Watch Rare Footage Of Frank Zappa Performing At Mudd Club In 1980
The clip was filmed at the legendary New York City nightclub on May 8, 1980.
By Scott Bernstein Mar 24, 2023 • 8:02 am PDT
Guitarist Frank Zappa and his band played the intimate confines of New York City’s famed Mudd Club nightclub on May 8, 1980. Rare footage captured at the show has been unveiled from the FZ vault.
Audio of both the Mudd Club show and a concert at the huge Olympiahalle arena in Munich, Germany played on July 3, 1980 were recently released as the Zappa 80: Mudd Club/Munich live archival set. Each featured the short-lived lineup that saw Zappa backed by guitarists Ray White and Ike Willis, drummer David Logeman, bassist Arthur Barrow and keyboardist Tommy Mars. Vinnie Colaiuta took back his drum seat given up at the end of 1979 from Logeman in time for Frank’s 1980 Fall Tour.
Lower Manhattan’s Mudd Club was an unusual venue for Frank Zappa at the time, who was filling large arenas. “Zappa loved the small, seedy club and the punks, posers and hipsters that called it home, and so made it a priority to play there while on tour, scheduling a performance on May 8th, 1980, at the tiny 240-capacity room, sandwiched between much larger arena dates in Cincinnati, Philadelphia and the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Long Island where he played two shows in one night to more than 20,000 fans total,” pointed out press materials heralding Zappa 80: Mudd Club/Munich.
The 70-second video posted on the Frank Zappa YouTube channel contains scenes filmed at the Mudd Club engagement. An early version of “You Are What You Is” played that night soundtracks the footage. The song would go on to serve as the title track of Zappa’s next studio album the following year.
Watch Frank Zappa and his band in action at Mudd Club on May 8, 1980 below:
