Jump to content

Talk:Frank Zappa/Archive 3

Page contents not supported in other languages.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Archive 1Archive 2Archive 3Archive 4Archive 5→Archive 10

Background music in documentaries

I inserted a little note about the (i.m.o. notable) usage of tracks from the jazz-fusion LPs. Could we perhaps include an audio-sample of Waka/Jawaka? DVdm 11:16, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Could you please provide some notable examples and sources? Otherwise, it will not "survive" a WP:FAC nomination. About samples, I am right now creating some. But as you can guess it is impossible to find just a few samples that well documents such a diverse composer!--HJensen, talk 11:45, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
Alas, I don't think I can prove this with sources. In the course of the years I have heard "Waka/Jawaka" in at least 4 different docus: two about astronomy (one on Dutch TV and one on BBC), one BBC-nature docu, and in a (French, I believe) docu on Giorgio Armani. I heard "Peaches En Ragalia" many times in the background, but can't remember where. It was also, during almost a decade the opening music of the well-know (well, in Belgium, that is) movies-programme "Premiere". As for the other tracks, we have noticed parts from "Sleep Dirt", "Filthy Habits", "The Ocean Is the Ultimate Solution", "Big Swifty", "Little Umbrellas", "Big Swifty", "Cletus Awreetus-Awrightus", "Eat That Question".
What *is* striking though, and what I did not mention in the article, is that I never noticed anything of the kind on U.S. documentaries - they all originated in Europe (U.K., France, Netherlands, Belgium). Strange.
Anyway, I guess this is not sufficient to survive a WP:FAC nomination. This begs the question: do we need such a nomination? ;-)
So, also I won't do it, I do feel a bit tempted to undo your revert and see what other contributors do with it. What do you (and others) think? Cheers, DVdm 12:40, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
Please be WP:BOLD and do so if you like. My own opinion is probably that it is not the most important to put into the article. But it would definitely be relevant to the article on Cultural references to Frank Zappa.--HJensen, talk 15:34, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
Ok, thanks, I appreciate. I will put it back and let's see what happens. Maybe someone does find a proper source.
Cheers, DVdm 16:08, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

Samples

Until now, there were just three samples "hidden" in the bottom of the article in an independent section. I have insted inserted samples at appropriate places in the article. Finding representative samples for Zappa's diverse work is, of course, impossible. I have nevertheless chosen the following:

  • "The Black Page": As an example of his strong percussion-influence in compositions (classical as well as rock) and complicated rhytmical patterns. It goes well with the surrounding text.
  • "Hungy Freaks Daddy": As an example of early vocal music with social commentary, and it goes well with text.
  • "Naval Aviation in Art?": As an example of his classical music (which should have a bit more text in the article)
  • "Shut up 'n play Your Guitar": As an example of his improvisations on the guitar
  • "Bobby Brown": As an example of later vocal music, and it goes nice with the existing text.
  • "N-Lite": As an example of his synclavier pieces. I doubt that a newcomer will have any idea about what the synclavier sounds like, so I think this example lead them onto it.

--HJensen, talk 15:34, 9 September 2007 (UTC)

As always, excellent job!
Dare I boldly formulate the following litle request? Would you mind inserting these 40-sec extracts of "Peaches En Regalia" and "Waka/Jawaka". You can get the ogg-files from my site by clicking the links.
Tia! DVdm 16:46, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
Ok, I managed to add the samples.
  • "Peaches En Regalia": One of Zappa's best known "songs". Example of richly layered rhytmic/instrumental complexity resulting in highly melodic experience.
  • "Waka/Jawaka": Representatie example of Jazz-Fusion works.
DVdm 14:01, 11 September 2007 (UTC)

Panel discussion

Hi HJEnsen, I notice you reverted the panel Discussion. Too bad, since it is a pretty interesting talk.

Two questions:

  • You say that it is a "commercial link". Indeed, although the content of the discussion can hardly be called commercial, it is indeed sitting on a commercial site. But then again, ins't The Official Frank Zappa Site a commercial link as well?
  • Do you think there is any possible policy compliant way to have this discusion on board? I guess the file itself is copyrighted material and can't just be made available as an audio-clip?

