Frank Zappa on Fads 

Imagine a time when people said nice things about Los Angeles...

"Ain't no hustle where I live" I burst out laughing at that.

His fad perspective is very insightful. That seems to be why lots of social and political movements that are based on the people end so fast.

Before the internet, this is what trolling looked like. All of Zappa's interviews intentionally challenge media as message and its no different here. Ruth Underwood's basically in the band at this point, and the interviewer clearly doesn't know it, so he really puts the screws to him.

Frank is a mad genius. His voice even has great tone.

This is hilarious because Ruth Underwood was basically in the group at this point and he’s just fucking with the interviewer.

Every time I hear a frank Zappa interview I go "wow that guy is smart"

Zappa’s comic pessimism is refreshing, even when I don’t think the way he does. Ultimately he condemns himself along with the rest of us, it’s honest without truely being rude.

His humour is so dry 😏👍 he’s antagonistic in his replies, and he often really meant what he was saying... but it was said with humour.

I heard a theory that he was only saying the exact opposite of what the interviewer wanted to hear, just to ser how far he could push the guy. It would definitely be in character...

I use Zappa interviews as my bed time story's....then the animation keeps me awake...zappa interviews should receive a grammys

The man made a career out of “don’t tell me what to do”

Zappa sounds so damn chill. I miss him

Dang PBS studios, this was a fantastic production! Loved the animation and art, loved the music and Zappa will always be a legend, thank you so much!

Zappa being on point as always. Sun Ra would be a great subject for this series

for those reacting to the comments about women. the brilliant Carol kaye played guitar on Freak out (1966) and absolutely free, but quit because she didnt like the lyrical content.. other female band members had troubles with the live shows.. he`s talking of his experience.. he had worked with several female musicians, but they all quit. and thats why he says he dont think female musicians would fit in with the band.. as for the "I see most women as just stupid people who happen to wear dresses" Is just like he says that most people are just stupid.. he also thought most men are stupid people who happen to wear pants...

"a temporary occupation for your imagination"

I am glad you guys finally did a Frank Zappa interview, great animation as well.

I requested this a while ago and I'm so glad you guys made this!

Guess this was before Ruth Underwood joined the group.

1:58 " Sure, I see a lot of changes. But I think they're all temporary things. . . and any change for the good always subject to cancellation, upon the arrival of the next fad. And the same thing with any change for the worst. . . you have a nation of people who are waiting for the next big thing to happen. "--He KNEW more about us as Americans than we ever knew about him. #truth #zappalives

Frank zappa is like the walrus that you filmed crushing your car... awesome, peculiar and in real time... You can't deny that this guy was legend.

I'm so happy for this, Blank on Blank :) Zappa is my hero. Thank you!

I'm deeply loving all of these videos Thank you so much

No girls in the band? And then he hired Ruth, one of the best musicians in any of his bands.

Ruth Underwood! Long serving female member percussionist in the band and crucial to the Zappa sound in the 70s.

This is a real treat!! I don't usually like animation but I have changed my mind today!! Great stuff thanks!

You guys finally did Zappa! Awesome!

I remember FZ standing up to Al Gores wife, Tipper, at a congressional hearing about music censorship !

It was a trip when my former high school principal told me that Frank Zappa used to be a student at my former high school

“Trouble Every Day” could not be more relevant ... miss you FZ❤️

This sht has serious weight in what is happening today right now. So on point.

"aint no hustle where i live" i think im going to steal that one

Interview was done on June 6th, 1971, the same day John Lennon joined him on his concert... Am I weird for remembering that?

Awesome animation for an excellent Zappa interview

my favorite interview ever

Note for listeners - none of the music here is Zappa's.

He was so far ahead of time in each and every way!!

Fidget Spinners? yeah, fidget spinners

I don't see a credit for the visuals on this interview but they are just brilliant. I love all of them.

