The Beautiful, Twisted World of Frank Zappa
Put something daring in your music collection



There’s nothing quite like a preconceived notion to block out an experience that could make your life so much richer. Consider, if you will, the strange case of Frank Zappa.

Zappa was a composer, singer, guitarist, arranger, bandleader, would-be politician, and all-around enfant terrible. Nothing in his art was ever really conventional. He hated what was considered “traditional.” He broke barriers. He worked in all genres and created new ones. He invented the concept album (his debut album with the Mothers of Invention, Freak Out, was apparently one of Paul McCartney’s inspirations for Sgt. Pepper), he probably invented jazz fusion, and composed classical music so brilliant that legendary French composer/conductor Pierre Boulez agreed to perform it.

Still, he’ll always be the guy who wrote “Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” and “Valley Girl.”

How frustrating is this for me, who’s been a fan for more than 20 years? More than a little. I’ll admit, when I first heard Zappa’s music, it was the toilet humor that drew me in. Hey, I was in junior high school. Sue me. Over the years, through my older brother’s endless acquisition of Zappa vinyl (both official and bootleg titles), in addition to front-row seats at a 1984 Zappa concert (my first rock concert), the creation of countless Zappa mix tapes (for myself as well as Zappa acolytes), the acquisition of Zappa’s ever-growing CD titles, and deep sadness at hearing of his passing in 1993, Frank’s music has been a constant in my musical upbringing since the age of 13.

Why does this music speak to me? For one thing, the man was a complete and utter genius. His eclecticism floored me – he could write brilliant pop music (usually with tongue firmly-in-cheek) and then turn around and give you some dissonant chamber music. Or a sax-drenched jazz workout. How about a semi-parody of heavy metal? An instrumental for synthesizer? Sure, why not?

Frank did all this and made it so easy. The only common thread in his hundreds of compositions is probably the ridiculous titles he would give his songs. A transcendent duet for bouzouki and violin is titled “Canard du Jour.” One of his knottier instrumental numbers is called “Alien Orifice.” Classical pieces are not spared these idiosyncracies, either. How about a piece for orchestra (performed by the London Symphony Orchestra) called “Bob in Dacron?”

If you’re interested in diving into the Zappa archives, you’ve got your work cut out for you. Fortunately, the wonderful folks at Rykodisc have remastered virtually the entire FZ catalog on CD, and it all sounds wonderful. My own personal preferences for the ultimate Zappa starter kit would include “We’re Only In It For the Money,” “Hot Rats,” “One Size Fits All,” “Lather” and “You Can’t Do That On Stage Anymore, Vol. 2.” There’s also some fine DVD product to peruse as well (Baby Snakes, Does Humor Belong in Music, a long-awaited imminent release of the Roxy & Elsewhere concert).

I could go on with a long-winded biography, but this is just a starting point. This is music that has affected my life very deeply, and has done the same for countless others. See what the fuss is about.