Frank Zappa

Havel the Dissident: A Legacy Worth Claiming

Richard (RJ) Eskow | Posted 02.18.2012

Read More: Frank Zappa, Charter 77, Neoconservatism, Plastic People of the Universe, Economics, Vaclav Havel, Czech Republic, Politics News
Richard (RJ) Eskow

Today we're told that the Occupy movement is too idealistic, too naïve. Naïve? Try Havel's words if you want naïve: "May truth and love triumph over lies and hatred."

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Moline Loves Paul Simon, Plus Chatting With Bill Wyman, American Idol's James Durbin and Mastodon's Brann Dailor

Mike Ragogna | Posted 01.17.2012

Read More: Dr. Dre, Eurythmics, Mick Jagger, Eminem, Nick Payn, Dr. Hook, 50 Cent, Terry Tyler, Willie & the Poor Boys, Alan Parsons, Beverley Skeete, J.J. Cale, Thirty Seconds to Mars, James Michael, Today's the Day, Dennis Locorriere, Mick Mars, Hardcore Superstar, Dio, Ronnie Lane, The Sopranos, Mick Taylor, The Faces, Led Zeppelin, Guy Fawkes, Keith Richards, Tony Soprano, Steve Perry, Roger Waters, Brann Dailor, Jamiroquai, DJ Ashba, Charlie Watts, James Durbin, Bill Keliher, Ray Charles, Peter Frampton, American Idol, Chris Jericho, Ethel Waters, Eric Clapton, Mike Elizondo, Don Was, Procol Harum, Queen, Geraint Watkins, Frank Mead, Gary Brooker, Bill Wyman, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Judas Priest, Elton John, Billy Bob Thornton, Dancing With the Stars, Georgie Fame, Marti Frederiksen, Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones, My Chemical Romance, Barbarella, Bob Dylan, Stephane Grappelli, Mark Knopfler, Mötley Crüe, Iron Maiden, Ben Moody, Annie Lennox, Albert Lee, Fats Waller, Roald Dahl, Crash Diet, Mastedon, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

Although it seems that Paul Simon has been on the road frequently over the last few years, his latest tour seems much more date-packed as he heralds his latest and one of the best albums of his career, So Beautiful Or So What.

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Michael Jackson's "The Immortal Megamix," Plus Chatting With Chris Isaak and Phil Manzanera

Mike Ragogna | Posted 01.03.2012

Read More: Robert Wyatt, Chrissie Hynde, Roy Orbison, Enrique Bunbury, Eurythmics, Also Lopez Gavilan, Roxy Music, Gorillaz, Buddy Holly, Carlos Santana, Carl Perkins, Chris Isaak, David GIlmour, Paul Thompson, Buena Vista Social Club, Sun Records, Phil Manzanera, The Beatles, Brad Pitt, Stevie Wonder, David Lynch, David Bowie, Jimmy Stewart, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Costello, Frank Zappa, Steve Winwood, Bryan Ferry, Red Dwarf, Johnny Cash, Lucho Brieva, Bob Dylan, Keith Richards, Doctor Who, Elvis Presley, Sam Phillips, Cheech & Chong, Brian Eno, Héroes Del Silencio, Annie Lennox, Video, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

"I've made a lot of records because that's what I do, and I've listened to a lot of records, and I have to tell you the truth--it wouldn't have mattered if The Beatles had recorded "A Hard Day's Night" on Silly Putty. It would have sounded good."

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The Smartest Rock Stars

Posted 09.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Rivers Cuomo, Greg Graffin, Lisa Loeb, Annie Lennox, Brian May, Madonna, Stephen Jenkins, Coldplay, Smartest Rock Stars, College News

Did you know that Alicia Keys graduated high school at 16? Or that Chris Martin has a degree in classics? Check out our slide show of the smartest...

