UPI 4/8/98

Philadelphia City Paper 5/12/98

Interview: Ike Willis - Jerry Cuccurullo


Article from:

United Press International

United Press International
Wednesday April 8 3:53 PM EDT

Project/Object revives
'Joe's Garage'

UPI Arts & Entertainment
It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (850)
(release at will)

By JOHN SWENSON United Press International

Rock music has produced few longform works of lasting value. With the notable exceptions of The Who's ``Tommy,'' The Kinks' ``Preservation'' and Pink Floyd's ``The Wall,'' few bands have even bothered to attempt staging opera-length works.

Frank Zappa wrote a number of suites, full-blown theatrical pieces and even a musical, ``Thing Fish,'' put together in the studio but never performed live.

His greatest longform piece, ``Joe's Garage,'' had songs that became live staples but it was never performed in toto during Zappa's life.

A handful of Zappa tribute bands perpetuate his music, but the group that comes closest to capturing the spirit of his live performances is Project/Object.

The band, augmented by the Zappa group's longtime lead singer and guitarist Ike Willis as well as noted Zappa interpeter Ed Palermo, recently performed the first live full-length version of ``Joe's Garage. ''

Zappa rehearsed his bands relentlessly to have them ready for the exacting demands he placed on them in live performance, and Project/Object clearly honed its chops for this task, delivering ``Joe's Garage'' with precision and emotional conviction.

``We were all inside the 'Joe's Garage' album, the band and the audience,'' said group leader André Cholmondeley. ``It bordered on a religious experience.''

The crowd at the roomy Lion's Den club in New York's Greenwich Village was so attuned to the historic implications of the event that many sang along to large sections of the piece.

``It was beyond us,'' recalled Cholmondeley. ``I'm glad you were there, because it's impossible to describe the energy of that show.''

Zappa was characteristically ahead of his time when he released ``Joe's Garage, Part I'' in 1979.

Back then this science fiction tale of a future world ruled by religious hucksters where music is outlawed went right over most people's heads. But the piece was a brilliant example of Zappa's political and social criticism as well as being far above the curve on matters of sexual expression.

``Joe's Garage'' was a masterpiece of political satire worthy of Jonathan Swift, framed as a warning to young people about the evils of becoming a musician.

Zappa added a surprise twist when Joe, languishing in a jail for musicians, plotted his revenge in terms of imaginary guitar solos calculated to annoy ``an executive kind of guy.''

As ever, Zappa's critique is fueled by devastatingly funny situations. The hysterical high point comes when Joe tries to find sexual gratification with a kitchen appliance after enrolling in L. Ron Hoover's ``First Church of Appliantology.''

The Project/Object band delivered all this business with wry good humor, even updating the text to include Bill Clinton references and a new sexual player, ``The Intern,'' in an aside that shows how prescient Zappa's work actually was.

``Zappa always included current events in his shows,'' explained Cholmondeley. ``It's a fine line because we want to be exact to the music, but we gave it some leeway in order to portray the fun side of Zappa's live shows.''

``Joe's Garage'' was also well ahead of its time musically. Parts of the rhythm tracks began showing up as hip-hop samples within a few years. Zappa's guitar solos were culled from previous live performances with new tracks built up around them in a process Zappa called ``xenocrony,'' or strange synchronization. Chalmondeley shoulders the ultimate responsibility of playing Zappa's lines without simply copying them, a task he performs admirably.

``I don't want this to be like 'Beatlemania,''' he said. ``I try to look at this as music by a composer that should be heard. I'm wary of being a parlor trick. I try to start with the sound, the tone of Zappa's guitar, the amplification he used. He pioneered a lot of stuff. But as for the soloing itself, if you saw him live you know he never played his solos the same way twice.''

The theme of government plots against musicians reappeared on one of Zappa's strangest albums, the proposed Broadway stage treatment for ``Thing Fish.''

In this script, a substance described as Galoot Kalodner, a not-so- thinly disguised metaphor for the AIDS virus, is developed in secret laboratories underneath Virginia to eliminate undesirable elements of society, including musicians.

Zappa's Brechtian vision plays out as a slap at the pretentions of mainstream Broadway stage productions and the audiences that attend them.

If Project/Object was ever able to realize this production it could well become Zappa's answer to ``The Rocky Horror Picture Show.''

