To paraphrase the list inside the Freak Out gatefold: Frank Zappa has contributed materially in many ways to make my music what it is. Please don't hold it against him.
I met Zappa in 1970 after a concert in Wisconsin, when instead of the usual post-gig recreations he spent a bit more than an hour talking to a mixed bag of college student types who somehow found out his hotel room number. From things I've read his personality got a bit more hardened as time and battles built up over the years, and of course there was the serious on-stage assault that occurred later -- and there's nothing wrong with highlighting his Dada skepticism and echoing of unquestioned nonsense with equal nonsense and pointed ridicule as you start out here. It's a genuine aspect.
But.
On that night, after playing a show, with people who were not rock critics or socially important he was extraordinarily generous, and he changed my life and outlook on art. Things he discussed (most of which later became known to those who were interested in him, but which were not common knowledge in spring of 1970.
That he thought drugs were dumb. That's a complex subject, but his simple answer works better than a lot of other simple answers. Helped me.
That he liked the do-wop that I (and most? nearly all?) thought he was parodying as garbage even worse than modern Top 40 music of 1970. And as he did many interviews since, he praised Guitar Slim, who I'd never heard of. Here this germ was planted: you can use simple or incongruous musical ideas as part of a composition, even a complicated one. Eclectic contrast is a crime worth committing!
That many of the routines on stage were not wild guys improvising their head off. He stressed this to me, and from later reading I know that improvisation was part of the mix in various ratios over the years, but when I asked him about that he pulled out a portfolio of scores that appeared to be 200 Motels and that era material where he pointed out exact dialog for Flo and Eddie and multi-stave musical scores.
That portfolio and his pride in it as he showed it to me, and the general attitude he was conveying that night emphasized that he worked hard and intentionally on his art. That I received this message from what I expected to be a devil-may-care anarchic free-spirit, made it immensely compelling! I mean if Don Ellis or John Lewis or for that matter Karlheiniz Stockhausen had tried to make the same pitch I would have thought "Yeah, that's you. I'm not aiming for that."
I could go on. I'm not musically talented -- I have a few less-common skills, but lack many of the common ones. Life and resources have limited my focus and opportunities too. Because I'm non-revenue in my music and must work when I can, I must play or construct all the musical parts most times. But as writer and as a composer my life changed just from that night forward.
My lord Ted! I cannot express how much I love your approach to writing. Although 90% of my listening is dedicated to "jazz", Mr. Zappa is filed at the front of my cerebral cortex. Cannot wait for parts 2 and 3. Maybe combining all 3 parts will make the water turn black. Cheers.
I am so excited that you have written an essay about a major influence on my worldview and guitar playing.
I came to Zappa in 1969 at the age of twelve. My father died suddenly that summer and I found solace in music. Zappa's music wasn't played on the radio back then, so, you had to be turned on to it from someone else. My cousin came to visit and brought Hot Rats. I was immediately hooked and soon came to be obsessed. I immediately bought Frank's back catalog and whatever came out as a new release, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, et cetera
In 1970, my sister was dating a free jazz musician who studied with Bill Dixon. He once introduced me to Ornette Coleman. I told him I was into Zappa and showed him the booklet from Uncle Meat. He found the part with the sheet music to King Kong and picked up his horn and played it cold. I was very impressed. Imagine my surprise when he told me that he knew Zappa from playing at the Anderson Theater in the Village.
In 1972, I met Frank after a show at the Felt Forum. As another commenter mentioned, he was very gracious to his fans. He patiently answered questions about his music. When it was my turn to speak, I asked what I instantly thought was a stupid question, "How is Sugarcane?". Other people were asking technical questions about composing or soloing. He looked me straight in the eye and became animated, saying, "Sugarcane's in jail, man!" I thought at first that maybe he was being flip because I asked a dumb question, but, then I realized that he looked pained.
I later found out that Don "Sugarcane" Harris had a drug problem. Frank had bailed him out of jail to do the Hot Rats sessions. He no doubt was distressed that this great musician was again letting his demons get the better of him. Grumpy, but, compassionate.
I borrowed "Absolutely Free" from the A/V room at my Jesuit high school back in 1972. Nothing was the same after that. I played Zappa music for my kids when they were children. I still play Zappa music when my wife is out. My son is now a composer of classically-styled music and other stuff that is often distinctly odd and really interesting. And like Uncle Frank, he ain't woke. :-) This is a brilliant article (and frankly, unique and I've read the books and seen the vids) and I am really looking forward to the next two episodes. This is really worth the subscription! Thanks Mr. G. Well done.
