Backstage Stories: The Mad, Musical World of Frank Zappa, The Father of Invention

10 Oct 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

via (musicoholics) by Alva Yaffe

When Frank Zappa first appeared on national TV in 1963, he was running a violin bow across a bicycle wheel. He was the front man of the band Mothers of Invention, and their music was, well, weird. He combined several genres, complex instruments, and absurd lyrics (listen to the song Montana, with lyrics about a man raising crops of dental floss).

For some reason, Zappa isn’t one of the musicians that many people talk about these days. He passed away in 1993 (from cancer), days before his 53rd birthday. But in that (relatively) short lifespan, he released more than 60 albums, wrote experimental classical music, and made a surrealist film with a rock star puppet… to name a few. Zappa was prolific, eccentric, fearless, and truly one of a kind. And it might have a little something to do with the fact that he was raised in a biohazardous environment, in which his toys were mercury and gas masks.

That’s exactly why he deserves a spotlight…

Read more: https://musicoholics.com/backstage-stories/the-mad-musical-world-of-frank-zappa-the-father-of-invention/

Backstage Stories: This is Spinal Tap

25 Sep 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

(via musicoholics) by Gur Tirosh

In 1984, director Rob Reiner came together with American comedians Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer to create something truly special in the form of This Is Spinal Tap, a classic mockumentary film which followed the antics and exploits of a fictional English heavy metal band named Spinal Tap.

The film takes a lighthearted, laugh-a-minute, behind-the-scenes look at what it’s like to be in a rock and roll band, satirizing the behavior and parodying the pretensions of some of the biggest bands of the time. The film was a big critical success upon its release and became a cult classic as time went by. Here’s the fascinating story of how it all happened…

Read more: https://musicoholics.com/backstage-stories/turn-it-up-to-11-this-is-spinal-tap/

40 Crankiest Musicians of All Time, Ranked

29 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts

Per Ole Hagen/Contributor/Redferns/Getty Images

(via The Essential BS)

Being a musician can be super hectic and challenging on anyone. You have a hard schedule of touring, creating, and recording. Sometimes, the musicians have to promote themselves. This can all be tough on anyone, so it’s a huge surprise when celebs take time out of their day to be nice to fans. Signing autographs, hugging people, and taking photos can take a significant portion of their day, but they still do it with a smile on their face. Well, at least some do.

Some musicians are known for being cranky. Not just toward their fans, but also toward everyone around them. Being kind to fans may be the norm, but certain musical celebs don’t care about what they ought to do. Instead, they’re sometimes downright mean to those that fund their career. Additionally, they can be snippy to interviewers and merely make themselves look bad on television — you know the musicians we’re talking about.

Well, we decided that there are so many cranky celebs that we need a list. Here are 40 musicians who really need a juice box and a nap to get over their temper tantrums. Do you agree with our list, or did we forget anyone? 

Read more: https://www.theessentialbs.com/article/vertical/slideshow/40-crankiest-musicians-of-all-time-ranked/19119/5?camp_id=88877&utm_campaign=88877&utm_source=fb&utm_medium=N.+0.15&utm_content=Beach+Boys+-+Cool+Toned+-+AIDA+-+H1+-+VR&utm_term=v&fbclid=IwAR0J2ktg66mI4OGlD0L1y4K_fboXeUX7Hvnqa3u5xYEFehi0Dzt4MEW2-MM

20 Fascinating Facts About The Launch Of MTV

17 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

BRAT_PIKACHU/ISTOCK VIA GETTY IMAGES; MTV NETWORKS, PUBLIC DOMAIN // WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

(via Menttal Floss) by Jon O’Brien

Now that almost every single music promo is just a finger click away, it’s easy to forget that at the dawn of the music video age, schedule-hopping specialist TV shows like USA’s Video Concert Hall and Nickelodeon’s PopClips were largely the only way audiences could access music videos. That all changed with the launch of MTV at 12:01 a.m. on August 1, 1981.

Although the channel has since become synonymous with trashy reality series and cheap clip shows, there was a time when MTV truly did live up to its name. And the idea of seeing the cream of new wave, post-punk, and AOR musicians performing 24/7 was treated by the network with as much reverence as the moon landing. Forty years later, here are 20 little-known facts about MTV’s monumental launch…

Read more: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/648999/mtv-music-video-tv-network-facts?a_aid=45307

On Music…

15 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

Let’s Shine a Light on “The Midnight Special”

13 Aug 2021 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

(Via Culture Sonar) by John Visconti

Before MTV, VH1, or, for that matter, YouTube and Vevo, chances to watch footage of your favorite musicians in action were fairly rare. Sure, bands would occasionally pop up on The Dean Martin Show and Sonny & Cher or lip sync on American Bandstand or Soul Train, but one of the only showcases for live rock was NBC’s weekly late-night series The Midnight Special (1973-81). While there are DVD compilations from the show, frustratingly no easy streaming of the entire series exists. Below are six videos — from the “Legendary Performances” DVD set — suggesting that someone needs to stream these shows in their entirety pronto. Who owns a DVD player nowadays?

Read more: https://www.culturesonar.com/midnight-special/?mc_cid=630faa8ece&mc_eid=754259b4e6

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