Frank Zappa at the Mike Douglas Show (1976)

Frank Zappa being interviewed and playing at the Mike Douglas Show to promote his new album 'Zoot Allures' and a the program 'A Token of His Extreme', produced for TV, but released posthumous in 2013.
Song: Black Napkins (Zoot Allures).
All rights reserved by EAGLE ROCK ENTERTAINMENT.

[@beatler11]

Thank God I lived in a era when Frank Zappa was alive.

[@DanceOfTheDawn5963]

I didn’t 😭

[@lahaza6515]

Me too!

[@lahaza6515]

@@DanceOfTheDawn5963 That's okay honey. You have the sense to listen now:))

[@spookybaba]

You just don't get that Zappa level of quality these days.

[@pedrorocha1913]

Absolutely!!!!

[@echoecho3108]

Two of the classiest guys ever. Frank Zappa, and Mike Douglas. RIP, gentle men, and thanx so very much, for the magic, music, and memories.

[@pjotroutland]

why do i always cry when this guy plays the guitar?

[@8-Divine-8]

Cuz he put his whole spirit into it. You’re connecting to the eternal energy of Zappa. ❤

[@davery81]

Same reason I do. Real beauty of art can make you weep from joy

[@brotherduane36]

I saw his show in Pawtucket, RI the night before this. After the show, my friend and I hung around out back by the bus with a couple dozen other fans until he came out. After shaking hands and chatting for a few minutes he turned to get on the bus. I said "Frank, where are you headed next?" He said "We're going to Philadelphia to do the Mike Douglas Show tomorrow."

[@sunlion8866]

''Play something for us...'' and plugs into a little Pignose amp and plays a two-chord progression masterpiece! Love the tapping effect he gets using his ''Bulgarian bagpipe technique.'' Eternal genius, FZ ''With your left hand you're fretting the notes and with your right hand you're also fretting the notes with a pick. Instead of plucking the string you're fretting the string, you hit the string and then that presses it against the fret so it actuates the string and also determines the pitch, and you can move back and forth real fast that way... just aiming it straight down at the string.'' ~ Frank Zappa ~

[@geoffpoole483]

Frank Zappa's intelligence shone through. Refreshing to not hear him asked about the names of his kids.

[@lahaza6515]

Such a great point! My gosh the amount of people who always turned to that. If he were still here today they'd be asking him that.

[@mikekrause3671]

I wish commercial tv was still like this . great stuff

[@jeffreycoulter3710]

“Joe’s Garage” and “Sheik Yerbouti” made high school tolerable for me… barely! Genius.

[@lahaza6515]

Mike Douglas was such a great interviewer. He & Dinah Shore both truly CARED about their subject's and were both huge music fans. Can you even imagine Mike Douglas doing huge, affected laughs after everything Zappa said in order to draw attention to himself? I mean, just imagine one of the Jimmy's from "late night" interviewing Zappa. It would be hilarious bc I'm pretty sure he'd look Fallon in the eye and ask if it was really THAT funny.

[@zegermanscientist2667]

Frank Zappa was a weirdly shaped vessel with beautiful notes pouring out of it at the top like a bouquet. A straight up person, intentionally standing at a slight angle to the universe.

[@liamc4809]

Absolutely haunting tone coming from that guitar of his

[@mauricedorreboom5388]

One of the few interviewers who really was interested in Zappa. Usually they mocked him.

[@frankieboy8414]

No one mocked him.

[@larryn1875]

Zappa was such an uplift

[@sylvesterquast5832]

It's interesting that talk show host back then didn't always use desks And the conversations didn't feel forced for laughter People took their time back then to really talk

[@Romany1111]

Mike Douglas was a former Big Band-era singer, and a great interviewer/host. John and Yoko guest-hosted for him, and the show attracted a wide range of guests. And a wider range of viewers. That type of television is missed.

