Chords for Frank Zappa - Television Interview 1976

_ We're joined right now from a man whose music is a long way from Broadway
His name is Frank Zappa and Frank Zappa has been a major force [Gb] a major figure on the rock and roll [Bb] scene for 12 to [F] 14
Years, he's a founder of a group called the mothers of invention is noted among other musicians and as many fans for his fine guitar
Work and also for his introduction of theatrics onto the rock and roll stage.
It's nice to have you with us Frank
How you doing?
It's I'm fine.
How are you?
Okay, you're in New York.
You're based basically in the West Coast
You're in New York because you're going to be performing what for a week.
Is that correct?
How's the city look to you?
You don't come to town that often
[Db] Well, I haven't had a chance [D] to see too much outside of the hotel room in [Eb] the theater, but [F] you know, it's crowded
[Bbm] It's sort of drab
What about the vibes of the city wonder one would think that a guy who's as tuned as you [F] might be might
Connect in an interesting way to New York.
Well speaking about vibes.
It's a good thing
You [Ebm] talked to me about the vibes of the city.
I'm always [C] very conscious of the [Eb] vibes of a city
You could [Gb] almost forgive the crowding some [Bb] of the odors and everything because the vibe of New York City is so vital
Yeah, is that you would describe it as a vital force?
Yeah, it's a very vital [N] do you ever get off on watching the people rushing rushing in New York?
There's no I don't think there's another place in the world where people are in a hurry to will risk their lives
To beat a red light.
That's right across the street.
That's true
Well, you put or in a car either way and if you collide then why do you figure it is?
People get to [F] meet each other in New York.
Yeah, it's true.
So have you been to Bloomingdale's?
No, you haven't made any of them having a really treasured experiences, New York City _ _ _
I want to hear a little bit of your opinion on you've been a mainstay of the music scene for a long time
You have no intention of pulling out.
What do you think of the [Ab] disco sound Frank Zappa?
Well, you know when I travel [E] around the world with my rock and roll [Bb] banjo
I go to a lot of places all over you see and [Am] if you have the choice between staying in a [D] hotel room or going [Bb] to
A discotheque usually go to a discotheque, [G] right?
So you have been in this good all I've been to [Eb] very many discotheques and it is my observation that they're just about the same
All over the world.
Mm-hmm
But what about that the the kind of music that is now being produced as a result of this goes?
[Ab] It's the dancing kind [N] of music what what's your evaluation of it?
Do you like it?
Does it move you at all it fulfills its function [F] and as a necessary tool of the disco industry
[Em] Now the disco industry [Eb] has nothing to do with music and it has [D] nothing to do with dancing
But it does have something to do with getting lonely [F] people together in an environment where they can sort of make [Bb] friends with each other
And then have recreation afterwards, but you say it has nothing to do with music.
No, really
[N] _ _
Why can you make a statement like that?
I mean, it's supposed to be music
They sell the records and record stores and play it on your
System you can bake the issue and say that yeah.
Well, there's notes involved in it
Yeah, I'm sure you can type your foot to it.
But let's be realistic.
What is it all for?
Just for getting people together and you're that's [Eb] right
But that does don't you find yourself moved by it?
I don't mean emotionally but physically isn't there something in the disco sound that [Bb] makes you just kind of
Get with the music and flow along with it
I think [Gb] just about any kind [E] of music at high [Bb] amplitude with the bass end jacked up is going to do something to your body
Yeah, [N] what is music the music and the performing all these years done to your body in terms of the loudness?
[Bb] Well _ _ _
_ How's your it doesn't hurt [N] no, no, how's your hearing?
Huh?
How's your hearing?
No, my hearing's fine.
I have a [Ab] 10 DB deficiency at 500 cycles in my left ear
_ Jeez, it's almost as bad as me.
I think what does that all mean 10 DB [Gb] deficiency?
That means that [Bb] 500 cycles which is in the lower portion of the mid-range
I have a deficiency which means that that [Gb] my ear is not sensitive [C] to 500 cycles on this side
No, I see that's from [Gb] somebody else's [C] instrument on that side of the stage hitting my head
Although what instruments you figure was [E] the drums it was no, it's [Bb] probably the bass
The bass is it was the attack [A] of the bass
[Bbm] _ Doing it.
