168 - Frank

    A struggling musician runs into a band that has just lost a keyboard player.  He is folded into the band, which is fronted by a strangely charismatic, skilled musician named Frank, who always wears an oversized head.
    Wow, I didn’t have any sense of what this would be like, but I found it… bizarre, but very enjoyable.  I haven’t been able to fully digest the story or make sense of the ideas in it, but I did find the whole thing remarkably touching.
    The music is very strange, but it has something to offer.  There are a lot of strange sounds involved, and textures, but it doesn’t feel like typical music.  That’s where there’s a conflict in the story - the lead, Jon, admires this adventurous music, but finds himself drawn to something of a more traditional approach to pop music.  I find myself in the same situation most of the time.
    The story drags a little during the second half, but it set a very high bar, and the story shifts to a very different one.  I don’t know if I can say that the second half is bad, because the script sets up everything it has to during the first half.
    Very good, but in a strange way.  A little uncomfortable.

     I noticed a reference that I haven't found any other reference to online.  There's a character that has been treated because he was into fucking mannequins.  At one point, Frank mentions that one of his mannequins is named "Caroline Cuntley."  This is a direct reference to The Real Frank Zappa Book, in which Zappa is talking about a friend of his who lived with a guy named Wild Bill... who would do the exact same thing.  His little girl mannequin had the same name.  It's nice to see this reference.  It's obscure, but knowing that the author read the same book is pretty meaningful.