In fact, Cholmondeley has been approached by a backer to do just that. He relishes the suggestion that there might be some National Endowment for the Arts money involved.

``I like the idea of Frank terrorizing Newt Gingrich from beyond the grave,'' he said.

Copyright 1998 by United Press International.

All rights reserved.

_- (release at will)

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Article from:

Philadelphia City Paper

March 5–12, 1998

six pick

image
Project Object Zappa Tribute

Covering the work of guitar god/avantcomposer/satirist Frank Zappa is a task as monumental as blanketing the state of Delaware with a snug-fitting sheet. And frankly, why bother? For the last four years the members of New York City's Project Object—Rick Bartow (bass/vocals), Jeff Breedlove (keys), André Cholmondeley (guitar), Mumbo (drums/keys) and Wes Paich (percussion/keys)—have been aptly aping Frank Zappa's ouevre, faithfully replicating the master's twisted tunings and oblique voicings to a tee. And with the recent addition of long-time Zappa vocalist Ike Willis, Project Object's become a living, breathing Zappa fest.

Following in the quirky, soulful footsteps of Flo & Eddie and funky Ray White, Willis was hand-picked by Frank in 1978 and was almost immediately thrown into Zappa's live show because of: (a) his overtly masculine gospel-operatic tonsils (b) his willing sense of humor, and (c) the fact that he could sing songs like "Why Does It Hurt When I Pee?" and "Dong Work For Yuda" without sounding stupid. From '78 on, Willis contributed to Zappa LPs Tinsel Town Rebellion, You Are What You Is and the mock-rock-opera Thing-Fish as wailing master of ceremonies. His most famous Zappa moment, though, is his often uncomfortably funny but moving vocal pyrotechnics on Zappa's three-volume Joe's Garage. (All Zappa discs available on Rykodisc.)

Willis, a New Jersey resident, also just released a solo CD, Dirty Pictures (Muffin). Coupled with Project Object's muscle and dedication, the show (reportedly an all-nighter) promises to be a religious experience.

Fri., March 6, 10 p.m., The Khyber, 56 S. Second St., 238-5888.

-a.d. amorosi

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PRIVACY
Ike Willis and Jay Cuccurullo Interview Part 1
Forwarded by Gary Titone/GC/DDI/US
on 02/02/98 08:54

This is a preview of The Ike Willis and Jay Cuccurullo Interview Part One. It should be appearing in a soon to be released Spring 98 Issue of Privacy: The Warren Cuccurullo Fanclub.

After the Interview is some brief info on the passing of Jerry Cuccurullo (father of Warren Cucurullo). PRIVACY is presently finalizing an a special tribute mailing for Jerry Cuccurullo.

PRIVACY is presently working on a special tribute mailing for Jerry Cuccurullo.
Jerry Cuccurullo passed away on December 8th 1997.

To contribute a comment please E-Mail cglass@vunet.vinu.edu ASAP. This should be mailing verry soon. I think the deadline may have passed.

Following is part one of the Ike Willis and Jay Cuccurullo interview. It was conducted in the basement of The Lions Den on 8/16/97. This place is located on Sullivan Street in the heart of NYC?s Greenwich Village. ?Project Object? a Frank Zappa cover band was headlining and Ike and Jay were there special musical guests. I had hoped to obtain some information that would shed a bit more light on the Frank Zappa ?Human Juke Box Tour? and Zappa?s friendship with the Cuccurullo family. On hand for the interview were Ike Willis, Jerry Cuccurullo, myself and bandmembers of Project Object. HI stands for Humorous Individual. Parts of the tape were mysteriously erased. This borders between art and supernatural. I will elaborate on this issue in future installments of this interview . I have yet to count the length of the missing segment but it brings new meaning to the John Cage piece 4?33?. Before the tape was mysteriously altered I made PC sound files. Some portions of these files are not clear enough to transcribe.

