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1979 Steve Rosen interview

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Charles Ulrich

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Mar 15, 2007, 5:02:05 PM3/15/07
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Was Steve Rosen's 1979 interview with FZ ever published in Guitar Player
or elsewhere?

I'm not referring to the interview published in the January 1977 issue
(which must have been conducted in 1976).

This one was conducted in summer 1979, when Joe's Garage was completed
but not yet released. FZ talked about his custom-built pedalboard, his
Acoustic Black Widow, xenochrony (even spelling and defining the term),
Warts And All, Jewish Princess and the ADL, and which guitar he played
which Joe's Garage solos on.

The audio of these two interviews is in circulation, and was apparently
also released on a CD, possibly authorized by Rosen. Does the booklet of
that CD give any indication of where or whether the second interview was
published?

Thanks for any help you can provide.

--Charles

Yesterdays Wafflez

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Mar 15, 2007, 5:40:32 PM3/15/07
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Trouser Press?

Charles Ulrich

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Mar 15, 2007, 6:41:43 PM3/15/07
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In article <21354-45F...@storefull-3177.bay.webtv.net>,
Yesterda...@webtv.net (Yesterdays Wafflez) wrote:

> Trouser Press?

They ran an FZ interview by Michael Bloom in their February 1980 issue.

Anyway, the Rosen interview is way too technical for Trouser Press. With
all that discussion of gear, it must have been intended for a guitar
magazine.

Rosen's previous FZ interview was published in Guitar Player. And a
press release for the CD
<http://www.killuglyradio.com/hot-poop/2004/06/05/frank-zappa-the-classic
-interviews> refers to him as "Guitar Magazine journalist Stephen
Rosen". So those sound like two strong possibilities, if anyone has an
index of either publication.

--Charles

The Idiot

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Mar 15, 2007, 7:42:32 PM3/15/07
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In the booklet to the Chrome Dreams CD, Rosen mentions that he first
spoke to Frank as a journalist for Sounds in the "early 70s". He then
mentions the subsequent Guitar Player interview (in 1977, "several
years later"; his second interview), and then a third and final
meeting in "the early 80s" (1982, according to the notes elsewhere).
Sadly, there's no indication that this latter interview was ever
published, but it's there on the CD.

Andrew

Charles Ulrich

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Mar 15, 2007, 7:54:52 PM3/15/07
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In article <1174002152.2...@d57g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>,
"The Idiot" <disc...@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:

> In the booklet to the Chrome Dreams CD, Rosen mentions that he first
> spoke to Frank as a journalist for Sounds in the "early 70s". He then
> mentions the subsequent Guitar Player interview (in 1977, "several
> years later"; his second interview), and then a third and final
> meeting in "the early 80s" (1982, according to the notes elsewhere).

The *very* early 80s.

If, as I assume, it's the interview I described earlier, then it was
undeniably conducted in 1979.

> Sadly, there's no indication that this latter interview was ever
> published, but it's there on the CD.

We should be grateful for that; it's a very interesting interview.

--Charles

Bill

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Mar 16, 2007, 8:38:24 AM3/16/07
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In article <ulrich-7D17FE.14013815032007@shawnews>,
Charles Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> wrote:

These may or may not help or jog someone else's memory cells ...

There was a cover story in Musician from about that time (latter half of
1979, August? October?). I'm not familiar with the audio interview you
mention, but from what I recall of the print interview, he discussed
composition and used the contents of an ashtray as a prop/point of
discussion.
A few months later (within the first 3 months of 1980), Record Review
had a cover story interview with FZ (cover had red background/white
lettering, FZ's hair cut short, combed backwards off his face) where he
discussed Warts and All, Joe's Garage, JP and other items.

Charles Ulrich

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Mar 16, 2007, 10:44:21 AM3/16/07
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In article <spamblock-1D81F...@news.verizon.net>,
Bill <spam...@verizon.net> wrote:

> In article <ulrich-7D17FE.14013815032007@shawnews>,
> Charles Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> wrote:
>
> There was a cover story in Musician from about that time (latter half of
> 1979, August? October?). I'm not familiar with the audio interview you
> mention, but from what I recall of the print interview, he discussed
> composition and used the contents of an ashtray as a prop/point of
> discussion.

August 1979. By Dan Forte
<http://www.afka.net/Articles/1979-08_Musician.htm>. Another good one.

> A few months later (within the first 3 months of 1980), Record Review
> had a cover story interview with FZ (cover had red background/white
> lettering, FZ's hair cut short, combed backwards off his face) where he
> discussed Warts and All, Joe's Garage, JP and other items.

