Frank Zappa’s Honker Home Video Returns
The 1980s video company is getting reborn as an online video streaming service. Films like ‘Cheaper Than Cheep’ and the 1985 compilation ‘Video From Hell’ are currently available to rent.
Frank Zappa’s 1980s video company, Honker Home Video, is getting revived. Originally founded in 1985, the brand is getting re-launched as an online video service in the Zappa.com store: “Honker believes that what you watch and when you watch it should be a matter of personal choice, and such decisions are not appropriately made by third parties or organized pressure groups.”
Each rental is $6.99. All video rentals will be limited to a 72 hour viewing window once the film has been started. After 72 hours, the rental will expire.
The collection also includes vintage items and ephemera like Honker Home Video No-D glasses, an original promotion item from the 80s “for viewers who fear exposure to unexpectedly mind-boggling theoretical concepts,” “Honker if you love home video” bumper stickers, a “We are what we watch” 1987 poster, and more.
One of the films available to rent is Cheaper Than Cheep, a never-before-seen concert film recorded on June 21st, 1974 with The Mothers Of Invention. Produced by Zappa and his longtime Vaultmaster Joe Travers, the film was directed by Zappa’s son Ahmet, who had been working on the project for over 12 years.
Another offering is Video From Hell, a 1985 compilation previewing contemporaneous Honker projects like Baby Snakes and Uncle Meat. It includes Al Malkin’s “I Need Your Love,” and Zappa’s testimony before the Maryland State Legislature, March 18, 1986.
There’s also 1987’s True Stories Of Frank Zappa’s 200 Motels, a behind-the-scenes documentary revealing the making of Zappa’s surrealistic exploration of tour craziness, the 1971 film 200 Motels. The one-hour film contains glimpses of the actual shooting and recording of the original cast and characters including Keith Moon, Ringo Starr, and Theodore Bikel, as well as additional vintage footage from Zappa’s private archives. There’s also The Torture Never Stops, a concert movie filmed live at The Palladium, NYC, Halloween 1981 (early & late shows).