Cheers, DVdm 17:02, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Hi there "DVdm"! Check out the WP:EL page on general wiki policies about links, in particular under "Links normally to be avoided". I definitely think this link is against policy. It is from a Blog-like site of a commercial radio station (Detroit Jazz stage). Clearly, Zappa.com is also a commercial site, as is any official site of an artist, but those are allowed according to policy in articles on the subject in hand. Moreover, we cannot link to everything interesting about Zappa. It should serve some specific purpose (preferably add citations to the text), and some of the links in external links section are already on the border. Hope this clarifies (and thanks for putting up the "Jazz" samples to the articles!). Cheers.--HJensen, talk 17:28, 16 September 2007 (UTC)
I have checked WP:EL and couldn't really find any item in the list of links normally to be avoided stating that this link should be removed.
Not mentioning the i.m.o. obviously irrelevant/unapplicable items, the page itself
  • is not "mainly intended to promote a website" (4),
  • doesn't "primarily exist to sell products or services" (5),
  • it has no "objectionable amounts of advertising" (6),
  • it clearly isn't a blog (12),
  • but it is "directly related to the subject of the article" (14).
So... what do others think? By the way, are there any other left? ;-)
Cheers, DVdm 18:36, 16 September 2007 (UTC)
I would say it comes from a commercial website: [1]. Note also that a user has been noticed about potential conflict of interest here: [2]. So I would not consider it a valid link. Also it fails on "1. Any site that does not provide a unique resource beyond what the article would contain if it became a Featured article." In any case, I follow the rule that if in doubt, don't include it. To quote from the policy "Adding external links can be a service to our readers, but they should be kept to a minimum of those that are meritable, accessible and appropriate to the article." I think the link is interesting, but not needed for the encyclopedic value of the article. (And yes, where is everybody?) --HJensen, talk 13:33, 17 September 2007 (UTC)
Indeed, from a commercial site, but (4), (5), (6) are not applicable. Agreed, at first clearly entered by someone with a potential conflict of interest. But when I enter the link, this can't be an objection anymore.
Anyway, I'll leave it out. Perhaps some of the others have an opinion as well ;-) - Cheerio, DVdm 16:35, 17 September 2007 (UTC)

Drugs

It should be noted that, while he opposed drug use, he supported drug use as an individual right, in accordance with his libertarian leanings. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 67.68.31.79 (talk) 19:12, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

Source it and we can maybe include it. --John 19:18, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

User John removed the external link to Zappa Wiki Jawaka - a Wiki exclusively about Frank Zappa, "per wp:el" - probably because of item 13: "Links to open wikis, except those with a substantial history of stability and a substantial number of editors.".

I think this open Wiki deserves to be listed as an external link because:

  • It contains a welth of information not available here,
  • it has a history of stability, which i.m.o. is sufficiently substantial,
  • it has a number of editors, which i.m.o. is also sufficiently substantial.

John, what do you think? Cheers, DVdm 20:28, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

You're right, that was why I removed it. I have mixed feelings; I like the idea of this Zappa wiki, but I do not think this Wikipedia article needs the link. I also don't think it fits with our policy WP:EL. Let's see what others think. --John 02:17, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
Ok, fair enough. So, Others, what do you think? :-) - DVdm 10:47, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
I am quite indifferent. BTW, I think there is a policy on not linking to other wiki-generated sites (on the same grounds that a link to another wiki rticle is not a proper citation). In any case, I guess my indifference sums up to a "no". It is not essential.--HJensen, talk 13:58, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
Quick addendum: And that probably goes for a lot of the external links.--HJensen, talk 13:59, 23 October 2007 (UTC)
Well, I have pointed to and quoted the policy item above: "Links normally to be avoided: 13 - Links to open wikis, except those with a substantial history of stability and a substantial number of editors." and I gave the reason why I think it's a nice to have. DVdm 14:56, 23 October 2007 (UTC)

Ok, quick review:

  • Yes, definitey (DVdm),
  • No, because no need (John),
  • No, because indifferent (HJensen)

So where are the other editors? It looks like we have substantially less editors than the Wiki Jawaka :-) - DVdm 10:06, 26 October 2007 (UTC)

I might go to Jawaka myself, but it seems to me to fail the three-part test. --Orange Mike 18:07, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
I've heard an overseas (U.S.) colleague of mine use that expression before. I asked what she meant by it, which three parts she had in mind, and when and by whom it was establshed that the desicion we were about to make, depended on those three parts. The answer went a bit like "Ha, never mind, it's just a silly expression we use all the time over here. You're not supposed to ask about the parts - just nod, and talk about the next topic."
So, just out of curiosity... is this an exception, or do I just nod, and open a new section on an entirely different topic? :-)
DVdm 19:53, 3 November 2007 (UTC)
No, by "the three-part test" I meant this:
Is it accessible to the reader?
Is it proper in the context of the article (useful, tasteful, informative, factual, etc.)?
Is it a functional link, and likely to continue being a functional link?
Jawaka might be great for a hardcore Zappaphile like myself, but I don't think it meets these criteria for an encyclopedic link.--Orange Mike 17:33, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Ok, thanks. Of course, as far as I can see,
it is accessible to the reader,
it is proper in the context of the article (useful, tasteful, informative, factual, etc.),
it is a functional link, and likely to continue being a functional link,
so i.m.o. it clearly does meet the criteria. DVdm (talk) 19:07, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Hi Guys! As an editor on Wiki Jawaka I am obliged to say "keep the link". I see Old Francesco manages an external link to us without any problems. We offer some unique insights into the world of Zappa. When you eventually finish this one page article feel free to pop over and work on a real Zappa Wiki  ;-)

Lame Name 23:57, 15 November 2007 (UTC)