First, compelling writing. I think your focus on Zappa's attitude and his self-identification as a social outcast is significant to his music, both in his instrumental/compositional choices and influences and most particularly in his lyrics. As a teenager I loved his lyrics - nonsensical, playful, imaginative, and cynical and sarcastic and dirty and interesting. I still love some of them, i.e. - Let's Make the Water Turn Black, Catholic Girls, . As a biological adult, at least, I can see that he was working within his limitations. It seems he was challenged by writing lyrics that conveyed his own positive vision of things (admittedly this is based on listening to a fraction of his output). Most of what he wrote that I've heard made fun of one thing or the other, with a semi-strong dose of detachment/judgment. Not so for his music though. To me, that is where Zappa's passion and positive vision shine through, whether it's his guitar solos, compositions, drum parts, etc.
Robert Frost (uncounted "Kevin Bacons" to link him to Zappa I'd think) who could go darker in his poetry that many remember, wrote as his own epitaph "I had a lover's quarrel with the world." Zappa, at least early Zappa, shares that. "Freak Out" is utopian, despite its discontents which make the case for something different. His "Velvet Revolution" fans in Eastern Europe felt that too. And later Zappa and his love for music? The clips of him working on The Yellow Shark or being visited on his deathbed by little bedside concerts show that level of love even in terminal extremes.
Great! But as someone who grew up in SoCal, I have to give shout-outs to two places you diss: Pacoima, which gave us the immortal Richard Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie Valens; and El Monte Legion Stadium, which brought together Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, and everybody else who simply loved rock 'n' roll. Memories of El Monte, the Zappa song that paid homage to it, was famously recorded by the Penguins, the South L.A. quartet best known for the seminal L.A. doo-wop song Earth Angel.
What a great endeavor! Can’t think of anyone better equipped to do a deep dive in the Zapasphere at this time in history. I really loved the preamble (thanks for the intro to Hugh Kenner), your illustrations and the application to Zappa.
I was blessed to interview Zappa in his home studio circa ‘77 with a focus on recording technology as a central part of the artist tool box.
We talked about John Cage, Edgar Varese, and Charles Ives as well as the nitty gritty, eg. recording his picking of guitar notes with a mic and blending this with the distorted sound from the amp to get his distinctive sound.
His influences are wide and deep. I hear Zappa in the writing of Thomas Pynchon, Neal Stephenson as well as the hip hop of the last 30 years and the sonic experiments of people like Radiohead.
His anger and bitterness could be off putting but below the surface was empathy.
Thanks - both for top-tier writing and for being so prolific. Your output is so rich in insights and ideas and is expressed with both precision and artistry. I love! Love!! LOVE!!! writing that actually resonates with and reflects its subject matter. You have both the ears to hear and the words to tell - and tell it well. Muchisimas gracias, Señor!
The part where Zappa is speaking in front of ASUC and advocates for them to call themselves "WE SUCK" made me laugh so hard. Thank you! He is brilliant and hilarious.
I listen to Zappa daily. You really have to understand the complexity and style that Frank brought to music. The words and language had a time and place, but the type of music that Steve Vai helped create an entirely new written language to capture are timeless. Complex rhythms that were sometimes based on the cadence of the spoken word are very different from what we get today and will probably continue to see into the future. Frank Zappa was Howard Stern (or maybe Joe Rogan) before it was even a thing. Imagine what would happen if Zappa could have shared all that animation and media with very little friction to publishing in our social forward world.
Superb man. Zappa was a sonic outlaw that carved a path in pathless land, an antidote to conformist produced music that was going nowhere and he left us instructions(but the map is not the territory). A language of the stranger astral plane where the rules on this plane do not apply there. That strange dream that speaks in a way that you really don't want to discuss with your therapist.
I bought the first couple of Mothers of Invention albums, saw them play at Johns Hopkins University in '67, and if I read you right, I think that Frank (can I call him Frank? I got within six feet of him when he invited the audience up on stage to contribute to the show) would have held nihilists in very low regard, mainly because like Mikey of the cereal commerial, he hated everything!
You might want to consider putting an apostrophe in front of "cause" in your essay, as it is a contraction of "because". That is all.
The opening of your post is so refreshing. Only 2 hours ago I was discussing with a music producer how the struggles and imperfection (in life and music) actually would be great to show publicly. It humanizes the artist and stands out from the "everything is great and perfect" image that is often broadcasted.
To paraphrase the list inside the Freak Out gatefold: Frank Zappa has contributed materially in many ways to make my music what it is. Please don't hold it against him.
I met Zappa in 1970 after a concert in Wisconsin, when instead of the usual post-gig recreations he spent a bit more than an hour talking to a mixed bag of college student types who somehow found out his hotel room number. From things I've read his personality got a bit more hardened as time and battles built up over the years, and of course there was the serious on-stage assault that occurred later -- and there's nothing wrong with highlighting his Dada skepticism and echoing of unquestioned nonsense with equal nonsense and pointed ridicule as you start out here. It's a genuine aspect.
