A Quote From Frank Zappa

[Panaconda]

"You want to know what they hate more than anything else in life? They can't stand for people not to take them seriously. If you laugh at them for an instant, it's just like – the devil walks in the room, right? And he goes, "I'm the Devil," and you take a fork and poke him in the belly, and the gas comes out, and he'll go twirling around the room like an unleashed balloon. That's the way these guys are. You can't laugh at them. They hate it, because they're so full of shit, they're so full of themselves that they just can't believe that people don't appreciate them for the grand, highly evolved creatures that they imagine themselves to be. They hate to be laughed at. If they weren't so fucking dangerous, it would be fun to laugh at them all the time, but sometimes you have to take into account how much damage they can do."

[TroglodyteScholar]

1. Thanks for that...

Frank was no dummy, that's for sure. See my sig....

[Warpy]

12. Frank Zappa was quite the political philosopher

"Republicans stand for raw, unbridled evil and greed and ignorance, smothered in balloons and ribbons."--Frank Zappa

[formercia]

30. He was very well educated

We could use more like him now.

[Joe Fields]

43. a musical genius and politically perceptive.

[xocet]

49. Nice Zappa Quotation

Here is a linked excerpt from the interview: n.b., page 92, column 1, second through fourth paragraphs.

...

SPIN: What would it take to puncture the apathy of the average American, especially with elections coming up? Campaigns for that election will start in less than a year.

Zappa: I don't think you're going to puncture it in one swell foop (sic). It doesn't puncture that easily. I'll tell you, I'm considering running for President in the next election.

SPIN: Really?

Zappa: Yeah. I've called two political consultants in Washington and we're just gonna (sic) do a little feasibility study to see what it would take. The idea is to run as a nonpartisan candidate and urge other people around the country to not only run but resign from the Democratic and the Republican parties because the Democrats stand for nothing except "I wish I was (sic) a Republican" and the Republicans stand for raw, unbridled evil and greed and ignorance smothered in balloons and ribbons. So that's not really much of a choice and it's nauseating to watch Democrats make speeches because they all wish they were Republicans.

...

http://books.google.com/books?id=wbkGT02oWs4C&lpg=PA3&dq=Spin%20Magazine%20interview%20with%20Zappa%20July%201991&pg=PA58#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Dappleganger]

54. Both he and Carlin.

[Gman]

2. Very true words

Do you have link? I'd like to share that.

[Panaconda]

5. Try this

I think you'll like it.

http://home.online.no/~corneliu/mother2.htm

[Gman]

33. Thanks. I watched the PMRC hearings and watched Zappa testify

Sitting there in his tailored suit and hair everywhere. I remember him being no nonsense and to the point.

Thanks.

[Ozymanithrax]

3. Don't eat the yellow snow. n/t

[XOKCowboy]

18. Ahh man Frank was so much more than "Watch out where the huskies go"

He was an incredible musician, composer and director. His music was incredibly complex, his musicians were the best in the business and even though his lyrics were sometime funny most told a story or were in pursuit of educating his followers that things weren't what they seem.

This is not to give ya grief, it's just that Yellow Snow is the only thing that most people ever heard by Frank. I've been listening to him since Freak Out and had the opportunity to see him in concert twice. The Joe's Garage and You Are What You Is tours and both were 3 hr concerts with no breaks or intermissions in a small old auditorium in Tulsa. If his musicians weren't singing/playing they were tuning. No pyro, no huge stage, just Frank and the band and some incredible musicianship. The man was a true musical genius.

:toast:

[Ozymanithrax]

25. Oh, I've listened to a lot more than Yellow Snow. n/t

[ronatchig]

41. Don't jive me

with that cosmic debris.:evilgrin:

[Fumesucker]

4. FZ wrote and performed possibly the most NSFW song in the history of the universe..

Listen to the line about politicians.... And the one about lawyers..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfE_98yy2iw

[TroglodyteScholar]

7. Even though it's very Zappa-esque...

...that song is all Vai.

Note the reference to the WWW. Frank passed in 1993 before the Web was a well-known concept.

