Frank Zappa - The Today Show May 14, 1993 - One of Frank's Last Interviews - From My Master

[@michaelturner795]

This hurt my heart to watch. I really respect the man, for his courage, his musical talent, his wit, and his intellect.

[@AlmostReady504]

Yes. The most human I've ever seen him. Made me sad

[@pennytyson4358]

Very sad he had symptoms for a long time

[@stevencuevas3563]

AMEN to that

[@Micheleh2o]

My heart already hurts, and I just started watching it

[@666AJ]

Me too

[@ajn465]

Well Frank we remember you clearly and dearly, whether you like it or not.

[@TheRubberStudiosASMR]

Too right. The man has made me laugh so much and his music is bliss

[@rienpost3145]

I worked on the Yellow Shark concerts in Germany and I still remember them very fondly. Frank was a great human being. And musician, obviously. And many thanks to the Ensemble Modern who did his music justice.

[@JoshBruin77]

Very cool, man! That must have been such an enjoyable time for you! 😊

[@rienpost3145]

@@JoshBruin77 Absolutely. I've worked on many concerts but this one is still top of the list.

[@brp5497]

@@rienpost3145 I was in the US army in 70's. The who with Uriah heap did a concert in Heidelberg. Double cool you working at concerts and being in Germany.

[@OddworldAuto]

Can’t help but feel bad when she asks “how does Frank Zappa want to be remembered” I would hate for someone to ask me that when I know I’m going to die and there’s nothing I can do about it 💔 RIP Frank. I Listen to you everyday

[@destonlee2838]

Stroke survivor, just informed I have markers for prostate cancer. Checking in with St. Zappa. What a blessing, to be free of the desire to be remembered. To abandon hope of legacy, to join the great masses. Thank you Frank, my friend.

[@jeffdarnell7942]

Make sure that you get blood tests every 6 months, to a year. It's supposedly very easy to look at white cell counts to determine if you are cancerous, and where.

[@johntviviani3783]

God bless you, good luck in your journey

[@michaelkirk9870]

Mr. Frank Zappa was a genius. Period. If you’ve never seen his videos testifying before Congress, you need to watch it. If … you’ve never seen Frank Zappa on Crossfire, you need to watch it immediately. One of the most articulate voices in the history of Our Republic.

[@BillySBC]

We need more artists who do what they do and don't care how they're remembered.

[@maisiemay6339]

This world will never see another like Frank. Died way too young. Fortunately, he amassed a library of music will live on forever.

[@myplacerighthear3691]

I spent time with Frank Zappa between 1975 and 1987 during many live performances before during and after Frank Zappa is an eclectic with absolutely no guardrails to keep him sequestered of thought,, misters a was one of the most influential artists of my time on Earth. I miss him he was audacious neon light.. and his musical and lyrical creations will be listened to her many millennium going forth

[@waynehawkins5320]

I'm 80 y/o and have been a Frank Zappa fan from day one. Not just the Mother's music, and all the stunts and shenanigans on stage, but Frank as a father and family man. I'm also aligned with most of his political and social perspectives to the extent that I understand them. In the late 60's, while working on my undergraduate degree at Cal Poly, Pomona, I researched the hip/free spirit/ sociological phenomenon raging in Los Angeles. My research partner was a guy named Bob Zappa. At that time I wasn't smart enough to connect the name dots. When Bob and I chatted about our away-from-school family and social life, he never refered to his brother as Frank Zappa, just Frank. For Frank's birthday or wedding or something, Bob bought him a giant candle mounted on an equally giant wooden stand. Like me. Bob's preferred mode of transportation was a motorbike. To get the gift to his brother, he strapped the candle and stand horizontally to the bike's seat and sat on it. That didn't strike me as weird or unsafe. A couple years later I learned who brother Frank was. I really respect and admire Bob for managing to chat about his brother without revealing who he was. Bob was not a name dropper. May Frank Zappa R.I.P.

[@lolah3838]

Well he didn't die of lung cancer and he was already dying here so why not let him have his smoke in peace?