But.
On that night, after playing a show, with people who were not rock critics or socially important he was extraordinarily generous, and he changed my life and outlook on art. Things he discussed (most of which later became known to those who were interested in him, but which were not common knowledge in spring of 1970.
That he thought drugs were dumb. That's a complex subject, but his simple answer works better than a lot of other simple answers. Helped me.
That he liked the do-wop that I (and most? nearly all?) thought he was parodying as garbage even worse than modern Top 40 music of 1970. And as he did many interviews since, he praised Guitar Slim, who I'd never heard of. Here this germ was planted: you can use simple or incongruous musical ideas as part of a composition, even a complicated one. Eclectic contrast is a crime worth committing!
That many of the routines on stage were not wild guys improvising their head off. He stressed this to me, and from later reading I know that improvisation was part of the mix in various ratios over the years, but when I asked him about that he pulled out a portfolio of scores that appeared to be 200 Motels and that era material where he pointed out exact dialog for Flo and Eddie and multi-stave musical scores.
That portfolio and his pride in it as he showed it to me, and the general attitude he was conveying that night emphasized that he worked hard and intentionally on his art. That I received this message from what I expected to be a devil-may-care anarchic free-spirit, made it immensely compelling! I mean if Don Ellis or John Lewis or for that matter Karlheiniz Stockhausen had tried to make the same pitch I would have thought "Yeah, that's you. I'm not aiming for that."
I could go on. I'm not musically talented -- I have a few less-common skills, but lack many of the common ones. Life and resources have limited my focus and opportunities too. Because I'm non-revenue in my music and must work when I can, I must play or construct all the musical parts most times. But as writer and as a composer my life changed just from that night forward.
May music find a way.
Thanks for sharing this story.
Thanks for making that connection - the Mothers were Dada! Excellent!
My lord Ted! I cannot express how much I love your approach to writing. Although 90% of my listening is dedicated to "jazz", Mr. Zappa is filed at the front of my cerebral cortex. Cannot wait for parts 2 and 3. Maybe combining all 3 parts will make the water turn black. Cheers.
Love Zappa AND what u write! Wonder if you'll include his famous quote about our favorite music?: "Jazz isn't dead, it just smells funny...!"
I am so excited that you have written an essay about a major influence on my worldview and guitar playing.
I came to Zappa in 1969 at the age of twelve. My father died suddenly that summer and I found solace in music. Zappa's music wasn't played on the radio back then, so, you had to be turned on to it from someone else. My cousin came to visit and brought Hot Rats. I was immediately hooked and soon came to be obsessed. I immediately bought Frank's back catalog and whatever came out as a new release, Burnt Weeny Sandwich, Weasels Ripped My Flesh, et cetera
In 1970, my sister was dating a free jazz musician who studied with Bill Dixon. He once introduced me to Ornette Coleman. I told him I was into Zappa and showed him the booklet from Uncle Meat. He found the part with the sheet music to King Kong and picked up his horn and played it cold. I was very impressed. Imagine my surprise when he told me that he knew Zappa from playing at the Anderson Theater in the Village.
In 1972, I met Frank after a show at the Felt Forum. As another commenter mentioned, he was very gracious to his fans. He patiently answered questions about his music. When it was my turn to speak, I asked what I instantly thought was a stupid question, "How is Sugarcane?". Other people were asking technical questions about composing or soloing. He looked me straight in the eye and became animated, saying, "Sugarcane's in jail, man!" I thought at first that maybe he was being flip because I asked a dumb question, but, then I realized that he looked pained.
I later found out that Don "Sugarcane" Harris had a drug problem. Frank had bailed him out of jail to do the Hot Rats sessions. He no doubt was distressed that this great musician was again letting his demons get the better of him. Grumpy, but, compassionate.
I borrowed "Absolutely Free" from the A/V room at my Jesuit high school back in 1972. Nothing was the same after that. I played Zappa music for my kids when they were children. I still play Zappa music when my wife is out. My son is now a composer of classically-styled music and other stuff that is often distinctly odd and really interesting. And like Uncle Frank, he ain't woke. :-) This is a brilliant article (and frankly, unique and I've read the books and seen the vids) and I am really looking forward to the next two episodes. This is really worth the subscription! Thanks Mr. G. Well done.
I wonder what an A/V room at a Jesuit high school was doing with a Zappa record.
And if "borrow" is a euphemism.
But can relate to the "when the wife is out."
The Jebs could be remarkably subversive in some ways. We read Huxley, Orwell, Kafka and Gide in grade 9.