[Fumesucker]

15. The song came from Flex-Able Leftovers..

Which was apparently recorded between 1982 and 1984.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flex-Able_Leftovers

[TroglodyteScholar]

20. So Vai had the inside line on the WWW 10+ years before the average American had heard of it?

Also, note the lack of any Zappa credits.

[Fumesucker]

23. I was just pointing out where the same came from..

And the apparent date it was performed..

That sure sounds like Zappa's voice on the song, whether he wrote it or not I really don't know.

[TroglodyteScholar]

24. Definitely not Frank's voice, sorry.

Just very much in his spirit.

[Initech]

13. Personally I like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUAOGt7FmM0

[Pab Sungenis]

19. He had a number that were extremely NSFW.

One of my favorites is the lovely, touching, doo-wop love song "I Have Been In You." Also, "Dinah-Moe Humm" and "Broken Hearts Are For Assholes."

If you can find a copy of the double CD "The Best Band You Never Heard In Your Life" give a listen to "Lonesome Cowboy Burt (Swaggart Version)."

[The Wizard]

29. Broken Hearts are for Assholes

With the 2008 RNC convention as a backdrop
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHjfDZDvPmk

[lumberjack_jeff]

38. I can never hear the FZ song "Bobby Brown" without thinking of GWB. n/t

[TroglodyteScholar]

46. ...

Come on in this place
And I'll buy you a taste
You can sit on my face
Where's my prostitute?

[Initech]

6. Broadway the hard way.

[XOKCowboy]

8. Dumb All Over

Whoever we are, wherever we're from, we shoulda noticed by now our behaviour is dumb
And if our chances expect to improve it's gonna take a lot more than tryin' to remove the other race or the other whatever from the face of the planet altogether.
They call it "The Earth" which is a dumb kinda name
but they named it right 'cause we behave the same
We are dumb all over

Dumb all over, yes we are, dumb all over, near and far, dumb all over, black 'n white, people, we is not wrapped tight

And nerds on the left, nerds on the right
Religious fanatics on the air every night,
sayin' the bible tells the story and makes the details sound real gory
about what to do if the geeks over there
don't believe in the book we got over here
You can't run a race without no feet
And pretty soon there won't be no street for dummies to jog on or doggies to dog on
Religious fanatics can make it be all gone
I mean it won't blow up and disappear, it'll just look ugly for a thousand years

You can't run a country by a book of religion
Not by a heap or a lump or a smidgeon of foolish rules of ancient date,
designed to make you all feel great
while you fold, spindle and mutilate
those unbelievers from a neighbouring state

To arms, to arms
Hooray! That's great, two legs ain't bad
Unless there's a crate they ship the parts to mama in
For souvenirs: two ears (Get down)

Not his, not hers but what the hey
The good book says, "It's gotta be that way"
But their book says, "Revenge the crusades"
With whips 'n chains and hand grenades
Two arms, two arms
Have another and another
Our God says, "There ain't no other"
Our God says, "It's all ok"
Our god says "This is the way"

It says in the book, "Burn and destroy"
And repent and redeem and revenge and deploy
and rumble thee forth to the land of the unbelieving scum on the other side
'Cause they don't go for what's in the book and that makes 'em bad
So verily we must choppeth them up and stompeth them down
Or rent a nice French bomb to poof them out of existence while leaving their real estate just where we need it to use again for temples in which to praise our God,
'cause he can really take care of business

And when his humble TV servant with humble white hair and humble glasses and a nice brown suit and maybe a blonde wife who takes phone calls,
tells us our God says it's OK to do this stuff, then we gotta do it
'Cause if we don't do it we ain't "Gwine up to hebbin"

Depending on which book you're using at the time
Can't use theirs, it don't work, it's all lies, gotta use mine
Ain't that right?
That's what they say
Every night, everyday
Hey, we can't really be dumb if we're just following god's orders
Well let's get serious, god knows what he's doin'
He wrote this book here and the book says, "He made us all to be just like him"
So, if we're dumb, then god is dumb and maybe even a little ugly on the side

Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side
Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side
Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side
Dumb all over, a little ugly on the side

More lyrics: http://www.lyricsfreak.com/f/frank+zappa/#share

Miss ya Frank.

