Frank Zappa and I Am the Slime - a cautionary tale still valid 52 years later!
In 1970 I was in the tenth grade and my first introduction to Frank Zappa was when a friend of mine bought a copy of “Chunga’s Revenge”. Next came “The Mothers – Fillmore East - June 1971” and I became an instant lifelong FrankmZappa fan. Zappa recorded a cut from his “Roxy and Elsewhere” in Edinboro, PA where I live most of the year and I had the good fortune to see him in concert in Erie, PA in the late ‘70s. Needless to say, the performance was fantastic.
I have copies of pretty much everything that has been released & last fall I bought the Frank Zappa remastered release of “Halloween 81: Live At The Palladium, NYC, 6 CD Costume Box Set”. My all time favorite is still that 1971 Mothers live at the Fillmore album.
Frank Zappa was first and foremost a serious and gifted musician and a stern taskmaster who did not condone the use of drugs. Band mate and already established jazz great George Duke said Frank insisted that he (Duke) read & follow Frank’s sheet music. Zappa could do straight-up jazz, fusion, blues and rock as good or better than anyone but he had a real flair for mixing in a lot of fun stuff with the music (“The Dangerous Kitchen” 1983), political commentary (“Joe’s Garage” 1979) and in support of free speech (“You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore” 1988).
Fast forward to 2021 as we are bombarded daily with COVID exaggerations, misinformation and government mandates. Imagine what Frank would think of the mindless groupthink behavior linked to COVID. The song “I am the Slime” may have been released 52 years ago but his cautionary tale of manipulation is as valid today as it was then.
I Am the Slime
I may be vile and pernicious
But you can't look away
I make you think I'm delicious
With the stuff that I say
I'm the best you can get
Have you guessed me yet?
I'm the slime oozin' out
From your TV set
You will obey me while I lead you
And eat the garbage that I feed you
Until the day that we don't need you
Don't go for help . . . no one will heed you
Your mind is totally controlled
It has been stuffed into my mold
And you will do as you are told
Until the rights to you are sold
- Frank Zappa, 1973
I don't think that the government could ever have designed a more effective mind control experiment as we have with COVID (or did they?). Frank would agree with me, I’m sure!
Dave Dallas - Village of Bradford
