The Independent effectively having to function under siege from sacked print workers picketing outside. "The Independent" attracted some of the staff from the two Murdoch broadsheets who had chosen not to move to his company's new headquarters. Launched with the advertising slogan "It is. Are you?", and challenging both "The Guardian" for centre-left readers and "The Times" as the newspaper of record, "The Independent" reached a circulation of over 400,000 by 1989. Competing in a moribund market, "The Independent" sparked a general freshening of newspaper design as well as, within a few years, a price war in the market sector. When "The
You Are What You Is Harris adding overdubs and joining the group for Zappa's fall 1980 tour. However, "You Are What You Is" was not released until after "Tinseltown Rebellion" and "Shut Up 'N Play Yer Guitar" although the latter two albums included material from the fall tour. The album also included guest appearances from former band members, including Jimmy Carl Black and Motorhead Sherwood from the 60's Mothers of Invention, as well as the first appearances on record of Zappa's children Moon Unit and Ahmet. Like many of Zappa's albums, some of the tracks are bound together, and the album lacks an overall storyline.