There you provided a very good argument for deleting the Franscesco Zappa article. It is one line, and then a link to the Zappa Wiki. Not notable for this Wikipedia!--HJensen, talk 17:19, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Yes I would agree with that as it could all be included as a note on the album's page. Must try and find time to correct all the mistakes in the FZ article ;-)
Lame Name (talk) 18:44, 19 November 2007 (UTC)
Yes, who would dream of going through the trouble of creating an article on the Wikipedia if all the work has already been done elsewhere? Let's quickly delete the one-line article and the link, and sit by the sideline until someone copies everything from the jawaka :-) DVdm (talk) 19:07, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

muslim? what?

this website claims Frank Zappa was muslim. I've never heard such a claim before, anyone got a clue?

http://www.searchboth.com/MuslimHeritage/

--Popoi (talk) 17:02, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

I think it's saying he's of "Muslim" (by which they seem to mean, at least in part, "Arab") heritage! --Orange Mike 17:33, 19 November 2007 (UTC)

Regardless, there is no truth to this. Zappa's heritage was exclusively Italian, and his family was catholic (though Zappa actively opposed organised religion, as the article notes). Manning (talk) 04:06, 17 December 2007 (UTC)

Zappa's heritage was not exclusively Italian. The way his parents' etniticity is written is sourced from his own book. But, of course, the equation arab=muslim is not always true, and definitely not in Zappa's case.--HJensen, talk 06:57, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
That idea is strong in the U.S., and wrong. Lebanese Christians, whose ranks in the U.S. range from Danny Thomas to Ralph Nader to former Wisconsin Progressive legislator James Azim, are both Arab and Christian. --Orange Mike | Talk 15:36, 17 December 2007 (UTC)
  • It seems to be unknown what Arab country or what religion Zappa's Arab family was from, but since his father was apparently part Arab and part Greek, it seems likely that the Arab part was Greek Orthodox or Greek Catholic (Melkite, which many Christian Arabs are. Funkynusayri (talk) 15:54, 12 March 2008 (UTC)

GA nomination on hold

Please leave a note on my talk page when you're done with this stuff - cheers, — Dihydrogen Monoxide 07:33, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

