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July 27, 2006
Zappa on Crossfire
Now I'm a bit of a political junkie, which I admit is more boring and cynicism inducing than almost any other topic. So I try to keep that sphere of interest far away from the (supposedly) entertaining and music realted site that you know and love. But when archival clips of old-time-y rockers collide with politics in a way that is both music related and at least marginally entertaining, I can't resist. Plus, how controversial can it be if the clip is twenty years old? This is a long segment on the "destructive" nature of rock lyrics. The exact same bullshit conversation was had again three years later about rap music. One of the few times that the cranky old guys lost decisively, but look for it to happen again sometime soon, when all the other non-issues are exhausted. For the first and probably only time here, I thank the Washington Post for the tip.
Crossfire, 1986
I'm no great fan of Zappa's music, but I'm hard pressed to think of any current music figure who could have handled this wildly idiotic conversation any better. At one point some dipshit keeps claiming that a Prince song is causing incest to spike in America, and demands to be treated as if he were a serious person. Uhhhh?
This proves that A: Robert Novak was always old. B: Frank Zappa had a pretty sharp, prophetic view into where this country was headed 20 years ago, and C: No matter the political affiliation of the commenters, we will probably always be plagued with blowhards who completely miss the point of whatever subject they are currently addressing.
P.S. What's up with the surprisingly rad John Carpenter-esque synth theme music this show used to have? Look for it coming in and out of commercials before "shocking" Twisted Sister footage.
Tags: Frank Zappa, Bob Novak, Crossfire, censorship
Posted by Jeff Klingman at July 27, 2006 11:16 AM
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Comments
That's a fantastic clip. Although I think that Zappa takes the low road a bit too often, and some of his reasons sound like argument for argument sake. Good thing the other guest's arguments are based entirely on superstitions and lies. Also: didn't know Jeff liked politics.
Posted by: Randall at July 27, 2006 07:52 PM
I wouldn't say that I "like" politics exactly, but if your country gets pissed on long enough, you're gonna want to single out the dicks responsible.
Posted by: Jeff K at July 28, 2006 11:08 AM
