Alex Winter’s ‘ZAPPA’ Trailer (Theaters/VOD Nov 27)

That's fair enough, but the marketing made no mention of this.

"Available Everywhere" - when it isn't.

I know a lot of forum members will complain that I'm always pessimistic, but really its not a huge challenge to understand why this sort of thing gets on my nerves

 

Pre-orders for 5xLP and 3xCD: OMPS VINYL PREORDER

 

Reality + Time is a complex organism. Sometimes one thing is said, then later another thing happens, for a variety of entangled reasons flowing through time.

 

5xLP and 3xCD pre-orders on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Zappa-Original-Motion-Picture-Soundtrack/dp/B08NR9TDCZ/

 

Said it earlier in another thread, but the price difference between black vinyl and a smoke dye coloured one is insane. Vinyl is dead.

OMPS VINYL PREORDER

 

Does that mean DVD and/or BD for everyone at some point or just those who pledged?

 

Magnolia commercially releases their high profile docs like this on physical media - from what I’ve seen it’s coming.

 

Just watched. It was well made. Loved the first half especially. I thought original Mothers were properly covered. My favorite part was Ruth talking about playing the piano at school.

 

watching now... Alex Winter and Diva Zappa among others are on twitter answering questions and commenting on the film under the hashtag #ZappaParty

 

I don't think you're pessimistic at all, Bob. I just think that you can squeeze a penny and get 50 cents out of it. Hey, there's an art to it. Big props for sticking to your guns!

 

Watched the doc twice so far. The rental is 48 hours and I plan to watch it 2 more times before it expires. Highly recommended. There’s much to be said. Finely crafted, stimulating, and so many previously unseen images. A doc worthy of Frank.

 

I worry that this thread being in the Visual Arts section instead of Music is limiting the traffic it deserves to be getting. A major piece of the Zappa continuity.

 

Things on the 'backers' Soundtrack NOT on the 'public-consumtion' soundtrack!!!!
OOOOOOO...that BURNS me UP!

 

They always said that would be the case - that was one of the incentives to be a backer.

 

Watched it last night and enjoyed it. It's really only been the last few years that I've gotten into Frank so I learned quite a bit from it.

I never really got his angle on the whole PMRC thing though and maybe that's 20/20 hindsight on my part. If anything that little sticker moved more units.

 

There were some retailers who would not carry any stickered albums. But more than that, it was some third party with no constitutionally defined authority, passing judgment on an artist's work.

It's worth watching all of the testimony, not just Franks. Dee Snider and most surprisingly John Denver also had things to say about this.

"It is my understanding that, in law, First Amendment Issues are decided with a preference for the least restrictive alternative. In this context, the PMRC’s demands are the equivalent of treating dandruff by decapitation."

 

So looking at the official soundtrack.

2 of the 12 unreleased songs are on the backer cd, 1 of which is the widely available snl dancin fool.

2 are interviews and 1 is a song from the 84 nyc pier show on vhs/dvd - so that’s 6 actually unreleased songs. See - I’m talking myself out of it!

 

I get the no authority part, but the passing judgment part I can't really buy. You're simply giving the customer information as to what they're buying. I guess my question is would Frank have felt any different if the music industry, in the manner of the MPA, came out with a rating system for records like they do for movies?

 

Very good doc. I’m struck a bit at this point by having a popular music adjacent documentary (even if FZ stretches the definition at times) that isn’t overly concerned with flashy graphics and transitions. It feels like something that could be created in analog, film collage-like in parts, but it’s carefully assembled chronologically and glued together with archive interview audio (largely from Zappa himself) and so manages to keep its narrative unmuddled.
You can easily imagine the version of this movie that’s a fluff piece with celebrity fan interviews and focused more on the shock value of his lyrics and stage antics and such, but the actual film is so much more interested in the people and exploring their driving qualities in a nuanced way, obviously intimately invested in the material without turning into a fawning tribute.
Not to say it isn’t fun (it definitely can be) but it’s just got a bit more weight to it than a lot of docs in this lane.
I’ll say that I wish we heard a little more music (we hear a huge variety, but largely brief snippets) but that just gives you a reason to chase it with something like Roxy: The Movie

 

It is available stream from our local indie movie theater club this week so I will probably get a pass and see it again. I was lucky to actually see it in a movie theater last week and enjoyed it.

 

It's sooooooo frustrating to not be able to see this in the UK.

Andrew Greenaway reports that it has an international distributor in board but Magnolia have a (most likely) 90 day exclusivity, so I'm not expecting to even get access to it until Feb/March next year...

 

You can read Frank's views on a rating system in his full statement:

Frank Zappa: Statement To Congress September 19, 1985 - Everything2.com

 

How does this compare to "Eat that question"?

 

I'm a backer but I will be "acquiring" it by other means. Such BS.

 

I have read it is not easy to get an interview with Belew, although he has talked about how much he admires Zappa.