Six Years of Musoscribe: Frank Zappa
Another musical figure whose work I discovered during my college years is Frank Zappa. I was fortunate enough to see him in concert not once but twice; the first was in 1981 on the You Are What You Is tour. Sadly, I never got the opportunity to interview the man, but I have interviewed a number of notable musicians who were within his orbit.
Project/Object
Though I didn’t know him personally at the time, fourteen years ago my friend André Cholmondely headed a Zappa tribute band called Project/Object. The band often features members of Zappa’s groups. Here’s my interview with André Cholmondeley and Ike Willis.
Howard Kaylan
In the post-Turtles years, Kaylan and Mark Volman (aka Flo and Eddie) fronted Zappa’s band. I’ve interviewed Kaylan twice; the second interview focused on his autobiography, Shell Shocked, a story full of Zappa-related content. Here’s my second interview with Howard Kaylan.
Grandmothers
The Grandmothers is a sort-of Zappa tribute group peopled by musicians who’ve worked with him. My interview with Don Preston and my conversation with Napoleon Murphy Brock shed some light on their group.
I’ve also written about and/or reviewed other Zappa-related releases:
- Frank Zappa’s Classical Selection
- Ant-Bee – Electronic Church Muzik
- Ant-Bee – Pure Electric Honey
- Festival Actuel (bootleg)
- Concert review: Zappa Plays Zappa
- The Freak Out List DVD
- Jean-Luc Ponty Experience – Open Strings
- Derailroaded: Inside the Mind of Larry “Wild Man” Fischer DVD
- Pink Floyd – Interstellar Zappadrive (bootleg)
- From Straight to Bizarre DVD
- Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band – The Lost Broadcasts DVD
- Book Review: Lunar Notes
- Concert review: Project/Object
- Freak Jazz, Movie Madness and Another Mothers DVD
My look back into the archives on the occasion of the blog’s six-year anniversary will continue.
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About the Author
Bill Kopp
With a background in marketing and advertising, Bill Kopp got his professional start writing for Trouser Press. After a stint as Editor-in-chief for a national music magazine, Bill launched Musoscribe in 2009, and has published new content every business day since then (and every single day since 2018). The 4500-plus interviews, essays, and reviews on Musoscribe reflect Bill's keen interest in American musical forms, most notably rock, jazz, and soul. His work features a special emphasis on reissues and vinyl. Bill's work also appears in many other outlets both online and in print. He regularly hosts lecture/discussions on artists and albums of historical importance (including monthly events Music to Your Ears and Music Movie Mondays), and is a frequent guest on music-focused radio programs and podcasts. In Spring 2023 he taught a history of Rock 'n' Roll at UNC Asheville's College for Seniors. He also researches and authors liner notes for album reissues -- more than 30 to date -- and co-produced a reissue of jazz legend Julian "Cannonball" Adderley's final album. His first book, Reinventing Pink Floyd: From Syd Barrett to The Dark Side of the Moon was published by Rowman & Littlefield in 2018, and in paperback in 2019. His second book, Disturbing the Peace: 415 Records and the Rise of New Wave, was published in 2021 by HoZac Books. His third book, What's the Big Idea: Great Concept Albums will be published in 2024. Read even more about him here.