The final Hurrah

So there you have it. A semester has come and just as quickly has ended, and the life of Frank Zappa has been delivered to us from start to end. While I am sad to see it end, I must be noted that he was a complex and in a certain sense misunderstood person that seemed to only get more interesting as he grew and matured. He was a determined and headstrong personality, and was passionate to the end about what he truly believed in. He evolved constantly and in my opinion became more and more honest with himself and others as he grew, resulting in a fascinating person that seems almost unlike any other that I know. 

Frank Zappa’s contribution to music is an interesting one to me. As noted in my previous blog entries, I was surprised as to exactly what I discovered was his musical style. Nothing like I had previously imagined it would be, his legacy in musical composition circles was that of one that would break the rules, one that refused to play by the predetermined guidelines that exist in music. His compositions were as crazy as they were prolific, often fusing and incorporating techniques and tempos of one musical style into another. While I have stated in my past blog entries that I was slightly disappointed by what Zappa’s music turned out to be (going on image alone, I was expecting something more on the psychedelic-rock type of vibe), I can truly say I admire his viewpoint on music; music gets boring when one stays within the strict limitations of what a certain genre can be. This need to constantly categorize music within strict determined guidelines and rules may be good for music critics and historians, but it does nothing for the progression of music nor does it encourage creativity. Zappa realized this, and it almost seemed as he made it a personal mission to break these norms and push the boundaries of music. His most prolific recordings such as Freak Out! with his Mothers Of Invention seemed to incorporate certain elements of improvisational jazz to his earlier material. And the soundtrack to 200 Motels went even further, with a strong orchestral element in his compositions. This willingness to blur the lines of music is a true sign of a true innovator and musical genius, something Frank Zappa is without a doubt.

 Zappa’s contributions as a stage performer are another interesting aspect of his life. While he admittedly loved the spotlight, especially in the earlier stages of his career, and was without a doubt the leader of every musical troupe he assembled, I couldn’t help but notice that he is more of a team player than one would think. Sure, he is known for being a totalitarian leader in some regards, kicking people out of bands at will if he deemed them unworthy, but I think this can be more attributed to his perfectionism. When he was younger, Frank stayed lucid; he was more aware and conscious of the realities of rock and roll than those around him that seemed more preoccupied with enjoying the drugs and partying and other perks associated with stardom. But Zappa didn’t have the time or the desire to get high non-stop, there was a career as well as his financial responsibilities at stake. This reputation of him being “difficult” seems to me like it was just the consequences of a highly creative and driven man that knew what he wanted and didn’t have time to waste. But as he grew older, I believe the true Zappa showed his true colors more and more; one of a kinder and even highly respectful band member. Especially in the later stages of his career, he delegated many duties to people he actually highly praised as musicians, and even went as far as to seek out musicians he admired to work with him. While he was still running the show, his willingness to listen to others was more apparent – he just needed to surround himself with the proper people, people like him, mature professionals that matched his insatiable drive. This was reflected on stage as well as on film, most notably in 200 Motels where he occupied a more behind-the-scenes role and relegated all the main acting work to other performers.  The clips of himself directing the orchestra, working alongside Nagano, showed to me a Frank Zappa looking at his most serene and happy, directing other professionals of equal caliber. Zappa was less a tyrant and more a perfectionist, and in a way it’s disappointing that his reputation as a merciless band leader precedes this.

What I really enjoyed as well in the later stages of his career was seeing how Zappa went above and beyond his role as social commentator and actually got involved in the domain of politics. Always one to speak his mind freely, Zappa was never one to back down on sharing his opinions and calling out certain aspects of societal life he deemed asinine. Ever the agitator, he stood for what he believed in and was not afraid to back down on how he felt, no matter how harsh the backlash that may result from it. This is why it was so amazing to see him enter the world of politics; he seemed to have ten times the backbone and a hundred times the conviction of ANY politician I know. When Zappa argued his opinions, he did so with logic and a calm, serious demeanor. Never was his opinions biased or swayed by outside forces, and never backing down from unpopular stances, he actually really seemed to care about the good of the people. This was reflected in many of his opinions he shared throughout his career, most notably for myself his opinions on religion as a form on population control. Just the fact that he debated his beliefs with conviction and could express himself eloquently with the best of them made Zappa more of a counter-cultural hero to me than he ever was. This was a man I could vote for, not just as a pick of “the lesser of the two evils”. Hell, even Czechoslovakia recognized this rare characteristic! He embodied everything a politician SHOULD be, and for that I think I have really took an affinity to him. I may not be his biggest musical fan, but as a human being, Zappa has grown to the top of my list of people I can honestly admire. The same can be said about how he ran his businesses. Hating the trivial and politically correct politics of the music industry, he did things as independent as often as he could. He even remained loyal to those around him to the very end, such as his relationship with Benett Glotzer. Even when money became involved, Zappa stood by his priorities first and foremost, something extremely rare in 99% of people in this capitalist society.

One personal aspect of Frank Zappa’s life that was the most interesting to me, more so than his musical career or his forays into politics, was his role as family man, husband, and more importantly, father. While I will discuss this in further details in my final paper, what really impressed me in Frank Zappa was his unorthodox way of bringing up his kids. By treating them not only as equals but as powerful people that need to be heard and respected, Zappa gave a sense of equality and respect to his kids that I’ve never seen before. His attitude of letting his children be and grow as they desire is something completely unheard of to me. Both Moon Unit and Dweezil, the most media-prolific of his children, seem like such intelligent, grounded people, and clips of them in their younger years portray what seems like incredibly mature and self-aware teenagers – quite the rare feat! Even more incredible is the fact that they actually seemed to love and respect him immensely. As teenagers! I’ll say it again for those that didn’t actually catch the absurdity of the last comment: HIS TEENAGE CHILDREN ACTUALLY SEEMED TO LOVE AND RESPECT THEIR FATHER AND TREAT HIM AS AN EQUAL. Hell, they even seemed to WANT to spend as much time as they could with their dad, and their relationship seemed more honest and relaxed than authoritative. This definitely left a lasting impression on me more than anything in his vast and elaborate life.