GT London.Human Juke Box Tour rehearsals.
IW Arhhh We?re talking about the rehearsals at The Rainbow.
GT One month of rehearsals!
IW That was at the Rainbow Theatre in London. That?s where we were rehearsing the stuff on Tinsletown Rebellion. All that stuff was performed live at The Hamersmith Odeon. Everybody got sick as dogs. Ah god. In fact everybody was sick except for Warren .
JC Vitamins man.
IW Hugh?
JC Supplements.
IW Must have been.
GT Must have been the female clothing.
JC (laughing)
IW Ya well of coarse. Does he still have that Leopard coat?
JC Archived I think.
IW Yahhh. Everybody got deathly ill. The rehearsals though they were great. They were great. The Rolling Stones Mobile Unit was there. Like God? Frank. Frank he tore us up. Like 8 hours a day. Every day. It was great absolutely great.
GT Can you guys try and be quite? We?re trying to do an interview and I may not be able to hear them on the tape.
IW Oh god never.
GT and if you?re really opposed just say fuck you and that?s alright.
IW Well say it anyway because these..
HI Fuck You.
IW There you go. Hahaha.
GT Well Alright. I?ll make sure that that fuck you is part of the interview because I really appreciate that.
IW You don?t have to go anywhere though.
GT With the average credit card holder here in the U.S. having over $700 of revolving debt the American flag actually means fuck you?
IW You?re damn right. O.K. next subject.
GT The amount. Four guitarists in a touring band.
IW By the time I joined the band there were three of us. There was Frank, me and Denny Walley. We added Warren for the 79? tour. So you know four guitarists. There was really not that much difficulty. You got to remember with any Frank Zappa band it?s a miniature orchestra. So when you do it you play your parts. An ya know.
GT It?s not The Outlaws. Bring It Back Alive!
IW Or Molly Hatchet or something like that. Yahh it?s not. Everybody is assigned there particular sections to do. There parts to play so that I mean It?s still orchestration going on. Everybody fit in there own little?.
GT Wait.. Wait.. We now have a rat or a mouse running across the room.
IW Cool.
GT Did they have rats and mice in London?
IW We?ll these old theatres like The Rainbow is like a place that was built around the turn of the century. Beautiful gold leaf filigree all over the place. It was wonderful. Down in the dungeons in the depth of the catacombs you know there are rats and mice and stuff running around down there. You know the place has been around since Sherlock Holmes times. So you know. It was great.
IW Outside of the rehearsals that were going on for The Human Juke Box Tour you had Shankar?s ?Touch Me There? LP which Frank had produced and recorded .
IW Shankar was in the band too. He was still touring with John McGlaughlin at the same time.
GT The Love Band.
IW Yeah right exactly? but when he could get away he would come and do some gigs and stuff with us. So we had like a nine-piece band that year actually with everybody including Shankar. A nine-piece band it was great.
GT Jay right around that time it may have been 79? Frank was in New York doing a two-week stint as a disk jockey on WPIX radio. Frank came over your house for Thanksgiving dinner.
IW I heard about that. What?s the deal with that.
JC I think Warren just invited him over for Thanksgiving. You know the usual spread and Frank brought over a West German TV crew.
IW Oh Yeah. Claus and the boys. That?s when they were following us all over the place and shooting all that footage. They were with us for like 2 months.
GT NY, Philadelphia I have some of the stuff.
IW NY,Philly,Ahhh Berlin, Munich Vienna.
GT Zircus Crone.
IW Zircus Crone.
GT You were playing that VOX guitar that Warren now owns.
IW That Warren stole from me.
GT No no no no. That?s payment for Stucco Homes.
IW Oh really. So Frank?
JC I know the story. The Wah Wah pedal. Warren did some vocal tracks. Backup vocals on Joe?s Garage and Frank gave him some money for the vocal tracks and said ?(inaudible)Vox guitar
IW Ahhh (this surprized response muffled Jay?s response where I can not accurately transcribe the entire story) So that was yours? Frank gave it to Warren ? no way. Uhh Uhh. Yeah Frank bought it in a hock shop for me in Munich and I used it when we were rehearsing at The Zircus Crone.
GT Yeah you played it in the Zircus Crone video.
IW The next thing I knew Warren had it. That was the birthplace of Why Does It Heart When I Pee?
GT That was the world premeire of WDIHWIP.
IW Yeah. Frank found this guitar in a hock shop in Munick and brought it into rehearsal and said you gotta check this out and hands me this Wah pedal with a neck, volume and a tone control and a phone jack in it. I said this couldn?t possibly ?
GT Who made the neck on that?
IW It was a VOX guitar neck
GT I thought it was a VOX Wah pedal that someone put a guitar neck on it.
IW It was a VOX pedal and a VOX neck.
GT So it was totally manufactured by VOX?
IW Yeah. Some guy . Some German kid I guess had gotten the idea to?.
JC Steinberger wasn?t it?
IW Yeah yeah yeah.
GT PRE- Steinberger.
IW Yeah PRE PRE pre pre pre pre Steinberger.
JC Warren used that guitar in Luch Waggon actually.
GT I saw Warren play that guitar at Missing Persons Peppermint Lounge show.
IW I used to strap that guitar with both ends on one knob and spin it around.
GT What was the feedback like using that guitar?
IW It was a weird instrument. A weird guitar to play but come on actually there was like no body to it. It?s a metal Wah pedal box. It had those weird VOX pickups on it. And all those magnetic holes and stuff. It worked. It worked quite well actually it was so weird though cause like I?m use to resting my arm on the body of a guitar and like there?s nothing but this and I kept missing it after awhile.
GT That?s great?. We?ll get back to other guitars that you used in Frank Zappa?s bands but I want to get back to Jay for a second on that Thanksgiving dinner because while I have a lot of the footage we?ve been talkin about I don?t have some footage that Frank had spoken out on. Frank had told a story and if I remember correctly Warrens girlfirend at the time proceeded to whip him or beat him up with a broom as everyone watched.
JC He freaked Zappa.
IW Heah
JC It was a Mock Beating?.with Janet The Planet I think.
IW Ohhhhhh O.K.
GT Frank goes on to talk of this whipping going on as Warren?s father pretends to keep one eye closed and not notice as this stuff was happening in his Italian household with his children.
JC This guy Claus and his video team came over from West Germany and they filmed the whole Thanksgiving. .
I was like 17 years old and I couldn?t believe Frank Zappa was in my house. I went downstairs and played my drums and when I came back up he said ?Do You Wanna Jam?? and I said sure O.K. All these people came over the house and Smothers ( John Smothers ? Frank Zappa?s long time bodygaurd) ??(inaudible..speculate Smothers kept all the Canarsie Contingent In_Line so to speak.) We did Watermellon and Easter Hay and I thaught that the song was in 11.
GT It?s in 9. 5/4 followed by 4/4.
IW Yeah defineitely.
JC So I?m playing right and I?m thinking of it in 11. It was wild.
IW Amazing. Amazing.
GT Your brother has a song in 11 though. He has a new track called The Song Formerly Know As All For A Backstage Pass. You don?t know this tune?
JC No I don?t.
IW As far as the instrumentation when I first got in the band you know that Strat that Hendrix burned in Miami. It was on the cover of Guitar World Magazine
GT Yeah
IW Frank had me use that.
GT He had you using it?
IW You could rehearse and practice on it but when we started touring he had me playing that big L5 switchmaster. The BIG SUCKER.

