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1985 – Tipper Gore of the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) casts an evil eye on Frank Zappa as he testifies at the U.S. Congressional hearings on obscenity in rock music.
A long-time fan of motorcycles, the avante garde and an eventual friend to bikers worldwide, Frank Zappa's first fascination with two-wheels was in high school when his brother, Bobby, introduced him to Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood in 1956. A future room-mate and Mother of Invention bandmate, Sherwood was always turning a wrench on someone's bike or car, hence the nickname "Motorhead". His greasy-fingered influence on Zappa turned up repeatedly in references to motorcycles on record or on stage.
A line from Bwana Dik: "My dick is a Harley, you kick it to start".
In "Titties & Beer" the 'motorcycle man' is Frank Zappa's role in performances:
"...I'm mean 'n I'm bad, y'know I ain't no sissy/Got a big-titty girly by the name of chrissy/Talkin' about her 'n my bike 'n me...
...blow it out your ass, motorcycle man! I mean, I am the devil,do you understand?
"The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary" the lyrics go, "... They zoom after him in all manner of cars, trucks, garishly-painted buses, and motorcycles..."
And who could forget the classic biker film, "Naked Angels" with it's great promotional tag line, "Mad dogs from hell hunting down their prey with a quarter-ton of hot steel between their legs."
The film’s soundtrack was co-written by Jeff Simmons who would eventually to become a member of the Mothers of Invention and was originally released in 1969 on Frank Zappa’s “Straight Records” label.
Back to Tipper and Frank...
"The Adventures Of Greggery Peccary" the lyrics go, "... They zoom after him in all manner of cars, trucks, garishly-painted buses, and motorcycles..."
Motorcycle boots are mentioned in the Freak Out! sleeve notes. Freak Out! Hot Spots, item #16 - "Stripcombers is HAPPENING for black leather jackets and motorcycle boots..."
And who could forget the classic biker film, "Naked Angels" with it's great promotional tag line, "Mad dogs from hell hunting down their prey with a quarter-ton of hot steel between their legs."
The film’s soundtrack was co-written by Jeff Simmons who would eventually to become a member of the Mothers of Invention and was originally released in 1969 on Frank Zappa’s “Straight Records” label.
Back to Tipper and Frank...
From 'The Harvard Crimson' - "Offbeat rock musician Frank Zappa last night attacked a parents group which is fighting obscenity in popular music.
Before more than 500 at the Kennedy School of Government, Zappa spoke out against the recent agreement between the Record Industry Association of America and an influential parents group to label offensive records with warning stickers or to print the lyrics on the album jacket.
He called the parents movement a "hysteria campaign," and said that record companies, not the parents group, would determine what is obscene. Zappa said the labels would not prevent anyone from buying the records.
Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC), argued that listening to obscene lyrics can be "extremely damaging to adolescents in the formative years," because many teenagers view rock musicians as role models. She also said that "parents need a tool" in determining what their children should and should not listen to.
Under the terms of the compromise with the PMRC, which includes several Congressional wives, one-half of the record industry's 44 companies agreed to either place a parental advisory warning label on records with lyrics describing "explicit sex, violence, or substance abuse" or to print the lyrics on the album jacket."
Before more than 500 at the Kennedy School of Government, Zappa spoke out against the recent agreement between the Record Industry Association of America and an influential parents group to label offensive records with warning stickers or to print the lyrics on the album jacket.
He called the parents movement a "hysteria campaign," and said that record companies, not the parents group, would determine what is obscene. Zappa said the labels would not prevent anyone from buying the records.
Parents' Music Resource Center (PMRC), argued that listening to obscene lyrics can be "extremely damaging to adolescents in the formative years," because many teenagers view rock musicians as role models. She also said that "parents need a tool" in determining what their children should and should not listen to.
Under the terms of the compromise with the PMRC, which includes several Congressional wives, one-half of the record industry's 44 companies agreed to either place a parental advisory warning label on records with lyrics describing "explicit sex, violence, or substance abuse" or to print the lyrics on the album jacket."
Listen to what you like, ride what you like. It's your life.
Today in motorcycle history proudly supports the National Association for Bikers with a Disability (NABD). www.nabd.org.uk
