Tom Waits & Zappa
Guy Barnes
It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
I'm a big fan of both these musicians, and i'm still trying to figure
out what there friendship was?
--
Guy Barnes
BCDrums
Herb Cohen managed TW, and gets credits such as "Insistence: Herb Cohen'
and "Patience: Herb Cohen' on some of his albums.
Another FZ intersection: Cal Schenkel did several album cover designs for
TW.
Biffyshrew
Guy Barnes <g...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
>Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
>appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
>reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
>by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
Yes, probably not, yes, and NO.
I went to see the Mothers (as they were still called in those days) at the
Golden Hall in San Diego, 8/11/74. The ads for the concert had not
mentioned any opening act, as I recall. When I got to the venue, the
Mothers were already onstage--their equipment was all screwed up, and
evidently the soundcheck was extending to showtime. Eventually, once it
was past starting time, and the audience was all in place, Frank decided
to have the band play a few songs while the crew worked on the sound
system. Then FZ decided it was time to start the concert for real, so he
announced Tom Waits, who was pretty unknown in 1974, even in San Diego
(where I think he was still living at the time). (I knew him only because
I'd seen him on that short-lived TV interview show that Chip Monck
hosted.) He played alone at an electric piano. The crowd was INCREDIBLY
hostile. They booed all through Waits' performance. One guy near me was
yelling "Somebody SHOOT that fucker!" When he was done with his set, the
Mothers came back out, and FZ called for Waits to come back also, and the
Mothers played "Ol' 55" as a background for Waits' story of the 12-inch
man.
I have a cheesy audience tape of this show, but unfortunately for some
reason the person who made the tape cut out Waits' story, although the
beginning of the Mothers playing "Ol' 55" is still there.
Your pal,
Biffy the Elephant Shrew @}-`--}----
Get buggy! Visit http://members.aol.com/biffyshrew/biffy.html
"If you decide to become a composer, you seriously run the risk of becoming
less than a human being."--Frank Zappa
Cal Schenkel
bcd...@aol.com (BCDrums) writes:
>Another FZ intersection: Cal Schenkel did several album cover designs for
>TW.
In the early years we used to hang out, have a drink together at VeeJays
or at my notorious indoor fireworks parties in Silverlake. His first cover
was shot in my living room, actually -that's my piano and clock. Cover on
no. 2 is by Napoleon, the artist that helped with OSFA, and on that one
and number 3, me & Katy are in too, (Me in the purple shirt, Katy with her
arm around Tom in the liner photo. Napoleon is on the ground in front of
the diner). Frank and Tom were on good terms, as I recall (at least up to
the Bizarre split-up). Frank didn't party much though, I remember one time
he called me at VeeJays -one Friday nite hangin' out with the usual crowd.
He was at the recording studio ready to go home and nobody to take him. I
said, "Hey Frank, why don't you come have a drink with us first." He
wouldn't have none of that. So I tooled over in my 49 Plymouth and took
him home. We ran into his sister Candy on Vine Street, she was on her way
to play "Wheel of Fortune" or something.
Hollywood ain't what it used to be.
--Calvin
William Delaney
biffy...@aol.com (Biffyshrew) wrote:
>Guy Barnes <g...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
>>It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
>>Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
>>appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
>>reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
>>by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
>
>Yes, probably not, yes, and NO.
>
I saw Waits open for FZ at the Circle Star Theatre in San Carlos, CA
around 75 or 76 (uncertain about the exact year). The CS was a weird
venue where the stage is round and actually rotates during the show so
there aren't any bad seats if you don't mind seeing the back of the
band part of the time and are not thrown off by the slow rotation.
What I remember best was that FZ opened the show by having the females
in the audience get their sexual orgasm out of the way at the onset of
the concert so there were actually a multitude of females "cumming in
the round" or at least being good sports and doing their best to be
part of the "audience participation".
The audience booed Waits mostly because they were impatient for FZ. I
thought Waits was great myself. He cast an incredibly bluesy/Bukowski
aura. What a talent tho I can understand how he could not tickle
everyones fancy particularly when viewed as a delay to FZ.
The other event was somehow miraculously surviving a blow out of a
front tire on Jim's van at the intersection of the Nimitiz freeway in
Oakland and the ramps off the Bay Bridge on the way back to Berkeley
on the way home from the concert. We had four screaming females and
two guys all still under the effects of "trendy chemical amusement
aids" and managed to deal with a helpful CHP officer and get a tire
changed on the inner meridian and back on the road. If anyone knows
this spot thay know what an adventure (and close call) this must have
been.
I also can fondly remember being at the Berkeley Community Theatre for
the "panty rap" on I believe Tinsel Town Rebellion and my then college
honey and now ex-wife (20s vs 40S) donated her briefs to the cause.
Gawd I wish I was there now.
Bill
cut out section
Tom Tuerff
In article <Oq$ilGAXw...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk>, Guy Barnes
<g...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
> Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
> appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
> reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
> by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
>
> I'm a big fan of both these musicians, and i'm still trying to figure
> out what there friendship was?
