Felix! — Zappa Connections Challenge

[FlaSoxxJim]

Hey Felix (and everybody else, natch), I don't know if you are as stuned as I am that FZ not only made the cut, but made his way into the top 20. Just shows the weight two #1 votes have I guess.

 

Anyway, I think we need to bask in the moment with a little FZ trivia. How about a Zappa Connections game, where someone throws out a non-Zappa entity (band, artist, composer, etc.), and then the other player(s??) have to come up with the connection? Honestly, most of them probably won't be too hard unless there are several degrees of separation, but it should still be fun.

 

I'll start off with a softball question: Connect, if you can, FZ with the band Little Feat.

 

[knightni]

Roy Estrada

[FlaSoxxJim]

Roy Estrada

 

Right you are, Ni. . . half-way anyway (actually 1/3 right). There is one more big musician who woodshedded with Frank before starting up Little Feat, and one of slightly lesser stature.

 

You got the game though. Please submit a questio if you care too, since your brain is now bursting with Zappa factoids. In the meantime, here's another one:

 

Connect FZ with Journey.

[Middle Buffalo]

Connect FZ with Journey.

Frank Zappa listened to and didn't like Journey.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Frank Zappa listened to and didn't like Journey.

 

You are probably right about that.

[Texsox]

Right you are, Ni. . . half-way anyway (actually 1/3 right). There is one more big musician who woodshedded with Frank before starting up Little Feat, and one of slightly lesser stature.

 

You got the game though. Please submit a questio if you care too, since your brain is now bursting with Zappa factoids. In the meantime, here's another one:

 

Connect FZ with Journey.

 

Aynsley Dunbar went from working with FZ to working with Journey.

 

Frank Zappa to ELO

[BigEdWalsh]

Frank Zappa to ELO

I give up. We'll leave that one open.

 

How about Frank Zappa to Canned Heat?

[Felix]

Awesome thread, even if I can't get most of these basically due to not knowing all the members in these other bands. For the ones I don't know, I'm definitely heading onto wiki to get some more random Zappa factoids to learn

[knightni]

Did Zappa really take a dump on stage?

[Felix]

Did Zappa really take a dump on stage?

No.

 

The actual rumor is that he ate a s*** on stage to win a "gross out" contest (whatever that is), but it's also false. In his autobiography, he says that the closest he ever came to eating a s*** was at a buffet at a North Carolina Holiday Inn.

Edited November 27, 2009 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

I give up. We'll leave that one open.

 

How about Frank Zappa to Canned Heat?

 

Two Canned Heat connections I know of. The most important is that Sunflower Vestine, an early MOI member (pre Freak our, but he's on some FZ demos and rarities that have been relesaed) was a guitarist and founding member of Canned Heat. The second connection is that MOI core member Don Preston spent a small amount of time with Canned Heat.

 

On the subject of Canned Heat, I am a cardholding member of the Bob the Bear Hit Society ("He Came, He Walked Around, He Died"), although not in good standing because the only real stipulation for being a member is you have to drink your beer with your left hand and I can't remember to do that.

 

OK, next Zappa connection: FZ and Jethro Tull.

[Texsox]

Two Canned Heat connections I know of. The most important is that Sunflower Vestine, an early MOI member (pre Freak our, but he's on some FZ demos and rarities that have been relesaed) was a guitarist and founding member of Canned Heat. The second connection is that MOI core member Don Preston spent a small amount of time with Canned Heat.

 

On the subject of Canned Heat, I am a cardholding member of the Bob the Bear Hit Society ("He Came, He Walked Around, He Died"), although not in good standing because the only real stipulation for being a member is you have to drink your beer with your left hand and I can't remember to do that.

 

OK, next Zappa connection: FZ and Jethro Tull.

 

Eddie Jacobson and his violin.

[Texsox]

Zappa and Deep Purple?

[FlaSoxxJim]

Aynsley Dunbar went from working with FZ to working with Journey.

 

Frank Zappa to ELO

 

Good job with Aynsley.

 

For the ELO connection, I've only come up with something tenuous, in the form of Ringo Starr. Ringo starred in 200 Motels as Larry the Dwarf, and he has appeared as a guest studio musician on a more recent ELO album. If there is a more solid connection I will keep thinking about it.

 

Here's another one for you to work on: FZ and Duran Duran?

[Texsox]

Good job with Aynsley.

 

For the ELO connection, I've only come up with something tenuous, in the form of Ringo Starr. Ringo starred in 200 Motels as Larry the Dwarf, and he has appeared as a guest studio musician on a more recent ELO album. If there is a more solid connection I will keep thinking about it.

 

Here's another one for you to work on: FZ and Duran Duran?

 

Perhaps too hard. Aynsley also worked with John Lennon, who played in an obscure band with George Harrison, who was in the Travelling Wilburys with Jeff Lynne who was in ELO.

OI couldn't even tell you who was in Duran Duran, so you got me.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Zappa and Deep Purple?

 

Well done with Eddie Jobson.

 

The most famous FZ/Deep purple connection is, of course, Montreux Switzerland, and the casino burning down during a Mothers show due to "some stupid with a flare gun", as immortalize on Smoke on the Water.

[FlaSoxxJim]

Perhaps too hard. Aynsley also worked with John Lennon, who played in an obscure band with George Harrison, who was in the Travelling Wilburys with Jeff Lynne who was in ELO.

OI couldn't even tell you who was in Duran Duran, so you got me.

 

Oh, I certainly could have connected a six degrees of separation type link — probably a couple — but I was looking for the most direct connection. Cool pathway, though.

 

How about an easy one with FZ and the Turtles?