February 1980. By Michael Davis.

Good memory. But neither of those is the Steve Rosen interview in
question.

--Charles

Avo Raup

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Mar 16, 2007, 4:20:04 PM3/16/07
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On Mar 16, 1:42 am, "The Idiot" <disco....@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> .. and then a third and final

> meeting in "the early 80s" (1982, according to the notes elsewhere).
> Sadly, there's no indication that this latter interview was ever
> published, but it's there on the CD.

This 3rd interview is published in German, as "Pappa Zappa" in
Fachblatt Music Magazine, June 1982. The publication in English is not
known for me.

This is not the interview Charles is looking for. The main topic is
the coming Drowning Witch album. Of course a lot more topics, about
this time already 1,5 years old home studio, guitar playing and
recording, Belushi and Blues Brothers etc.

BTW. Even the remark about Muthers.
Q: In the very beginning the Mothers of Inventions were Muthers with
"u" ?
FZ: Yeah, we had "u" in the name. It was when we worked at The Trip
(former club at the Sunset Strip).
( Yeah, eine Zeit lang war ein "u" in dem Namen. Das war zu der Zeit,
als wir im The Trip (ein früherer Club auf dem Sunset Strip)
arbeiteten.)


Charles Ulrich

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Mar 16, 2007, 5:23:17 PM3/16/07
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In article <1174076404.5...@o5g2000hsb.googlegroups.com>,
"Avo Raup" <afk...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mar 16, 1:42 am, "The Idiot" <disco....@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
> > .. and then a third and final
> > meeting in "the early 80s" (1982, according to the notes elsewhere).
> > Sadly, there's no indication that this latter interview was ever
> > published, but it's there on the CD.
>
> This 3rd interview is published in German, as "Pappa Zappa" in
> Fachblatt Music Magazine, June 1982. The publication in English is not
> known for me.
>
> This is not the interview Charles is looking for. The main topic is
> the coming Drowning Witch album. Of course a lot more topics, about
> this time already 1,5 years old home studio, guitar playing and
> recording, Belushi and Blues Brothers etc.

So which interviews are on the Chrome Dreams CD? What is the total
length of the disc?

--Charles

Avo Raup

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Mar 16, 2007, 6:58:08 PM3/16/07
to
On Mar 16, 11:23 pm, Charles Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> wrote:
> So which interviews are on the Chrome Dreams CD? What is the total
> length of the disc?
3 interviews:
1. Interview 1 - 9:36
2. Interview 2 - 9:17
3. Interview 3, Part 1 - 25:20
4. Interview 3, Part 2 - 18:44

This interview #3 is the interview you described in your 1st post!

The CD liner notes have excerpts from interview published in Fachblatt
Music Magazine. This is said to be the interview #3. And it's made in
82. But recorded on the CD is some other interview! Exactly that, what
you are looking for. I'm confused now.

Avo
BTW. I posted this interview in German:
http://www.afka.net/Articles/1982-06_FMM.htm


Charles Ulrich

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Mar 16, 2007, 7:16:56 PM3/16/07
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In article <1174085888....@n76g2000hsh.googlegroups.com>,
"Avo Raup" <afk...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Mar 16, 11:23 pm, Charles Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> wrote:
> > So which interviews are on the Chrome Dreams CD? What is the total
> > length of the disc?
> 3 interviews:
> 1. Interview 1 - 9:36
> 2. Interview 2 - 9:17
> 3. Interview 3, Part 1 - 25:20
> 4. Interview 3, Part 2 - 18:44
>
> This interview #3 is the interview you described in your 1st post!

That's what I thought in the first place. But when you mentioned an
actual 1982 interview, I thought I'd better make sure.

> The CD liner notes have excerpts from interview published in Fachblatt
> Music Magazine. This is said to be the interview #3. And it's made in
> 82. But recorded on the CD is some other interview! Exactly that, what
> you are looking for. I'm confused now.

Interview 1 and Interview 2 are actually two parts of the interview
published in Guitar Player (1/77). See
<http://home.online.no/~corneliu/gp77interview.htm>.

Interview 3 (on the disc) is from 1979. And perhaps it was never
published in print form. In any case, when I quote it, I can cite the CD.

Thanks to all who helped with this question.

