ZAPPA

With minimal spoilers, I will tell you that IMHO, director Alex Winter (is he Bill or Ted..still haven’t figured it out , and I‘ve met with him.....) nailed what he set out to accomplish, unearthing wonderful , mostly unseen /heard footage saved from the Vault, almost none of it guitar soloing, which I knew going in he felt was a low priority in telling this tale of his life.and art...and it is a good thing Because there is so much amazing stuff in there, edited in a style that is distinctly influenced by FZ’s analog cut-and paste aethetic..........Brilliant and heartbreaking ,loaded with righteous insight. Watch thru the end Credits.
 
bradlake said:
With minimal spoilers, I will tell you that IMHO, director Alex Winter (is he Bill or Ted..still haven’t figured it out , and I‘ve met with him.....) nailed what he set out to accomplish, unearthing wonderful , mostly unseen /heard footage saved from the Vault, almost none of it guitar soloing, which I knew going in he felt was a low priority in telling this tale of his life.and art...and it is a good thing Because there is so much amazing stuff in there, edited in a style that is distinctly influenced by FZ’s analog cut-and paste aethetic..........Brilliant and heartbreaking ,loaded with righteous insight. Watch thru the end Credits.
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I can't wait to watch this documentary.

I'm also glad that I'm not the only one who is unsure who is Bill or Ted!
 
Congrats Brad.

I must admit my Zappa (musical) knowledge is nearly non existent...but from the limited interviews I have seen, he strikes me as one of those unique minds that "gets it", for lack of a better term.

Look forward to seeing this.
 
Project Mayhem said:
I must admit my Zappa (musical) knowledge is nearly non existent...but from the limited interviews I have seen, he strikes me as one of those unique minds that "gets it", for lack of a better term.
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As a child of the 80s, I found Zappa through Steve Vai. When I first heard him, I was like "what is this?!?!?" As my musical tastes matured, I became a big fan. He is definitely an acquired tasted but, IMO, a musical genius. The musicians he played wi ...er... that played for Frank is pretty amazing.

Others can chime in but Hot Rats and Apostrophe are good starting places. Roxy & Elsewhere is one of my favs.
 
pauly said:
Excuse my ignorance Brad,
Did you play a part in that production?
Thanks
Pauly
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I am a Kickstarter Executive Producer of the film , which manyof the perks of I probly will never see, like attending of the Hollywood red carpet theatrical premiere , which was supposed to have happened just as COVID cancelled everything Last spring but I did get to go to LA several years ago to meet Alex Winter, and see the Zappa Vault and eat burgers with with a couple Zappa kids.
 
Never liked Zappa myself....still don't. That's not to say I don't recognize talent when I see it.

I associate Zappa with versace, too much color....a scatter gun approach skimming across the surface.

I prefer Armani....darker & deeper, Ala David Gilmour.

Can't deny his place in music history though. That's the essence of music, something for everyone.
 
Ah well fantastic that you got that! I’m sure there will be more cream to be had. Can’t wait to see it. Looks fantastic.
Thanks
Pauly


bradlake said:
I am a Kickstarter Executive Producer of the film , which manyof the perks of I probly will never see, like attending of the Hollywood red carpet theatrical premiere , which was supposed to have happened just as COVID cancelled everything Last spring but I did get to go to LA several years ago to meet Alex Winter, and see the Zappa Vault and eat burgers with with a couple Zappa kids.
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ive seen Zappa live no less than 7 or 8 times during 70's & 80's, here in SF bay area, I had an ear for young Steve Vai back in the day before most knew of him, Broadway the hardway, Zoot Alures, and Jazz from hell among my fav records.. But always liked Sleep dirt and Black Napkins for guitar solo's.
 
bradlake said:
I am a Kickstarter Executive Producer of the film , which manyof the perks of I probly will never see, like attending of the Hollywood red carpet theatrical premiere , which was supposed to have happened just as COVID cancelled everything Last spring but I did get to go to LA several years ago to meet Alex Winter, and see the Zappa Vault and eat burgers with with a couple Zappa kids.
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That sounds awesome! I was hoping my modest pledge would have allowed me to watch the movie by now, but I guess I'll wait until tomorrow like everyone else.
Brad, your contribution is serious! Props!
Would you be willing to share your impressions of the vault? What did you and, I guess, Ahmet and Diva discuss?
 
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zappa_2020
the verdict is in , We have a classic, an I hope everyone tries to see it soon , as I think Alex and his editor and crew did an amazing job...and don’t miss the soundtrack , which is IMHO the best post-mortem compilation of FZ’s work yet, with amazing early-Mothers jams and other big treats

Entasis said:
That sounds awesome! I was hoping my modest pledge would have allowed me to watch the movie by now, but I guess I'll wait until tomorrow like everyone else.
Brad, your contribution is serious! Props!
Would you be willing to share your impressions of the vault? What did you and, I guess, Ahmet and Diva discuss?
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Due partly to the unfortunate timing and circumstances of the passing of Gail Zappa and the subsequent events surrounding the Trust and (very) uncomfortable semi-public airing of family fracture , the nature of the perks promised changed drastically. Specifcally, as the Zappa Home was sold to GaGa, the contents of the vault were moved to an ultra-secure location in Hollywood where many of the original media and artifacts of classic film, TV and music are kept, and while we were allowed to visit, and our buddy Vaultmeister Joe was there to show us around a bit which was very cool, it was nothing like I had hoped for, which was made more sadly poignant when we later took our little private tour bus to the by-then Gaga residence, and parked outside at a respectful distance with no sign of access for a few minutes while I watched Diva hold back tears............I did have a nice conversation with her regarding her role in the production of 200 Motels by the LA Philharmonic that I saw some years before in the Disney orchestra hall or whatever they call they amazing venue(Gail and her escort Mr. Vai sat three rows in front of me and we all cried at the same times..). Ahmet was at the time just getting ready to mount his FZ Hologram tour, so he spent most of out time together sharing some stuff from that, but he was gracious and funny and obviously sensitive of the public awareness of the internecine family squabbles, and let me hold one of Frank’s guitars...
But honestly, I most enjoyed my conversation with Alex Winter, which confirmed my confidence in his vision for the film and the perspectives of Frank’s worldview , which has been borne out this week with the almost universal positive reaction.

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