Why I play guitar

[Ken Moon]

I was at the Roxy in December 1973 with my girlfriend (who is now my wife of 38 years), and we saw this show.

I went out and traded my '68 sunburst strat (silly me) for an SG that would never stay in tune, and never looked back.

This guy changed my life. What a wierdo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnDqHppWS_Q

[cbass]

I started listening to Zappa in high school.makes some people angry fro some reason

[Leo_Gnardo]

I started listening to Zappa in high school.makes some people angry fro some reason

Me too. Town library had a copy of Uncle Meat. How that came to be I can't imagine. I had to bring it to a friend's house and wait for his parents to not be home before giving it a spin.

Zappa can bring on anger from several sources. Being the scruffy-looking but intellectually superior person he was, for instance, didn't sit well with the older generation. Also younger people who were keyed in to "square" rock music and can't stand anything else. Stealing all kinds of themes mostly from 20th century composers, well that'll either p off or amuse those who figure out where he stole 'em from. Being prolific, demanding, AND business-minded could upset other musicians, record companies too. The only thing that upsets me, he was gone way too soon.

Good to see you here cbass, you've been sorta on the missing list. Hope everything's OK!

[Ken Moon]

I don't think I've ever met a girl that liked Zappa

btw, here's me playing the SG I got right after seeing him:

[img:712:1024]http://i514.photobucket.com/albums/t346 ... _00z47.jpg[/img]

[NickC]

I saw him at the Fox Theater in Atlanta back around '81. He had his big band set up on risers, much like the Glen Miller era stage sets. Fantastic music. Absolutely fantastic.

Oh yeah, my main axe for a long, long time was a cherry finish SG which I custom ordered and purchased new in 1973.

[skyboltone]

Me and Zappa go way back. I saw him about a dozen times in various venues. I was introduced to the cult in college and never looked back.

But that's not why I play guitar. I play guitar as a form of self abuse. I hate myself therefore I play. Most 13 year olds play better than me. It's just the way it is. I beat them up if I can catch them.

[xtian]

I never got to see Frank. But Dweezil does him proud. Great show, Zappa Plays Zappa.

[Zippy]

I was at the Roxy in December 1973 with my girlfriend (who is now my wife of 38 years), and we saw this show.

I went out and traded my '68 sunburst strat (silly me) for an SG that would never stay in tune, and never looked back.

This guy changed my life. What a wierdo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnDqHppWS_Q

I'm enjoying this. Thank you.

I was a Zappa fan in the early '70s and played in a band that was inspired by Frank's works, "The Post Nasal Drip Wind and Percussion Symphony."

Thinking back, our band was never a chick magnet, although we did get a mention in the back pages of Down Beat magazine.

Thanks again for sparking some memories!

[Bob S]

Thanks for sharing Ken.
Saw him in the UK - early 80s maybe...
He sat in a chair on stage most of the show - watching the band.
I still remember he was wicked on guitar when he did participate.
And weird.

[Bob-I]

My Zappa story...

In 1970 I was in college in Milwaukee. A friend and I took a bus to Chicago to see Zappa, Rory Gallagher opening. Rory blew the roof off the joint the we waited what seemed like hours for Zappa. When he did finally come out he played one chord and left. We waited for what seemed like hours again but he never came back.

Later that week we read in a local underground paper that Zappa had a disagreement with the venue, and after reviewing the contract he realized that he was required to play, but nothing said how long. He setup another gig in Milwaukee and would honor the tickets from Chicago.

Rory opened again, blew the roof off the joint again, then Zappa came out and played for hours, killed it. When Leach and Eddie couldn't sing anymore, he played instrumentals for hours more. He didn't leave until they shut him down.

After that, I became a Rory Gallagher fan. Yea, Zappa was great, but too off the wall for me, Gallagher was fantastic with just his Strat and a little Tweed amp.

[sepulchre]

I was fortunate enough to see Frank (Zack Gliekman) every time he played in Houston. The first time I had never heard of him, some guy with a weird name, but immediately became forevermore hooked. Before my record collection melted in a fire it contained everything he ever put out. Now I only have a few CDs but I listened to those records until they were burned into my poor beat up memory.

He was one of the brightest lights among us. Btw, my first wife was equally addicted to him, and my current mate recognizes his brilliance; he's a must in the collection we take on car trips.

Thanks, Ken, for posting this concert. How cool to have been there! Looks like Frank was having tuning troubles too.