Frank Zappa
Alice Cooper: 'Covid-19 was like being hit by a truck'
Alice Cooper is a survivor in every sense of the word, having given up an addiction to alcohol and cocaine almost 40 years ago Now at 73-years-old, Alice is still beating the odds, having recently… Video, Audio
The Orchestra Rocks
William Dart looks at the thorny issue of combining rock bands with full symphony orchestras. It can often be dire, but there have been some great successes - one of them, in William's view, happening… Video, Audio
Listen to the NZSO get Zappy
Off to the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's Shed Series tonight? Conductor Hamish McKeich gives us the inside word on gig etiquette, Frank Zappa and Mozart. Audio
Dweezil Zappa: Playing whatever the #@%! he wants
Nick Bollinger talks to Dweezil Zappa about his father's music and the dispute over Frank Zappa's legacy Audio
NZSO’s Dynamic 2018 season
Big blockbusters dominate the 2018 season from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. Core repertoire, crossover and cinematic sounds are in store for fans - there’s something to whet everyone’s… Audio
John Adams: composer at large
American composer John Adams’ work has been a heard a lot by local audiences thanks to his long friendship with NZSO Music Director Edo de Waart. Adams discusses the role de Waart played in… Audio
The All-Time Weirdest Albums
In its March 2017 issue, Uncut Magazine compiled a list of the 101 Weirdest Albums of All Time. A connoisseur of the bizarre, William Dart considers this and adds in his own suggestions. Audio
Moon Unit Zappa
Simon Morris talks to Moon Zappa about the new documentary Eat that Question, her Dad, and about the Zappa legacy. Audio
From A to Z – the ABC of American classical music
The name Frank Zappa doesn’t often associate with classical music, however US based conductor Eckart Preu has been handed the baton to lead the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra’s Appalachian to Zappa … Audio
Clever Music
Returning to a topic he's touched on before, William Dart looks at "clever" music - music with far, far more going on in it than just surface. Centring on a new album by American songwriter Finnegan… Audio
Playing Favourites with Peter Dasent
New Zealand composer and songwriter living in Sydney, whose group The Umbrellas celebrated their 30th anniversary recently. He has been the pianist and musical director on ABC-TV's PlaySchool since… Audio
Simon Romanos
Simon explores the jazz fusion work of Weather Report and Frank Zappa. Audio
The Idea of Clever
William Dart looks music by Frank Zappa, The Punch Brothers and Andrew Bird … all very clever. Audio
Arts Ambassador - Jazz
Jivester, editor and publisher Fergus Barrowman on the sizzle and pop of a snazzy beat. Keith Jarrett, Charlie Haden, Paul Motian; Ensemble Musikfabrik; and Farmers by Nature. Audio
Adrian Belew
Adrian Belew got his first break with Frank Zappa in 1977, playing rhythm guitar and doing a Bob Dylan impersonation on Zappa's Sheik Yerbouti album. He's since collaborated with David Bowie, Paul… Audio
The Radio is Broken Episode 5 - Leaving for his Final Tour
Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 1990, Zappa spent his last three years racing against time to complete a number of projects including 'The Yellow Shark' with the Ensemble Modern and the album… Audio
Episode 1 – The Project/Object
James Gardner looks at Frank Zappa's early work and influences and teases out the threads running through the composer's oeuvre (The Project/Object) that will be examined more closely in the rest of… Audio
Episode 2 – The Central Scrutinizer
Throughout his career Frank Zappa tirelessly and candidly documented in song the behaviour and "folklore" of his many bands as well as contemporary society, often in a highly contentious way. James… Audio
The Radio is Broken Episode 3 - Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
Overlooked by many, Frank Zappa's idiosyncratic guitar playing was important not only in its own right but also for the many compositions it spawned via transcriptions. James Gardner discusses what… Audio
Episode 3 – Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar
Overlooked by many, Frank Zappa's idiosyncratic guitar playing was important not only in its own right but also for the many compositions it spawned via transcriptions. James Gardner discusses what… Audio