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A Guitar Hero, Guinness, GP, and "Single Girls": Conversations with Steve Vai and Graham Parker, plus Laura Jansen's New Video

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, De La Soul, Bob Marley, Jack Nitzsche, Graham Parker & the Figgs, Guinness, Laura Jansen, Joe Satriani, Berklee College of Music, Jordan Katz, Mike Gent, Peter Bradley Adams, Razor & Tie, Andrew Bird, Steve Vai, Graham Parker & the Rumour, Whitesnake, Kevin O'Donnel, Little Feat, Kim Taylor, Graham Parker, Guitar Hero 3, Disney, Over the Rhine, Eastmountainsouth, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

Steve Vai and Berklee are trying to set a record in Guinness by attempting to teach as many guitarists online as possible within a single lesson.

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Dog Ears Music: Born in December Playlist

Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Joan Armatrading, Fletcher Henderson, Maria Callas, Marianne Faithfull, Danielle Evin, Keith Richards (the Rolling Stones), Music, Jerry Butler, Tom Waits, Spike Jones, mp3s, Chet Baker, Jim Morrison (the Doors), J.J. Cale, Phil Ramone, Chris Hillman (the Byrds), Cab Calloway, Christina Aguilera, Little Richard, Frank Sinatra, Paul Butterfield, ÉDith Piaf, Dog Ears, Pops Staples (the Staple Singers), Entertainment News
Phil Ramone and Danielle Evin

This week, we feature music by Christina Aguilera, Tom Waits, Jim Morrison, Spike Jones, and more.

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From Bare Bones to The Complete Elvis: Conversations with Bryan Adams, Ernst Jorgensen and Erich Van Tourneau

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, The Rolling Stones, Otis Blackwell, Leiber and Stoller, Cirque Du Soleil, Chips Moman, David Cassidy, Peter Guralnick, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Abba, U2, Erich Van Tourneau, Max Hole, Elton John, Ernst Jorgensen, Leon Russell, Bryan Adams, Willie Nelson, Thomas Schumann, Bruce Springsteen, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

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TED, Solar Power, Windpower, and All Things Amerikana: A Conversation with Thomas Dolby

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Pacifica, Van Morrison, Al Gore, Natalie MacMaster, Houdini, Paul Simon, An Inconvenient Truth, Grace Jones, Trever Horn, Dolby's Cube, Bruce Wooley & the Camera Club, Gordon Brown, Stevie Wonder, Lene Lovich, Ted, Technology Education & Design, Mtv, Tracy Chapman, Frank Zappa, Bill Clinton, Dan Hicks, Guy Ritchie, Mike Shipley, Nokia, The Buggles, Theremin, George Clinton, Mark Knopfler, Grammy Awards, Roger Dean, Prefab Sprout, Regina Spektor, They Might Be Giants, Herbie Hancock, Danny Kleinman, Larry Klein, Dire Straits, Howard Jones, Natalie Merchant, Quentin Tarantino, Joni Mitchell, Def Leppard, Blade Runner, James Bond, Thomas Dolby, Silicon Valley, Foreignor, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

"Among other things I do," says the British musician, "I'm the music director of an organization called TED or Technology, Education and Design. That's an annual get together of people sort of figuring out how to save the planet."

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Return of the Son of...: A Conversation With Dweezil Zappa

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: The Mothers of Invention, Ratt, Warren DeMartini, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Pee Wee's Playhouse, Paul Simon, Sean Penn, Eddie Van Halen, Lionel Ritchie, Jason Alexander, Yngwie Malmsteen, Planet of the Apes, Nasa, The Ben Stiller, 7-Up, Tim Curry, Brian May, Jimmy Vaughn, Disney, Mtv, Roseanne, Frank Zappa, Ben Stiller, Dweezil Zappa, Beavis and Butt-Head, Howard Stern, Brian Setzer, AC/DC, Angus Young, Malcolm Young, The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, Robin Ford, Steve Morse, Allan Holdsworth, Albert Lee, Joni Mitchell, Justin Timberlake, American Idol, Rocky Horror Picture Show, Joe Walsh, Justin Bieber, Izod, Duckman, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

Dweezil Zappa has a new live record out titled Return of the Son of.... It isn't exactly a Frank Zappa greatest hits album, so here's what Dweezil was going for with the selections on this project.

