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Who Did What Blurb

This whole monstruousity was originally conveived February through March 2001 by the members of The Big Note - a Frank Zappa YahooGroup. After an arduous gestation period, this site was birthed on April 11 2001. True to the essence of collaborative effort, these people are held responsible.

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© TheBigNote 2001-2004
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Where Were You? At The Roxy?

I was just curious about something… You always hear people talking about where they were when they heard Kennedy was shot (I was a sperm at the time, but I digress). So, I would like to know where each of you were when you heard that Frank had shuffled off this mortal coil (to go eat fried spaghetti on another plane)? To get the ball rolling, I will tell you my woeful tale.
I was working in a shitty little diner in Atlanta, making squat for money (breakin' rocks and stuff, and chokin' in the heat), and I saw the article in the newspaper. I told my boss I had a death in the family, and left. I just sat in my living room all day with headphones on blasting my eardrums into submission with a Mothers retrospective, starting with Freak Out! and going on from there. Then I pulled out my sax, played taps, and went to sleep.
Anyway, enough of this blathering. If it hasn't already been discussed, tell me your tale. Just something to talk about, you know?
Oh and by the way, Yellowmud, Roxy and Elsewhere was the album that turned me into a full-fledged Zappa freak. The sequence starting with Village of the Sun and moving all the way through to Cheepnis literally knocked me on my ass. GREAT album.
Ok, this is getting really long, so, see ya
stinkfoot

I can't seem to recall what I was doing on the actual day Frank died. But, I do remember that I was working at a tiny recording studio (in half of an airplane hanger) in Weslaco, TX when I first heard that he had prostate cancer from one of my bosses. (I was the tape librarian/janitor, so everyone was my boss). I hoped that they had wrong information, but shortly verified that it was true.
Wait! I DO remember where I was on the day FZ died after all. I was at home and I put on "Yo Mama" from Sheik Yerbouti shortly after I heard the news. (I've always thought the guitar solo segment was ideally suited to a funeral.) I remember my wife making the comment, "I guess we're listening to classical music now."
poodle

I was at work also and - tho' I didn't leave work - my day was ruined by the news. I couldn't bear to listen to any FZ for better than a month. I wanted to; I looked at my collection daily. But all I did was stare at it. I couldn't select anything. I finally broke the spell with Chunga's Revenge - Road Ladies actually. I feel much better now…
SOFA

:::

As I believe I have mentioned before, I am a Roxy and Elsewhere freak. I am curious if any one of our esteemed (or just steamed) members has any information on where a video of these obviously filmed performances may be obtained. Any info would be great - even "you idiot, where the hell have you been, those tapes were lost in the great fire of 1979, if you were a true Zappa fan you would know that..." etc.
Thanks, and have a lovely day.
Or not.
stinkfoot
PS I'm planning to upload a nice MP3 of Michael Hedges playing Sofa 1 on solo acoustic guitar sometime this week, so watch for it.
Being the kind of Roxy-appreciator that I am, I would also very much like to know if any video of these gigs is available. It's not available on Barfko Swill - which I just checked (heh, what else is new eh?)

"obviously filmed..." How do you know?
yellowmud

This shall be a sign unto you:
FZ - "Penguin in Bondage...a song that deals with the possible variations on a basic theme, which (well, you understand what the basic theme is) - and then the variations include, um, maneuvers that might be executed with the aid of extraterrestrial gratification and devices which might, or might not, be supplied in a local department store, or perhaps a drug store, or at the very least in one of those fancy new shops that they advertise in the back pages of the Free Press - ... suggests to the suggestible listener that the ordinary procedure, that I'm circumlocuting at this time in order to get this text on television..."
{paraphrasing by me}
That tells me there were cameras rolling there somewhere...
In his service,
SOFA

(YM slams head on desk, and faces eternal damnation for not having noticed this)
yellowmud

I hate to add to the bruises on the forehead but....
"Ladies and gentlemen watch Ruth. All through this film, Ruth has been thinking, what can I possibly do that will amaze everyone?"
zet

Frank Zappa


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