I don't think that Frank's view on the avoidance of female members of in his band is necessarily derived form sexism per se (and despite how much I like the guy, this interview was taken at a time when female equality was still really struggling), it was more for the aim of courtesy towards his musical personnel. A lot of the stuff that the mothers did on stage at the time was very sexually raunchy and subjectively riskè and that would lead to live concert environments being very out of the ordinary for any touring musician. They would tend to tackle subject matter that would make just about anybody uncomfortable (and I mean anybody, not just women) and the way that the audiences interacted with it would at times be very hard to work with. Even when he did start hiring female personnel later on in the seventies, it was very rare for any of them to stick around for a long period of time. Besides orchestral and ensemble concerts (ie. The Grand Wazoo Band, The 1975 Abnuceals Emuukha Electric Orchestra concerts and the Yellow Shark Orchestra), the only female member of one of his rock groups who stayed with him for a relatively long period of time (around 2 years) was percussionist Ruth Underwood, but the others who did tour with him (namely Saxophonist Norma Bell and Vocalist Bianca Odin) ended up leaving after a short period of time due to complications that they faced with touring with Frank's band. Both Bell and Odin left for separate reasons (Frank found out Bell was doing hard drugs during rehearsals and kicked her out, and Odin left due to stress from the tour), but the common problem that both of them encountered was the behaviour of the audience brought on by the nature of the gigs. The raunchy sexual lyrics in a lot of Frank's songs and a ton of the themes ripping on popular culture addressed at the shows prompted audience members to be difficult to perform for, resulting in assholes at practically every other show making cat calls or shouting insults, or general discomfort with singing certain lyrics in general. I don't fully blame Frank for the hardships these band members faced at these concerts, I see it more just as certain themes or approaches working better with certain people. I don't fully know what Ruth's thoughts on the matter were, but considering that she was with Frank for way longer than either of those members, odds are she had to put up with a lot of the same stuff too, so I guess it just depends on how well somebody could adjust to those unusual settings (and it would be very difficult getting used to it). In short, I think that the nature of some of Frank's gigs and certain difficulties of being a female musician during that time period was largely the reason why we didn't see women in Frank's touring bands that often.

He said he wouldn't put a girl in the group, but just a few years later he added Ruth Underwood who would uncountably be the most talented percussion that would be in his band

oh my god this is so good never stop

His discription of New York is my experience of LA. Helps to have money.

Please do Captain Beefheart!

Interesting to note that in later years he did have a female percussionist whose name escapes me.

great work! ... and i like the interview as well ;)

very groovy interview. Mad respect for the Zappa man!

Man this guy was so smart and cool. Miss you frank

So good!! I hope you could do Captain Beefheart eventually ;)

AMAZING JOB!!! GREAT ANIMATION!!! LOVELY ZAPPA SPEACH!!

Great stuff. Any more of this genius ? If so, whip in on out boy!

It takes someone of very high intelligence to convey broad ideas in such concise sound bites. One of the sharpest philosophical social observers of the 20th century. I like listening to him as much as his music. Also, who knew Woody Allen was so good at interviewing?

that part about not having to avoid homeless people in cali really didn't age well

wow this interview with Jason Lee really makes me realize how much him and frank zappa have in common

Badass interview.

That's funny cause now LA is lookin more and more like New York.

"I don‘t think that there‘s a girl around that would fit in with what we do"...then along dome the phenomenal Ruth Underwood.

I have yet to download my full copy of The Smith Tapes from the original Kickstarter :D

what a wonderful channel

That looks nothing like Frank Zappa.

If you truly value "unique thinkers", Frank is in the Club. He's a charter member.

Love this animation ! Viva Zappa !!!

I’ve come to the realization that Zappa himself was a fad. He says something, and the peer group says YES!

Four decades later, fad = trending.