Funnily enough, this is what really struck me about Zappa and what I remember the most from all that was taught to us about the man: his insistence on letting things be. One’s life did not have to be shaped, and Zappa was very aware of the evils of doing so. He hated norms and status quos, and he hated being told how things had to be “properly” done regarding how to live one’s life. To Zappa, there is no mold that we must all be made from; we are not products of a cookie-cutter society. We are all different and unique individuals, and all have to live the life we want to life, mistakes and all, in order to find ourselves and fully be the developed individuals we want to be.

The Wonder Years

Frank Zappa seems like a cooler guy as he grows. From the late 60s to the late 70s, he seems more focused on creation than ever before and more open to new ways of expression available and a need to be taken more seriously as an all-around artist. This shift in emphasis shows a more mature and assertive personality than his younger self, and one that seems to usher in the most creatively prolific stage of his career so far.

 

The one thing that struck me in Zappa’s evolution as a composer at this stage is his complete disassociation with the type of music one would link with the stereotypical image of Zappa. Indeed, if anything his compositions now seem more orchestral, more grandiose than the psychedelic rock frontman of before. Watching some of the video performances in March 23^rd’s class was a shocker, in some ways – the music had a feeling of jazz most of the time, and even what some would classify as funk. Hell, the song ‘Inca Roads’ sounded practically like Earth, Wind and Fire to me, with pretty prominent clarinet playing and a strong, groovy and complex bass line. This may be due to Frank Zappa’s constantly evolving maturity as a songwriter, I guess. This is him in his mid-30s stage of his life, after all, and that pure rebelliousness nature must inevitably get dulled after some time. While his past work was always complex and elaborate, it always did have that raw, rock-and-roll quality that seems to be much less present in this type of material. Another factor to this transition in Zappa’s life may be the fact that he seemed to be more preoccupied with composing at this stage than ever, and the advancement of technology of that era almost permitted him to do so obsessively. No longer did he need to rely on expensive studio time, he was now permitted acquire more advanced recording equipment for himself, making it possible to do way more creatively in the comfort of his own home. To top it off, Zappa was more comfortable financially at this stage in his career that this permitted him to be more liberal with his time as well, giving him the opportunity to immerse himself in more left-field endeavours if he felt the need to (such as the stop-motion projects with Bruce Bickford). This seemed to suggest to me that Zappa was less reliant on live performances as before, and grown detached to the idea of being a leader to the countercultural movement he held in high esteem during his younger years. As Zappa grew with age, it seemed like his need to feed his ego with adoring praise on stage was becoming less and less important to him and seemed to want to focus his attention on what garnered him the most worldwide praise: composing and writing music. This evolution as a composer is reflected strongly in his evolution as a performer, as well: like the aforementioned work with Bickford, he seemed more willing than ever to let others take over major duties. In fact, the 1970’s seemed to be the era when Zappa relinquished singing duties to others he deemed more talented than him.  He definitely seemed in a more sharing and open mood at this stage of his life, even mentoring younger musicians and being more open to ideas from those around him. This gives the image of a more serene Zappa than ever, focused on his craft and more creatively open than ever before. He seemed easier to work with as well, and working under his wing seemed less like a nightmare to those around him, especially with his band from the mid to late 70’s, a stark contrast from the dictatorial image satirized in 200 Motels.

 

While his urge to shock seemed less present in this later stage of his career, Frank Zappa’s outspoken personality seemed never to have slowed down. He simply seemed more organized in how he did so. His appearances in the media seemed to display a calmer and more mature Zappa, and his opinions seemed to be taken more seriously as well. His focus seemed more now on the message delivered in his works and composition. His move away from the stage and more in the studio may be linked to his previous negative experiences on stage, such as the catastrophic London show. Different ways to express his message seemed to have evolved, as well. His foray into cinema with 200 Motels is just one example. Animation seemed to be another that he seemed willing to experiment with: the aforementioned work with Bickford being one example, and the trippy ‘Dental Hygiene’ must not be overlooked either. One of my favorite surprised from Zappa during this era is his appearance on the Monkees TV program – I used to love that show as a kid, watching the reruns obsessively, and always felt they never got the praise they deserved. The fact that Zappa saw over all the boy-band negative connotations and respected them for their talents was awesome to see. His problems with record labels may have been a factor in this shift as well, making Zappa more aware of the importance of being in control of what happens behind the stage than ever before. This was a wise move on his part, as he was now more and more a lucrative asset in the eyes of music executives. While still nothing of a top-selling artist such as some of his music counterparts, he seemed more and more respected as a songwriter and his following was growing rabidly loyal. Creative freedom was something Zappa always held in high esteem and this seemed to prove problematic at some times. It must have been pretty hard on him, being so musically compulsive, to be so held down with legal issues that he was unable to release any new material whatsoever in 1977, the only year in his career to do so.

 

This evolution displayed in Zappa is an interesting one, and leaves me curious to see what is held in store for his future. With the 80s approaching, an era of excess and flashy over-abundance, as well as a musical shift to all things technological and computerized, who knows what’s coming up.