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.