Mom >> Child: Dweezil Zappa

Buy Zappa's Motherly Love from Amazon

I'm going to conjecture that I am not the only one who feels that I didnt "do [enough] right" by my mother for Mother's Day. Flowers dont quite cut it, eh? It's a debt you can never really re-pay. And I would like to think that the debt we feel (ought to feel) goes well beyond a commericial prompt from flowers.com.

Next theme question: if your mom a girl? vice.com had an interesting take on this thought this past week...

All the same... me thinks it is part of human nature to rebel - to rebel against our mothers (and fathers)... to rebel against the powers that be: be it your recording company , be it the headmaster of your school, be it the law makers who define the conditions under which we co-exist. And in this, Frank Zappa excelled: with or without "The Mothers of Invention" - he pushed the limits of the acceptable. Lewd at times? maybe - depends on your interpretation of his lyrics. Irreverant to his mother? No that I know of. Pro-active regarding our legislative rights - most certainly!

Sad to read that Frank Zappa's son (who has taken on some mantle of his father's legacy) is embroiled in legal issues regarding the "Mothers" appelation. Granted: the name/rights likely never belonged to the Zappa family, but I can't imagine many who dont see "the Mothers of Invention" associated with the Zappa name. What [social] value in litigating? None. Monetary ... perhpas some.

So... Sons of mothers and fathers. Children... Someone ought to take on the Frank Zappa brand, and who better than his progeny? Dweezil has been working at it for some time now. I would give him a vote of confidence - but maybe not because of his "chops".

The Case For: Zappa

 

 
Zappa Play Zappa: Peaches En Regalia
[purchase FZ version]

I must have been introduced to Frank Zappa in the early 70s. Although I don’t recall my initiation rites, I know for a fact that I was well-versed by the time <Overnight Sensation> came out: if hard pressed, I could probably sing along to the entire album – 40 years later.

Sadly for those of us who revered him and his music, Frank Zappa died a somewhat early death in 1993 (couldn’t be that long ago!)

Dweezil Zappa, you must know, is Frank Zappa’s older son. He is the man behind the band called “Zappa Plays Zappa”, a touring group that aims to bring his father’s music to a younger audience. In addition to organizing the band, Dweezil (not his original/legal/birth name, but now his legal name) plays the guitar. He has also had a hand in composing original music, though so far he has been nowhere near a prolific as his father.

As a long-time Zappa fan, I applaud efforts to keep Frank Zappa’s music alive & relevant.  I count him among the pre-eminent musicians of the Rock era: pushing the limits in terms of musical structure; certainly pushing the limits of lyrical contortion. He was among the first to break out of the standard “guitars and drums” format that was defining popular music by the mid-70s. Check it out:

She had that
Camarillo brillo
Flamin' out along her head,
I mean her Mendocino bean-o
By where some bugs had made it red

She ruled the Toads
of the Short Forest
And every newt in Idaho
And every cricket who had chorused
By the bush in Buffalo

Beyond his musical skills, Frank Zappa stood behind his beliefs: he was a frequent commentator about his political views – and, in retrospective, not far off the mark. A snippet from his testimony against parental controls to music content/lyrics in front of the US senate  (and Al Gore) back in 1985:

    He said: The major record labels need to have H.R. 2911 whiz through a few committees before anybody smells a rat. One of them is chaired by Senator Thurmond. Is it a coincidence that Mrs. Thurmond is affiliated with the PMRC?  

I hereby make the case that his legacy is worthy of preservation, and who better to do so than his son?

For your listening pleasure, one of my favorite FZ tunes, performed by his son:

Peaches En  Regalia