[BigEdWalsh]

Two Canned Heat connections I know of. The most important is that Sunflower Vestine, an early MOI member (pre Freak our, but he's on some FZ demos and rarities that have been relesaed) was a guitarist and founding member of Canned Heat. The second connection is that MOI core member Don Preston spent a small amount of time with Canned Heat.

 

On the subject of Canned Heat, I am a cardholding member of the Bob the Bear Hit Society ("He Came, He Walked Around, He Died"), although not in good standing because the only real stipulation for being a member is you have to drink your beer with your left hand and I can't remember to do that.

 

OK, next Zappa connection: FZ and Jethro Tull.

I didn't know that about Don Preston. I was referring to The Sunflower.

Are you a big Canned Heat fan? I saw them live once just a few days after they had played at Woodstock. They were still pretty stoked about that experience. Bob the Bear Hite talked about how cool it was that they flew in on a helicopter. Unfortunately for me, it so happened that the Sunflower had quit the band just before Woodstock. Of course I didn't know this so at the concert I was like "who the hell is that? That's not the Sunflower?". Found out later it was Harvey Mandel and of course he was pretty darn good himself. One of his guitar strings broke during one song and so I was treated to an impromptu long bass solo by the Mole. It was great!

 

Turtles: Flo and Eddie and Jimmy Pons who had played with the Turtles and the Leaves (!).

Edited November 29, 2009 by BigEdWalsh

[Felix]

Didn't Zappa get a couple of the guys from the Turtles to play with the Mothers in the early 70s? I think they might have been involved with 200 Motels, but I can't be certain about that.

 

I know Ringo was also involved with that (as you previously mentioned), and I'm pretty sure Keith Moon was as well.

Edited November 29, 2009 by Felix

[BigEdWalsh]

Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman aka The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie first joined up with Zappa on the album Chunga's Revenge. They were indeed in 200 Motels (an awful movie but kinda fun to see).

 

Next: Frank Zappa and The Monkees??

[FlaSoxxJim]

I didn't know that about Don Preston. I was referring to The Sunflower.

Are you a big Canned Heat fan? I saw them live once just a few days after they had played at Woodstock. They were still pretty stoked about that experience. Bob the Bear Hite talked about how cool it was that they flew in on a helicopter. Unfortunately for me, it so happened that the Sunflower had quit the band just before Woodstock. Of course I didn't know this so at the concert I was like "who the hell is that? That's not the Sunflower?". Found out later it was Harvey Mandel and of course he was pretty darn good himself. One of his guitar strings broke during one song and so I was treated to an impromptu long bass solo by the Mole. It was great!

 

Turtles: Flo and Eddie and Jimmy Pons who had played with the Turtles and the Leaves (!).

 

Now we're rolling! Yeah, I like me some Canned Heat, mostly from loving their Woodstock set back when I saw the concert film for the first time as a kid.

 

Didn't Zappa get a couple of the guys from the Turtles to play with the Mothers in the early 70s? I think they might have been involved with 200 Motels, but I can't be certain about that.

 

I know Ringo was also involved with that (as you previously mentioned), and I'm pretty sure Keith Moon was as well.

 

Yep, as Ed said, Flo and Eddie and Jim Pons were from the Turtles, which explains the whole Groupie Routine song on the Fillmore Album culminating in the "Number One Hit With a Bullet" being a kick-ass version of the Turtles' Happy Together. Jim Pons is also the one who sings the German lines that translate to "Give unto me a bit of flooring under this fat, floating sofa" during God's monolog on the version of Sofa from Stage Vol. 1.

 

Keith Moon played the rampaging Nun in 200 Motels.

 

Howard Kaylan and Mark Volman aka The Phlorescent Leech & Eddie first joined up with Zappa on the album Chunga's Revenge. They were indeed in 200 Motels (an awful movie but kinda fun to see).

 

Next: Frank Zappa and The Monkees??

 

Other than the Roxy and Elsewhere Mothers lineup (Napoleon, Ruth, George Duke, Jeff Simmons, and Chester Thompson), the Flo and Eddie incarnation is probably my favorite. And I looove 200 Motels, but more as a Conceptual Continuity piece of the Zappa body of work than as great cinema.

 

Zappa and the Monkees was actually going to be the next one I was going to toss out there. My favorite connection is the walk-on (literally, and with livestock!) cameo FZ makes in the Monkees' Movie Head.

 

A hint on the FZ/Duran Duran connection for Felix, this musician is one of two Zappa bandmembers specifically mentioned by name as the Catholic Boys that the Catholic Girls were "learning to blow" on Joe's Garage.

 

[Felix]

Vinnie Colaiuta?!

Edited November 29, 2009 by Felix

[FlaSoxxJim]

Vinnie Colaiuta?!

 

Nope, the other one.

 

 

Hint #2: Frank refers to him as "Sophia Warren" in one of the band introductions in the Stage series.

[Felix]

Well it's obviously Warren Cuccurullo then, but Colaiuta also has a link to Duran Duran. According to his wiki page at least, he was involved with Duran Duran's self titled album (aka The Wedding Album). He apparently played drums for one track on the album, while Cuccurullo was the lead guitarist.

 

On that note, I don't understand how someone goes from making music with Zappa to Duran Duran. Talk about polar opposites.

 

Here's a tough one (I think at least, I only found out about it via wiki): Zappa and John Mayer

 

I'm not sure how legit the connection is, but Mayer was a guest on an album which a former Zappa band member was also a guest.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Felix

[Texsox]

Well done with Eddie Jobson.

 

The most famous FZ/Deep purple connection is, of course, Montreux Switzerland, and the casino burning down during a Mothers show due to "some stupid with a flare gun", as immortalize on Smoke on the Water.

 

not that good, I thought his name was Jacobson, I should have looked it up. The only reason I knew that is my son plays violin and I've picked up some R&R violin trivia. There are not a lot of R&R violinists out there.