[@melaniefogarty858]

I don't condone nor promote smoking or using tobacco products, BUT, when my daddy (somewhat a chain smoker) was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer at the age of 69, asked the oncologist, "should I cut down or quit smoking?", the doc simply replied, "why?". My daddy's cancer was so advanced that surgery was out of the question, as was chemotherapy or radiation. He was given a 6 to 9 month prognosis in late April 2003, and he died on July 10, 2003. Quitting smoking wouldn't have prolonged his life, nor did it truly shorten it. My dad did stop smoking though, because it nauseated him and caused him to regurgitate.

[@Mush253]

I've heard a lot of people say the interviewer wasn't very good here, but I thought she did an alright job at it. Frank didn't seem on the offence to her questions that much, mostly speaking casually, though that might have been due to the progression of his cancer at the time. The questions themselves weren't too different to the type he'd been asked before in prior interviews, but tbh I kinda see this interview sort of as like a melancholic summary of some of his outlook on life, about what he'd achieved, and how, even towards the end, he didn't mind if he wasn't remembered since the music was for music's sake. Call me sentimental, but there's something about this interview I find kinda touching as well as sad.

[@ryanthegreat805]

I felt the same way

[@johngore7744]

Absolutely. It was very touching. I remember my older brother getting The Mothers of Invention album for Christmas when it came out and my mother said ‘ whose that awful man on the cover showing his belly button?’ No her name wasn’t Tipper. Lol. My mom was way cooler. Cheers from Montreal

[@EphemeralProductions]

I know exactly what you are saying and I agree.

[@laughingcorpsev2024]

"It's not important to even be remembered "....5 sec silence **

[@Floppy_Bacon]

He was a very intelligent and interesting man. He was definitely one of a kind. He's sadly missed 😔 😢

[@Ste-e2d]

Pure human being , saying i don't want to be remembered , FZ is classical music for ever and never forgotten

[@jezza73]

I agree completely. Especially his being a pure human being. Very sadly missed.

[@jackhastings9800]

To record this, I would have used a Telafunken U-247... with leather.

[@ScottKuechenmeister]

this Dude is such a trip. we lost a genius with his passing. Cheers to all those who go before us.

[@alyssa0411]

We lost a good one with Frank. Just think of all the neat things he could have produced if he were still around today.

[@maxinedavieds6104]

I’m here in 2024,after reading Moon’s book, I remember seeing this interview and feeling sad about what he was going through, I hope that wherever Frank is, he is marveling that he,indeed is remembered to this day! May he Rest In Peace.

[@johnmoosey8173]

1993 feels like yesterday... 30 years later...... His take on politics then are evident today of the genius he was .....He is missed.....

[@curtarmmar]

Frank is one of the most intelligent and brilliant people who've ever lived. And so quotable.

[@veroosh]

He looks so sad here. Breaks my heart.

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

He was only 52. Crazy. I only started buying his albums in 2001 and I was given a musical education I’ll never forget. Very sad to see him here like this but his courage and frankness is astounding.

[@argonaut31]

I am so much appreciative for all the people that took the time to archive these mans words. Zappa may not have want to be remembered BUT it is our job to make sure that he is!! His wisdom is needed in a mostly wisdom less society.

[@TheZappawizard]

I miss him so much, he may be being on this planet a lot easier.

[@wisammoeali]

great people never die ..his music is still alive to cheer us up

[@davidmolnar8251]

Same for me!

[@Pat-RickSmith]

RIP Frank I wish you were here today we could use your insight . God Bless.

[@Survivalguy]

He was gone 7 months later. Fucking tragedy. This made me cry.

[@jasoncrump1886]

Frank was a great man. Alot of people dont get him at all.

[@trooperchuckash]

So glad I took the time to watch this. I had a smile on my face the entire 12:06 minutes

[@vanessajazp6341]

I really miss that guy. Brilliant musician, brilliant person.

[@MarkJoseph-vv4pj]

Me too. He is sadly missed. RIP Mr. Zappa.

