Frank Zappa Lost Interview – NY 1988

We once again rummaged through our dusty archives and found a real gem. This never before seen or heard interview with Frank Zappa was found underneath a stack of old Flock of Seagulls trading cards and Walter Mondale campaign buttons. 

This Zappa interview, conducted by renowned rock journalist Claude Balzac, was recorded immediately following Frank’s final U.S concert in New York, on March 25, 1988. Claude sat down with Frank at a White Castle in Lynbrook, NY .

Madhouse Magazine: Frank – great to see you again. Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. 

Frank Zappa: My pleasure, I Love Madhouse. I read it to my kids all the time. They laugh until milk comes out of their nose. Ahmet is a little slow witted so he doesn’t get a lot of the jokes, but the others love it. 

Madhouse Magazine: So we are sitting here in White Castle on a cold March night following your concert at Nassau Coliseum. Are you a big fan of White Castle? 

Frank Zappa: [laughs] Yes I love it! I used to live in NY and I ate it all the time. I love the burgers and the coffee. There is really nothing as delicious as a White Castle burger, a cup of coffee and a cigarette. The flavors mix beautifully. I eat it every time I am in NY. It causes quite a stench on the bus, but it is well worth it. 

Smoke on the Water

Madhouse: So the last time I saw you was 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland. When that dummy with a flare gun burned the place to the ground. 

Frank: That was wild. Was that you running out screaming and pushing old ladies and little children to the ground to escape? It was a bad scene but at least Deep Purple got a hit song out of the deal. Those sonsofbitches owe me some money. 

Madhouse: You seem to have had a lot of trouble with the fans back then. The same week as the fire in Montreux, Some guy pushed you off the stage as well. 

Frank: Yes the band thought I was dead…My head was over on my shoulder, and my neck was bent like it was broken. I had a gash in my chin, a hole in the back of my head, a broken rib, and a fractured leg. One arm was paralyzed. The 15-foot fall also crushed my larynx. One leg healed an inch shorter than the other. I walked in a circle for a few months. 

Madhouse: Why did he push you and what became of the fan? 

Frank: He said he pushed me because he wanted me to play Peaches en Regalia and his girlfriend was in love with me and his dog told him to do it. The crew caught him, beat him and sodomized him and held him for police. He spent 12 minths in jail and later became a US Senator. 

Frank Zappa Goes to Washington

Madhouse: Speaking of US Senators, I want to congratulate you on your smash appearance at the PMRC hearings. Or whatever they were. 

Frank: Thank You, but it was a horrible experience. Being around so many corrupt dishonest people, reminds me of going to Rolling Stone for an interview. I was also stuck having lunch with Dee Snider. What a talentless douche he is. Couldn’t they have gotten a better spokesperson than him. 

Madhouse: What about meeting the politicians. What was that like? 

Frank: Al Gore took me aside and told me Tipper is really a tiger in bed. She loves bukkake and swinging. He asked me join them, and Bill and Hillary in the hot tub for some fun. I vomited and got the heck out of there.

Madhouse: It sounds horrible

Frank: The worst was this Senator from Delaware. Joe Biden. He was hanging around with these 2 actual KKK members, and they were laughing and saying I should cut my hair. He actually said out loud that he doesn’t like colored music, and why don’t I play some nice songs like Peter, Paul and Mary. 

Madhouse: So what is your life like – what do you do for fun? 

Frank: I play music, I write music and I record music. That is the most fun for me. I love my wife and kids. They are my best friends. Other than that, I like to watch the Three Stooges, The Honeymooners , The Cosby Show and The Golden Girls. I am a big fan of Bea Arthur. I also fight censorship and stupidity. Never trust the Government. 

*Note – this turned out to be Frank Zappa’s final live performance in the United States.