?note(Frank would have much work done on the Hendrix Strat. Minimally he had a Performance Neck made to the specs of his SG ,Pickups, Floyd Rose Tremolo and a Ring Modulater. Frank premeired his live performace on it at The Ritz in NYC Nov 81?. The first song Frank performed live on that guitar was Zoot Allures. I had brung along a vacuum cleaner hose to this show so I would be able to sing along to each tune with the band. As I stood at the front of the stage I would sing with one end of the hose in my mouth and the other end in my ear.)

IW What Frank did was he gave me all the guitars that Hendrix used to use when they use to jam together. When Frank was based in NY and he was playing all those shows at The Garrick Theatre.
GT Yeah. The location of The Garick was right down the street.
IW Yeahhh. At first it was the L5 Swithcmaster. The Hendrix Strat and then a blue Fender Jaguar that he used to jam on too. So on my first tour I was playing on nothing but Hendrix guitars.
GT Did you not have another Gibson in 80? Solid body with 4 switches
IW Do you mean the maple one? No that was an Ibanez.
GT It looked like a Gibson.
IW It looked like a Gibson. It was my Ibanez Bob Weir model.
GT Not the white one?
IW No, No it was natural. It had the mother of pearl In-Lays. That was the Ibanex Bob Weir model.
Yeahhhh that wound up getting stolen. That was like my favorite guitar. It was beautiful.
GT The last time I saw you with Banned From Utopia you were playing a Fender Squire I beleive.
IW Yeah
GT With a really old amp.
IW Ohhh woww yeah what?s the type. It was an old Gretch. A Country Joe(inaudible) man that belonged to my guitar tech.
GT A good portion of the FZ catalouge is live material often with no overdubs. What you hear when you go to the show has one mix and what you hear on the product at home has another one. As far as live performance goes what do you remember about your sound as heard when you performed?
IW In the beginning it basically wasn?t my sound. It was basically how Frank wanted me to sound on my rhythm guitar parts. You know cause I always had a basic A/B switch for my cleans and my dirties but basically Frank would basically set my amp settings. He?d set everybody?s amp settings? actually. As far as the basses and the guitars and stuff Frank would set everybody?s guitar settings to have ?you know cause that?s the thing that?s part of the orchestration and articulation so that certain rhythm guitars would have certain sounds and excetra but the way I play I actually add a little bit more low end. A little bit more low end so that the chords are fuller and stuff like that. Basically what I rehearsed was mainly like holding down the fort with the other ryhtem guitar players.