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Jakub Julian Ziolkowski's Dark and Amusing Paintings Opens at Hauser & Wirth

Marina Cashdan | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, John Steinbeck, Francis Picabia, Hieronymus Bosch, Woody Guthrie, Philip Guston, Hauser & Wirth, Peter Saul, Alfred Kubin, Neue Galerie, Rage Against the Machine Rnc, James Ensor, Jakub Julian Ziolkowski, Andre Masson, Grapes of Wrath, Bruce Springsteen, Arts News
Marina Cashdan

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A New Book the Censors Won't Love

Jan Herman | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Carl Weissner, William Burroughs, Leonard Cohen, Bob Dylan, Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Books News
Jan Herman

A new novel hits the bookshelves in Vienna, and the Austrian television network ORF interviews the author. Try getting a novelist interviewed on the evening news in America.

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Art Invades Popular Culture?

Bettina Korek | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Graphic Art, Public Art, Comics, Marcel Duchamp, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Residents, Artists, Pop Culture, Music, Painting, The Simpsons, Tim Burton, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Christian Moeller, Astro Burger, W Hotel Hollywood, Foryourart, Pee-Wee's Playhouse, Museums, Mass Culture, Moma, Mike Kelley, Matt Groening, Jennifer Steinkamp, Pae White, Gary Panter, The Screamers, Rewin Redl, Jimbo, Slash, Punk, Raw Magazine, Destroy All Monsters, Underground, Los Angeles News
Bettina Korek

The Internet is breaking down the invisible boundaries between the art world and mass culture; influence knows no boundaries.

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The Future of Music

Gail Zappa | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Music, Entertainment News
Gail Zappa

With the advent the Internet and new technology, it's now possible for more experimentation at a less expensive rate to hear what it is the guy with the checkbook thinks you are doing.

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Dancing Fool: A Moving Playlist For Tom DeLay, Our 'Dancing' Star With Two Right Feet

David Wild | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Aaron Carter, George Michael, Tom Delay, Abba, Shakira, Aerosmith, Lady GaGa, Elton John, Dancing With the Stars, Kelly Osbourne, Bruce Springsteen, Tom DeLay Dancing With the Stars, Entertainment News
David Wild

Watching Tom DeLay disgrace himself and the United States Congress over the years, I distinctly remember thinking, "Sure, he's ethically challenged, but can he dance?"

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Global Beat Fusion: Carmen Rizzo Tackles Tuvan Throat Singing

Derek Beres | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Seal, Npr, Yoga, Whole Foods, Paul Okenfold, World Music, Global-Electronica, Global Music, Jem, Kcrw, American Idol, Coldplay, Entertainment News
Derek Beres

Envision powerful and tasteful low-end, percussively intelligent, moving and sweeping in the landscape while strings and voices grace the surface.

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HuffPost Video Premiere: Third Eye Blind "Don't Believe A Word," plus The Jayhawks, Genesis, and Peanuts 1960's Collection

