Zappa.com

Hello all, wanted to introduce myself and get to know a lot more Zappa fans. We launched a Kickstarter campaign today to preserve the Zappa vault and make the (finally!) complete doc on FZ's life and times: http://bit.ly/1M3AqQw
This is approved by the ZFT but we're on our own doing the work on the vault and making the movie. Super exciting!

Anyway, hi!

Alex W.

We are honored to have you around. I was happy to learn you were going to do the movie, since I enjoyed Deep Web. I hope to spare some in the future to help with the project (and with forum member XYQA)...

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It's great that we can contribute to this worthwhile project.

THAT'S IT! I'M BUYING THE HOUSE!!!





(Not really, but I'll definitely be contributing - thank you!)

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I can't tell when you're telling the truth.
>I'm not.
How do I know anything you've said to me is...
>You don't.

SATLTSADW image on front of house.

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Hello Alex -

I will definitely kick in something. I was just wondering what your vision is in terms of the length of the film and in the case of an eventual DVD/blu-ray release how extensive the extras might be. There must be tons of stuff in the vault that would interest hard core (is there any other kind?) fans and I don't think most of us would be satisfied with just a standard 90 minute doc. I guess what I would have in mind length-wise would be something along the lines of the Beatles Anthology, the Monty Python Almost the Truth Documentary, or a Ken Burns type project. I don't know if something like that is practical but us fans are gluttons for this stuff. Regardless, I'm sure you'll do a great job and I'm excited that you are taking this on.

Best Wishes.

Fuckin' A!

I'm definitely in! It took me awhile to decide which "TRACK" to pledge but now I've decided to go with TRACK 150!

All the best, Alex!


Current totals...

602
backers
$96,627
pledged of $500,000 goal
30
days to go

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"...I'm absolutely a Libertarian on MANY issues..." ~ Frank Zappa, Rochester, NY, March 11, 1988

Hey Z-Forum-

Wake up. This is a big deal.

^^ Where can I see some of the man's work?


It's not important to even be remembered - FZ

Sorry to quote FZ at a time like this

I'm up, KUIII!
Actually, I backed it this afternoon, but have been busy since then.

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Don't Be Stupid Unless You Want To

Do you really believe that cynical deathbed quote from FZ?

...and thanks, Arkay.

He knows we'll remember.

Now that I'm thinkin' about this here...
Alex, if I could make one content-related request...


If you find yourself asking at any given point:

"Should I:
1. Put in an old favorite - or - 2. Liberate a new treat from the vault?"

In these situations,
please select the 2nd option!

Thanks in advance for a great project!

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Don't Be Stupid Unless You Want To

Brilliant !
Hey Alex, I met keanu reeves in a vehicle elevator once, when he was rehearsing with dogstar.
He said hello, so I said hello back. He wasn't talking to me though
I'll pledge something when I've worked out how it works.
TT

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and I know, I think

I'll take this opportunity to suggest (if you hadn't already thought about this) that you interview the trumpet player Malcom McNab, since he had some really nice things to say about Frank's music, and (relatively) recently released a new version of The Bebop Tango. I suggest him in particular because he is one of the giants in Hollywood music and popular music in general, and is considered one of the greatest trumpet players alive. The Bebop Tango was reputedly written specifically for him.

As to the monetary end of things, I'll see what I can do when I get my next paycheck

P.S. since downer mydnyte brought it up, I like the other, better quote as told by Beverly D'Angelo on that NPR radio special some years ago, when Frank asked for everyone in attendance to get a Coca-Cola, because "things go better with Coke".

P.P.S. I'll agree with KUIII that it would be wonderful to have a very long in-depth version of the documentary, which you could edit down to a 90-minute doc for the average consumer, and then release the big one to us hungry freaks, daddy.

OK I know I keep adding stuff, but in my mind Zappa is at least as important, if not as widely listened to, as the Beatles, in terms of his legacy and the impact it will (hopefully someday) have on future composers and musicians. If you have any money left over after making the doc, you might think of looking into all the sites on the internet that contain facts and apocrypha about Zappa, including the newsgroups, arf.ru, etc. etc. (other people here can tell you all of them). A central repository of knowledge is what I'm getting at here. An Encyclopedia Zappannica, if you will. Also it would be nice to have corrected and verified lyrics, because most of the stuff on the internet is filled with mistakes. Also it would be nice to see a book or something about the music theory behind Zappa's compositions. Also it would be nice to have a dedicated Frank Zappa interactive museum somewhere. You see how I could go on endlessly, so I'll shut up now.

