Zappa's "200 Motels," the movie

[the captain]

The movie is on Sundance right now. I've had the album for years, but am just seeing the movie for the first time. Um..ahahaha. I guess exactly what I expected. Wonderfully horrible, or horribly wonderful. One of the two.

[endofposts]

Or just horrible.   Maybe it works if you're stoned.  They used to show it at a rep movie theater in Berkeley every so often, and I caught it years ago on the big screen.  Maybe it works better on television?  I'm not a Zappa fan, except for some songs here and there, so maybe it works if you like Frank.  His attitude can be wearing if you're not.

[the captain]

It's funny how often people say Zappa's stuff is better if you're stoned, etc., considering he was so anti-drugs, even in the late '60s.

As for his attitude--I get horribly sick of it, and I love his music. I thought, especially by the end, he was such a sad combination of cynical, crude and offensive (in the name of humor, admittedly, but it seemed like a thin disguise to flat-out meanness) that it got dull.

[Music Machine]

If you really want to boil it down, 200 Motels is basically a sex comedy albiet an extremely surreal one. I downloaded 200 Motels and the True Story of 200 Motels off Kazaa, but I prefer the Dutch tv special on Zappa made in 1971 I got off winmx to either of those. I'm a big fan of Zappa's music and don't mind his additude at all (I've read his autobiography a couple of times and the book The Dangerous Kitchen is a good companion piece for filling in the gaps and letting you in on things Zappa doesn't tell you in his book) but rarely watch his films. I have watched 200 Motels three times, The Dub Room Special twice, Baby Snakes once and have never seen Uncle Meat (and going by the reviews I've read, breif clips and the opinions of Zappa fans probably never will.)

[MBE]

Moon and Ringo are good in it but the other 70 percent of the movie is terrible. I just don't like it and I do like say Magical Mystery Tour fairly well.

[Old Rake]

I love the whole thing, unrepentenly. It is magnificent, surreal, and hilarious, and the music is frickin' great.

[I. Spaceman]

I love the whole thing, unrepentenly. It is magnificent, surreal, and hilarious, and the music is frickin' great.

Right on.

[Lorenschwartz]

I love the whole thing, unrepentenly. It is magnificent, surreal, and hilarious, and the music is frickin' great.

Right on.

i empathize with both points...i have watched it all the way thru a couple of times. I also see how some may call it monotonous. Taken out of time, I don't think bands/music critics have this sort of problem, adversities anymore.

Very much a product of its time and way ahead of it also!!! I live in Centerville!!!!

[JK]

Has anyone else seen this movie? As a complete Zappa freak at the time I made sure I saw it as soon as it hit London in late '71. I think I was as bewildered as anyone else leaving the cinema that evening----others were audibly p*ssed off by what they'd just seen and heard. I wonder what I'd think of it now. It's not on YouTube----hopefully it will be one day...     

[Mike's Beard]

I'm a big Zappa fan and I gave up after about 20 minutes. The soundtrack album however, is wonderful.

[Outtasight!]

Zappa is wonderful  however I have never enjoyed his music stoned and I love a lot of it. I just prefer it straight. Mind you I'm more of a Broadway the Hard Way guy than 200 Motels.