Frank Zappa, Sparks, And Other Foolishness

Well, here we go again. Chris Martin (@buildcuriosity) and I are back with another podcast/discussion about two music documentaries that we both love. It’s always so fun to hang out with Chris and talk about films we love and can watch over and over.

Here’s what Chris has to say about our newest discussion...

After a detour through art and madness, Kelley and I return to music documentaries and revel in the double feature of Zappa (2020) and The Sparks Brothers (2021), two stories about bands and personalities that overlap in impact, work ethic, and a body of work that boggles the modern mind.

There isn’t a shortage of talking points with either Frank Zappa or Sparks. Throughout our conversation, Kelley and I talk about doing what you do for a long time, wanting people to like what we do even though we shouldn’t care, the paradox of creative control, the business and political legacy of Zappa, the reality that art has never been easy, and the lack of ownership and the loss of discovery in our culture.

I was listening to Zappa in high school and a lot of my friends just couldn’t get into it at all. I always thought it was their loss… Everyone has heard the outrageous stories and seen the photos, but this doc takes a real deep dive into the man and the music. I loved it.

There are Zappa concerts and clips all over YouTube. If you’ve never actually listened, you need to check it out.

I still remember it was sometime in 1975 when I first experienced Sparks on one of those In Concert shows around midnight. Yes we were a bit fucked up and couldn’t believe what we were watching. I ran out to a record store (remember those?) and bought their record, Indiscreet. Fifty years and a ton of albums/CDs later, I still love these guys.

Here is a link to the trailer for The Sparks Brothers. You gotta see it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_PGv4DGMvg

You can check out our conversation here.

https://byi.show/creative-recklessness-reinvention-with-kelley-baker/

And if you like this one, there are more to come.

It’s time for a holiday photo from our house to yours, featuring Hank, Marcy, and Rowdy.

Thank you all for reading, subscribing, and supporting me and my writing.

Don’t let the bastards get to you!

And yes my books are for sale. Here is a clip of me reading the title story, Dennis Barton Is A Bastard, on the Ed Sullivan Show, from the book of the same name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9zfVlWQuIo

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