Still, it's been over seven years since Frank Zappa died of prostate cancer (at age 52), and considering the public's limited attention span for media heroes, I wonder if he isn't already on his way into oblivion. That would be a shame, really, because Zappa is one of this century's more intriguing characters.
So—for the benefit of those who have some catching up to do—who was Frank Zappa? Well, he was a social critic, author, record producer, studio wizard, vehement free speech advocate, bandleader, financial analyst, aspiring Presidential candidate, family man, and giver of great interviews.
But above all else, Frank Zappa was a musician and composer of the first rank. True, some of his tunes are a little out there. And his lyrics are not suited for anyone that is easily offended. But what continues to amaze me is both his startling originality and the enormous range of his musical talent. As a purveyor of musical entertainment, Zappa has few peers. (How many other musicians can you think of who were both world-class guitarists and capable of composing and conducting for symphony orchestra?)
For me, this is a key point. Those of us on the "audience" end of the performer-audience equation need to develop perspective, a necessary skill in order to separate good art from bad. Once you've acquired this skill and realize that even a great artist stumbles now and then, it's easier to see them as fully human and possessing all of the flaws associated with that condition.
If there's one thing that I'm sure of, it's that Frank Zappa wasn't perfect. Consider his rather self-serving autobiography, The Real Frank Zappa Book. Besides the fact that much of it is a diatribe against politicians and the church (now there are a couple of unusual targets!), the book is written like this: in an APPARENT ATTEMPT to capture the flavor of Frank's CONVERSATIONAL STYLE, words and phrases are artificially enhanced through the gross overuse of styled text.
Annoying? You bet it is!
But if that's too picky for you, here are a couple of music-related examples. In 1983 Zappa released Baby Snakes, just one in a long list of mostly-live albums. Unfortunately, this particular album doesn't even have the saving grace of new material. Every song had been released in a previous—and superior—version. Then there's the two-CD Thing-Fish set (1984) which contains both recycled music and particularly offensive lyrics.
Still too picky? Then I recommend reading a book called Being Frank by Nigey Lennon [California Classics Books, 1995]. A one-time member of Zappa's band (she played guitar with the Mothers Of Invention for two and a half months in 1971), Nigey was also a close friend and romantic interest of the composer's up through the mid-1970's. In her book, Nigey constructs a well-balanced picture of Zappa at both his worst and his best: a jealous, possessive, womanizing Zappa to complement the sublime artist whom she also knew. [For information on her current activities, you can visit Nigey at nigeylennon.com.]
One note of caution here. As might be expected with a controversial figure like Frank Zappa, there are warring (or at least rather hostile) factions within his fan base. Some of them don't believe anything that Nigey says, including her claim to have played with the Mothers. The disbelievers appear to include the Zappa family. Personally, I understand how the family feels and don't hold it against them. After all, they actually knew Frank whereas I never even attended one of his concerts. They may be right.
Still, my money's on Nigey. I find that her words have the ring of truth about them, and if that's hard for some people to accept, so be it.
I suppose it's easy to deify an artist. And certainly much that has been written about Frank falls into that category. But I think that an appreciation of his very real humanity can, paradoxically, enhance one's experience of his work. Frank Zappa was a unique human being. He was a lovable man that only a Mother could love. And that, among other things, has helped to sustain my fascination with him over the years.