Under The Same Moon : My Life with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a Community of Other Artistic Souls [Paperback]

Thana Harris (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2000

The life story of Suzannah (Thana) Harris, the only Frank Zappa vocalist that successfully mastered the difficult vocals on Zappa's album "Sleep Dirt."

Editorial Reviews

Review

...truly wonderful example of [the] musician’s life backstage, which is often very different from the one we are used to... -- Debra Kadabra Magazine, Italy

“The insights to the working habits of Vai and Zappa alone are worth the price of the book... -- Curio Journal, Australia

“[Thana’s] recollections of Frank Zappa in the studio are intriguing and her vocal performances on "Sleepdirt" are the wonderful result. -- Sevenmag, Australia

From the Back Cover

Suzannah (Thana) Harris, former vocalist for Frank Zappa and Steve Vai, moved at the age of thirteen from the jungles of Brazil to the seductive and turbulent environment of the late 1960s in the US.

This first-hand, personal account tells you how Thana, a virtually unknown vocalist, found her way across America and eventually met, worked with and learned from the great musical genius, Frank Zappa, and the world-renowned rock and roll guitar player, Steve Vai.

This intriguing story will introduce you to the lady who accomplished what former vocalists could not: the vocal performances on the Frank Zappa recording of "Sleep Dirt." Read about her work and friendship with Steve Vai, her work and romance with Bob Harris (a Zappa band member she fell in love with and married), and finally, life with Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a number of artists who lived together at the infamous "Wayward Inn," Steve Vai's house in Sylmar, California.

This is Thana's debut as a literary writer. She speaks directly to you and you'll love her honesty, her humor and her passion for life.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 178 pages
• Publisher: Mastahna Pub; 1 edition (June 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739202324
• ISBN-13: 978-0739202326
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,674,879 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Light, believable biography, March 17, 2000

By 

Tom Tuerff (That there Phoenix place) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Under The Same Moon : My Life with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a Community of Other Artistic Souls (Paperback)

This book isn't so much a tell-all as a tell-what-she-knows-and-make-it-interesting. Thana Harris relates her experiences working and recording with Frank Zappa, which led directly to her meeting and working with Steve Vai and her future husband Bob Harris.

Thana has a nice style that sounds more like a spoken conversation than a written treatise. She does seem to be hinting at some sort of spiritual belief that brought her together with these musicians, but she never really explains too well just what that belief might be.

Not an absolute MUST, but if you're a Zappa fan it's nice to see him described by a female who doesn't claim to have slept with him. You come away from this book feeling like you've just met a very nice person.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Exploitative rubbish, April 22, 2002

By 

Chris Michie (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Under The Same Moon : My Life with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a Community of Other Artistic Souls (Paperback)

This is a dismal book. Badly written, unedited, and full of mistakes, this is truly a vanity project. Unless you are a member of Thana Harris' immediate family there is no reason whatever to purchase this. Frank Zappa fans looking for informative details on the recordings of Ms. Harris's overdubs on the "Sleep Dirt" tracks will learn nothing new. Fans of Bob Harris and/or Steve Vai may be a little less disappointed, but this is just one more book that only got published because it has a tenuous connection with Zappa. ...

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nice Biography, June 25, 2001

By 

S. M Marson (Lumberton, NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Under The Same Moon : My Life with Frank Zappa, Steve Vai, Bob Harris and a Community of Other Artistic Souls (Paperback)

The subtitle of UNDER THE SAME MOON is MY LIFE WITH FRANK ZAPPA, STEVE VAI, BOB HARRIS AND A COMMUNITY OF OTHER ARTISTIC SOULS. I purchased the book because of the subtitle.

Suzannah Harris has a nice writing style and is quite a romantic. However, I was really disappointed. I was much more interested in capturing the unique picture of the Frank Zappa, etc. UNDER THE SAME MOON is a personal biography with little emphasis on the community of artistic souls.

Thus if you are seeking greater insight to the community, you need not read this book. If you want to read the thoughts and feelings of a person moving from girl to woman, this is the book for you.