From: mafu@sbustd.rz.uni-sb.de (Markus Fuenfrocken)
Subject: Some notes to The Yellow Shark
Organization: Studenten-Mail, Rechenzentrum Universitaet des Saarlandes
Date: Fri, 9 Oct 1992 16:25:42 GMT

Hello everybody,

i just read the posting about the SHARK ! I saw the show in Frankfurt and
gladly report some feelings i had to YOU !

I was there on sadurday, the 19th (the third show) and it was nearly clear to
us that ZAPPA will not show up this evening, because he didn't on friday !
They said he was feeling very bad, so we had not much hope to see him.

The audience was very mixed. There were many of the unavoidable Zappa-clones
and freaks but also a lot of fine, smart people with BMW's and Daimlers. Just
as to proove Zappa gives something to a large variety of people !

The prices for the tickets were very high, about 100 DM (75 $) for a good
place ! I had a 60 DM ticket and was sitting in the 'OLYMP' nearly on the
cealing of the ALTE OPER. The sound was fantastic, but i had to deal with
some delay problems stage-speakers. The sound from the stage was always
half a second later than the sound from the speakers right behind me !

After two minutes of the OVERTURE, just after the YELLOW SHARK was swimming
across the stage, ZAPPA entered the stage and an enormous applause started
which lasted about 3 minutes !!! Nobody did expect this ! This was the first
time i saw HIM in my life (seems i've been born too late !) and i was happy
that i bought a ticket for saturday ! He had difficulties to walk, it seemed
yo me. But he was in a good mood and even told us the MAGIC WORD for this
evening ! (answer: everybody of the ENSEMBLE took out a space gun and fired !)

He was dressed all in black and had long hairs knoted together. It was very 
grey ! Then he left the stage (again in small, slow steps-while conducting
he had to sit on a chair !) and the main conductor Peter Grundle continued.

The programm was the following:

OVERTURE  DOG/MEAT   RUTH IS SLEEPING  BEE-BOP-TANGO   FOOD GATHERING IN POST-
INDUSTRIAL AMERICA   THE GIRL IN THE MAGNESIUM DRESS   NONE OF THE ABOVE
AMNERICA             WELCOME TO THE UNITED STATES      A POUND FOR A BROWN
GET WHITEY           G-SPOT TORNADO

Some peaces will be known to you, many don't ! Much of the material was
EXTREMELY strange (i don't know if the word 12-tone-music gives you something)
and sounded like CAGE or STOCKHAUSEN. But the 'HITS' were great !

It was feelable that most of the people in the opera came mainly to SEE and
HONOR Zappa and his work ! After the show, the whole crowd gave him standing
ovations and applauded for minutes ! This was a strange melancolic atmophere,
cause everybody seemed to recall his illness and  felt a bit like saying
goodbye to him for a last time. (as i saw the posting that Zappa had gone
back to the states just the day after the feeling was even getting stronger)

Last, i want to (or try to) translate some passages from the booklet that was
for sale this evening. In an interview Zappa said after the question :
Why did the show not start in the U.S. ? :


"There is too less money in the states and too less interest for something like
that. Not only for my project, but for all projects of this kind. The U.S. are
a dying society - you have to get this clear ! They don't repair the bridges,
they don't repair the streets. Beggars have no home, nor something to eat.
If you can't even feed your own children, where should you get the money for
a project like THE YELLOW SHARK ? Not even the last war could be financiated,
they still collect money for the DESERT STORM in the gulf. "

So much for today. If you like, i try to translate more of this !
Keep me posted ! Foo Fee !!!


M.F.



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