[@dumpygoodness4086]

I created a (fake) talk show where the GIMMICK is that the drinks backstage are all filled with TRUTH SERUM....so each celebrity guest says HORRIBLE, truthful things for the first time, not realizing they've been drugged! (And we'd get all the celebs to PLAY ALONG to the concept, ha ha.)

[@mikekrause3671]

everything is way too forced now with more product selling and commercials to get to, ect.... hell , half the time now if you watch a show it seems like more commercials than actual show time !!!

[@sickboyrocky665]

Ever time I play this in my mind, I wanna cry and only 3 comments!?

[@christianwilliamson9752]

This is an amazing appearance

[@Slower-And-Less-Happy]

Interesting statement. When I saw Zappa Plays Zappa and this song was up and Frank appeared on the overhead projection screen playing this to the band I immediately burst into tears, ridiculousness. Tears of joy.

[@slowuncle]

Frank was first a guest on Mike Douglas in the early 60s, before there was a Mothers of Invention. Frank talked his way into a guest spot by intriguing Mike with the claim of "playing a bicycle as a musical instrument" which he proceeded to do...

[@GoodCorporateRobot]

That was the Steve Allen show.

[@terrypussypower]

Not Mike Douglas, that was the Steve Allen Show on which the “bi-cycle” was played by Little Frank! It’s weird but he does look real little on that show!

[@robertcarli1969]

​@@GoodCorporateRobot correct

[@schachforderunge.v.6501]

one of the 5 real genious in the music

[@henryhomes2664]

Alice Cooper/Frank Zappa, is a show I wouldn't have mind seeing!

[@beatler11]

GREAT CHOICE Henry. Ive had the honor of seeing Frank Zappa 5 times and Alice Cooper 4 times.

[@henryhomes2664]

Uhmerican television couldn't handle this...

[@mattosborne1366]

Decent questions from Douglas here.

[@KoolTunes4Daze]

I had hoped to be Deinterlaced, Regraded, Sharpened and Upscaling by the Age of 60. Now I just hope to live 10 years pass my Expiration date. But for now...I'm only in it for the money.

[@gj8683]

That's a really good version of "Black Napkins," which Frank never played exactly the same way twice. The backing band was pro, too.

[@MisterBeauJanGels]

12:56 A decade before Yul Brynner's famous "I'm Yul Brynner and I'm dead now" PSA.

[@BrianFromBoise]

The next day, I'm sure at least 20,000 Pignose amps were sold.

[@BrianFromBoise]

4:06 For my own reply button mashing.

[@frankbreuer8849]

No one ON DRUGS would be able to have the sheer amount of ideas shown to us in the two minute "token" snippet, let alone materialise it into a something tangible.

[@goatuscrow4135]

Some Roy Buchanan level stuff here.

[@spookybaba]

At the very basic level of Frank, perhaps.

[@terrypussypower]

Don’t get me wrong, Roy Buchanan was “the man”…but Frank was something else entirely! The G.O.A.T.!

[@brucenator]

Black Napkins and Inca Roads.

[@mattosborne1366]

1) House band is doing a pretty good job with this piece. 1) Pignose close miced..

[@mattosborne1366]

Or is that the Mothers?

[@Ducatirati]

Fk , Frank is awesome , but the house band is really keeping up , it's Frank it's onerous difficult marvellous RARARA zzZZZAAaapppaaa

[@stevemontanya7421]

I like Erik Satie .

[@Shinken69]

The utter bollocks your TV serves you today just pales into insignificance compared the quality for this time period. Man do I detest people who are ‘famous’ for NOTHING! Stop doing that!

[@HalJikaKick]

Douglass is such a tool. 😂

[@frankieboy8414]

Why?

[@HalJikaKick]

@@frankieboy8414 He’s such a clueless rude dumbass. How could you not see that?

[@terrypussypower]

Looks like Kenny Rogers Just Dropped In (to See What Condition Frank’s Condition Was In)!