h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Just a small technical detail regarding musicianship. The band would not usually have been expected to change the time signature of a piece on Zappa's whim. That sort of thing needs rehearsal.

Zappa did have commands for the band, much like a conductor has. For example, this is a well known one, when he indicated dread-locks with his finger, the band would play whatever they were playing, instantly, in reggae style, if he used two fingers indicating dread-locks they would play ska (like double time reggae). This could happen in the middle of a song, in the middle of a live performance. In a similar way, he also had short-hand commands for tempo changes (like three fingers indicating 3/4). Of course he didn't change tempo too often and surely not on every song... But the band had to be capable of doing it.

You can actually see Zappa conducting the (1979?) band on the Baby Snakes video (I think on King Kong he changes tempo just before the human-trombone solo). It's amazing to see what the band could do and how they followed Zappa's commands.

HELL

Fair comment. I was worried people might get the impression that the band could play any piece, in any time signature at the drop of a hat. But yes there were isolated moments whan Zappa would issue such commands, but they were always rather staged, by which I mean there would be certain sections of the concert set aside for Frank to "conduct".

When I saw him at the Glasgow Apollo in 1979 he "conducted" the last piece of the night ("Strictly Genteel" maybe?) by sitting on his stool with his jacket over his head and his back to the audience.

There was only one.

So true...

IS