[@klenmcrock5265]

We still remember you Frank. One of the GOAT.

[@rleeAZ]

Remember watching this when it first aired. Sad then, and now.

[@AlmostReady504]

You ain't lyin

[@stephensharrock8591]

Frank you were my favourite as a teenager and im still listening 47 years later, 😢

[@genlob]

It's not important to even be remembered. That's one pearl of wisdom right there.

[@alexkx8599]

Total lie.

[@genlob]

@@alexkx8599 Oh no, I've upset Alex. Lol.

[@andrewabela1117]

There are moments within all that comedy and "fun" where the sound becomes sublime and incredibly beautiful... Thank you Zappa for that, to fight for a beauty which is in the contortions and complexity of life that might at first seem ugly and chaotic.

[@justicegusting2476]

Smoking a pack and a half of cigarettes in one sitting when I was a 15 y/o teenager was enough for me never to want to light-up ever again. Can’t even stand the stench of others doing it.

[@Ronnieoc]

"A maestro of mayhem, a master of sound Silenced by fate, on a cold winter's ground December 4th, a day that will forever ache The loss of a legend, a heart that would no longer create His guitar lies still, his voice is no more The absurdity of life, he can no longer explore The world is a duller place, a less colorful sight Without the spark of Frank, shining with delight We mourn the loss of a prophet, a poet of old A champion of free speech, a heart that was bold He spoke truth to power, with a wit sharp as a knife And left us with a legacy, a lifelong strife His music remains, a testament to his name A challenge to conformity, a call to break the chain But oh, the songs that will never be sung The jokes that will never be told, the riffs that will never be flung Farewell, dear Frank, may your memory never fade May your music continue, to inspire and invade The hearts and minds of all, who refuse to be tamed And may your spirit of rebellion, forever be proclaimed."

[@melaniefogarty858]

Wow!! That's a beautiful poem, or love letter, if you will. Is this an original, by you? If so, BRAVO indeed!

[@Ronnieoc]

@@melaniefogarty858 Thanks, its a poem. yes by me

[@melaniefogarty858]

@Ronnieoc my dear, you are a gifted writer!! Do you have a blog or a website? Are you published?

[@Ronnieoc]

@@melaniefogarty858 hi again and thanks. No, no website or anything.. I don’t write poems or anything. I’m just a huge Zappa fan and have actually been writing this for a couple years lol. I racked my brain a lot at times with this, there’s no way I could do anything like lthis again. And I’m glad you like it

[@richsotto4851]

It's gonna pass a long time til people realize the true genius this man was

[@EphemeralProductions]

Been 30 years. Hasn’t seemed to happen yet. Wondering when and if it will!

[@irisseer2773]

Thanks for posting this interview. Back then I had three kids in diapers and admittedly missed a lot that had to do with my own personal interests. I always admired Frank Zappa.

[@surfmarine3118]

"Eccentric, yes. Genius, ... maybe." Spoken like a true genius.

[@thBrilliantFool]

"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff." - F. Zappa The most genius thing he ever said.

[@tjs597]

he had cancer..don't matter how or why ...a great man died way too soon.. RIP Frank!!!!

[@Ronnieoc]

If Frank hadn't passed so soon, I believe he would have ran for and become POTUSA. Would have stopped all the madness that has lead this Country to what it is today. R I P FZ

[@jml238]

Always thought he was so handsome! Miss you, Frank!❤

[@pedropinto2688]

Miss you Frank... From Portugal ❤️

[@brettbewley5798]

He likes to joke about his looks but he really wasn't an ugly dude. Also based on her body language i think she was fan girling

[@swagmanandy]

A little piece of the irreplaceable world died with his passing.

[@JustinHmusic]

You could really tell his frustration with how long the diagnosis took 😞 gone way too soon

[@mikekrause3671]

i thought throughout the years he was very smart, logical and common sense about many things. Every interview you can see the thought process and way he talks . He s in deep thought mode. BUT i never understood his denial of cigarettes , as its pretty much a drug too ,because you can get addicted to it . He never thought sucking smoke into your body is bad.??? Thats why people run out of a burning building, along with the danger of the flames obviously . still massive amount of great recordings left behind and still coming out to enjoy.