--Charles

Román García

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Mar 18, 2007, 7:27:55 AM3/18/07
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On Mar 16, 12:54 am, Charles Ulrich <ulr...@sfu.ca> wrote:
> In article <1174002152.265940.162...@d57g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>,

> "The Idiot" <disco....@blueyonder.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > In the booklet to the Chrome Dreams CD, Rosen mentions that he first
> > spoke to Frank as a journalist for Sounds in the "early 70s". He then
> > mentions the subsequent Guitar Player interview (in 1977, "several
> > years later"; his second interview), and then a third and final
> > meeting in "the early 80s" (1982, according to the notes elsewhere).
>
> The *very* early 80s.
>
> If, as I assume, it's the interview I described earlier, then it was
> undeniably conducted in 1979.
>
> > Sadly, there's no indication that this latter interview was ever
> > published, but it's there on the CD.
>
> We should be grateful for that; it's a very interesting interview.

There's an interview by Steve Rosen published in Record Review, June
1982, mentioned here: <http://groups.google.com/group/alt.fan.frank-
zappa/browse_thread/thread/28d5abf9330ea2cb/8f3c8723613905c6?
rnum=1#8f3c8723613905c6>

Charles Ulrich

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Mar 18, 2007, 1:25:22 PM3/18/07
to
In article <1174217275....@b75g2000hsg.googlegroups.com>,
"Román García" <don...@gmail.com> wrote:

And in fact that is the English version of the German interview that Avo
mentioned!

But we still haven't figured out where the 1979 interview was published.

--Charles

TAN Mitsugu

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Sep 14, 2014, 3:21:49 AM9/14/14
to
Charles wrote in 2007:
> Was Steve Rosen's 1979 interview with FZ ever published in
> Guitar Player or elsewhere?

It might be too late to reply this thread, but anyway...

I came to realize that Steve Rosen's 1979 interview might be
the same as the one that appeared on the January 1995 issue
of the "Player" magazine in Japan:
http://www.afka.net/Mags/Player.htm

Although Rosen wrote a new preface after FZ's death, he stated
that the actual interview was from "circa 1980".

In this interview, FZ talked about the "Muthers", his custom-built
pedalboard and his Acoustic Black Widow, but there was no
reference to Warts And All, Jewish Princess and the ADL, and
xenochrony's spelling. He did explain how the live recordings
of guitar solos were used on Joe's Garage, although he stated
(inevitable paraphrasing): "I didn't mention it when the album
came out, since it'd be more effective to reveal it later in an
interview like this."

Other topics include the recording of Black Napkins (which was
recorded only with two stereo microphones set up on the stage),
switching from the road-worn SG to the "rock solid" Les Paul
and the ongoing construction of his private studio (whose name
was yet to be mentioned).

Was it the same as the 1979 interview? Or did Rosen interview
FZ also in 1980?

--
TAN, Mitsugu
studiotan2[at]yahoo.co.jp
studiotan3[at]yahoo.com

Charles Ulrich

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Sep 15, 2014, 1:54:04 PM9/15/14
to
In article <7c93c886-a4a9-460f...@googlegroups.com>,
TAN Mitsugu <studi...@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Charles wrote in 2007:
> > Was Steve Rosen's 1979 interview with FZ ever published in
> > Guitar Player or elsewhere?
>
> It might be too late to reply this thread, but anyway...

It's never too late.

> I came to realize that Steve Rosen's 1979 interview might be
> the same as the one that appeared on the January 1995 issue
> of the "Player" magazine in Japan:
> http://www.afka.net/Mags/Player.htm
>
> Although Rosen wrote a new preface after FZ's death, he stated
> that the actual interview was from "circa 1980".
>
> In this interview, FZ talked about the "Muthers", his custom-built
> pedalboard and his Acoustic Black Widow, but there was no
> reference to Warts And All, Jewish Princess and the ADL, and
> xenochrony's spelling.

Those sections may simply have been omitted from the Japanese
translation.

> He did explain how the live recordings
> of guitar solos were used on Joe's Garage, although he stated
> (inevitable paraphrasing): "I didn't mention it when the album
> came out, since it'd be more effective to reveal it later in an
> interview like this."

I was surprised to find that he does say something to this effect in the
1979 interview, though of course he doesn't say "when the album came
out".

SR: Do you mention anything like that on the record?
FZ: No. You know, those kind of technical details are better left to
interviews like this that go to technical magazines, 'cause the average
guy who gets a record doesn't care about that stuff.

> Other topics include the recording of Black Napkins (which was
> recorded only with two stereo microphones set up on the stage),

I didn't find this in the 1979 interview. But I didn't listen to the
whole thing, so I may have skipped over it.

> switching from the road-worn SG to the "rock solid" Les Paul

"This Les Paul is like a rock" (1979 interview)

> and the ongoing construction of his private studio (whose name
> was yet to be mentioned).

