The brilliant drummer and musicologist John French on his Facebook page posted a clip of Frank (Zappa) playing ‘Black Napkins’ on the Mike Douglas Show which of course I didn’t know and hadn’t seen. Turns out there was more to Douglas than met the eye even then in the mid seventies |( he was a vocal proponent of the civil rights movement apparently) A supporter of Martin Luthor King Jnr and clearly a broad minded individual subverting the format by including stars like Zappa
Now I stated my feeling about the piece Frank played on the page and got taken to task not least by my hero bass player Mark ‘Rockette Morton’ Boston who told me off for being jaded! Fame at last! Ha ha ha ha John himself has been more muted and some Beefheart fans seem intrigued as I am by the role Zappa played in ‘exploiting’ the good Captain! but mostly disagreed which of course is fine!
I said of this piece of music
Frank Zappa - Black Napkin remastered on the USA TV
Noodle Poodle!
Gosh this is dull. All that I hate about Zappa musically; ego driven show off middle of the road jazz music for the intellectually challenged
TV show prime time ersatz lounge jazz; listen to the bass, drums and horn section could be anybody from some small jazz band. Boring. All to show off Zappa noodles! Tiresome and old fashioned incredibly dated wallpaper music. John French, Mark Boston, Artie Tripp III and Bill Harkleroad this ain’t!
Not an original idea for miles!
Try listening to French Frith Kaiser Thompson say 'Invisible Means' for example and you will see what I mean? Frank couldn’t hold a candle and couldn’t have sat in with those boys.
Just my opinion.😏
"I thought it was pretty amazing that Mike Douglas had Frank on his show. Frank was most likely a pretty busy guy during this period. It was the year that "Bat Chain Puller" was recorded, and I remember him touring a lot. He's playing with the studio band, so had to choose something simple and quick -- to be in and out of there. It was nice of Douglas to give him a chance to expose other people who would maybe never have given him a chance. The exposure probably helped him, and they probably requested something that would be easy for the band to pick up without rehearsal. So, he picked something simple and repetitive. Say all the negative stuff you want, but I noticed that they never asked Don to come on and blow sax with the band. Why? Because he couldn't have really done it. Frank was much more successful as a musician / composer mainly because he could size up a situation and use it to his best advantage, which he did here. He was much more flexible in this respect"
oops! Kind of an achievement! Just never cared for Zappa. Don and the Magic Band were/are streets ahead of anything he ever achieved. His including the Cap’n live (which) may have payed Beefheart some welcome readies but they don’t quite cut it like John, Bill, Art and your good self. Hell I’d sooner a duck than Zappa! Ya get me?! 
Not jaded BTW just too busy listening to the Magic Band! 
Booglarise!
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