Frank Zappa and The Seeds
53 Comments Paul was a big fan of Frank Zappa and The Seeds.
Frank Zappa was an American musician, composer, activist and filmmaker. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity, and satire of American culture….which was either a mate to Paul’s writing ability or an influence to the creating, writing, publishing, editorializing, and success of Vegetarian Times and the Vegetarian Movement.
The Seeds self-produced an album Future which presented a grander psychedelic artistic statement and thrust the group forward as torchbearers during perhaps the most creative and experimental time in American pop culture and music history. Paul was experimental and very creative in understanding American Pop culture and the history of the 60’s.
Once, again, is the question, was Paul simpatico or were they an influence? My answer is both.
A Brown Student is starting to write a book about Paul – his concept is
A central theme binding the bio could be ‘seeds.’
Of course Zappa, seeding the world with good food/healthy options and of course his children and ongoing legacy.
I was an art director of Vegetarian Times Magazine for several years. Looking back, working at the magazine was a turning point in my career and an experience I’ll always be thankful for. Not only was I able to expand my graphical art and MAC skills during my time at the magazine, but the experience broadened my views on health and the environment. I will always remember Paul with fondness and admiration.
He did make a difference for many.
Vegans of LA.
Peggy Ollerton Archuleta
Paul sounds like a great man who truly made the world a better place. Thank you for sharing a bit of him with us.
Kathleen Theisen wow! Your husband was the founder of a great magazine! One of my favorite recipes is from there!
Thank you for posting this Janeen, I love to hear and read about fascinating lives. I’m personally very grateful for the work your husband and others did, as I’m sure they must have faced a lot of hostility. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 18, vegan for the last 3, and we brought our children up vegetarian too. The effect of pioneers like Paul trickles down through generations and I truly believe saves people as well as animals. His work lives on and many of us are very grateful x
Our gratitude to Paul Obis for his idealism, dedication and persistence.
God bless this fine man!
I m sorry for your lost …I am vegetarian..and I appreciate your husband’s work.
iI’s often lost how much the vegetarian pioneers also did in the social action realm.
Im so sorry to hear that. He sounds like quite an inspirational guy!
. I am so sorry for your loss. I had a subscription to vegetarian times for many years in the early ’90s when I first became vegetarian and then vegan. It was a tremendous resource for me.
Rosalind Broadnax Loved that magazine! I had a subscription. I learned so much from it.
Manage
What an impact he has made, for humans and animals. a worthy life. peace to your family
How wonderful that he was such an inspiration for so many.
I’m so sorry for your loss. And so grateful for the impact your family has had on the world.❤️💔❤️
Thank you for sharing this – Paul’s obit is a heartfelt tribute to a great man and a life well lived. VT was a groundbreaking and essential resource for many. I’m sorry for your loss.
After reading this I totally remember when VT was ad free! That was an incredible feat right there! I remember when the ads first started and although advertising can be so obnoxious at times, it was actually kind of cool to see ads for so many cool products that I might like (had I had any money lol). So, it was all good! And, he had to do what he had to do, right?! It was still a great magazine!
Thank you for sharing this. What a beautiful memorial.
Nothing is more beautiful than doing something from a kind heart ❤️
What a great service he had to nutrition! Thank you for spreading love and knowledge, Paul. May you Rest In Peace. ❤️
it’s a cool website.
I loved the Vegetarian Times! So sorry for your loss!
Sorry, but his memory and legacy of this great paper are a blessing to all!!
Thanks for sharing – awesome guy.
Very nice, Janeen…
Hi Janeen. This is a beautiful memorial. It is clear that Paul lived an extraordinary life. Thank you for sharing this with us. ♥️
Sorry for your loss, Janeen. He seems like quite a guy X
I became a vegetarian at 9 years old 40 years ago. I was the only vegetarian I knew or ever met. I remember seeing a copy of vegetarian times at a waiting room. I was glad to get s subscription. Being a meatless eater is much more popular and with the internet and social media we can connect
I am glad you shared this with me. He was my teacher and I have fond memories. I am glad he had you, and I enjoyed reading through everything on the site.
I’m so sorry for your loss. He was truly a pioneer and inspiration for us all. ❤️
I am so sorry for your loss and grateful for his contributions.
What a wonderful memorial about a person, whether we knew him or not, who’s influence has improved our lives.