First of all I couldn't be more excited about this whole project, and am very grateful to Alex for taking it on. That being said, am I the only one here who was under the impression that these kinds of projects were already under way? For years I've had visions of Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers working meticulously in the lab to, at the very least, make sure the vault is preserved if nothing else. I also can't help but be a little disheartened by the lack of participation by any of the Zappa family, as Ahmet said in his post, "...I want to make sure everyone knows that this is NOT our project...". Why? Do they really have no interest in this? This whole situation has left me with an odd feeling, while I'm happy about the future releases I can't help but feel like we're at the end of an era. I just hope whoever ends up with the house has an interest in the legacy of FZ.

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“Listen to everyone, read everything; believe absolutely nothing unless you can prove it in your own right!”

"Things go better with Coke" is a better quote then "It's not important to even be remembered" ? Were you maybe thinking about Beverly's tits?



Been thinking about this all day, KUIII. Zappa got dressed and put on makeup for a television interview. Not fair to call it "deathbed". Or to dismiss your dying hero as cynical. He looked awake to me. I've heard him be far more cynical when he was healthier. I hesitate to dismiss one of FZ's final interviews. He seems to have a purpose for being there. I tend to trust/believe men on their "deathbeds" more than I tend to trust most healthy men anyway. I think you should take Frank Zappa at his word.

Are we saving the vault or preserving it? $500,000.000? Has the vault been kidnapped? Or is the money for a documentary?

I think Frank was comparing/contrasting his legacy with those politicians that he had an obvious disdain for. Do you think Frank wanted his work to be remembered? You're goddamn right he did.

As for "saving the vault", I think you raise a good question. Do the entire contents of the vault need to be "saved/digitized" to produce this documentary? I doubt it. Whose responsibility should it be? The contents of the vault are invaluable IMO. I would think one option to "save the vault" would be to sell it in its entirety to an entertainment company (Rhino Records, Shout! Factory, Eagle Rock Entertainment, etc.). I'm just guessing. I don't know what is practical and who has the means and desire to do this stuff. This is how things are proceeding though and I'm not in a position to second guess it. At least something is being done.

^^ I appreciate it, KUIII.

Certainly the best way to preserve the vault is to release it all out into the world.

Updated totals:

1,375
backers
$218,502
pledged of $500,000 goal
28
days to go

_________________
"...I'm absolutely a Libertarian on MANY issues..." ~ Frank Zappa, Rochester, NY, March 11, 1988

Sorry, I didn't mean it the way it sounds. I could have used better words. When I said better I meant better for me because it's funny and I prefer humor. I didn't mean it was objectively better in any way.

But just so I'm clear on what we're talking about, you quoted zappa and then KUIII said it was a deathbed quote, but it wasn't literally a deathbed quote, but from an interview, right? The quote I mentioned was something he purportedly said while literally dying in his bed, with family and close friends gathered around him. He was dying and he wanted them to drink Coca-Cola while they were waiting, because, you know, things go better with Coke. He was only able to whisper it, if I recall correctly. What left a lasting impression about it for me, personally, was the fact that he was only moments away from death, yet he was still coherent and caring enough about the people with him to find humor in the situation, and I can only hope I'll be lucky enough to do the same someday. Anyhow, that's what I was talking about. Sorry if it made me sound like a turd.

Oh yeah, and of course whenever I mention Beverly D'Angelo I must think about her tits, and I weirdly hope Frank was doing the same thing at that time.

It doesn't matter one bit if Frank wanted to be forgotten or if he wanted to be a beloved composer for eternity. History doesn't work that way. It's not his call. And whether it's for a documentary or to ensure his legacy doesn't fade away, all that stuff needs to be preserved. (You would think if Frank truly wanted to be forgotten, he would have put it in his will to destroy everything in the vault when he died.)

So, pick a level and contribute, I would say.

Cynical or not, why would you discount the thoughts and opinions of someone who knows they are dying? Do you really think Winstons are a vegetable? I heard him use that one long before he knew he was dying.

I'm in. Just have to move some money around. Working on something for XYQA first.

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"Everything dies baby that's a fact
But maybe everything that dies someday comes back"

I don't discount Frank's quote there. I just don't take it literally. He was saying I'm not going to be like these other assholes (Bush, Reagan) who pump up their own legacy by building monuments to themselves. I believe he felt that a person's body of work should speak for itself and it didn't need to be propped up with pomp and circumstance. Frank was proud of his work and wanted it to be maintained I have no doubt much like he championed Varese his whole life even recording what he thought was the definitive version of Varese's works (the Rage and the Fury) not too long before his own death. I kind of regret calling it "a cynical deathbed quote". Probably not the best description. Frank knew what he was saying.