  • The location of his death should be noted in the infobox (if known) and in the persondata at the bottom
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • 1977 shouldn't be wlinked in the infobox image caption
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "The same year, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked him #71" - "Rolling Stone" should be in italics
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Although many assumed that he, like many musicians, used drugs," - that statement that many musicians use drugs is one of opinion, not fact - it may be true but it shouldn't be used there without an easily verifiable source (preferably not a book) pointing to someone in the know saying "many musicians use drugs"
 Done Sentence has been reworded. It was not the intention to say that today “many musicians use drugs”, but that many did in Zappa’s time. I hope it can pass without a source at that point (many prominent musicians of this time a well known to have died from drugs). HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • As you've decided to cite statements in the lead, you should get a few sources/refs for the last paragraph of it
 Done Added more sources. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Ref 2 - ISBN formatting please
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "when he lived in the Baltimore area.[10],[8]" - The comma seperating the refs isn't necessary
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "In 1952, his family relocated mainly because of Frank's asthma." - Change "Frank" to "Zappa" (throughout)
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "The first music Zappa purchased were R&B singles," - Switches between singular and plural (or seems to). Suggest rewording to "The first items of music Zappa purchased were R&B singles," (but you can do something else if you prefer)
 Done. Followed your suggestion. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Do you know when/at what age he say the LOOK article, etc.?
 Done The answer is “around” thirteen; source is added. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "where Zappa had his own Saturday night show" - Did he have this show at age 15, or later on in his life?
 Done Removed sentence. It was misplaced (it was much later Zappa had a weekly radio show, and it is not of great importance). HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Although he performed as a singer and guitarist for most of his later career, Zappa's original influence by classical percussion compositions made him retain a strong interest in rhythm and percussion and his bands have been noted for the excellence of their drummers and percussionists. His works such as "The Black Page" are notorious for complexity in rhythmic structure, featuring radical changes of tempo and metre as well as short, densely arranged passages contrasted by free-form breaks and extended improvisations." - Source/Ref?
 Done I have provided two sources and rephrased the sentence slightly. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Ref 23 - YouTube is one word, and can be wlinked (to YouTube). You may also wish to consider using the {{YouTube}} template. Same with ref 42
 Done Fixed spelling and wlink. Could not make template work – hope that is o.k. for now. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • 2nd last paragraph of early life section needs a ref. Last para should be merged up into 2nd last (thus making it the last).
 Done A lot was POV, which has been deleted. I have merged paragraphs and added some new information. Also in the section as a whole, I have reshuffled a few paragraphs for the sake of chronological continuity. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • 1st para of 1960s section needs ref/sources
 Done Added sources, and split the section. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Unfortunately, the customer was an undercover member of the Vice Squad " - Replace "unfortuneately" with "however" (or similar)
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Around this time, Zappa also met and signed with longtime manager Herb Cohen." - Remove this - already noted earlier in the paragraph
 Done HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "With Wilson credited as producer, The Mothers recorded" - Didn't they rename to The Mothers of Invention? If so, use this name...also, that paragraph needs refs
 Done Added refs for what could be sourced (and deleted some uncourced statements). Fixed renaming. The problem is, however, that the band was mostly known as The Mothers, but it was in order to please the record company that the “of Invention” was added. Later, Zappa also gradually dropped the “of Invention” from album titles. Finally, it gets long to write it in full every time. But I have for now tried to make it consistent. HJensen, talk 15:33, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "it was also only the second double LP of rock music ever released" - you could note here what the first was
 Done Deleted statement. No source can be found. On the album’s WikiPage wordings are also more cautious. (Dylan’s “Blonde on Blonde” is widely considered the first, so it may be the second, but until no source is found let’s keep it as it is.) HJensen, talk 15:33, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "and Zappa took over as producer for all the Mothers and solo Zappa recordings issued from that time on" - again, use the full name (Mothers of Invention) - this occurs a few times so keep an eye out
 Done See comments above. Also, I have rewritten the thing a bit, included a section about his meeting of his second wife, and mentioned Absolutely Free in slight more detail, as its music is very much archetypical Zappa. HJensen, talk 15:33, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
Also, I have noted that from the 1970s and onwards, Zappa almost always removed ”of Invention” and just used ”The Mothers.” HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "according to Zappa, took nine months to edit. It mixes a multitude of musical styles and orchestra line ups." - Source for him saying this?
 Done The source is liner notes from his album Civilization Phaze III, but I took out the specific statement and put a slightly extended description of the album prior to that of “We’re only in it..” The sources for the collage nature of the album are provided. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
Also the New York part of the band’s existence is rewritten, making the existing paragraph on a Garrick theatre performance fit in more natural. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "During the late Sixties, Zappa continued to develop both the artistic and business sides of his career..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done Added source. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "He became famous for regularly quoting musical phrase..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done The paragraph has been removed. It is like stating that one of his main contributions was his musical quotes. I could not find solid references for that (although the examples given in the now deleted paragraph were correct – one example of Stravinsky quote is moved to description of “Ruben...” album).HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Although they were lauded by critics and their peers and had a rabid cult following..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done Paragraph rewritten and sourced. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "It remains one of his most popular and accessible recordings and undoubtedly had a major influence on the development of the jazz-rock fusion genre." - Who says it's popular, who says it had an influence?
 Done Slightly reworded the paragraph and sourced it. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "and no fewer than three members of" - Just say "and three members of"
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "The new lineup debuted on Zappa's next solo LP..." - paragraph needs source
 Done Sources provided, as well as extending the mention of “200 Motels” slightly as it is important. HJensen, talk 16:05, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "In December 1971 there were two serious setbacks." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done Sources added. HJensen, talk 16:05, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "(which caused his voice to drop a third after healing)" - Not sure that third points to where you want it to point in this case
 Done Fixed wlink. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "In 1971-72 Zappa released two strongly jazz-oriented solo LP..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done And I have deleted some of sentence I couldn’t source. HJensen, talk 16:05, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Zappa and Cohen merged the Bizarre and Straight labels in 1973..." - And again...paragraph needs sourcing
 Done Sourced things. HJensen, talk 16:05, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Zappa soon appeared on the (at the time) influential Los Angeles radio station KROQ" - AFAIK they still are influential - in any case you need a source for them being "influential". Also need a source for Warner Bros refusing to release it, just before the sentence quoted
 Done Could not find backing for the “then influential” (although I reckon it was and still is). Rest is sourced now, though. HJensen, talk 00:23, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Zappa's relationship with long-time manager Herb Cohen ended in 1976..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done Sources provided. And parts extended to give more room for the Läther material. HJensen, talk 00:23, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Cohen had used some of Frank's money to fund recordings for other artists" - Change "Frank" to "Zappa"
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "which received some controversial attention" - {{fact}}
 Done Explained the occurrence and provided sources. HJensen, talk 23:34, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "and mixes catchy songs like" - "catchy" is POV (unless a source says that)
 Done Removed POV. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Joe's Garage went on to be named one of the top-25 drumming performances of all time in a 1993 Modern Drummer magazine article" - {{fact}}
 Done Rm sentence, until source can be found. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Any reason why ref 36 is all in italics? Same with ref 40
 Done I could not identify this problem. The notes look fine (non-italicized) to me. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "In 1981, Tinsel Town Rebellion..." - Paragraph needs sourcing
 Done HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "The same year the double album You Are What You Is was released..." - Same again...
 Done HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "being a devastating tirade on religion" - "devastating" is POV
 Done Removed POV. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "to popular demand.[37]As the title" - There needs to be a space between the ref and the "As"
 Done Removed space. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Frank Zappa's guitar solos had been a trademark during his career, and now he decided to release albums focusing on his work as a guitarist" - Ref for this decision/quote?
 Done Removed sentence. No reference found for decision (immaterial as it is kind of tautological anyway). HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "which featured his biggest selling single, "Valley Girl" (topping out at #32 on the Billboard charts)." - {{fact}}
 Done Provided reference. HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "In her improvised "lyrics" to the song, Zappa's daughter Moon Unit satirized the vapid speech of teenage girls from the San Fernando Valley, which popularized many "Valspeak" expressions such as "gag me with a spoon" and "barf out."" - {{fact}}
 Done Provided reference. HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "something he had been waiting to accomplish for some time" - Source?
 Done Removed unsourced statement, and rewrote and sourced. HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "In 1984, he released four albums within a few months" - change "a few" to "several"
 Done Removed mention of months. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Francesco Zappa a synclavier rendition of works by 17th century composer" - The link here goes to Francesco Zappa, but in the navbox at the bottom it points to Francesco Zappa (album). Which is correct?
 Done The latter is correct. I have made the wlink to the composer’s article in surrounding text. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "and including many other political wives, including the wives of five members of the committee." - This doesn't really make sense...
 Done Reworded the sentence. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Ref 41 could do with better {{cite web}} style formatting (accessdate, publisher, etc. etc.)
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "brought Zappa his first Grammy Award" - change "brought" to "earned"
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "His last tour in a "rock band format"" - whose quote is this, and is there a source for it?
 Done Removed quotation marks; it was not meant as representing a quote. HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "Vols. 4 and 6." - Change "vols" to "volumes"
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • "of all his classic 1960s, 1970s and early 1980s" - "classic" is POV, remove it
 Done HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
  • Ref 45 needs a source (if that makes sense)
 Done Removed fn, but provided source of for general comparisons between LPs and CDs. HJensen, talk 17:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "Although ill, in September 1992, he appeared as a guest conductor with the classical "Ensemble Modern" for several of a series of concerts in Germany and Austria devoted to his compositions, recordings from which appeared on The Yellow Shark." - {{fact}}
 Done Sourced the statement. HJensen, talk 17:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • "He stated in interviews that he was working on hundreds of synclavier pieces, most of which remain unreleased" - Source of this statement?
 Done Removed statement for now. HJensen, talk 17:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • Most of the external links shouldn't be there - the only one that should (it seems) is his official website and IMDB page. However, most of the sites there could potentially be used for sourcing
 Done Removed all links. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
For eventual future reference, I record the list (as of December 29, 2007) of links here:
* Information Is Not Knowledge Comprehensive discography (vinyl and CD), songlists, chronology, filmography, lists of musicians, etc.
* The Zappa Patio Includes "The Frank Zappa Versions Guide;" detailed discography including bootlegs and differences between vinyl and CD releases.
* ARF: Frank Zappa Scholars Web Page Includes detailed FAQs on nearly every song on every released album.
* United Mutations Constantly updated web site about the Zappa community, including Zappa's backing musicians, worldwide.
* Frank Zappa's Musical Language Detailed analyses of various compositions.
* The FZShows homepage Setlists for most Frank Zappa shows.
* PlanetZappa - A Tribute to Frank Zappa Discography, interviews, photos.
* The Highway 57 Zappa Zone Includes searchable discography.
* The Planet Of My Dreams Includes list of all Frank Zappa shows and line-ups chronology.
* Touring Can Make You Crazy Detailed tour info, and in-depth analysis of selected tours.
HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
  • {{Frank Zappa}} at the bottom could do with a list of band members, but that's not a GA requirement.
 Done That would in Zappa’s case be an enormous list. So for now, I have just let it be. HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)

