Here we are, the first blog entry on the complex and
intricate work of Frank Zappa. Much is to be said about this creative mastermind,
and it will definitely take more than one entry to express it. I hope this is a
good start.
The one thing
I feel necessary to say in my introduction is my limited personal opinion on
Zappa prior to taking this class. Admittedly, I knew very little of the man. My
knowledge and curiosity towards rock music prior to the 1990s was very narrow
and selective; Black Sabbath, the Rolling Stones and to some extent Led Zeppelin
are the only obsessions I can honestly recall. Yet the name Frank Zappa was one
I kept hearing over and over by “music aficionados”. One event stood out
amongst others: looking at instruments with a musically-inclined friend of mine at
a local music store, fiddling with demo guitars, Zappa came into conversation.
After making small talk with the store clerk about preferred musical styles and
such, this young, stoner-type employee joined in, asking in a slowed and
deadpan tone, “You guys into Zappa?” We
responded “no”, mentioning something to the tune of hearing the name before,
and having only seen pictures of some long-haired rock-and-roll trippy-looking wild child from
the psychedelic 60s. But that was indeed the extent of our knowledge. “That’s
too bad”, he responded with a slightly arrogant smirk. “It’s pretty heavy shit
to get into. But once you get it, there’s nothing else like it.”
This is the image of Frank Zappa
that stayed with me. One of a misunderstood artist in a sense, of an artist
that failed to hit the mainstream but whose work has garnered him a rabid cult
following, almost to the point of religious obsession. And in all honesty, I
was surprised to hear what I finally heard. I was expecting long, thick and
heavy psychedelic rock solos, in the style of Jimi Hendrix. But what I heard
was in reality intricate (and at first confusing) numbers that sounded more
like musical collages. His work is very complex, there’s no denying this, with what
sounds like multiple styles of music joined together and mashed into one. It
definitely was hard to wrap my head around it at first. The more I hear it, the
more I can see the strong influences of earlier pioneers of abstract and experimental
musique concrete in his work. But
this was nothing like the mental image I had of heavy, drug-fueled rock
associated with that particular era. If anything, the style of music I have
heard so far seems more in tune with studio wizardry, the type of creations
that emerge when artists start using the advancement of technology in the
studio not as a recording device but more as an instrument itself, a la Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. It seemed almost
impossible to visualize this as something that could be performed live at
first, though the concert clips viewed in class proved otherwise. The music is
good, albeit confusing, but the creations themselves, from the constantly
changing tempos, to the non-stop musical barrage that doesn’t let the listener
know when a song ends or starts, to the way he tries to mess with the listeners
head (the needle scratch in ‘Nasal Retentive Caliope Music’ being my personal favorite) is what really struck with me. I can understand why Zappa was upset
with Sergeant Pepper - he invented
this “theme album” style the Beatles and many others appropriated for
themselves. And the more I listen to Zappa’s work, the more I realize that
classic albums such as Pet Sounds and
The Downward Spiral are hugely
influenced by his work and style, and owe him greatly.
One thing I can truly say I am in awe
of in Frank Zappa is his personality. While his musical creations do take multiple
listens to appreciate, I was drawn to his outspokenness and need to express his
opinions and criticism of society to all. And its not just what he said and
believed in, it’s also HOW he said it that I admire. He was not a supporter of
drug use, for one, a stance that took courage when you realize the rest of the
musical landscape of that era. But he didn’t come off as some judgmental
zealot either when he expressed these thoughts, if anything he states his
opinions in the most calm and collected manner I have ever seen. I love the
interview he gave with the police officer about drugs; he doesn’t want to
abolish drugs, he actually supports legalization. Every argument he makes comes
off as logical and influenced more by common sense than by strict opinion. And
his rejection of this plastic society strikes a big chord with me: Zappa
strongly believes in freedom, be it of expression or lifestyle, and seems ready
to fight for the liberties we are owed but seem to be taken away from us from
this puritan and politically correct society as we know it. We need more
outspoken people like him, and people from that era have no idea how lucky
there to have such a speaker. And what is so amazing is this seems done without
the vanity associated with modern artists. This was all said and done not for
personal glory, it was done for the good of the people. Zappa didn’t just want
to influence music, he wanted to influence the world around him. And if that
meant going against the grain, so be it. He was aware of the injustices and
double standards of the world around him, and was not afraid to express it. What
he thought had to be said, and that was the bottom line.
Zappa’s music may be confusing at
first, and compared to the much more linear music we are used to nowadays, it
still is. But the attitude, the style, the swagger, and most importantly the
message behind the music, is what is slowly converting me into maybe not a fan
just yet, but definitely an admirer.
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