• Introduction
• To Frank Or Not To Frank?
• To Frank?
• Not To Frank?
• It's Important To Be Frank
• Real Audio Clips
• Links

To Frank?

• Frank Zappa was a serious muso.  His output was incredible, 67 'official'  recordings of many styles were released over the course of his career, and from what I have heard he never  presented anything not marked true originality & his personal vision. There are countless bootlegs & live concert tapes in circulation, and new releases are still coming 'from the vaults'
• Zappa was a master of many genre's- Rock, Jazz, Classical. Much of his classical work was never performed, due to financial constraints. Despite this it was a part of his work he was passionate about. On July 20th 1997 works from Zappa's catalog were performed in the UK as part of  the '97 BBC Proms from the Royal Albert Hall,  for the first time. Perhaps, now that he is dead Zappa can be taken seriously as a composer. Reminds me of a Richard Thompson song...
• In particular his rock electric guitar playing was among the best ever- I find Frank to be one of the finest guitarists I've yet discovered, and his solo's are where 'it' starts to happen for me when listening. Trey Anistasio of Phish, and many others count FZ among their influences.
• His sense of humor was outrageous and hilarious, and he treats fans with ‘conceptual continuity clues’; recurring themes & images that run through his work like a secret code.
• He was an outspoken advocate of free speech, and on many occasions fought against censorship & stupidity. No matter how outrageous the subject matter he always handled lyrics with intense wit & intelligence - but never compromised his fierce use of language and satire, which earned him both many fans & many enemies.

Not To Frank?

• Zappa’s attitude was that he was an observer of society. As far as he was concerned he was ‘telling it like it is’, but songs like ‘Jewish Princess’ and ‘Catholic Girls’ attracted widespread anger & condemnation. He leveled his cynical eye on everyone from Hippies to Republicans. His opinions (awareness?) of hypocrisy and corruption in American public life was not popular in some circles- I like his no bullshit tell it like it is style, but it's caveat emptor (let buyer beware).
• Frank was often accused of being a pervert, a misogynist, and a racist. These are all charges he shrugged of with a sneer. His response was that he didn't hate anybody, and that his lyrics were pure satire, and therefore moved outside the realm of political statement and within the realm of entertainment, which he felt justified them.
• Some wonder if the often ‘nasty’ lyrical content of his music might not be mis-interpreted, and encourage stereotyping, sexism, racism, and homophobia. I am convinced that this was not Zappa's intention. From what he has told us about himself I sense a deep level of personal integrity. Or am I misinterpreting  him, giving Frank more credit that he deserves? I doubt it.
• Zappa had a tendency towards almost morbid cynicism in his songwriting, which is something I wouldn't normally appreciate, but Zappa's wit balances this, and after all- there is a lot to be cynical about living in the United States in the latter part of the 20th century. Zappa's keen eye for bullshit is akin to the boy who spoke out about the emperors new clothes. His views on American society & politics an indignant "hang on a minute here"  in the midst of what is, all to often, a sea of flag waving abeyance.

Sample from my Tape Collection