First, compelling writing. I think your focus on Zappa's attitude and his self-identification as a social outcast is significant to his music, both in his instrumental/compositional choices and influences and most particularly in his lyrics. As a teenager I loved his lyrics - nonsensical, playful, imaginative, and cynical and sarcastic and dirty and interesting. I still love some of them, i.e. - Let's Make the Water Turn Black, Catholic Girls, . As a biological adult, at least, I can see that he was working within his limitations. It seems he was challenged by writing lyrics that conveyed his own positive vision of things (admittedly this is based on listening to a fraction of his output). Most of what he wrote that I've heard made fun of one thing or the other, with a semi-strong dose of detachment/judgment. Not so for his music though. To me, that is where Zappa's passion and positive vision shine through, whether it's his guitar solos, compositions, drum parts, etc.
Robert Frost (uncounted "Kevin Bacons" to link him to Zappa I'd think) who could go darker in his poetry that many remember, wrote as his own epitaph "I had a lover's quarrel with the world." Zappa, at least early Zappa, shares that. "Freak Out" is utopian, despite its discontents which make the case for something different. His "Velvet Revolution" fans in Eastern Europe felt that too. And later Zappa and his love for music? The clips of him working on The Yellow Shark or being visited on his deathbed by little bedside concerts show that level of love even in terminal extremes.
Great! But as someone who grew up in SoCal, I have to give shout-outs to two places you diss: Pacoima, which gave us the immortal Richard Valenzuela, better known as Ritchie Valens; and El Monte Legion Stadium, which brought together Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, and everybody else who simply loved rock 'n' roll. Memories of El Monte, the Zappa song that paid homage to it, was famously recorded by the Penguins, the South L.A. quartet best known for the seminal L.A. doo-wop song Earth Angel.
What a great endeavor! Can’t think of anyone better equipped to do a deep dive in the Zapasphere at this time in history. I really loved the preamble (thanks for the intro to Hugh Kenner), your illustrations and the application to Zappa.
I was blessed to interview Zappa in his home studio circa ‘77 with a focus on recording technology as a central part of the artist tool box.
We talked about John Cage, Edgar Varese, and Charles Ives as well as the nitty gritty, eg. recording his picking of guitar notes with a mic and blending this with the distorted sound from the amp to get his distinctive sound.
His influences are wide and deep. I hear Zappa in the writing of Thomas Pynchon, Neal Stephenson as well as the hip hop of the last 30 years and the sonic experiments of people like Radiohead.
His anger and bitterness could be off putting but below the surface was empathy.
Looking forward to parts 2 and 3.
Btw, a great example of the guitar sound mentioned above is the title song from Zoot Allures.
"The crux of the biscuit,
is the apostrophe."
Zappa beat the beatniks at their own game, and with their own bongos.
Thanks - both for top-tier writing and for being so prolific. Your output is so rich in insights and ideas and is expressed with both precision and artistry. I love! Love!! LOVE!!! writing that actually resonates with and reflects its subject matter. You have both the ears to hear and the words to tell - and tell it well. Muchisimas gracias, Señor!
The part where Zappa is speaking in front of ASUC and advocates for them to call themselves "WE SUCK" made me laugh so hard. Thank you! He is brilliant and hilarious.
I listen to Zappa daily. You really have to understand the complexity and style that Frank brought to music. The words and language had a time and place, but the type of music that Steve Vai helped create an entirely new written language to capture are timeless. Complex rhythms that were sometimes based on the cadence of the spoken word are very different from what we get today and will probably continue to see into the future. Frank Zappa was Howard Stern (or maybe Joe Rogan) before it was even a thing. Imagine what would happen if Zappa could have shared all that animation and media with very little friction to publishing in our social forward world.
Superb man. Zappa was a sonic outlaw that carved a path in pathless land, an antidote to conformist produced music that was going nowhere and he left us instructions(but the map is not the territory). A language of the stranger astral plane where the rules on this plane do not apply there. That strange dream that speaks in a way that you really don't want to discuss with your therapist.
I bought the first couple of Mothers of Invention albums, saw them play at Johns Hopkins University in '67, and if I read you right, I think that Frank (can I call him Frank? I got within six feet of him when he invited the audience up on stage to contribute to the show) would have held nihilists in very low regard, mainly because like Mikey of the cereal commerial, he hated everything!
You might want to consider putting an apostrophe in front of "cause" in your essay, as it is a contraction of "because". That is all.
The opening of your post is so refreshing. Only 2 hours ago I was discussing with a music producer how the struggles and imperfection (in life and music) actually would be great to show publicly. It humanizes the artist and stands out from the "everything is great and perfect" image that is often broadcasted.
Now I am going to educate myself on Zappa :)
Loved it !!