Reviewed version: [3]

Good luck, — Dihydrogen Monoxide 07:33, 18 December 2007 (UTC)

Thanks for a very thorough job. I will start working on it, but due to the upcoming holidays, it may take a bit more than a week. Cheers.--HJensen, talk 09:36, 18 December 2007 (UTC)
OK that's fine - I'm happy to wait :) — Dihydrogen Monoxide 10:03, 19 December 2007 (UTC)
Today I have managed to get 1/3 of the stuff done. I expect to get to the rest very soon.--HJensen, talk 17:01, 29 December 2007 (UTC)
Today I have not managed that much, but I progress. HJensen, talk 15:33, 30 December 2007 (UTC)
Today, I have just made a few of the “simple” edits. Happy New Year! HJensen, talk 16:29, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
Today I have ended the 1960s section. HJensen, talk 01:49, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
This is truly impressive. If you are Dweezil in disguise, I hope you'll tour in Europe again by the end of the year :-)
Cheers and happy 2008! - DVdm (talk) 12:21, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
Today I have moved into the 1970s. Getting closer to the finish! HJensen, talk 16:05, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
I moved on to Sheik Yerbouti. So I guess I am one revision away now. HJensen, talk 00:23, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
Almost done (one revision to go), see above (Also, I have removed most items from “Further reading” section which are not formatted appropriately.) HJensen, talk 23:34, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
Still, almost done, see above. HJensen, talk 15:24, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
I have now addressed all the concerns in the review, and left a note on the reviewer’s talk page. Again, thanks for a helpful review, and I will be happy to make further needed changes should they be needed. HJensen, talk 17:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
I noticed that you removed the background music remark. I have been looking for a source, but couldn't find any either. Who knows, maybe one day, by accident :-)
Again, congrats for a tremendous job well done. If this does not deserve the GA label now, I'll have to stop believing in the concept altogether. Cheers, DVdm (talk) 19:29, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
Thanks a bunch! Yes, I took out the background music remark. I fully believe you are right, but we need cites (and they would be great to have as it would show Zappa's legacy). I did some searches, but so far with no success. Let's hope something will pop up some time! HJensen, talk 21:03, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
It absolutely deserves GA (don't lose faith!) so I'm passing it. Great work, HJensen. — Dihydrogen Monoxide 21:43, 7 January 2008 (UTC)
Nice work, I've watched this article get better and better, unfortunately I don't have time to work on it myself. Any ideas on what would now be required to push it to FA status? It would be great to see Frank on the front page some time. RWhite (talk) 12:58, 9 January 2008 (UTC)
Thanks! I am empty for ideas right now. But I think a little more on his last years should be there. I'll put some in soon. But please step in whenever you have time. Cheers! --HJensen, talk 20:36, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

