The Real Frank Zappa Research Node
From
doo-wop to
satirical hard-rock to
serious classical composition, Frank Zappa has done it all. Whether it’s “
Burnt Weenie Sandwich” , “
Catholic Girls”, or “
Jazz from Hell”
Zappa’s
music has broken all barriers between comedic satire and pop music; experimental sounds and orchestral pieces. By combining his own creativity with influences such as Edgar Varese and Anton Webern, Zappa became one of the most respected, influential, and controversial artists of the
1900’s. His involvement in the
Parents Music Resource Center (
PMRC) displayed Zappa’s strong dissent against censorship in America and his protective activism for
First Amendment Rights. His
greatest work (completed shortly before his death on
December 4, 1993) is “
The Yellow Shark” a
full length orchestra composed by Frank Zappa. Frank Zappa’s innovative
creativity in his music, combined with greatly differing influences and political and social activism made him much more than a musician; an
American legend.
Frank
Zappa was born in
Baltimore on
December 21, 1940 ( Frank Zappa Biography). At the age of ten, he and his
family moved to
California where his father worked as a
meteorologist for the
military who researched poisonous gases.
Zappa’s musical career began in high school as a drummer in local garage bands and the school marching band.
Zappa’s life and musical tastes changed in 1954, when he read a
Look Magazine story about the Sam Goody record
chain, which cited its ability to sell such “weird” music as “The
Complete Works of Edgar Varese, Vol. One”. When Zappa finally found a copy, he
embraced its
avant-garde sound. It was then that the musical mix of influences began. Zappa was just as deeply influenced by
Howlin’ Wolf and the
Orioles as
Bach,
Varese and
Webern.
Zappa’s first experience with composing
classical music came as a high school sophomore in an unproduced early
‘60s pop opera titled “
I Was a Teenage Maltshop” (narrated by his high school friend
Don Van Vliet, who later became
Captain Beefheart) (Tribute to the
Great Wazoo). During the early
1960's, Frank was in various small bands including:
The Ramblers (Zappa on
drums); The
Black-Outs;
The Boogie Men;
Joe Perrino and the Mellotones;
The Soots (w/
Captain Beefheart;
Mr. Clean,
The Rotations;
The Soul Giants and
Captain Glaspack (thank you
Psuedo_Intellectual!). Zappa’s breakthrough band was the “
Mothers” (“of Invention” was added later by
MGM Records). The
Mother’s of Invention’s first album was called “
Freak Out”, which was followed by “
Absolutely Free” then “
We’re Only in it for the Money” which was a strong satire of the Beatles’ “
Sergent Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band” as well as the
alternative lifestyle of the Mothers’ fans (Frank Zappa Biography). During the
1960’s; however, Zappa, the
Mothers’ chief writer, arranger, conceptualist and
leader, was growing increasingly frustrated. This transpired in
1968’s “Cruisin’ with Ruben and the Jets,” in which the
Mothers assumed an alter ego celebrating what Zappa called “
cretin simplicity”.
However, the
Mothers’
records didn’t sell well and
live work was rather rare for a band with such an
eccentric sound. He became increasingly unhappy with the
financial losses and the musicians whom he worked with.
With the
Mothers Of Invention, and later, under his own name, Zappa played “
rock” in instrumentation only; however, the
complexity of
Zappa’s
rock music equaled that of any classical orchestra. Zappa’s work during the later years with the Mothers was a wild
juxtapositioning of styles providing a cushion for
Zappa's satirical and biting humor (Does Humor Belong in Music).
The
Mothers were
disbanded in
1970, when Zappa “
got tired of playing for
people who clap for all the wrong reasons” (Frank Zappa Biography). And while there had always been much
caustic wit in his
lyrics, ''
Road Ladies'' (released in
1970) began a string of
scatologically humorous
songs that would lead many critics and to dismiss his work. Among these songs were “
Dinah-Moe Humm” (about a woman who claimed she couldn't reach
orgasm), “
Illinois Enema Bandit”, and
1974’s “
Don’t Eat the Yellow Snow” (Hall of Records). During this time period, Zappa’s reputation
dwindled in the eyes of many to the level of a “
fringe artist” who wrote perverse songs; however, his critics often failed to acknowledge the musical talent behind the “
dirty” lyrics. On the other hand, “
Don’t eat the Yellow Snow” turned out to be Zappa’s first hit single after a radio
DJ cut it from 10 minutes to three and played it on the air). By the late
70’s and early
80’s Zappa’s style began to shy away from the scatological humor in albums such as “
Joe’s Garage” (which was a musical narration of certain homosexual activities), and moved more toward intellectually questioning the nature of musical criticism and modern culture (such as the album “Does Humor Belong in Music?”, released in 1986)(The
Real Frank Zappa Homepage). Zappa’s few “hits” during this time
included: 1979’s “
Dancin’ Fool” satirizing disco, and 1982’s “
Valley Girl” which satirized California’s shopping mall culture (which included the voice of his then-14-year-old daughter,
Moon Unit)(The Real Frank Zappa Homepage).
Zappa’s social and
political involvement came to a
head in the late 80’s when he took a strong stance against the
Parents Music Resource Center (
PMRC) led by
Tipper Gore. This
organization was lead by
wives of congressman and senators, and aspired to have all
music albums rated by a board or
censors (appointed by the
PMRC), and/or have the album’s lyrics printed on the outside
cover. In
1985 Zappa spoke before
Congress against the PMRC. His speech was
brilliant in it’s allusions to other types of
censorship and
suppression of freedom and creativity. At one point Zappa proposed the question: “What if the next bunch of Washington wives demands a
large yellow "J" on all material written or performed by
Jews, in order to save
helpless children from exposure to concealed
Zionist doctrine?” (Civilization, Phase III).
In September of
1992, Zappa recorded one of his most successful, creative and respected musical ventures. Through a connection with Andreas Mollich-Zebhauser, Zappa was introduced to a
contemporary music group called
Ensemble Modern (EM). Zappa had worked with other orchestras such as the London and
Los Angeles Philharmonics; however, many of the
projects had gone awry due to inadequate rehearsal, restrictive union policies, or politics. But despite his bad experiences in dealing with orchestras, Zappa agreed to work with the EM after hearing a them play pieces by Kurt Weill and Helmut Lechenmann. The project began in July of
1991 when the EM flew to
L.A. at it’s own expense to rehearse with Zappa, their
composer. Unlike his past experiences with orchestras, Zappa was pleased with the Ensemble member’s attitudes and motivation during rehearsals (The Yellow Shark).
Zappa then sampled each of the
eighteen players range of sounds, then programmed them into his
Synclavier (an electronic instrument that aides the composition of music) (Synclavier). Using this method, Zappa could compose and hear pieces of music that would be extremely difficult for an actual human musician to play (The Yellow Shark).
Frank Zappa, whether as a rock musician, a
political defender of First Amendment Rights, or a classical composer has influenced American culture in innumerable ways. For example, The Mothers of Invention’s first album “
Freak Out” was the first
double album ever made. To many, Zappa remains an experimenter, a "fringe artist," or worse, "60's drug music” Zappa's mentor, Edgar Varese, summed it up when he broke
free of all stereotype and called himself "
One-all alone” (Tribute to the Great Wazoo). Zappa was precisely that, an individual; an individual who’s vast knowledge of many different genres of music and unwillingness to allow his (or any other recording artists) work to be mindlessly censored led him to become a true American legend.
If you notice any mistakes, whether they be factual or grammatical, please leave me a write up and I will make then necessary changes.