[AlbertCat]

63. Don't forget what comes next!!!!

...on the "You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol I" album:

HEAVENLY BANK ACCOUNT


And if these words you do not heed
Your pocketbook just kinda might recede
When some man comes along and
Claims godly need
He will clean you out right through your
Tweed

That's right, remember there is a big
Difference between kneeling down
And bending over...
He's got twenty million dollars
In his heavenly bank account...
All from those chumps who was
Born again
Oh yeah, oh yeah

He's got seven limousines
And a private plane...
All for the use of his
Special friends
Oh yeah, oh yeah
He's got thousand-dollar suits
And a wembley tie...
Girls love to stroke it
While he's on the phone
Oh yeah, oh yeah

At the house of representatives
He's a groovy guy...
When he gives thanks
He is not alone...


He is dealin'
He is really dealin'
IRS can't determine
Where the hook is

It is easy with the bible
To pretend that
You're in show biz

They won't get him
They will never get him
For the naughty stuff
That he did

It is best in cases like this
To pretend that
You are stupid

He's got presidential help
All along the way

He says the grace
While the lawyers chew
Oh yeah
They sure do

And the govenors agree to say:
"he's a lovely man!"
He makes it easier for
Them to screw
All of you...
Yes, that's true!

'cause he helps put the fear of god
In the common man
Snatchin' up money
Everywhere he can
Oh yeah
Oh yeah

He's got twenty million dollars
In his heavenly bank account
You ain't got nothin', people
You ain't got nothin', people
You ain't got nothin', people
Thank the man...oh yeah

[PurityOfEssence]

9. The meek shall inherit nothing

...and when you pay your bill
kindly leave a little tip
and help that next poor sucker
on his one-way trip.

[RKP5637]

10. Excellent!!! Thanks for posting this!!!n/t

[handmade34]

11. he's a good guy

years ago my brother opened for him and told me he was alright

[veganlush]

47. If I may ask,

..who is your brother?

[handmade34]

55. my brother is my hero

he had a band late 60's / early 70's ...now he live near Detroit and builds guitars

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

14. I think Frank had it right.

To generate laughter at their expense can be a dangerous card to play, however, it can also be the right move.

Depends on who, and under what circumstances.

In the case of Sarah Palin in the '08 presidential campaign it was clearly the right card to play. Tina Fey and SNL turned the arrogant moose killing diva into a national joke helping to ensure McCain's defeat.

[MichiganVote]

16. God, that's the fucking truth.

[Initech]

17. "Remember there is a big difference between kneeling down and bending over." - FZ

[DinahMoeHum]

58. Hey, that's my sig!!

It's part of the introduction from Heavenly Bank Account.

:evilgrin:

G*d, I really miss FZ big time these days.

[Initech]

59. One of my favorite FZ songs.

[izquierdista]

21. Things have gotten worse

Since "Fresh Flakes" was released.

[LooseWilly]

22. Words like that are why I voted for Zappa for president in '96 (despite a case of his being dead)

Maybe I'll vote for him again in '12...

[orleans]

26. great quote. now can you put one up by suzy creamcheese? n/t

[pnorman]

27. One more K & R!

n/t

[liberal N proud]

28. That can apply to any dispute you get in where the other side is totally without merit.

[Enthusiast]

31. Many of us on DU are

Frank Zappa fans.

[Orsino]

32. Reality caught up with, and passed, Zappa's words.

Corporate media keeps such ridicule confined to a tiny section of the bandwidth, and makes sure it's drowned out by the Very Serious People in power. The ridicule, in fact, ultimately finances more and more VerySeriousness(tm).

[Qutzupalotl]

34. No wonder they hate Rachel so much.

She laughs at them gleefully almost every night.

So when you hear them try to paint her as some leftist Marxist agitator... that's why.

[catzies]

35. Learned last month when Daniel Schorr died Frank Zappa and he were friends

Zappa really wanted young people to participate in democracy.

