Utility Muffin Research Kitchen

The Utility Muffin Research Kitchen (UMRK) is the name of the recording studio that Frank Zappa built and used extensively for many of his musical recordings. The studio was completed on September 1, 1979 at his home in the Hollywood Hills and the recording of several songs that were eventually released on the album You Are What You Is began in July 1980.[1]

A mobile UMRK was used in the first cable TV / FM "Simulcast" for Frank Zappa's 1981 Halloween show (October 31, 1981), live from Palladium (New York City) which was shown on MTV with the audio-only portion broadcast over FM's new "Starfleet Radio" network. Engineered by Mr. Zappa's long-time audio engineer Mark G. Pinske with the UMRK mobile recording truck.

The house (and subsequently recording studio) has been owned by Lady Gaga since 2016. That's one of the studios she used for the recording of her sixth album, Chromatica.[2]

References in Songs / Conceptual Continuity

The first known mention of "Utility Muffin Research Kitchen" was in the 1975 song "Muffin Man" on the album Bongo Fury.

In the conclusion of Zappa's Joe's Garage, Joe, the protagonist, gives in to conformity and gets a job on the assembly line at the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen; the narration describing his job there is nearly identical to the opening narration from "Muffin Man".

Notes
  1. Michie, Chris (1 January 2003). "We are the Mothers...and This Is What We Sound Like!". Mix. Archived from the original on 11 February 2012. Retrieved 21 February 2012.
  2. "Lady Gaga on "Stupid Love"". New Music Daily with Zane Lowe. Apple Inc. February 27, 2020. Archived from the original on February 29, 2020. Retrieved February 28, 2020.


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