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Frank Zappa: Jeho vlastnými slovami
The story of Frank Zappa with quotes from the man himself.
96 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1993
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About the author
Barry Miles
67Ìýbooks146ÌýfollowersBarry Miles is an English author best known for his deep involvement in the 1960s counterculture and for chronicling the era through his prolific writing. He played a key role in shaping and documenting the London underground scene, becoming a central figure among the poets, musicians, and artists who defined the decade’s rebellious spirit. A close associate of figures such as Allen Ginsberg and Paul McCartney, Miles not only witnessed the cultural revolution firsthand but also actively participated in it through ventures like the Indica Gallery and the alternative newspaper International Times.
In the early 1960s, Miles began working at Better Books in London, a progressive bookshop that became a hub for the avant-garde. While there, he was instrumental in organizing the International Poetry Incarnation at the Royal Albert Hall in 1965, an event that marked the emergence of the British underground movement and featured prominent poets like Allen Ginsberg. The same year, Miles co-founded the Indica Bookshop and Gallery, which became a gathering place for creatives and countercultural icons. It was here that John Lennon first met Yoko Ono, at one of her art exhibitions.
Miles also played a role in launching International Times, one of the UK’s first underground newspapers, which Paul McCartney discreetly funded. Miles introduced McCartney to the people behind the project and facilitated many of his early connections with the underground scene. In 1967, he co-organized The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, a legendary multimedia event at Alexandra Palace featuring Pink Floyd, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon, among others.
Later in the decade, Miles took on the management of Zapple Records, an experimental subsidiary of Apple Records. During this time, he produced poetry albums, including one by Richard Brautigan. However, his personal relationship with Brautigan became strained after Miles became romantically involved with Brautigan’s partner, Valerie Estes. The fallout led to communication only through legal representatives. Although Zapple closed before releasing the Brautigan album, it was eventually issued by another label in 1970.
Miles also produced a recording of Allen Ginsberg’s musical interpretation of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, which was released in 1970. He briefly lived with Ginsberg in New York before returning to England following the breakdown of his first marriage. He later married travel writer Rosemary Bailey and continued to live and work in London.
In addition to his memoirs In the Sixties and In the Seventies, Miles has written definitive biographies of cultural icons such as Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now), Frank Zappa, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, and Allen Ginsberg. He is also the author of Hippie, a visual and narrative exploration of the 1960s counterculture. His writings often reflect a mix of personal experience and historical documentation, offering insight into the worlds of rock, literature, and art.
Miles is known not only for his historical accounts but also for his critical views, including pointed commentary on musicians like Rush and Frank Zappa, examining the political and commercial aspects of their work. With a career that spans over five decades, Barry Miles remains one of the most insightful chroniclers of the countercultural and musical revolutions of the 20th century.
In the early 1960s, Miles began working at Better Books in London, a progressive bookshop that became a hub for the avant-garde. While there, he was instrumental in organizing the International Poetry Incarnation at the Royal Albert Hall in 1965, an event that marked the emergence of the British underground movement and featured prominent poets like Allen Ginsberg. The same year, Miles co-founded the Indica Bookshop and Gallery, which became a gathering place for creatives and countercultural icons. It was here that John Lennon first met Yoko Ono, at one of her art exhibitions.
Miles also played a role in launching International Times, one of the UK’s first underground newspapers, which Paul McCartney discreetly funded. Miles introduced McCartney to the people behind the project and facilitated many of his early connections with the underground scene. In 1967, he co-organized The 14 Hour Technicolor Dream, a legendary multimedia event at Alexandra Palace featuring Pink Floyd, Yoko Ono, and John Lennon, among others.
Later in the decade, Miles took on the management of Zapple Records, an experimental subsidiary of Apple Records. During this time, he produced poetry albums, including one by Richard Brautigan. However, his personal relationship with Brautigan became strained after Miles became romantically involved with Brautigan’s partner, Valerie Estes. The fallout led to communication only through legal representatives. Although Zapple closed before releasing the Brautigan album, it was eventually issued by another label in 1970.
Miles also produced a recording of Allen Ginsberg’s musical interpretation of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, which was released in 1970. He briefly lived with Ginsberg in New York before returning to England following the breakdown of his first marriage. He later married travel writer Rosemary Bailey and continued to live and work in London.
In addition to his memoirs In the Sixties and In the Seventies, Miles has written definitive biographies of cultural icons such as Paul McCartney (Many Years From Now), Frank Zappa, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Charles Bukowski, and Allen Ginsberg. He is also the author of Hippie, a visual and narrative exploration of the 1960s counterculture. His writings often reflect a mix of personal experience and historical documentation, offering insight into the worlds of rock, literature, and art.
Miles is known not only for his historical accounts but also for his critical views, including pointed commentary on musicians like Rush and Frank Zappa, examining the political and commercial aspects of their work. With a career that spans over five decades, Barry Miles remains one of the most insightful chroniclers of the countercultural and musical revolutions of the 20th century.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 17, 2018
Music journalist Miles has selected excerpts from various interviews Frank Zappa did between 1967 and 1990. As Miles points out in his introduction, Zappa is one of the most interviewed musicians ever, surprising given Zappa's famous disdain for the music press (only slightly greater than his disdain for virtually everything else). Miles selected material from lesser known interviews and arranged them by subject. Even though the reader might not have encountered these particular interviews before, they are highly consistent with the famous interviews that one usually finds. For the person who knows Zappa fairly well, there are not many surprises here. For the person curious about Zappa's notoriety, the book provides a pretty clear picture of Zappa's public persona. That persona is abrasive, cynical, and opinionated. However, Zappa himself knows this and makes no excuses or attempts to hide it. And to his credit, he makes no pretense to having higher knowledge or being the person that everyone just has to listen to. He makes it clear that he does not have answers, just opinions. It's a good introduction to Zappa's thoughts and ideology, packaged in glossy pages with many pictures not easily available elsewhere. Still, I feel that a reader can get a much better sense of Zappa's personality, and not just the abrasive public persona, from "The Real Frank Zappa Book" by Zappa with Peter Occhiogrosso published a few years earlier.
September 14, 2021
Fun and intellectual. Daring and honest. Human... Perhaps some harsh words about himself. Being one of the most gifted composers ever and a top five in rock creativity, I wouldn't expect less. He was so close to being "The" genius that his guitar skills are extremely underrated. Mandatory reading to begin with, If we are to talk about music as an art form.
December 1, 2018
Slim volume of quotations from Frank covering a wide range of subjects. A fun little book.
October 30, 2021
Pretty unsatisfying collection of random interviews organized haphazardly, IMHO
September 24, 2008
Although I am huge fan of Frank, this book was a bit boring and most of it has not been new to me.
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June 22, 2011miles really gives good criticism for zappa's bitter, slightly dumbed down work in the 80's....the sexual perversions and stuff, gets old maybe
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
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