Brian Douglas Wilson presents "Lumpy Veggies"??

[TheLazenby]

I just had an idea....

I'm listening to the comedy sessions about Brian falling into the piano, etcetera; and it occurred to me.  Did anyone ever try to intercut clips of that with "Smile" tracks (preferrably instrumentals) and create a sort of Smile "Lumpy Gravy"?  I mean, that recording is pretty damn close in style to the spoken interludes on FZ's album, even using the same method of 'head in the piano' speaking.

Just a thought.

[The Song Of The Grange]

I did and it turned out pretty cool.  I, however, used Zappa's We're Only In It For The Money as the guide. I used the "falling in the piano" bit.  I used the "falling then bouncing back up" bit.  I used some of the Vegetable arguments.  I used parts of "George Fell Into His French Horn" too.  Oh, and I used the part in the "Life Boat" tape when "Bicycle Rider" is playing over the studio PA and everyone is talking.

[rasmus skotte]

I tried too with some of the other comedy bits from that session though - like the 'lettuce, turnip and peas' (let us turn up in peace), chew chew, munch, munch, 'rasmus' chants(?) and the underwater sounds:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8_1i8nQgly

[rasmus skotte]

I know that wasn't Zappa but Douglas himself. But that's fitting them in where they were meant to go in the first place.
Which is also an interesting puzzle - I think.

[rasmus skotte]

Sorry it doesn't work for me today. The video I tried linking to is "Deus Pax Machina" - help please...

[Ed Roach]

I think it's so cool that there are so many Zappa fans here!  I was lucky enough to have worked with both Brian and Frank, and was always overwhelmed at the overlap of fans.  Of course, Frank didn't hide his appreciation of Brian, and expressed it most by buying the board from the Bellagio studio as his touring board, and hiring none other than Steve Desper to run it on the road! Around the same time, he hired the great Sal Marquez for his touring band, and also invited me out on the road to shoot the tour!  Then, much later on, Frank expressed interest in recording at Brother; his percussionist Ed Mann did do quite a bit of recording there, with none other than Ed Carter's wife...  Small world, indeed...
Unfortunately, Brian didn't seem to share a love of Frank's music.  Brain had showed up at my door one afternoon in the early 70's, (this time not dressed in his bathrobe), and asked me to pay for the taxi outside.  I tried to interest him in Zappa by handing him a set of headphones & putting The Orange County Lumber Truck.  It freaked Brian out, who after a very short time ripped the headphones from his head screaming "Ah, devil music!!!"

[the captain]

I knew Desper, Linett, and various musicians in common worked with Frank, but I didn't know you did, too, Ed! That's awesome. Any Zappa stories you'd be willing to share would be very, very much appreciated. I'm absolutely fascinated by the guy (as well as his music). It's pretty OT for this thread, but there is a Zappa-related thread (titled under We're Only In It For the Money, I think) in the Other Music forum.

[Ed Roach]

Thanks so much, Luther.  Can't believe this link still exists, (we're in the process of putting together a completely new & improved Roach-clips website, complete with audio & video!), but here's a link to some of my Zappa work:  http://home.earthlink.net/~aroach68/zap.htm

One of my favorite stories, which is BB related & OnTopic, relates to stage lighting.  I'd already encountered problems with red stage lights causing photos to appear blurry, and shot my first 16mm footage of The Boys at the '72 Carnegie Hall concert.  When I saw the effect of the red filters on 16, I went ape sh*t, and started studying stage lighting in New York.  I discovered that these guys lighting rock & roll were doing so by just throwing colored gels up, whereas there was a science behind light filters; (ie, the gels 'bastard amber' & 'surprise pink' created flesh tones).  Frank & I had a discussion about this, and the next thing I knew, I got a call to come down to Intercontinental Absurdities.
I arrived to find the band getting ready to do a complete run-through, and just the crew was present.  Frank introduced me to this bizarre character named Unity, his new lighting guy, and showed me this Colortrans board that he had designed!  The band then began the set, Unity whipped out a huge joint, (which blew me away, and made me nervous in front of Frank, 'cause he really was anti-drugs), and we set to work putting together the proper filters & cues. 
Around this same time Guercio came on board with the Boys, (another Zappa alum!), and he hired a great lighting guy for them, who gladly accepted the info I had gathered.

By the way, came across a great useage of "Lumber Truck" on YouTube, featuring the fantastic animation of Bruce Bickford:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqLK6cHCiF4&feature=related

[LostArt]

I just had an idea....

I'm listening to the comedy sessions about Brian falling into the piano, etcetera; and it occurred to me.  Did anyone ever try to intercut clips of that with "Smile" tracks (preferrably instrumentals) and create a sort of Smile "Lumpy Gravy"?  I mean, that recording is pretty damn close in style to the spoken interludes on FZ's album, even using the same method of 'head in the piano' speaking.

Just a thought.

There are a few spots in the DJ Mic Luv mix of Smile that sound very much like Lumpy Gravy or We're Only In It For The Money.  Parts of the joke reel are used over some instrumentals between the actual Smile songs.  The end of Vegetables adds the vegetable arguments and when Hal Blaine says "There are no chemicals in my soil!"...BAM!!...the Fire music starts.  Classic.