Thank you for sharing. I have read Vegetarian Times since the 70s. It has been an invaluable resource.
So sorry to hear this but what a legacy to leave. I read the memorial and he was a Zappa fan amongst so many other things. I loved Zappa too back in the day. What a lovely memorial.
I loved that magazine. My sincere condolences ⚘
Beautiful tribute to a beautiful spirit!
Wow, I had no idea that we had such a great personality in our group. Sorry to hear he is not with us anymore.
It sounds like he lived an amazing life. Thank you for sharing her story.
What a beautiful legacy. Thank you! 🙏
I still have many of the early issues! Wonderful. Thanks to you both, it was ahead of its time and a life saver for me as I began my vegetarian journey in 1973. 💚🙏🏼
I was close to Paul in the 1980s when I moved to Chicago from London. We frequently went out — just the two of us. I was also often round at his and Clare’s home, though the younger boys probably don’t remember me. Paul, Peter (Bohan) and I went on a memorable trip to the Ozarks to “shoot the rapids” and we had more thrills than we had bargained for!
Paul was a good friend. He was one of the warmest-hearted people I have ever known.
Paul was a great man. He was a client of ours at the Housing Center.
Wow. I’m a 1979 OPRF graduate and became a vegetarian back in 1987. Am very familiar with the magazine.
That was very interesting. Thank you for sharing
Hi, So sorry for your loss. I used to do some travel for him when I worked at Marks Travel with Alice Madden.
Also I heard that he had lunch with Paul and Linda McCartney here in Oak Park at the Vegetarian restaurant that was on Lake St. Any truth to that rumor?
Our gratitude to Paul Obis for his idealism, dedication and persistence…
Really great stuff thank you so much for sharing!
I lived with Paul in IMMC hospital housing from 1971-74. When the hospital decided to convert our apartment to a day care center we moved to 7621 Sheridan Road on the Chicago-Evanston border. I worked at Montrose Beach and Paul at Loyola Beach as beach nurses. It was a fun job for the summer and Paul was able to Work on VT while at work. In September 1974, I bought a new Ford Pinto and we decided to take a little trip. We headed North through Minnesota and headed West to the Cascades where we spent a week climbing. Paul was a much stronger climber than me and at the time I remember thinking , Wow Paul is so fit I betcha he lives to 90. How sad that I was wrong.
We then headed South to LA where we stayed with friends of Paul (Greg/who worked on the rail road and his wife Johan. They had a 12 month old baby, Adam.) We then visited the Grand Canyon for a week or so. Paul always came up with novel ideas, and on a whim he suggested driving non stop back to Illinois. We went for it and only stopped for gas until we reached Paul’s sisters house in Carbondale, Illinois. We took turns driving and one of us dozed as the mighty Pinto fought through storms in the Little Rock area. It was an adventure
As a youngster, I loved long distance motorcycling and Paul loved to ride pillion. I offered many times to teach him to ride, but he always said he liked riding on the back with me. My favorite memory of riding with Paul was him on the back screaming into my helmet, “Let’s see what this thing will do!” One of Paul’s favorite rides was down the Single Nickel toll road passing semi trucks at speed. He always said his favorite part of the ride was when the bike encountered the wind wash as we finished the pass. It felt like hitting a brick wall as the blast slammed into the bike. Paul loved it!
Paul and I kept in touch sporadically over the years. I stuck with furthering my nursing while Paul went with VT. I didn’t have the courage of Paul to venture outside the OR nurse bubble. I liked OR nursing and was lucky to have the opportunity to work at a job I mostly loved until I retired from the VA.
Paul was an original and someone I thought would live forever. He was so filled with life and it’s so very difficult to believe he’s gone. He was very fortunate to meet you and that you were able to love him so much in his final years…..
What a lovely story and I am sorry for your loss.
As a self-taught composer and performer, Zappa had diverse musical influences that led him to create music that was sometimes difficult to categorize. While in his teens, he acquired a taste for 20th-century classical modernism, African-American rhythm and blues, and doo-wop music.[6] He began writing classical music in high school, while at the same time playing drums in rhythm and blues bands, later switching to electric guitar. His debut studio album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out! (1966), combined songs in conventional rock and roll format with collective improvisations and studio-generated sound collages. He continued this eclectic and experimental approach whether the fundamental format was rock, jazz, or classical.
“A Mind is like a Parachute. It doesn’t work if it isn’t Open.”