[@MrJadePinwheel]

It was his one major vice in life, and as an addict. maybe an intentional blind spot

[@seanbrennan5192]

⁠@@MrJadePinwheelCigarettes and women were his weakness.

[@alexkx8599]

It's far more than just smoke, too. Also check out his rotten teeth. Don't forget that when you find sick people in this world. It is unreal the importance of oral hygiene and health. I believe this is a major story of our times that the general public have yet to awaken to.

[@seanbrennan5192]

@@alexkx8599 Also getting into his father’s chemicals from his laboratory when he was like 7 sure didn’t help. He covered his body in some radioactive chemicals in his auto biography, I forget which one. Who knows what that did for his health down the line.

[@dolph8008]

Smoking didn’t kill him.

[@lenny656]

Thank you for sharing this.

[@chipsterb4946]

When we had to recite a poem in 8th grade English, I spoke the lyrics to “I’m The Slime”. Several kids immediately jumped all over me, TV being popular back in the ‘70s. To her credit, Mrs. Collins defended my choice of “poems”. Thank you Frank

[@budgiemcleod4443]

I'm the slime oozing out from the internet!

[@chipsterb4946]

@@budgiemcleod4443 oh you have no idea. Try running for local political office and see how long it takes before you’re choking on the slime!

[@johnmichel4865]

@@budgiemcleod4443 Yep, exponentially more slime now!

[@IdeaOfTheDayCom]

"A cigarette is food." and "Tobacco is my favorite vegetable." Amazing lines.

[@BillySBC]

Same for George Harrison, who basically died at about he same age.

[@gerrydooley951]

for a smart guy dumb and glib

[@webrockers]

He seemed to be more focused on to be experienced than remembered

[@lindamanskey3835]

It's 2024 - I remember you Frank, I will also be a fan and hope to see you and speak to you on the other side. Get those bicycles and bows ready...gonna make some funky music one day! ❤‍🔥

[@ulfingvar1]

Zappa will not be forgotten in a looooooooooooooooooong time!!!!

[@Narcolepsykid]

I'm just now learning about him (im38)

[@seandonahue8464]

Only after living years have I learned the value of what he really stood for, honesty in my mind rarer than I ever knew

[@ergot57]

My best buddy fought off Hep C with the pill treatment and yet through all of the visits they seemed to miss the cancer in his liver. He didn't make it.

[@carlos66965]

Sorry for your loss.

[@MikeGervasi]

God.."Katherine" COuric..really puts things into how long Frank has been gone. RIP Maestro.

[@two_mey_]

Watching this interview made me have a stronger appreciation for Frank Zappa and his music. He is clear and confident in his opinions. It was heartbreakingly beautiful when he explained why he didn’t care to be remembered. So unfortunate that his fondness for cigarettes more than likely sped up his early death. Seems like some people in the comments haven’t been able to tell he was joking with his remarks about his love for tobacco.

[@jasoncinema]

As always, he was so literal. We’re here and then we’re not, is how he plainly looked at it.

[@gw593]

Pretty intense at the end when asked “How do you want to be remembered” Class act.

[@gladeswalker]

Glad that Frank is realistic about being remembered.

[@amauicelticconnectionandot2674]

obviously, Frank was a stoic...or one may say, a 'nihilist'...in my opinion, he is correct....everything comes and goes....yes, we may remember Frank, but who will remember us?....eventually, that memory ain't worth a plug nickel...he just worked his ass off and enjoyed smoking his 'vegetable'...a memorable guy, to be sure.

[@brp5497]

Zappa's father used radium swabs to treat his sons nose. He was a sickly child with nasal infections. A mistake many made in useing radium.

[@salmonella4u]

What was with his nose, and why did his father try to treat something with radium?

[@brp5497]

​@@salmonella4uA nasopharyngeal radium applicator used to shrink lymph nodes.

