Bob Dobbs and guests explore some of Frank Zappa’s scripts, including “Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People”, Thing-Fish, “Hunchentoot”, and the book Them Or Us. They also probe the broader context of Zappa’s work and how he redefined the role of the composer in the age of electric media.
Bob Dobbs is a Zappa researcher and McLuhan scholar. He is joined by regular contributors Roxana Flores Larrainzar and Bert Hill.
Recorded November 28, 2015
00:00:00 – Introduction
00:05:03 – Frank & Gail’s CIA Connections
00:10:47 – Zappa’s Screenplays
00:18:15 – Zappa – McLuhan Connection
01:07:00 – Wagner’s Influence on Music
01:14:00 – Electric Media Eternity
01:17:50 – Redefining the Role of Composer
01:25:06 – Tetra-menstruation and Predictive Art
01:47:47 – Multimedia Innovations
02:26:08 – Xenochrony and Synclavier
02:47:37 – “Captain Beefheart vs The Grunt People”
– Why Zappa is the Satellite Conductor
– Cucamonga Studio
– Plans to make a movie
03:00:00 – Conceptual Continuity
03:20:00 – Views on Media and Pop Culture
03:37:17 – Impact of Music on Culture and Memory
03:44:17 – Motifs in Zappa’s Work
03:59:07 – Rock & Sexual Liberation
04:06:37 – Zappa’s Theatrical Global Village
04:25:36 – Script Plot and Characters
04:44:18 – Protecting the Free World
04:49:20 – Beefheart’s True Identity
04:53:00 – Orgy on the Lunar Surface
05:04:54 – Thing-Fish – Harry & Rhonda
05:12:06 – Gender Dynamics and Feminism
05:26:19 – The Divine and Post-Human Entities
05:30:17 – Technical Aspects of Music and Performance
05:41:37 – Electronic Music: “Switched-On Bach”
05:53:12 – Audio Engineering Techniques
05:54:47 – “Hunchentoot”
06:20:42 – Themes in Zappa’s Musicals
06:23:37 – Tourism and Urban Dynamics
06:33:40 – Art and Religion
06:43:21 – Them Or Us book
06:46:31 – Zappa’s Early Life and Family
06:50:02 – Theatrical Aspects
06:55:41 – Reincarnation and Time
07:02:17 – Absurdity and Satire
07:19:55 – Conclusion
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