Cal Schenkel

[2] Schenkel's artwork, influenced at first by the comic strip Krazy Kat and by Mad magazine,[1] developed its own "primitive" "ragged" surrealist style.

In 1976, Schenkel held an exhibition of his artwork in Greenfields Gallery at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington.

"[2] The first large Zappa project he worked on was the cover for We're Only in It for the Money, a parody of the Beatles' album Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Schenkel built plaster figures, helped set up the staging for the photo (at Zappa's direction), and put together the collage of people in the background.

[4] Schenkel worked on album covers for Straight Records, a label owned by Zappa and manager Herb Cohen.

[1] For Trout Mask Replica Schenkel went to a local fish market to buy the carp head that he wanted to use on the album cover.

At one point Beefheart picked up a saxophone and started to play something "raw" through the mouth of the stinking fish.

[7] The artwork for Zappa's Burnt Weeny Sandwich was originally intended for an Eric Dolphy album.

Schenkel provided vocals for Zappa's album Lumpy Gravy and was production designer for the film 200 Motels.

[1] The inspiration and title for the track "For Calvin (And His Next Two Hitch-Hikers)" (from The Grand Wazoo) was from an incident as related by Schenkel to Zappa.

Schenkel returned to Willow Grove hoping to jump-start an art career separate from Zappa and the record industry.