Lisa Popeil
Lisa Popeil (Chicago, 24 February 1956) in an American singer, musician and voice coach.
She is the daughter of the inventor of the "Pocket Fisherman" and Veg-O-Matic, and brother of the guy who formed "Ronco" - a company that sells "Krylon" for your head, and just about anything / everything else imaginable. Lisa is a voice teacher (she accepts a limited number of students), does some studio work, and puts on vocal seminars. She produced "The Total Singer" instructional video, and is "hoping to create a library of singing-related products under the "Voiceworks" banner over the next few years".
Popeil has been a back-up singer for "Weird Al" Yankovic. In 1984 she released her own album Lisa Popeil, which also featured Steve Vai.
Lisa Popeil and Frank Zappa
Lisa auditioned for Zappa in 1981; (she had come not to audition, but to support her auditioning drummer boyfriend). Tommy Mars talked her into auditioning for keyboards and vocals. Lisa: "Frank of course tried to stump me with rhythms no musician has ever seen before. As I sight-read the music, I found that I had to move my body in a certain way to feel what 11 over 7 over the barline would feel like and Frank remarked on my "turgid flux"! What a way with words he had."
Popeil rehearsed with the band for a short period in August. On 11 December 1981 she performed in lingerie at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium and sang Lisa's Life Story, The Dangerous Kitchen and Teen-age Prostitute. The last track was featured on the album Ship Arriving Too Late To Save A Drowning Witch (1982). Lisa's Life Story appeared on You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 6 (1992).
In 2016 she performed at the ZappaUnion concert in Oslo, Norway.