Snakes, Sharks and Unexpected Associations

I love how the Web is full of unexpected associations that end up exposing me to new things.

After reading Don Box’s post about Frank Zappa’s “Baby Snakes” DVD, I immediately bought a copy on Amazon.com. I’d seen Baby Snakes years ago, and although I wasn’t wild about most of the music on it (I usually love Zappa, but there’s too much of his “gotta pay the bills with cheap laughs” lyrics here), I remember being completely blown away by Bruce Bickford’s stunning animation.

A couple of days later the DVD arrived, and once again I was amazed by Bickford’s mind-boggling work. I Googled for more about Bickford, and discovered that a documentary about him will premiere soon. Reading on, I noticed that the documentary’s musical score was created by Shark Quest, a group I’d never heard of.

I figured any group that could write the score for a film about Bruce Bickford would be worth listening to, so back to Amazon.com I went. A minute later I ordered a Shark Quest CD, which I’m listening to right now – and I think it’s great.

So, thanks Don, for introducing me to some new music :)

Frank Zappa: Ten Years Ago


This BlogCritics post just reminded me that Frank Zappa passed away ten years ago. Zappa was a unique curmudgeon, and I miss his brilliant mix of high-falutin’ music and low-brow humor.

I first heard Zappa’s music while in college, and it was a welcome change from the unimaginative spew that filled the airwaves. Oddly enough, Zappa was an inspiration for me when I chose to start my one-person software company – I figured if he could distribute his music without a major label, then surely I could sell software without joining the ranks of the cubicle dwellers.