APPRECIATORS OF THE marvelous edifice that is Witchdoctor can show their love this week by supporting their favourite technology and music site’s editor, Gary Steel, and his bizarre book project.
Since he was just a bit taller than knee high to a grasshopper, Steel has been soaking up the eccentric but genius work of Frank Zappa. Steel has been a music journalist for around 35 years, and in that time has maintained his fandom of the most idiosyncratic and eclectic rock and roll visionary.
Steel, who can usually be found beavering away on other people’s Witchdoctor stories, shining them up ready for digital publication, and also writes loads of music stuff for the site, is trying to get his own eccentric Zappa book project underway through crowd funding.
For Crux Of The Biscuit: Frank Zappa & Critical Thinking, Steel needs to travel to LA to witness the premiere of Zappa’s 200 Motels later this month. The rock/orchestral opera was scheduled to be performed in 1971 in at London’s Royal Albert Hall, but was canceled at the last moment by management on the grounds that the libretto contained obscene material. Twenty years after Zappa’s premature death, the show is finally about to go on.
Read full details about Steel’s crowd funding HERE, and if you appreciate good music writing, please help Steel get to his target by this Tuesday 15 October. If you ever felt that you got a lot of value out of Witchdoctor for free, now is your chance to just give a little back. He and we will thank you for it!
Looks like you’re going, Gary….
Superb project Gary. I remember meeting you in 2003 or thereabouts when I first arrived in NZ. It was at a store you had off K Road and I bought a Grandmothers album – “Looking up Granny’s Dress” & Aysley Dunbar’s Retaliation – “To Mum from Aynsley & the boys”. How has your project progressed? Need any help?
Hi Pramod. Thanks for the kudos, and the memories! Sadly, the book project stalled somewhat for personal reasons I’d rather not discuss online, but it’s still on the boil, and will happen… just rather later than originally planned! Like a lot of novice users of fundraising sites, I hadn’t accurately predicted the costs of getting this book published, but we shall find a way!