[@brp5497]

@@salmonella4u He was sickly as a child with nasal and ear infections. Doctor put a radium pellet in each nose. The risks of radiation and Mercury poisoning were not known. Radium was over used. At one time lobotomies were done often as well. JFK's sister had it done to her.

[@salmonella4u]

@@brp5497 Yeah. I know. the further you go back in medical history, the weirder the remedies seemed to be. My grandmother used to use Mercurochrome for cuts and wounds as a topical antiseptic on me when I was young, many times. I wonder why I have so many health issues now?! hmm.

[@randallbaker5056]

We need Frank today.

[@pennytyson4358]

Someone that actually tells the truth

[@RedGarnett-n2p]

@@pennytyson4358 just to let you know if you're a trump supporter Frank Zappa couldn't stand him

[@fcamiola]

​@@RedGarnett-n2pAnd anybody associated with Trump.

[@brianflincher]

Oh my gosh this Today morning show takes me back to 7th grade , I'd watch this before I left to go to junior high, the 90's was strange times for me ....and my gosh Katie Couric was 36 here and looks 21.....

[@StubenhockerElite]

Now that's a charming as hell interviewer

[@brookegoslin]

Humble Genius 💔🙏🏼✨

[@truthsayer9534]

He said it himself, “There’s no accounting for taste”.

[@MarioBohorquezE]

Smoking can cause all types of cancer, it may not be the only cause, but it surely contributed largely.

[@ahoytheremate1954]

god bless frank we love you

[@darrenlawrence587]

Still love and miss Frank. We need these concerts officially released, they're stunning. Have to make do with Mudd Club and Munich for at least the next month or so!

[@maxsno]

Ask Zoot Rollo or Big Black what Frank's social discourse was like

[@clintstewart5545]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING

[@Lagzatzappateers]

You're welcome. Appreciate you viewing.

[@davidmreyes77]

He’d be 83 years old if he was still around.

[@peartfaldo]

my moms age who is still working 30 hours/week

[@apothecurio]

Imagine him at 80 quietly twiddling away with the unimaginably scaled power of modern tech.

[@ottifantiwaalkes9289]

What do you mean. He is around...

[@arlo12345678910]

Frank if you could have seen where technology took sound in terms of the gear. You'd shit a purple twinky! Miss you BROTHER!!!

[@YouCanCallMeDon]

Frank will be remembered for perhaps a few hundred years, but obscurity is not far away. He knew that. In ten thousand years, how many will be remembered?

[@gabriell.1437]

Probably 0 bro

[@patarmstrong3582]

Zappa forever.

[@BillySBC]

Being that nothing artistically is being done to push music forward he'll definitely be remembered in a thousand years.

[@YouCanCallMeDon]

@@BillySBC - you should go ask a twenty year old to name a Frank Zappa tune. Believe me, he is pretty much forgotten by people 40 and under... and that is being generous. Psalm 103:16 As for man, his days are like grass-he blooms like a flower of the field; when the wind passes over, it vanishes, and its place remembers it no more.

[@BillySBC]

@@YouCanCallMeDon Dude, people under 40 don't know who Paul McCartney is, they don't know who Frank Sinatra was, they can't name a Pink Floyd song, they don't know what a milk man was, they can't remember a time when you could drive without seatbelts, they never saw a rotary telephone, I mean to be quite honest can you name any artists from 50 years before your time? Things are not "lost" they are "archived" for future reference. It's always been that way.

[@curtisevans6905]

I got to see Frank in concert in 1980 and he left me most impressed and thirsting for more. I will remember his creative genius and my impression that he never desired to create or perform to be celebrated. Rather to spend his life arranging audio musical artistry to please himself during his brief time on earth.

[@aadilharoon1807]

Strangly he look like he found peace shortly before death.

[@madmaxfzz]

I sure miss that man, but still get to enjoy who he was at any time. It will be a LONG time before we see the likes of him again, if ever.