Frank Vincent Zappa - not Francis

Regarding this edit by 70.49.3.32:

"(I was in my mid-twenties when I found out! Up until the time I had to get a passport for the first European tour, I thought my name was Francis -- a name I had always hated. In order to get the passport, I had to present my birth certificate -- a mysterious document I had never seen before. My mother mailed it to me from California, and on it, much to my delight, was a name OTHER THAN FRANCIS -- well, it wasn't that good -- "Frank" isn't much of a bargain -- but I had thought for years, even printing it on album covers, that I was Francis Vincent Zappa Junior. How could I be such a fool?)" (from "The Real Frank Zappa book").

DVdm (talk) 10:00, 19 December 2007 (UTC)

Creative "nadir"?

The section "1.3 1970s" (seventh paragraph) contains a curious statement: A live recording from 1974, You Can't Do That on Stage Anymore, Vol. 2 (1988) shows that Zappa during this period was at a creative nadir.[106]. I don't have the reference source (Miles, Barry 2004) at hand, but I find the term "nadir" very odd in this context. Most Zappa fans would regard the 74 band as one of the best, not the worst, and Zappa's creative output at the time was superb. Why the reference claims it was his worst period baffles me.Manning (talk) 14:03, 20 January 2008 (UTC)

Good observation. I rechecked the source (which is Lowe, 2006), and he uses the word "nadir" in between high praises of that band and period. So I am as confused as you are. So, I picked another quote. --HJensen, talk 21:48, 20 January 2008 (UTC)
Maybe the author just didn't know what "nadir" actually meant. The new version reads much better now anyway. Manning (talk) 03:39, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

Intro

Seems a little crowded, what do others think? ReverendG (talk) 06:23, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

Tim Buckley

Removed a reference to Tim Buckley that made it sound as it Frank had produced his recordings. Though Buckley had three albums released by Straight Records, Zappa did not do any production work for Buckley. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 63.229.4.82 (talk) 06:30, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

The music

The article has a well-written biography, but it totally lacks info about his music, what kind of music he wrote, the way he compose/wrote songs, his view on music, his guitar playing, etc. I think you get my point. 213.66.120.120 (talk) 23:37, 20 February 2008 (UTC)

I think the archive discussion of his guitar style points in the right direction, but the person who wrote it has a tenuous grasp of how to describe musical performance. I will deal with this section soon, since I am a trained musician myself. Qwertysocks (talk) 22:41, 5 June 2008 (UTC)

Was Zappa a capitalist

Is it accurate to describe Zappa as a capitalist based on the interview citing his political point of view? I think it is erroneous to draw such a conclusion. I could be wrong and if anyone has proof that Zappa avowed faith in capitalism, I would appreciate it very much and it would enlighten me. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Nmukh1 (talk • contribs) 07:11, 13 March 2008 (UTC)

Significant topics for inclusion?

I did not waste too much time on the Powdered Toast Man link as I anticipated a rapid unilateral reversion - but it lasted for over an hour which is pretty good for this article. So is this an article about the works of Zappa, in which case a marginal voice appearance would probably not be worth mentioning, or is it an article about Frank Zappa, in which case there would be a good case for it's inclusion - along with Duckman, The Simpsons, Gábor Csupó et. al. ?

One learns little, if anything, of the man from the article. The inclusion of silliness such as Grammys, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (surely both anathema to Zappa) further clouds any impression of the man one might garner from the article. Baltimore's Frank Zappa Day had more to do with local politics than Zappa himself. Yet someone seemed to think these were significant enough for inclusion whilst excluding much that would be informative.

Perhaps you could list what would be acceptable topics to include so we do not waste our time adding information to improve the article - which still has so many glaring factual errors as to be in need of some serious work.