Mike Ragogna | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Peter Gabriel, Victoria Williams, The Eagles, Third Eye Blind, Tim O'Reagan, Marc Perlman, Gary Louris, Punk'd, Steve Hackett, Sally Brown, The Byrds, American Recordings, Chris Hillman, Linus Van Pelt, A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Everly Brothers, Christopher Shea, Stephen Bishop, Johnny Cash, Bill Meléndez, George Winston, Mark Olsen, Bill Bruford, Lee Mendelson, Charisma Records, Rhino Records, Weather Report, Entertainment News, Stephan Jenkins, Gram Parsons, Peter Frampton, Chester Thompson, Pop, King Crimson, The Village Voice, The Hawks, Def American, David Benoit, It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown, Karen Grotberg, Twin/Tone, George Drakoulias, The Louvin Brothers, Bunkhouse Records, Sally Dryer, Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer, Frank Zappa, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Farm Aid, Americana, Lucy Van Pelt, David Guraldi, Peter Robbins, Alt-Country, Genesis, Kathy Steinberg, Bob Dylan, Mike Rutherford, Charlie Brown, The Jayhawks, Roots, Charles M. Schultz, Tony Banks, The Band, Yes We Can, Vince Guaraldi, Entertainment News
Mike Ragogna

"I wanted to create a video that actually represented Third Eye Blind," says Stephan Jenkins, lead singer and songwriter for Third Eye Blind.

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Remembering My Battle Against Fundamentalists

Jim Luce | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Jerry Falwell, Last Temptation of Christ, American Psychological Association, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, U.P.I., Pat Robertson, Christian Fundamentalism, Religious Addiction, Jewish Fundamentalism, The Journal of Religion and Health, Fundamentalists Anonymous, Daiwa Bank, Mainline Churches, There Is a Way Out, God?S Will, Today Show, Marty Scorsese, Religious Right, Los Angeles Times, Fundamentalist, Washington Post, Philadelphia Inquirer, Moral Majority, Islamic Fundamentalism, Christian Science Monitor, Steve Allen, Phil Donahue Show, Hollywood Under Siege, Madonna, Culture Wars, PTL Club, USA Today, Toronto Star, Henry Luce III, San Francisco Chronicle, London Observer, Daniel Berrigan, Luce Publications, Norman Lear, Hank Luce, Gunther Hirshberg, Henry Luce Foundation, Village Voice, Ari Goldman, Universal Studio, U.S. Congress, A. James Rudin, M. Scott Peck, New York Law Journal, Josh Baran, Salman Rushdie, Newsweek, Frank Zappa, Presbyterian, Bill Geist, Ram Dass, Associated Press, A.C.L.U., Psychology Today, Terry Sweeney, Cnn, Like a Prayer, Wall Street, Satanic Verses, Jimmy Swaggart, American Jewish Committee, Oprah Winfrey Show, New York Observer, People for the American Way., New York Times, Episcopalian, New York News
Jim Luce

Our biggest accomplishment was standing up for those torn down by the TV evangelists.

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M.I.A.: What To Name Your Rocker Baby

Pamela Redmond Satran | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, Celebrity Moms, Celebrity Babies, M.I.A. Baby, Rocker Names, Celebrity Baby Names, Rapper Names, Dweezil Zappa, Moon Unit Zappa, M.I.A. Baby Name, Grammy Awards, Crazy Celebrity Baby Names, Entertainment News
Pamela Redmond Satran

Listen up, M.I.A. Lesson #1 in naming your rocker or rapper baby is that you can never choose a regular old first name.

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Pop Goes Weird: The Residents At Lakeshore Theater

Decider | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Frank Zappa, The Bunny Boy, Chicago Shows the Residents, The Residents Live Chicago, Chicago Concerts, The Residents, Lakeshore Theater, Chicago Music, The Residents Lakeshore Theater, The Residents Chicago, Chicago News

The legendary California weirdoes known as The Residents are one of the greatest bad bands in history....

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"The Less I Say The More My Work Gets Done": NBC Mystery Song — Revealed!

Huffington Post | Rachel Sklar | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Elton John, City of Brotherly Love, Kiki Dee, So Not the Sixth Borough, Brian Williams, Frank Zappa, Tim Russert's Giant Noggin, Steve Capus, Billie Jean King, Denver Raquets, Sweden, Eat the Press, Media News

Ladies and gentlemen, we stand corrected! At the end of yesterday's "NBC Nightly News" there was a song that was not the usual swelling theme music, a...

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