> --
> Guy Barnes
Zappa and a video of Tom Waits appeared together on a 1974 syndicated talk
show called "Speakeasy," hosted by Chip Monck. I remember Frank was
plugging Apostrophe and Waits was the token music track of the night.
After watching the video, Frank made a comment that Waits had opened some
shows for him.
What he didn't say (but what Waits has said) was that Frank's audiences
HATED HIM. And in fact, it was one of the many reasons that Frank stopped
touring with opening acts in America. (People don't seem to mind opening
acts in Europe. George Alper, the "T-Shirt" guy of "Jazz Discharge Party
Hats" fame, told me that FZ once played a 2-night gig with Santana
somewhere in Europe--Carlos opened for Frank the first night and Frank
opened for Carlos the second night so that they could hit the road to the
next stop as early as possible.)
TT
Peter de B. Harrington
David F Lynch wrote:
>
> Guy Barnes (g...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk) wrote:
> : It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
> : Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
> : appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
> : reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
> : by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
>
> he told a joke during Dupree's Paradise.
>
Boston '74 Late, I heard they had 6 inches of snow in June,
and a 12 inch prick running amok.
Pete
WNewitt
I have an audio tape of this "Speakeasy" program. Anybody wanna trade
sumptin'?
I'm mainly interested in interviews.
>Zappa and a video of Tom Waits appeared together on a 1974 syndicated
talk
>show called "Speakeasy," hosted by Chip Monck. I remember Frank was
>plugging Apostrophe and Waits was the token music track of the night.
>After watching the video, Frank made a comment that Waits had opened some
>shows for him.
>What he didn't say (but what Waits has said) was that Frank's audiences
>HATED HIM. And in fact, it was one of the many reasons that Frank
stopped
>touring with opening acts in America. (People don't seem to mind opening
>acts in Europe. George Alper, the "T-Shirt" guy of "Jazz Discharge Party
>Hats" fame, told me that FZ once played a 2-night gig with Santana
>somewhere in Europe--Carlos opened for Frank the first night and Frank
>opened for Carlos the second night so that they could hit the road to the
>next stop as early as possible.)
Netway User
Tom Tuerff <ttu...@primenet.com> wrote in article
<ttuerff-1504...@206.165.21.251>...
> In article <Oq$ilGAXw...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk>, Guy Barnes
> <g...@tomatoes.demon.co.uk> wrote:
>
> > It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
> > Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
> > appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
> > reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
> > by the people who came to watch Zappa etc.
> >
> > I'm a big fan of both these musicians, and i'm still trying to figure
> > out what there friendship was?
> > --
> > Guy Barnes
>
> Zappa and a video of Tom Waits appeared together on a 1974 syndicated
talk
> show called "Speakeasy," hosted by Chip Monck. I remember Frank was
> plugging Apostrophe and Waits was the token music track of the night.
> After watching the video, Frank made a comment that Waits had opened some
> shows for him.
>
> What he didn't say (but what Waits has said) was that Frank's audiences
> HATED HIM. And in fact, it was one of the many reasons that Frank
stopped
> touring with opening acts in America. (People don't seem to mind opening
> acts in Europe. George Alper, the "T-Shirt" guy of "Jazz Discharge Party
> Hats" fame, told me that FZ once played a 2-night gig with Santana
> somewhere in Europe--Carlos opened for Frank the first night and Frank
> opened for Carlos the second night so that they could hit the road to the
> next stop as early as possible.)
>
>I saw Frank& the Mothers way back in 74 at the Agradome in Vancouver B.C.
Tom Waits opened the show for him.I noticed this scruffy looking greaseball
lurking around the stage,front row.Then this guy jumped up on stage and
started singing&playing guitar.He was'nt well recieved by the crowd.We
thought he was some guy from East Hastings.Nobody ever announced who he
was.It was'nt till years later that this was Tom Waits.
> .Nobodyever announced
William M Reid
> > > It's well known that a young Tom Waits was often used to open some of
> > > Franks early gigs. What i would like to know is that did they ever
> > > appear on stage together, where they good friends, Is there anyome
> > > reading this newsgroup who saw Tom open for Zappa ? if so was he liked
This isn't the most coherent of stories, and I may have dates
wrong, but it's the most relevant info I (as a member of the nintendo
generation by two fucking weeks) can add.
A photo professor of mine told us the tale of seeing Zappa
perform at the University of Waterloo in 1974(?), and that Tom Waits
opened. Supposedly this was very early in Tom Waits' career, perhaps
nobody there had heard much of him yet, etc. According to my professor,
the audience was indeed not very appreciative of Waits and acted pretty
rude. At any rate, Zappa came out on stage and proceeded to rip up the
audience for their lack of respect/squandering their oppurtunity to see
this new artist play, etc. and his rantings became a diatribe of sorts
which soon evolved into the musical set.
I enquired about more details (ie did any of this diatribe become
a source of further concert continuity, what numbers did they play, was
there a secret word. etc.) but my prof claimed that chemicals ingested
between then and now have erased most of the important information.
Oh well, at least he got a photo.