End of Part One

Ike Willis is about to release his second solo album?Dirty Pictures? on Muffin Records.

In addition to performing and recording with Frank Zappa?s bands for more than 10 years he has continued to perform the music of Frank Zappa with many extremely talented musicians. Ike?s performances contain that ?special sauce? which Frank called ?putting the eyebrows on it?. While his vocals have always been a standout his guitarmanship is presently at a level that can truthfully make one feel ?The Frank Zappa Guitar Signature?. I urge you to support Ike Willis. Due to space limitation in this special issue please seek out additional information on his product, touring and release schedule from Muffin Records. I hope you?ve enjoyed . This is only the beginning.

Let?s Dance!

?The White Zone is For Loading and Unloading Only. If you have to load or unload go to the White Zone. You?ll love it. It?s a way of life? -- Frank Zappa?s Central Scrutinezer character from Joes Garage

The Ike Willis Band works currently on their new album " DIRTY PICTURES" which is scheduled for its release now on HALLOWEEN '97.

TRACKING LIST: Blonde Hair, Blonde Teeth - Bad Time II - Dirty Pictures - Andy Young - Eye of Nude - Malcolm - The Doctor is in - Yo Cats - Some Son - Planet No.III - The Clock - Something Rash - Inside Out - Love Tax. Coming soon ! Muffin Records CDMRP 019 1997 Muffin Records PO Box 164281 - Austin, Texas 78716-4281 Fax: -USA-512-306-9219

PRIVACY is presently working on a special tribute mailing for Jerry Cuccurullo. Jerry Cuccurullo passed away on December 8th 1997.

Warren's father, Jerry Cuccurullo, died Friday Dec. 5, 1997 after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was a really kind, generous man, and always very supportive of Warren. Condolence cards may be sent through us ( PO BOX 593 Vincennes, IN 47591) or through Katy Krassner (PO BOX 419, New York, NY 10021). You can email Warren's mother at mamacuc@aol.com.

Warren's mother, Ellen Cuccurullo, released this message to the fans:

"Warren's father was diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer two years ago and we knew then that his life expectancy was probably not more than two years. I know you all have lots of questions, especially regarding the rest of the tour and I want to assure you that the shows will go on with no further delays. This is the way the family wants it, and it was Mr. C's wish as well. Thank you all for your love and prayers."

---Cuccurullo Family

On Monday, Dec. 8, Mrs. Cuccurullo released this message: "There is no way I could possibly reply to all of your letters expressing your sorrow at our loss. There have been dozens of messages and I am printing out all of them to save in a folder. You have touched me deeply and have given me much comfort during these sad days while I am preparing for the funeral on Tuesday. Thank you all for your prayers, love, and concern. And remember, Save A Prayer..."

---Love, Ellen CuccurulloIf you would like to add a comment for this issue please E-Mail Cyndi Glass today. The deadline was Friday

PRIVACY Home Page Privacy: The Warren Cuccurullo Fan Club

c/o Cyndi Glass & Amie Rodarmel

PO BOX 593 Vincennes, IN 47591 USA

cglass@vunet.vinu.edu

Privacy was formed in 1993 to help people find information about Warren Cuccurullo. Our focus is not solely on his work with Duran Duran--we try to help people find out about all the different aspects of Warren's career. We especially want to emphasize the fact that if you're just now discovering Missing Persons, we are here to help you as much as possible.



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