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LLOYD KAUFMAN,

THE FRANK ZAPPA OF THE INDEPENDENT MOVIE MOVEMENT.

In an interview on a Troma Tape, that was issued by the launch of the British Troma Team (whatever happened to that, I wonder??) Lloyd Kaufman talks about Sam Arkoff and Roger Corman. He rightfully hails these gentlemen for their contribution to cinema, and calls them the Beethovens and Mozarts of the independent movie movement as it is known in the USA. In all his usual modesty he then adds that, Troma is really like George Zamphir (the pan pipe player) compared to those guys. For once I strongly disagree with Lloyd on this one. Of course the other gentlemen have made great films and other very important contributions to the world of cinema in order to distribute films that otherwise would not have been seen by anybody, but in my not so humble opinion Troma did the same, AND THEN SOME. With Arkoff and Coreman being the Beethovens and the Mozarts of Independent Cinema, I would much rather say that Troma is the Igor Stravinsky or, probably even more appropriate, the Frank Zappa of independent film. Totally unique and incomparable. The films they have made are amongst the key-titles in low budget filmmaking, and the films they don't produce themselves but distribute are of a daring quality that it is safe to say that many of these, regarded as true gems by many a film freak and intelligent critic, would never have made it to any big screen or home cinema release if it would not have been for Troma.

The sheer diversity in Troma's output, even if we regard only the works that Lloyd produced and-or directed himself, can easily be compared with that of musical genius Frank Zappa, and the weird thing is that both Troma and Zappa are regarded as "freaks" and "outsiders", usually only by those people who are unfamiliar with their body of work and have seen or heard only an occasional (segment of a) film or composition. Both are also very unwelcome in the mainstream industry of the field they operate in, because, although utterly stupid, the people in charge of that mainstream industry (largely the same ones in both film and music) feel that there is a certain danger lurking in the power and the quality of the honesty Zappa's and Kaufman’s/Troma's work stands for. They seem to feel frightened what would happen if a larger audience would become aware of the fact that there is so much more to these works than they would like to have the masses know, which might form a threat to their own colorless drek they like to pour out over brainwashed audiences. Having larger audiences interested in the art of intelligent, outspoken artists who prefer to create the stuff that THEY know is fantastic would most certainly undermine the power of the evil ones in charge, who much rather have some stupid group of youngsters they pay peanuts in order to do exactly what they are told, without having the slightest idea of the kind of money that is made in their name.

The New York Times once stated that only intelligent people “get” Troma movies. So we live in a world where those intelligent enough to "get" things that are more complex are restricted almost only to the internet, where the Zappa family releases one after the other masterpiece of the maestro that are often difficult to be found in the mainstream (or any other) record stores, and the only reason they are available anywhere is that the Zappa Family Trust make them available themselves through www.zappa.com  and some larger stores know that if they also carry them they might make some money out of these wonderful titles as well. With the Troma dvd´s it works much the same way. Troma also has its own website, where the fans have access to their magnificent films that, other than on some intelligent festivals, are rarely shown in any theatres, let alone the multiplexes, or found in video stores, both owned by yet again the same few in POWER of the officially respected arts, or whatever it is they sell under that name. And again, if www.troma.com  wouldn´t sell these titles themselves there would be no way the big online shops would have these titles, as no one else would have released them. It´s a bloody shame.

The comparison doesn’t simply end there. As Zappa said in his film Baby Snakes, he has already been to hell, because he has been signed by Warner Brothers for 8 fucking years. A company that chopped up some of his most wonderful work, like the LATHER album. Warner Bros, a company that has also gone to great lengths to make it impossible for the smaller, more intelligent and independent film studio’s to keep in business. You only have to watch “ALL THE LOVE YOU CANNES” to see that they aren’t satisfied in messing up the music industry, but cannot stand any competition at a famous film festival as well. It is a small wonder the Warner Dog that is constantly invading the Troma offices in the Cannes hotel is not a poodle.

Censorship in both product and artwork also is known to both Zappa and Kaufman. Zappa’s cover for WE’RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY showed a brilliant parody to the Beatles’ Sgt Pepper sleeve, but had to be reversed in order to be released, the copyright owners to the original mocked cover design weren’t pleased. Almost exactly the same thing happened with the poster for Troma’s WHEN NATURE CALLS, which showed a wonderful parody to the poster of Gone With The Wind. This too had to be altered before it could be released, because otherwise Troma would have been sued, and the result was as genial as Zappa’s reversion: they simply put the image upside down. Both incidents are totally ridiculous, as it is and always has been perfectly legal to parody a certain work of art. It happens all the time. The problem is that with artists and studio’s that don’t have unlimited supplies of money only a threat to sue can be enough, as they just can’t afford to pay enormous legal costs in order to get their right. And it was not only the cover for WE´RE ONLY IN IT FOR THE MONEY:  the album was also mutilated and could not be heard in it´s original complete and uncensored form until Frank Zappa started releasing the original masters on his own record label. Compare this to films like TROMA’S WAR and THE TOXIC AVENGER, to name but a few, which were unable to be seen in any coherent edit before Troma themselves could release the titles on their own video (and later DVD) label in the original Director’s Cuts!

Funnily both also cheated on the petty censors by getting some uncensored material released when they weren’t watching. FZ included some uncut versions of previously censored tracks on a compilation album MOTHERMANIA, which the record company didn’t care enough for to listen to before releasing it, and an account on how Lloyd got BLOODSUCKING FREAKS in a theatre as an R-rated film can be read in his book ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING I LEARNED FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER.

Apart from being a brilliant composer and musician, Zappa also made other artists profit from his unique talents, by producing, composing and distributing (through his own record labels) music for such artists as L. Shankar, Alice Cooper, Wild Man Fisher and many others who we might not have heard of if he wouldn’t have given his talent and time to them. In this same fashion Lloyd Kaufman not only writes and/or directs his own films, but, with Michael Herz, he produces films for others and is willing to spend time to appear in many films made by new and as yet undiscovered directors, just to make it possible for them to get a little more publicity by having his name attached to their works. And with Troma he makes available a huge body of work from very unique and talented directors who we certainly would never have ever heard of, like Warren F. Disbrow and Guiseppe Andrews.

By spending the money that is made through their work in producing and supporting new works of art they have made it possible for music and film respectively to keep on being interesting, albeit in a rather small segment.

Without geniuses as Lloyd Kaufman and Frank Zappa the world would be a much poorer place, and the influence on the history of their respective art forms is much greater than many realise now. If there is the slightest bit of justice in the world of art they will be recognised as the important avant-gardists that they have been, but fearing this bit of justice is all too slight I fear none of us will live to be a witness of this.

PS:

Essential Zappa reading: The Real Frank Zappa Book.

This very personal book reads almost like a companion piece to Lloyd Kaufman's books ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING I LEARNED FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER and MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE

Essential Zappa movies: Uncle Meat, 200 Motels, Baby Snakes.

All of these would fit perfectly in the Troma catalogue for their daring and unique way they are conceived and directed.