Lame Name (talk) 15:31, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

A great thing for a start would be to point out any glaring factual error. The Grammy stuff is valuable as it, like it or not, is "objective" indications of Zappa's legacy. I think the article does convey that his work was nevertheless anything but traditional. (Note also that there is an article on Cultural references to Frank Zappa where the Powdered Toast Man is mentioned.) --HJensen, talk 19:33, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
Errors? Pick a paragraph - any paragraph ;-) He met Donald Vliet at school - the Van affectation was added later. He was imprisoned (according to his account in TRFZB) for conspiracy rather than supplying pornography. The 1970 band was touring during summer 1970 so was formed before late 1970. Etc. Etc. I know I should jump in and make some changes but I fear I would need to rewrite the whole thing... "he started seriously dreaming of becoming a composer." Really? Seriously? Do we know about his frivolous dreams too?
Perhaps the Grammy (I would question their significance - can you name any winners from last year?) bit could be phrased along the lines of... although Zappa was critical of such things and saw no value in them he was nominated...
But I still learn little of the actual man from the article. Did he enjoy smoking cigarettes? Who knows? Lame Name (talk) 20:08, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
Since you don't want to contribute at the moment, I have taken care of the stuff you mention. Thanks for pointing out these things. "Glaring factual errors" are just an easy term to throw around if one is sitting comfortable and knowingly but passively watching from the sides. But please point out more, and I will be happy to make corrections. Cheers. About the Grammys, do you have a good cite? As for cigarettes, I don't care if he liked smoking them. --HJensen, talk 21:14, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
Factual errors are not an easy term to throw around they are factual errors. Whether you care or not about his smoking it was something that he enjoyed from his childhood to his death. Given his anti-drug stance his own usage (and rationale for doing so) of nicotine and caffeine is surely worth mentioning. Lame Name (talk) 20:04, 23 May 2008 (UTC)


I agree that the Powdered Toast Man mention should be made, as it's perhaps the only example of Zappa collaborating "underneath" another artist in a field other than that of music. And, no, the Grammies aren't a fucking "objective" indicator of legacy, give me a break. They're an "objective" indicator that a certain performer pleased the suits responsible for shitting the little awards out, nothing more, nothing less. Beethoven managed quite a legacy without Grammies, thank you very much. Or great-Grammies, for that matter.
That said, you're dead-on, the article is in a bit of a messy state, to put it mildly. I believe a lot of the strictly-stylistic errors have to do with the fact that a significant potion (probably even a majority) of contemporary Zappa fans hail from non-English speaking countries (c.f. Zappanale). Then there're the copy-editors and casual drive-by editors whose sum total of Zappa-knowledge can be summed up as "guy who took drugs and ate shit on stage". By all means, let's work on a re-write. --Badger Drink (talk) 20:56, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
Please be bold and correct all the mistakes made by people who cannot write in English as well as you. Your
"And, no, the Grammies aren't a fucking "objective" indicator of legacy, give me a break. They're an "objective" indicator that a certain performer pleased the suits responsible for shitting the little awards out, nothing more, nothing less. Beethoven managed quite a legacy without Grammies, thank you very much. Or great-Grammies, for that matter"
would, however, be slightly unsuitable for an encyclopedia. :-) --HJensen, talk 21:14, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
Bold I shall. And come on, how about if I sourced that rant? I was just about to make it into a template, too... =( --Badger Drink (talk) 10:23, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

POV ALERT!

the introduction is super opinionated, being way positive about mr. zappa. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 81.207.2.228 (talk) 19:45, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Note that in constrast with most biographies, the lead is backed by citations - I don't see any POV. Please be more specific, as that would help improve the article.--HJensen, talk 20:18, 22 May 2008 (UTC)
Using his own The Real Frank Zappa Book ("A lot of stuff in that book is bull shit. It was just his imagination." - Don Preston) and given his observation that "rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read." the POV of the citations could be queried. Lame Name (talk) 19:58, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
It is not POV to cite the opinions of a reliable source. It is POV to write you own opinions unbacked by citations.--HJensen, talk 20:47, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Greek Arab claim

Do we have any actual evidence that Francis (his father) was of "Greek-Arab descent"? Zappa is a common surname in Italy, not of Greeks or Arabs. What Frank seems to have been doing is the same thing as Salvador Dalí, linking himself to what he may see as "glamourous" or "mysterious" parts of his ancestors countries history (no matter however small in Zappa's case), rather than his extended family actually been Greeks or Arabs. What is more likely is that his father is just a normal Sicilian that Frank wanted to "spice up" for mystique factor. - Gennarous (talk) 19:05, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Agreed. Given that Sicily was part of Ancirnt Greece and was, over centuries, invaded by, amongst others, Arabs. It is not particularly notable that someone from Sicily claims "Greek-Arab descent".
But I have yet to figure out how his mother had an English name like Colimore. Any suggestions? Lame Name (talk) 19:49, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Interesting. As for now, let us keep the thing that has a citation. --HJensen, talk 20:45, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Does the first line of the Miles book (I am not at home so am unable to check) say (something along the lines of) he lived west of Los Angeles. Just because it is in a book does not mean it is true, accurate, notable, or a neutral point of view. Lame Name (talk) 21:10, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Of course not. But what is your suggestion then? You seem just to vent a lot of criticism against the article. That is fine, but we need to get more specific to improve it (questioning everything doesn't get us far), so it could reach FA status (note that it is at GA status - I did not spend a lot of time intentionally making a mess out of the article. I followed the suggesions in the GA review).--HJensen, talk 22:54, 23 May 2008 (UTC)
Technically, Reno, Nevada is west of Los Angeles. ;) I think the most sensible course of action would be to remove the ancestry line completely. Just because it's sourced doesn't mean it has to be in the article. --Badger Drink (talk) 04:49, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
Agreed. His ancestry was not a significant influence on his own life and reference to it adds nothing to the article. Lame Name (talk) 06:30, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
I think it is informative and natural to spend a line on that in any biography, so why not Zappa's? --HJensen, talk 06:45, 6 June 2008 (UTC)
It would be informative if it is true. Is it verifiable? Is there anything to support the claims? Without support the reference should be qualified with "Zappa claimed..." or somesuch. Lame Name (talk) 07:13, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

