1988 Was A Million Years Ago

Home | The Music | Mike | Facebook | RadioKeneally | Live Performances | Gallery | Links | Fans | Press Info | Store

Newly hired stunt guitarist Mike Keneally kept an audio journal during most of Frank Zappa's 1988 "Broadway The Hard Way" tour that included set lists, backstage goings-on and many personal observations. Here are the transcripts of Mike's diaries, originally posted in chronological order on their 10-year anniversary dates.

1988 logo

MARCH 3 1988

It's March 3 now. Scott's on his way down, we're gonna go out and walk around Chicago, which we did last night - we went to see a Second City revue about a mile and a half from here, we cabbed there and walked back. It was a very funny, extremely funny revue, called "John Paul Sartre and Ringo." Before that we had a little Mexican food in a little Mexican place a few doors down from Second City. And Frank won at least one Grammy last night for the album "Jazz From Hell." I called him at his hotel to congratulate him and I could tell from his voice that he was smiling. He was up for another one but I don't know if he won that one, I'll find out shortly. We had a real good time, Scott and I did, we just walked about and had regular old fun. We're about to go out and do it some more. I spoke to Viv today and she told me that she's going to be leaving her job in two weeks, and that makes me very pleased. Everything else seems to be going well; I haven't seen any of the other guys since we got to Chicago, but I have a feeling tonight's going to be a good show. Don't ask why, I've just got a feeling in my heart that tonight's going to be special somehow. We'll probably do "Ride My Face To Chicago."

What else happened yesterday...I went walking around the mall downstairs and had a sandwich in a place called "Dr. Delight", which for a place called "Dr. Delight" had the surliest staff that I have ever seen. It was almost as though they didn't want anyone to come in, all the chairs were up on the tables, and I walked in and started to take a chair down and one of the Dr. Delight guys, a really big, mean-looking guy with a green Dr. Delight shirt on, said "NGRAA!", he grunted, and directed me to another table where I could sit. It was very funny. It was a good sandwich, though. Then I walked outside, it was too cold, I walked back in again and went up to my room, and then I got a call from Scott saying come up to his room and I went up there. He had just bought a Stravinsky CD, so we looked at the lights of Chicago outside his window as we listened to the Stravinsky, and that was really nice, and then we decided that we needed to go out and walk around in those lights. And we did, and we saw some comedy and it was very good. And this tape is over. 'Bye bye.

Next episode:
MARCH 4 1988

Last episode:
MARCH 1 & 2 1988