[@bobsyeruncle4841]

Zappa was great he left them all in the dust. Vroom glad he left the legacy.

[@dln7527]

For someone who is dying Frank didnt actually look that bad, if he didn't tell anyone im sure they wouldn't have known.

[@JJ-ne6wd]

I think he looked handsome with a full beard. He actually wasn't as ugly as he proclaimed to be.

[@The_Man_Who_Sold_the_World.]

I've gotta say, his face aged well

[@roybarnes-thewildlifeman1855]

A very nice man, a true individual. Rare.

[@jamesconraadtucker]

Hard to watch, and this interviewer didn't help with that barrage of mundane questions. Thank you Frank, and rest in peace, and music.

[@carlsheperd2471]

Miss you, Frank.

[@LindaMcDonald-vl3rt]

He was so handsome with a touch of gray

[@Behind_the_Wall_of_Sleep]

He really was. Funny how he labelled himself as ugly. He looked beautiful to me.

[@MarcAnthem]

Long live Zappa

[@zeroxous7942]

I will make it my life goal. To be 1% of a man Frank was. Genius whether he likes it or not.

[@throughkenslens7972]

Good interview although I'd strongly disagree about smoking. Quitting was one of the best things I ever did.

[@JJ-ne6wd]

Glad you did. It's truly a cancer stick.

[@mtadams2009]

I wish I could have talked to Frank. My questions would have been much different. No wonder he did not like to give interviews.

[@Ghost1126]

for instance?

[@jamessteffany9228]

Frank Zappa is a special man...🙏❤️

[@thetreasurehouse1742]

Could the interviewer possibly ask any more insipid questions? She had no clue. I recently had the honor of speaking with one of Mr. Zappa's relatives; quite a respectful and engaging half hour.

[@hanknotchinaski8222]

9:25 yet another reason to not believe everything from people you admire

[@bartolomediazsahagun472]

THANK YOU, FRANK, THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@karencahill4798]

Miss you, Frank. Gone too soon. He was brilliant. I AM THE SLIME- “I am gross and perverted I'm obsessed and deranged I have existed for years But very little has changed I'm the tool of the Government And industry too For I am destined to rule And regulate you…..”

[@bytoriasnowdoggy]

Frank opened my eyes to the vastness of the horizon. Simply genius he is (Forever in our Hearts) and is sadly missed. Peace.

[@Lagzatzappateers]

Thanks for watching and your comments!

[@houstontx68]

A man before his time, taken way too soon!

[@anthonydavid5121]

Thirty years ago .... how could that be.

[@Lagzatzappateers]

Hard to believe isn't it? 😔

[@andrewwilliams9599]

"We are meant to be immortal, yet we die. It's horrible, it can't be taken seriously."--Eugene Ionesco

[@jeffdawson2786]

Hard to watch. Yellow Shark is amazing.

[@pb6270]

He looks almost unrecognizable from the earlier interviews I've almost exclusively seen him in. Seems to have a far more gentle demeanor and gaze, and the evil looking horned moustache is gone.

[@pb6270]

I think the additional facial hair partially conceals his usual snarl as well.

[@paulbrion2227]

Frank should be on Mt Rushmore, on second thought he'd hate that so stencil his face in front of Scalias old house in Trenton NJ

[@ScottKuechenmeister]

Words man, words.... Dude awesome!

[@artsahobby123]

People don't generally get how difficult it is to put together an orchestra.

[@milfordcivic6755]

Or even how a track is made and mixed. "Music" today aren't musicians. They're professional whores for the corporate swine.

[@artsahobby123]

@@milfordcivic6755 I miss my wah wah pedal and my electric guitar.

[@aMajesticMess]

I think a lot of his music is more for people who have an advanced understanding for sound and music.

[@thBrilliantFool]

@@artsahobby123 it's not as difficult as you might think. Money talks.

[@artsahobby123]

@@thBrilliantFool No one is investing when no one is going to the theater. Original orchestras were many people. Now they never get past 16 unless some major company.

[@b1j]

One of a kind.

[@melchior2678]

True