puntiniCAZpuntini

<- This is a Bijoux, especially considering that Zappa spent the last 10 years of his life saying he never used drugs. EYA. We all believe it.

Who is the biggest tacky one in the Zappa Band? Well, Zappa obviously, huh. In the Mothers Of Invention, I'm torn between Jimmy Carl Black for his face (Google it to believe it) and Roy Estrada for his goofy expressions... but as for the tackiest in terms of tacky lifestyle, I think it has to be Ray Collins, who I believe I’ve seen in some movies (but I forget a movie ten minutes after I’ve watched it, so I might be wrong) (Collins is the one in the middle, Jimmy CB is the one to the right of Collins, Estrada isn’t in this picture). As for Zappa's solo work, I wouldn’t know, because he was the one who made them tacky, so it doesn't count :D

Ah, Ajeje: Zappa's live performances on American television are amazing to find online (especially since they're not for sale); he really mocked them there. They don’t sound very good, but you’re not missing anything, it’s all just a spoof. Definitely look for those because they’re truly worth it. Subtitles: "I can do nothing and you'll still applaud me."

But in Man From Utopia it always sounds like "Go"... I didn't understand the comparison, also because I never remember the titles of the songs, I'll jot it down and listen to it tonight ;). The G3 bores me to death because all that guitar weighs me down, just like solo piano, solo bass, and solo drums concerts... I find minimalism tough, I can't get there, it cuts me in two. If it's a circus of Elephants, Tigers, Camels, and Zibibbs, okay, but just Elephants or just Zibibbs is boring. I don’t know, a famous one... Koln Concert by Jarrett, he's a monster, but I don't listen to the album: it bores me. But I don't say "shitty album," it just bores me.

Ah, Maynardo is a jerk, he really gets on my nerves, if he loses his voice I'll laugh for months. To me, he's the least essential of Tool, just a cherry on top, nothing more. He has a scary voice, but the singer is never necessary; if a band's strong point is the singer, it means it's a shitty band :D

I go through phases; sometimes I like them, and I think they enjoy seeing so many fans who admire them for this stuff. Other times I think they are gayer than their fans and truly believe in this stuff. But they are the best rock band around, so I try not to overthink whether their stuff is really nonsense or just a gimmick to sell, even though in the end, you always fall into the trap—it's a vicious circle.

"I also know and listen to lesser-known groups like Aphex Twin." True, true... I also know and listen to lesser-known artists like Radiohead, the one who made Kid A, underground stuff.

Zappa died in 1991, he didn’t get to see Malmsteen become Cicciobombacannoniere. Someone I know insists on defending Cicciobomba from the 80s; honestly, I find him gay, but still better than the ridiculous hyper-skill he has become. The Circus is beautiful because it’s not easy to be a circus performer; even tightrope walkers are just “people walking on a wire,” but go ahead and try if you can. It’s a different concept from “making songs,” it can be liked or not, but the fact remains that Vai is a monster, he has creativity, it’s not all speed-for-show, it’s not just hyper-fast scales but he uses the guitar in every possible way, and that’s not for everyone, let alone the typical schoolboy stuff. For me, the fact that Zappa would take a pen and write impossible things, then hand them to a (then) kid and the kid would show him they were not impossible at all, is a sign of a musician with big balls, keeping in mind that Zappa didn’t write everything, and the sound, the distortions, and the effects were from Vai’s hand, and those are the things that make the difference. Many volumes of "Non ce la fai a fare questo sul palco" (a name, a guarantee) were 80% improvisation, and even there Vai puts on a show. He’s cool; you might not like him, but he’s cool. I find a concert of indie-rock much more “disgustingly-circus-like” where the show is given by the screams and movements of the band rather than the notes they produce. It’s a matter of taste, but it must be said that if Vai wants, he can play covers of any damn band on Earth, while few guitarists in the world can cover Vai, and you can’t say he’s crap; you can only say “I don’t like him.”

Alright, but if you only heard the favorite album of a 14-year-old, then I believe it. With Zappa, Vai is beautiful and lovable to the core. Alone, it’s a heavy boulder that can become tedious because it’s too minimal; it’s all guitar, and after five minutes, I can’t take it anymore. I need more things and more sounds. However, with Zappa, he created Oscar-worthy stuff—"Jazz From Hell," "Tinsel Town Rebellion," and "You Are What You Is" are three incredible albums. If you want a truckload of fantasy, then "You Can't Do That On Stage ANYMORE" (because without Animore, they're the 70s ones, without Vai), which you can find around 8 volumes of. Or any live performance of Zappa from 1980 until his death; Vai is always there except for rare occasions at specific festivals, but it’s more difficult to find him without Vai than with him (always since '80). Vai is a genius; this album is a heavy boulder that can become tedious, but he is a genius—it needs to be listened to with a band, though.

No Easy, you’re blowing it out of proportion, you don’t get it.