[era veteran]

36. I'm the Slime

I am gross and perverted
I'm obsessed 'n deranged
I have existed for years
But very little has changed
I'm the tool of the Government
And industry too
For I am destined to rule
And regulate you

I may be vile and pernicious
But you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
With the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I'm the slime oozin' out
From your TV set

You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help . . . no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold

That's right, folks . . .
Don't touch that dial

Well, I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor

I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go

I am the slime from your video
Oozin' along on your livin' room floor

I am the slime from your video
Can't stop the slime, people, lookit me go
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1k8GKXlDEo

[Kat45]

37. Zappa left us way too soon. I'd love to hear his take on things today.

He was hip to the religious right and their dangerous ideas before they became well known to everybody else. Love, love, love FZ. Saw him in concert 3-4 times. He is someone I would have really loved to meet. He always had interesting things to say. Who (or what group of people) was he specifically referring to in the quote you give in the OP?

[Amonester]

62. in the early 70's, a good buddy of mine met him in a small café

after a gig at the Montreal forum (he showed me a pic of both of them together sitting at the small table) his story was, my friend was hitchicking his way south and stopped at that well renowned 'underground' café, sitting there alone at the table, facing the entrance door, when FZ came in (alone)

to his surprise,it seemed like nobody there did or said anything, except watch him walking in, so my friend stood up, waved him in and simply said "hey, Frank, come here and have a seat" and FZ smiled, and came sit there with my friend, who paid him a 'special' cafe (ummmm, 'good') =D

he told my friend he had just bought a farm land somewhere on the road to Ottawa, and other cool stuff, but my friend always told us he was talking to him the way good friends talk together, nothing more

(must admit of still being kind of 'very jealous' of my friend about that one though) :loveya:

[chaska]

39. Here's another. Hopefully, not already posted.

The illusion of freedom will continue as long as it's profitable to continue the illusion. At the point where the illusion becomes too expensive to maintain, they will just take down the scenery, they will pull back the curtains, they will move the tables and chairs out of the way, and you will see the brick wall at the back of the theatre. Frank Zappa

[deutsey]

40. Bingo. Thanks for posting this.

[RoccoR5955]

42. Zappa is the immortal philosopher of the age! n/t

[alfredo]

44. No words, but dangerous just the same

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDI5Ci_7YL4&feature=youtube_gdata_player

[HankyDubs]

45. Still missing you so much Frank!

Way to damn soon.

[JoseGaspar]

48. So... who was Zappa talking about?

...And, who do people assume he was talking about?

[Amerigo Vespucci]

50. Imagine Frank AND John Lennon in 2010. Holy CRAP.

Beyond the fact that they teamed up at Zappa's 1971 Fillmore concerts, Zappa and Lennon would have been a tag team shock and awe mission.

God, I miss them both. My three heroes in life have been Zappa, Lennon and Neil Young. Thank God Neil's still around.

:patriot:

[BrklynLiberal]

52. With Geroge Carlin opening for them...

[BrklynLiberal]

51. EXACTLY RIGHT!! Point and laugh... That is what Jon Stewart does for us. He points. We laugh/

It infuriates them, and they just sputter like a balloon that has a slow leak..



http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JiIcoG9jESw/SwWtHEAl1tI/AAAAAAAAAB4/xInT2wdOvo4/s1600/point+laugh.jpg

[alterfurz]

53. another FZ favorite

Some scientists claim that hydrogen, because it is so plentiful, is the basic building block of the universe. I dispute that. I say there is more stupidity than hydrogen, and that is the basic building block of the universe. -- Frank Zappa

[DissedByBush]

56. Was that talking about Tipper Gore? n/t

[90-percent]

57. Frank

Frank has been my hero since early 1972. Frank had a big hand in my slow transformation into a critical thinker! I liked his values and have tried to incorporate them into my way of life.

-90% Jimmy

[bora13]

60. every song a story built on another

billy was a mountain
ethel was a tree growin' off of his shoulder...

royalty checks,
going to NY,
stop in las vegas,
pull a few handles,
drink a few beers,

ohhhhhohh
howard johnson's,
wanna eat some clams??

[iamthebandfanman]

61. but but but

didnt zappa associate mostly with the green party ?!

blasphemy!