Lynne and I went to an afternoon concert with Steve and Mary. Zappa worked in Prague for Havel as an American Ambassador Zappa’s music is played in other places. This gargoyle has got a Zappa moustache and a Chunga’s revenge attitude? I knew there was something funny about this picture when I took it orginally – but I could not recognise Zappa until today!
Lynne and I went to a concert of Frank Zappa’s music, in Marsden, it was their Jazz festival. When they started playing I felt a little disorientated as I heard “Peaches En Regaliaâ€, eight busy people playing it note for note from sheet music. Close your eyes, cast mind back, oh so easily to a concert in Birmingham thirty years ago! Surprisingly it was a very enjoyable experience. In particular the brass section did great things with Waka/Jawaka, Big Swifty and Zoot Allures.
Why should I be surprised? I remember in Lincoln as I listened to, at the time new, Zappa’s “Weasels Ripped my Flesh†album and mum told me to turn the horrible music down, I retorted “They will be playing this from sheet music in the future like they do Mozart now. Mind you I also said that the Dead Kennedys were playing important music many years later. You cannot be right all the time.
What I noticed tonight though was how old everybody was. Most of the people are at least fifty some even older. We did not smoke, opened the window when it got stuffy and no one shouted requests like “Brown Shoes don’t make it†It is sad really that everybody else is getting so old!
Am I being over-pedantic here if I point out that it was Stoke, not Birmingham? And we’re not THAT old – it was twenty-six, maybe twenty-seven (but certainly not thirty) years ago. 1976 or 77. I think Rizzla Rick and Strazz (sp?) travelled down in the car with us from Didsbury, together with a visiting (seemingly rather confused) Californian, who asked in complete seriousness whether Cadbury’s Munchies chocolates were made especially for when you had “the munchiesâ€. Dear, oh dear.
Comment by Bernie — 22/10/2003 @ 1:41 pm
OK Bernie all my tales have an “ish” factor. After I had written it I did work out it was a little less than thirty years ago. I did not suspect that someone else who had attended the event would read my post!
Comment by Mike Chapman — 23/10/2003 @ 9:06 pm