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

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Frank Zappa - The Today Show May 14, 1993 - One of Frank's Last Interviews - From My Master
My Tape FZ23

[@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.

[@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

[@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.

[@Floppy_Bacon]

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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@johnmoosey8173]

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

[@maisiemay6339]

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

[@Pat-RickSmith]

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

[@laughingcorpsev2024]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@jasoncrump1886]

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

[@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

[@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!

[@genlob]

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

[@stephensharrock8591]

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

[@vanessajazp6341]

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

[@MarkJoseph-vv4pj]

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

[@curtarmmar]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@klenmcrock5265]

We still remember you Frank. One of the GOAT.

[@ScottKuechenmeister]

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

[@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)

[@MikeGervasi]

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

[@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.

[@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...

[@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.

[@rleeAZ]

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

[@AlmostReady504]

You ain't lyin

[@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.

[@brookegoslin]

Humble Genius 💔🙏🏼✨

[@Survivalguy]

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

[@tjs597]

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

[@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!

[@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.

[@randallbaker5056]

We need Frank today.

[@pennytyson4358]

Someone that actually tells the truth

[@user-cs6up8eq7s]

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

[@fcamiola]

​@@user-cs6up8eq7sAnd anybody associated with Trump.

[@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.

[@bobsyeruncle4841]

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

[@carlsheperd2471]

Miss you, Frank.

[@jackhastings9800]

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

[@webrockers]

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

[@aadilharoon1807]

Strangly he look like he found peace shortly before death.

[@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

[@StubenhockerElite]

Now that's a charming as hell interviewer

[@pedropinto2688]

Miss you Frank... From Portugal ❤️

[@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!!!

[@truthsayer9534]

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

[@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.

[@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.

[@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."

[@brp5497]

Zappa's father used radium swabs to treat his sons nose. A mistake many made in useing radium.

[@hoozerob]

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

[@brp5497]

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

[@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

[@JohnDoe-pq8yw]

I wish Frank was still around to see that it was a UniParty the whole time with everyone following UN commands. Even a man as smart as Frank fell for it.

[@JustinHmusic]

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

[@zeroxous7942]

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

[@gw593]

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

[@trooperchuckash]

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

[@edwardbenes5015]

Tobacco his favorite vegetable ..... lol .... thats great

[@Dualities]

True sagittarius. But also duality initself

[@MarioBohorquezE]

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

[@The_Man_Who_Sold_the_World.]

I've gotta say, his face aged well

[@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.

[@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.

[@hanknotchinaski8222]

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

[@clintstewart5545]

THANK YOU FOR SHARING

[@Lagzatzappateers]

You're welcome. Appreciate you viewing.

[@garryfitzgerald6233]

Ugly? I see an honest & beautiful face!

[@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.....

[@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.

[@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

[@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!

[@IdeaOfTheDayCom]

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

[@michaelpaul5801]

Its really a shame that for being one of his last interviews he had to endure such mundane, square, thoughtless, uninteresting and generic interviewing...

[@909One92]

Why would he suffer these fools like that?

[@GingerFennel]

Thank you or putting into words what I was thinking. I was cringing watching the gushy whatever it was interview from that woman. appalling!

[@b1j]

One of a kind.

[@melchior2678]

True

[@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...🙏❤️

[@roybarnes-thewildlifeman1855]

A very nice man, a true individual. Rare.

[@kristianalexanderpedersen7382]

great sound in this upload

[@These_go_to_eleven_1959]

It is no secret that Zappa really rubbed off on Steve Vai. They kind of even speak alike in interviews.

[@MrJadePinwheel]

And in his music

[@xwarx1000]

Steve is a great guy and a great musician but theres no comparison FZ is an American cultural Icon.

[@houstontx68]

A man before his time, taken way too soon!

[@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…..”

[@bartolomediazsahagun472]

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

[@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

[@pennytyson4358]

Love him

[@ScottKuechenmeister]

Words man, words.... Dude awesome!

[@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.

[@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.

[@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.

[@bonnyphotinos4262]

he far surpassed his interrigator

[@katherine9109]

"interrogator"!!! 😂🤣😂

[@jeffdawson2786]

Hard to watch. Yellow Shark is amazing.

[@tkevinh]

Zappa was brilliant, prescient and entertaining to the end. Ironically, for a guy who was anti-drug he was a huge and oddly un-insightful nicotine addict. At the point of this interview, though, it didn't really matter.

[@phalangeish]

Drugs alter your mind. Cigs didn't.

[@JJ-ne6wd]

@@phalangeish Drugs alter your mind. Cigs alter and fuck up your entire body. You feel me? This Zappa fool was hypocritical and stupid when it came to his cigarette use. Brilliant musician and articulate communicator but a total moron when it came to his cigarette use.

[@Swanlord05]

George Lucas asked him to do Star Wars 77.....he turned it down

[@godlessrod6910]

I just wish he hadn´t died

[@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

[@DaveRossignol]

Frank took himself quite serious while suggesting that everything else was a joke. He seemed to enjoy when people watched him with their mouths agape. He certainly was entertaining to some.

[@maxsno]

Right his own reflection in the cracked mirror in his Frank cave

[@yamahajapan5351]

Don’t smoke kids….don’t smoke

[@simplechronology2605]

Why not? Frank didn't have lung cancer.

[@marcusmorgan2373]

Frank died of prostate cancer...not lung cancer

[@nojuanatall3281]

I'd say everything in moderation. If you cannot moderate your consumption then abstain. Ask any recovered alcoholic.

[@calisongbird]

@@marcusmorgan2373 smoking causes many other kinds of cancers and diseases besides lung cancer. Heart disease for a start.

[@JohnvanGurp]

@@marcusmorgan2373 smoking can trigger cancer anywhere in the body, it’s not just lung cancer.

[@jillcnc]

What Zappa didn't realize about cigarettes is that what you're smoking if you smoke commercial cigarettes is not tobacco leaf. It's mostly nicotine-soaked shredded paper. My father had worked for what was then Reynolds Tobacco in the 1950s. He knew how the proverbial sausage was made. My late husband was a smoker and one time my dad came over and opened up a cigarette, and sure enough, what came out was pretty much just paper. It's tobacco juice-based soaking, but it's paper. So maybe pure tobacco is benign, but inhaling particulates of nicotine-soaked paper simply cannot be good for you.

[@bahamutstear1369]

He smoked American Spirit’s pure unadulterated tobacco

[@klenmcrock5265]

They'll kill you too. RYO tobacco with good unbleached papers and cellulose filters is what is gonna be the death of me. Thanks American Spirit. You deliver what your name is. On a side note they sold out years ago and their products have turned to shit since 2017.

[@klenmcrock5265]

@Talitha Yeah they are so far gone from what they originally represented. It's a tragedy. I want to start growing my own instead of dealing with a company with such a shameful unconcern about what separated them from the rest. All I know is they stopped growing in New Mexico and solely in North Carolina or something and that's when the organic pouch went to hell. I had to switch to blue. It's crazy. Plus they fertilize with Cadmium Nitrate or something..ridiculous. And I used to be a mail order customer since 95 and you haven't been able to do that for a while. It was so much cheaper.

[@HabAnagarek]

So, you actually think "pure tobacco is benign"?

[@SimonHaestoe]

Paper? Plastic.

[@markdinkel-uh2je]

Sometimes people we admire are taken from us in life. But that's Gods decision. Frank was gone way too soon

[@feltthefluff]

Frank always wrote serious music, how dare they.

[@vivianacastrogache9434]

My thoughts exactly!

[@melchior2678]

False