The Mallets of Invention

So, what does a fella like me do when he's got more time on his hands than he's used to? He spends his time bouncing around YouTube checking out Frank Zappa-related videos. Like this beauty, called The Mallets of Invention, which talks about how Ruth Underwood, a classically-trained percussionist, joined the Mothers back in the late 60's. I think it demonstrates the true genius of Zappa -- the way he tailored music to people in the band. It also points to the fact that he was a total music geek, the way he looked to "electrify" different percussion instruments.