (“Fyllis”), Animal Huxley, Karl Kohn, Lauren, Lucille, Mario, Jerry Murnane, Bob Narciso, Pepper, Pete (Lorraine Belcher), Nadine
Reyes, Kaye Sherman, Phil Tanzini, Ernie Tosi, Jerry Ullberg (“Allberg”), Elmer Valentine, Pamela Zarubica.
This leaves another bunch of unknown, thus “un-identified” people (although there are some clues to some of them, perhaps): Jerry Allberg (probably “Ullberg”), Bobby Atler, The Bokelmans, Leonard Gorczyca, Carol, Cordy, Daddy-o Curtis Crump, Randy De Wees, George Di Carl, Donna No 1 (“Donna #1″), Donna No 2 (“Donna #2″), Shirley Eiler, Evy, Floyd, Carl Greenhouse, Jeff Harris, The Hypnotist, Lyn Johnson, Joyce, Joe Polly, Lance Reardon, Lillian Rudolph, Ruthie, Steffie, Lee Zugon.
For our purposes, and at my discretion, I eliminated the teachers, friends, acquaintances and unknowns. This left 120 which I randomized at Random.org…
The randomness comes from atmospheric noise, which for many purposes is better than the pseudo-random number algorithms typically used in computer programs.
Randomness through “atmospheric noise”…nice…I think FZ would like that.
I am posting today in reverse order so, this will appear on the front page before the first installment.
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Pribek At Zazzle
The post to blame: Most Peculiar Mama (Don't Eat Your Cat)
