Zappa Hour 5 – Shaping Environments

Frank Zappa exemplified how artists shape environments

Bob Dobbs and guests explore how artists like Frank Zappa shape not only traditional art forms but entire cultural landscapes. Bob closes by reading and discussing Zappa’s 1984 screenplay ‘Them or Us’.

Bob Dobbs is a Zappa researcher and McLuhan scholar.

Recorded November 21, 2015

00:00:00 – Introduction
The current state of various industries being “hollow.” The lack of separation among industries and the interdependent nature of modern corporate bodies.

00:02:40 – The Android Meme
The Android Meme, an overarching force that has subsumed traditional industry standards and societal norms.

00:03:47 – Creativity and Innovative Thinking
The push for creativity and innovation.

00:07:47 – Digital Prohibition
Digital prohibition and its implications on verbalization power in society. The need to understand the ongoing transitions related to the control and dissemination of information.

00:11:05 – Art and Environment in Society
The expanding role of artists as creators of environments rather than just traditional works of art.

00:15:16 – Impact of Electric Environment
The electric environment’s effects on personal identity.

00:17:15 – Control and Authority over Public Discourse
Expression and authority’s attempts to regulate it.

00:26:25 – Sovereign Power of the Voice
The distinction between social power obtained through discourse in public spaces and the inherent sovereign power of the voice.

00:31:15 – Cult and Fame
The concept of the cult and fame, the desire for recognition and the pursuit of fame as a form of reclaiming power.

00:40:17 – Art as Programming the Environment
How artists like Frank Zappa and others transcended conventional forms to shape the broader cultural landscape.

00:51:09 – Social Impact of Modern Crises
The societal effects of recent events such as the Paris attacks, observing how everyday activities like concerts and sports events have been targeted.

01:56:40 – Bob’s Prophetic Statements in 2001
Bob on CKLN radio in toronto, Sep 23, 2001.

04:13:00 – Remarks about Bob’s Statements

04:46:00 – ‘Them or Us’ script
Bob and friends read through Zappa’s 1984 screenplay