INTERVIEWS ON NPR'S “WEEKEND EDITION" AND SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO
George Frayne is known to most people as Commander Cody, the zany frontman for the Lost Planet Airmen. But Fraynes more than an influential rock 'n' roll star who had a Top Ten hit in the '70s hes also a world-renowned fine artist in painting, sculpture, and multimedia whose work has been exhibited in museums from Austin to Tokyo, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as in a permanent display in New Yorks Museum of Modern Art.
Frayne has combined his adventures in the music business and his fine arts background with the publication of his captivating new book, Art, Music and Life, (Q Book Press and Qualibre Inc.)
The 200+ page hardcover book pairs Frayne's considerable gift for storytelling with his talents as a painter and sculptor. George recounts his encounters with cultural icons as diverse as Hunter S. Thompson, Louis Armstrong, Salvador Dali, and Willie Nelson, accompanied by his paintings inspired by the subject. His entertaining “tales from the Ozone," spanning Cody's thirty year career, offer the unique perspective of this behind-the-scenes observer of the pop culture landscape.
In the 70's Frayne practically invented what is now known as the Americana music genre when Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen were one of the first groups to fuse rock and roll with Western swing, hillbilly music, and boogie-woogie. He was also a pioneer in the field of rock concept videos, with his groundbreaking “2 Triple Cheese, Side Order of Fries" earning a place in MOMA. Hes still producing new music; last year Blind Pig Records released Cody's studio CD entitled Dopers, Drunks, and Everyday Losers.
Before the success of “Hot Rod Lincoln" thrust him into the top ranks of the music world, Cody graduated from the University of Michigan with an MFA in Sculpture and Painting. And all through his years as a hell-raising, roustabout roots-rock rebel, he never strayed very far from his initial calling as a painter, sculptor and videographer. He exhibited in numerous shows and galleries, contributed to “StarArt," an exhibit and book that also included musical luminaries Ron Wood, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Klaus Voorman, and John Mayall, lectured on art in universities, and continued to produce his iconoclastic sculptures and videos.
Cody's visual artistry and talent as a raconteur put the readers of his new book into the shotgun seat of his wild ride through an illustrious career.
This week Cody is scheduled to record an interview about the book, his illustrious career, and his latest album for National Public Radios “Weekend Edition." The broadcast date for that interview will be announced shortly. And Cody recently traveled to New York City to record an interview with noted rock 'n' roll writer Dave Marsh for future broadcast on his “Kick Out The Jams With Dave Marsh" program on XM/Sirius satellite radio.
George Frayne is known to most people as Commander Cody, the zany frontman for the Lost Planet Airmen. But Fraynes more than an influential rock 'n' roll star who had a Top Ten hit in the '70s hes also a world-renowned fine artist in painting, sculpture, and multimedia whose work has been exhibited in museums from Austin to Tokyo, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as well as in a permanent display in New Yorks Museum of Modern Art.
Frayne has combined his adventures in the music business and his fine arts background with the publication of his captivating new book, Art, Music and Life, (Q Book Press and Qualibre Inc.)
The 200+ page hardcover book pairs Frayne's considerable gift for storytelling with his talents as a painter and sculptor. George recounts his encounters with cultural icons as diverse as Hunter S. Thompson, Louis Armstrong, Salvador Dali, and Willie Nelson, accompanied by his paintings inspired by the subject. His entertaining “tales from the Ozone," spanning Cody's thirty year career, offer the unique perspective of this behind-the-scenes observer of the pop culture landscape.
In the 70's Frayne practically invented what is now known as the Americana music genre when Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen were one of the first groups to fuse rock and roll with Western swing, hillbilly music, and boogie-woogie. He was also a pioneer in the field of rock concept videos, with his groundbreaking “2 Triple Cheese, Side Order of Fries" earning a place in MOMA. Hes still producing new music; last year Blind Pig Records released Cody's studio CD entitled Dopers, Drunks, and Everyday Losers.
Before the success of “Hot Rod Lincoln" thrust him into the top ranks of the music world, Cody graduated from the University of Michigan with an MFA in Sculpture and Painting. And all through his years as a hell-raising, roustabout roots-rock rebel, he never strayed very far from his initial calling as a painter, sculptor and videographer. He exhibited in numerous shows and galleries, contributed to “StarArt," an exhibit and book that also included musical luminaries Ron Wood, Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, Klaus Voorman, and John Mayall, lectured on art in universities, and continued to produce his iconoclastic sculptures and videos.
Cody's visual artistry and talent as a raconteur put the readers of his new book into the shotgun seat of his wild ride through an illustrious career.
This week Cody is scheduled to record an interview about the book, his illustrious career, and his latest album for National Public Radios “Weekend Edition." The broadcast date for that interview will be announced shortly. And Cody recently traveled to New York City to record an interview with noted rock 'n' roll writer Dave Marsh for future broadcast on his “Kick Out The Jams With Dave Marsh" program on XM/Sirius satellite radio.
