ARF: Notes and Comments: YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS: Theme From The 3rd Movement Of Sinister Footwear

YOU ARE WHAT YOU IS

Theme From The 3rd Movement Of Sinister Footwear

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From: "Peter de B. Harrington" <Harring@helios.phy.ohiou.edu> Sinister footwear is an orchesteral transcription of a guitar solo that is rumored to have been performed at a 1978 Palladium show. The orchesteral piece was performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra in 1984. The piece has 3 movements, but I believe 26 parts. The piece was performed as a ballet, but Zappa could not afford a ballet troupe, so they used lifesize marionettes instead. I wish this performance would be released on video (Gail, hear my pleas).
I can't remember the details of the story, but I believe it has a monster in it, with some interesting reproductive organs. I have the storyline on tape, if their is interest I can transcribe it.
From: Bill Lantz <lantz@primenet.com> [Guitar solo is] Not a rumor. It is from October 27, 1978 Second show, The Palladium, NYC.
From: johan_wikberg@ssco.se (johan wikberg) I think it should be pointed out more clearly in the FAQ (I know it's there but not just super duper clear the way it's placed and all) that while this solo ended up transcribed and arranged in the ballet, the rest of the ballet is NOT based on guitar solos, although many people think so and it's admittedly a nice thought.
From: docker@netcom.com (David Ocker) ...The music is in three movements. The ballet (which is danced to the music) has the sections you listed and is danced to the three movements. The score has considerably more description of the action of the ballet. That performance (the only performance) was broadcast live over KPFA with Frank's permission. It was also video-taped against Frank's wishes. It was just a single camera at the back of the hall. When he found out about the video-taping he was FURIOUS! and demanded that the video be destroyed. Whether it was destroyed or not I don't know - but I, for one, certainly hope it wasn't - those puppets were pretty amazing. They were 'puppets' in the same sense that "Big Bird" was a puppet - i.e. they had dancers inside them. I do remember that they had to be destroyed because of storage space problems. I don't remember the name of the man who designed them but I do remember that he died soon afterwards.
So, if the video doesn't exist - does anyone have still photos of some of the puppets? I'd love to see some of them again.
From: Vladimir Sovetov This puppets, they really smell of Stravinsky. You know, Petrouchka is a Puppet! And to really feel it here is a snipet I re-typed from Petrouchka CD booklet.
'Stravinsky retired to the Swiss town of Clarens on Lake Geneva to work on his new ballet (The Rite Of Spring). But a new idea crowded it out of his mind, and he wrote instead a concert piece for piano and orchestra. "In composing the music", he writes in his biography, "I had in mind a distinct of a puppet, suddenly endowed with life, exasperating the patience of the orchestra with diabolical cascades of arpeggios. The orchestra in trn retaliates with menacing trumpet blasts. The outcome is a terrific noise which reaches its climax and ends in the sorrowful and querulos collapse of the poor puppet." After a considerable stthe composer finally struck upon a title for the work. He called it Petrouchka - the Russian counterpart of Punch - "the immortal and unhappy hero of every fair in all countries."'
Later under Diageliev influnce the piece was redone to become a ballet. Premier: Theatre de Chatelet in Paris on June 13, 1911.
But back to Zappa
From: GPYF67A@prodigy.com (Jeremy Fleisher) Only two of the movements are available in the audio medium legitimately (mvmt 2--Them or Us, mvmt 3--YAWYI). Though there are tapes floating around of the whole thing, as performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Kent Nagano in 1984, audio and performance quality --fair... If you like it so much as to spend $500 for the full score, Barfko has them....
From: spb0377@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu (Pat Buzby) Actually, this is true only of the "theme" from the 3rd movement (the part that appears in a rock version on YAWYI), as far as I know. Zappa said himself in a '92 interview in Society Pages that this solo was played at the Palladium in '78, which seems likely to me, since the FZ Guitar Book transcription includes Vinnie's original drum accompaniment.
From: Vladimir Sovetov <sova@kpbank.ru> Here is a little piece of info from Steve Vai's Intoduction to The Frank Zappa Guitar Book p.5
"The "Them from the Third Movement of Sinister Footwear" (formely titled "Persona Non Grata") appears on the album You Are What You Is. On that track Frank's guitar line was doubled by electric guitar, percussion, and bass clarinet. The original rhythm track was replaced by what you hear on the album."
From: sean.camden@sage.com (Sean Camden) The complete Sinister Footwear (about 26 minutes worth) is performed by the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra and is available as Side 2 of the bootleg "Serious Music". Pretty Good sound quality. The liner notes don't have it divided into movements but it is divided into 21 parts describing the action (ie. "Jake goes to work" or "Jake's secretary eats some cottage cheese").
Side 1 of "Serious Music" has the Grand Wazoo Orchestra doing INCA ROADS and RDNZL. Also, some music from the World's Greatest Sinner and a bizarre piece called The Revenge of the Knick-Knack People.
From: Vladimir Sovetov <sova@kpbank.ru> The Berkeley Symphony Orchestra version is also available on Apocrypha 4CD boot.
From: d_mccomb@mhv.net I attended the world premiere performance in Berkeley, CA, in 1984. It was 26:54.
Check out also AJ Wilkes' Sinister Footwear Dissertation http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/bacon/248/intro.htm

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