"And it's gonna be a doozy too. It's not for rent; it's just a personal
studio... I have a Harrison 48 board, two 24-tracks and an Eko unit that
slaves 'em together... Got three ATR 2-tracks and an ATR 4-track on the
way. I have a Scully 4 and an Ampex 4 for slap, another Scully 2, bunch
of cassette machines, and all that stuff. Masses of outboard gear. I
just bought a B�sendorfer 9'6" Imperial concert grand that goes down to
a low C, really beautiful piano." (1979 interview)

> Was it the same as the 1979 interview? Or did Rosen interview
> FZ also in 1980?

Looks like it was the same 1979 interview.

--Charles

Charles Ulrich

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Sep 15, 2014, 10:58:47 PM9/15/14
to
In article <charlesulrich-48EEEC.10540315092014@shawnews>,
Charles Ulrich <charle...@shaw.ca> wrote:

> "And it's gonna be a doozy too. It's not for rent; it's just a personal
> studio... I have a Harrison 48 board, two 24-tracks and an Eko unit that
> slaves 'em together..." (1979 interview)

Sorry. That's an EECO unit. Specifically an EECO SMPTE generator,
according to an interview conducted around the same time by Dan Forte,
which appeared in M.I. (11/79). <http://afka.net/Articles/1979-11_MI.htm>

--Charles

TAN Mitsugu

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Sep 16, 2014, 2:27:45 AM9/16/14
to
> > In this interview, FZ talked about the "Muthers", his custom-built
> > pedalboard and his Acoustic Black Widow, but there was no
> > reference to Warts And All, Jewish Princess and the ADL, and
> > xenochrony's spelling.
>
> Those sections may simply have been omitted from the Japanese
> translation.

It seems so. The original English text must have been edited
by Rosen himself, because the translation has the interviewer's
own notes in some sections. Of course, the translator and/or
the editor of the magazine might have edited it, too.

> I was surprised to find that he does say something to this effect in the
> 1979 interview, though of course he doesn't say "when the album came
> out".
>
> SR: Do you mention anything like that on the record?
> FZ: No.

Again, it's very possible that the interviewer, translator or
editor might have changed those original exchange of words into
one simple sentence like "I didn't mention it when the album came
out". Note that Rosen himself wrote "circa 1980", so this
preconception would have easily lead to the modification.

> > Other topics include the recording of Black Napkins (which was
> > recorded only with two stereo microphones set up on the stage),
>
> I didn't find this in the 1979 interview. But I didn't listen to the
> whole thing, so I may have skipped over it.

FZ: "Well, I think the solo of Black Napkins was really successful.
It was recorded in Osaka during the Japanese tour. Only with two
microphones, without any PA line or on-mic input. One Sennheiser
in the front of the stage and one C-24 stereo microphone behind the
drumset. That's all. It was recorded on a four-track machine,
mixed down to a two-track, and released on the Zoot Allures album."
(translated from the Japanese version)

> "And it's gonna be a doozy too. It's not for rent; it's just a personal
> studio... I have a Harrison 48 board, two 24-tracks and an Eko unit that
> slaves 'em together... Got three ATR 2-tracks and an ATR 4-track on the
> way. I have a Scully 4 and an Ampex 4 for slap, another Scully 2, bunch
> of cassette machines, and all that stuff. Masses of outboard gear. I
> just bought a Bösendorfer 9'6" Imperial concert grand that goes down to
> a low C, really beautiful piano." (1979 interview)

This description almost perfectly corresponds to the Japanese
translation, which omitted very minor details only.

> > Was it the same as the 1979 interview? Or did Rosen interview
> > FZ also in 1980?
>
> Looks like it was the same 1979 interview.

Yes, indeed. I'm surprised!

In the case of those Japanese magazines, most of the interviews
with FZ are a translation from the one that has already appeared
on foreign puglications. So, I always thought "Player" did the
same for the January 1995 issue. But now I realize that the
original English text of this interview can't be found in anywhere.
As the same issue of "Player" has Rosen's interview with Dweezil
(apparently conducted after FZ's death) [*], it's possible that
the magazine directly asked Rosen to interview DZ, as well as to
provide his old interview with FZ.

[*] Sidenote: Dweezil highly praised the 1975/76 touring band in
this interview: "The most unusual band he [FZ] ever had was the
one for the "Zoot Allures" tour, which went to Japan.... I'm in
awe of this band." So, it wasn't surprsing for me to see that
most of the DZ-produced vault releases (namely FZPTMOFZ, FZ:OZ
and QuAUDIOPHILIAc) featured the recordings by that particular
band.
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