Why are the people from Blank on Blank and a lot of people in the comment section trying to make Frank look like the ultimate woman-hating misogynist A couple points that proove that statement isn't true at all Firstly, Zappa did use a female session bassist on the Freak Out album, the brilliant Carol Kaye, who quit because she didn't like the lude,crude and vulgar lyrics Frank wrote which is what he meant when he said a woman wouldn't fit in with The Mother's image and type of music, considering their music was full of vulgar and crude refrences to sex (including female groupies) so that's what made think a woman would out of place in the band Secondly, he did evetnually include a woman a year later namely Ruth Underwood who did a great job whithin the band Thirdly, when he was asked if a woman's place is the home he rejected that idea and basically said (in his own snarky) that women who are badly suited for such a life should make their own way in life by working in show bussines; in a factory etc. And his final comment that he thinks in MOST INSTANCES the women he met are really stupid people who JUST HAPPENED TO WEAR DRESSES is the same as saying most men are stupid people; which was the way he saw most people he interacted with, most of the time being right So anybody thinking he was a sexist or against women being in the music bussines or worse make him and icon for MGTOW type groups or any other group should revaluate their his choices And also I don't know why BOB animated him stepping on women and holding one in his hands as if he owns her like an object and holding them down is trying to put him in a negative light removing any nuance from what he said as if his views and comments are against women and I feel like this this distracts from the great insight he offers us on a fad crazed culture And one more thing, him saying he doesn't see women as one big group and that they all have their own skills and qualifications is pretty feminist in thinking and even humanising, something a lot of political groups including feminists often times forget

Good Interview

THANK YOU!!!!! To those who don't know I requested this maybe a year ago, and Blank on Blank replied saying they would do it. So, this makes me really happy. Thanks guys! Keep on keepin' on.

wonder if being around john and yoko influenced his opinion on women

Frank Zappa is more LSD than LSD

Kony 2012, let's get him! (2019 and he's still chillin')

This is around the time of the Fillmore album. FYI: he enjoyed NY more in later years.

The entire time I'm looking at the drawn up version of Zappa thinking about how that really does not look like Zappa. Hard to concentrate. Wonder if the cartoonist/drawer was given a different picture as inspiration, as a prank. It really does not look like Zappa. Had to write it again.

He predicted the NPC meme.

Zappa is the most interesting guy to sit for interviews.

They might be a bit more obscure, but I would love to see something involving Peter Christopherson or John Balance of the band Coil. Both of them are very interesting, talented individuals who I believe deserve a lot more attention

Frank Zappa didn't have a receding hairline either. While I'm all in favour of Zappa movies, documentaries, animations etc etc, but the least we should expect is that FZ is portrayed correctly.

Zappa was a legend and always will be a legend.

He always had such a unique view on....everything!

Frank Zappa 1971: "I don't think there's a girl around that would fit in with what we do." Ruth Underwood (Who was in Frank's band from 1969-79): Am I a joke to you?

"you can't judge people that way [as an homogenised group]" - flippin' heck, I wish more people thought that way! Funny & entertaining too... & fab music - worra Cat!

Why did you choose that one quote of Zappa, to make him appear to be against women? That isn't what he was talking about.

A rapper named Milo sampled this interview under his Scalops Hotel alias. Check out "Over a Carnage, a Rose Prophetic". It's pretty good.

Amazing man, and musician. I wish he was more optimistic about people as individuals.

What a great mind... R.I.P

I think Zappa would be sad to see that nearly all large US cities are now like NYC was back in 1971.

omg this is so good

Can we make Blank on Blank episode about Mr. Don Van Vliet of Captain Beefheart? Thank you!

dude clearly had no time for PC

he answers how most think in their head. gotta respect that I guess haha

Frank was so refreshing in his frankness!

Great insight from uncle Frank. 🖒👍🖒👍

The animation is so good it’s distracting. I’m not mad though.

Zappa knew about NPCs before they were called NPCs.

Subscribed.

This has never been more applicable than through 2018-2019

I felt personally attacked when he said grand funk railroad 😂

Zappa is one cool cat.

Very cool animation

I always forget how much higher pitched Zappa’s voice was before his larynx was broken