I hate to sidetrack the OP thread, but the Billy Bob interview Bitflipper noted is really something. Only excuse I can use to defend him is that it was a 6:00AM interview start.

craigb
Zappa was offered the "Minister of Culture" position by the Czech government.  There was a lot going on in that head of his! 

genius

Hi,
 
One of the saddest things in the arts in America, is that the commercial industry in America is terrible about the arts, and then the media supporting the "greed is good" generation ... and not give a damn about the music and the work of a lot of artists, that deserve the recognition for many of the things they did in their discipline.
 
While there are some issues with Frank, and his "act", specially after the fame in "Overnight Sensation", when he forgot who he was in the public limelight, but the music and the work, in general, did not suffer, which made it ... wonder.
 
But the true sad moment, in the other board, a kid that saw one of his concerts was disappointed because Frank put down the guitar and conducted the whole concert instead! Frank probably thought the band sucked, and he wasn't about to solo over that! Ormaybe he had a broken finger and did not feel comfortable playing that night ... or he wanted to save the middle finger to show it to someone in the audience! (He wasn't the first to do such, btw!)
 
But the fan ... just shows how silly, sad and bad things can be ... when all you appreciate is the guitar god and not the rest of his work, you're looking at the wrong artist!
 
If you don't think his work is serious, better take a look at the amount of classical chances and work he got in Europe, that America will never appreciate, and no one will ever see ... cold day in hell that the Boston Pop ****s will ever even consider playing any of Frank's work, not to mention local orchestras that STILL ignore his work!
 
American media is too controlled and there is no alternative, and I have to tell you that I give the LA Free Press, a lot more credit nowadays ... for helping ... than otherwise.
 
Nowadays, the internet is so proliferated with crap that no one knows, gives a damn, or has any idea what is good or not, or appreciate something completely different.

lawp

craigb
Zappa was offered the "Minister of Culture" position by the Czech government.  There was a lot going on in that head of his! 

genius

He said at the time "we've come here today to watch Communism die"

iirc the US govt responded with something like, "you can do business with zappa, or you can do business with the USA "

Spot on lawp.
 
Zappa was interviewed in the UK shortly before his death, and the whole Czech thing was part of it.

Finally had time to watch this (while eating - always need to multi-task).
 
Not bad!  A bit too safe but, considering when it took place, to be expected.  I loved that one question though "So Frank, who do YOU think is weird?"

Zappa was once asked, "Don't you think you're asking for trouble, naming your children Moon Unit, Dweezil etc"
 
Frank calmly looked the interviewer in the eye and said "it's not their first names that are going to get them in trouble"

In hindsight, I think the kids have done pretty well for themselves.