Dynamo Hum

Heard "don't eat yellow snow" and "valley girl" on Dr. Demento but AOR stations' late nite DJs would play Dynamo Hum. Shjacks45 (talk) 21:06, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Info Box Deletion Proposal

With so many genres, instruments, labels etc. I think the info box could be removed in line with these discussions. Thoughts? Lame Name (talk) 06:38, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

There was a debate on how many genres, etc. And the "settlement" was four. In this particular case, I don't think it is too many. I also think the infobox serves a good purpose of providing overview. But I will look at the discussion you mention. I wasn't aware of it. Thanks. --HJensen, talk 06:42, 6 June 2008 (UTC)

One Shot Deal

I am shocked and alarmed that there isn't an article for album #83 that just came out. Zazaban (talk) 06:08, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Fell free to start one. Cheers! --HJensen, talk 11:58, 17 June 2008 (UTC)
I suck at making articles. But I'll try. Zazaban (talk) 17:45, 17 June 2008 (UTC)
Job well done!! It is started, and that's important. I added a photo, and then the article can be expanded when more people hear it. --HJensen, talk 21:46, 17 June 2008 (UTC)

Atheist?

Instead of continuing a mindless edit war, is Frank Zappa an atheist? I was under the impression he is. Zazaban (talk) 03:11, 22 June 2008 (UTC)

Of course. So am I. So what? Is that important? DVdm (talk) 09:46, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
If this is to become an informative article about Frank Zappa then it would be important. If you want the article to merely catalogue his works and the names of the musicians that he performed with then anything about Frank Zappa as an individual will be of less importance. Lame Name (talk) 11:00, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
I don't see how a musician's (lack of) religion could be of any importance, unless one could demonstrate that it was a significant issue in his work or life. If some Pope turns out to be an atheist, okay, that would be relevant and worth mentioning. In this case, I don't see any reason to do so. Everyone knows that Zappa was an atheist, that should be pretty obvious. He also had black hair. So what?
By the way, if the colour of Zappa's underwear turns out to be important, I hereby declare that mine is white ;-) - DVdm (talk) 11:52, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
The reason I brought it up was because I was in the middle of an edit war with someone who was insistent on removing Zappa from Category:atheists Zazaban (talk) 19:32, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
If we follow your reasoning... Everyone knows Zappa was a musician - shall we put the article up for speedy deletion? There are many (50+ ?) references to religion and churches in TRFZB. The article already mentions some songs he wrote on the topic. If it was important to him it should be reflected in an encyclopedic article about him. Lame Name (talk) 14:31, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
Please do correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall him ever explicitly saying being an atheist, not even in TRFZB - although it is 200% obvious. You can find many anti-church aka anti-organised-religion references in there and in many of the lyrics, so go ahead and mention those. But as for explicit atheism, i.m.o. all you can say is something like Zappa obviously was - or must have been - an atheist - and i think that would pull down the current factual quality of the article.
DVdm (talk) 14:56, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
"the current factual quality" is still debatable IMHO. If it is 200% obvious it should be verifiable whether he said it or not (he is not the most reliable source!!). But you would need to define Atheism for us -Wikipedia says... "Although many self-described atheists tend toward secular philosophies such as humanism and naturalism, there is no one ideology or set of behaviors to which all atheists adhere". Which is probably a good starting point and would certainly cover much of Zappa's thinking. Lame Name (talk) 19:07, 22 June 2008 (UTC)
"But you would need to define Atheism for us" => I'll leave the defining of Atheism to those who have a sore toe over it. I'm not the one who brought it up, nor the one who insists on mentioning it in the article, remember? :-)
DVdm (talk) 21:09, 22 June 2008 (UTC)


So have we reached any consensus with regard to the original post? Bearing in mind, of course, that consensus among a limited group of editors, at one place and time, should never over-ride community consensus on a wider scale and consensus can change...


Should the article have a Category:atheists?

  • Yes - Throughout his life and work he expounded an atheistic point of view - mention of which should be incorporated into a fuller article about Zappa some day. He is already listed under List of atheists (music) so the addition of the category would further enhance the usability of Wikipedia. Lame Name (talk) 11:58, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talk:Frank_Zappa/Archive_3&oldid=1136738387"