I've been asked to point out that
In terms of [Gb] I know you're interested in video pictures in terms of the picture that the people are seeing of you at home [Eb] right
Now the image which is purely illusion is being created is that you have [G] a piece of white paper hanging out of your right nostril
All right, but it is not a piece of white paper is one gray hair in your mustache
[Gb] Know that [Am] well, then you have to zoom in [C] closer because I have [Eb] more than one.
I have probably about [G] five
How do you feel about those [Gb] gray hairs Frank?
I [Bb] love them _
You got some in your [G] birthday yesterday, I was [Eb] 36 years old, how's it feel to be 30?
That's great.
That's a prime approaching [C] that
Really?
You're able to feel a little wiser now at age 36 and you definitely yeah, really [Eb] smart now
Now you're smart, right?
[Gb] I got it together [Bb] today
another thing I want to ask about is why have you been so
[Db] Adamant about not about members of your band not using drugs about you're [F] not using drugs
In spite of the fact that so many people who would turn out to see you might be very stoned and highly wrecked
_ Conditioned to go and watch Frank's [Gb] happen
Well, there are a number [C] of reasons why I would recommend that members of my rocking teenage combo don't use drugs
The first is unemployment _
[Eb] Because if there's one thing [C] that police around the world like to do is cause rampant unemployment of musicians by arresting
I'm [Gb] taking them away for using chemicals
Which [F] somebody has claimed [C] at one time or another is going to be illegal
You see, mm-hmm
And I do not like the idea of having law enforcement
agencies impinging on my musical career by virtue of [Gb] the fact that they will remove [F] a necessary member of my group for using a
Chemical, okay.
I got that.
I got that but you you you yourself come out very strongly against you
So [Bb] don't use them.
You don't use them
How do you feel [N] about the fact that just in terms of general image even in our discussing you prior to your coming here that?
You exude kind of an image of somebody who would you be using a lot of drugs?
Well, you probably just saw that white thing hanging out of my nose and that was it
I was ready for the police to commit and bust your mustache
Leave you here, but take the mustache with you
Stop to think that I was actually in effect an old person with white hair _
_ _ _ _ _ _ You what I introduced you by saying that you had a lot to do with introducing theatrics into rock and roll this is it _ _ _
_ One white hair of theatrics, but what [F] what did you do in the early days?
I mean you're you're
_ It's it said that Alice Cooper is your protege
So what were you doing in the early days that got people into not just performing music?
But they're creating a theater on stage well [Gb] a lot of people in the [D] New York area might [Em] remember him see I used [C] to live
Here in 67 and we used [E] to work at a place called the [C] Garrick theater down on bleaker Street
We did two shows a night [D] six nights a week for about five months between
[C]
Easter vacation and
September and 67 and
_ _ _ The reason why we're in there for so long is because we opened up for a two-week run during Easter vacation [Gb] and
Lines around the block and I was really [F] popular and everything and then as soon as school went [Bbm] back
_ [Eb] There was like five people a night what we were booked all September
So we had to do something five people show up for the show so we had that you couldn't just stand there [Gb] and play you
Had [Fm] to invent something that was [E] interesting for those five people so [F] we would do stuff like [Dm] go out and sit in the [C] audience with them
[Db] _ _ _ _ _
[Abm] _ Hour and a half right go downstairs the [N] cafe go go and get him a cup of coffee
Very highly personalized kind of performance.
This is your show.
We're gonna entertain you you [Ab] know
So we we go down and get a little [Gb] napkin over the arm and come [D] back up and you know give him [G] something
Sometimes it'd be [Ab] five ten people come in the audience.
We'd say [B] hey, how did you [Ab] guys like to do the show for us?
[Gm] We'd give them the instruments we'd say
_ And out of [E] that grew a whole concept of just doing it differently on stage a couple things.
I want to
Show your fans.
You had a lot of calls in the announce you were coming on the show
People were really anxious to see you
This is Frank's new album the Zappa zoot a lore and you're also going to be performing at which theater now
It's at the Palladium formerly known as the Academy of Music that December 26 [Bb] 27 28 [F] 29
Should be a good gig.
Yeah, I'll be floating in the ocean far away
Oh, you're gonna miss it because we have a special event Don Pardo
Do you know who Don Don Pardo is a the [Gb] famous announcer the voice behind the scenes?
[Eb] You'll see him live on stage at the Palladium.
He's coming down.
He's going to sing one of our songs Don Pardo sings with Frank
Zappa they say life is [Bb] strange.
It's crazy Frank.
It's good to have you with us come back [Gb] sometime
I'm sure I [Db] could talk to you someone's gonna get a white hair on