The Real Frank Zappa Book (Chapters 1-4)

FM:  This is Zappa’s “autobiography.”  As with many autobiographies, it was created partly as an effort to “set the record straight.”  As with any creative endeavor by this enigmatic man, you should expect the unexpected, and presume he will color largely outside the lines, bending the definition of “autobiography” – as well as many other terms – way outside their normal parameters.  His Introduction begins, “I didn’t want to write a book, but I’m going to do it anyway” … “One of the reasons for doing this is the proliferation of stupid books (in several languages) which purport to be About Me. I thought there ought to be at least ONE, somewhere, that had real stuff in it.”  (This usage of italics and bold print is distinctive, and appears on almost every page in the book.)

CJ:  I'm not sure what I was expecting when I began this book, but I've definitely learned a few things. Apparently I am a little on the young side of Zappa fans as I had no idea about the first myth he dispelled concerning the poo incident. My Zappa fan life began with "Apostrophe.

FM:  The idea here is not to present a systematic progression of important events in his life, but to outline with various anecdotes, in loose chronological order, his own personal trip down memory lane, (including particularly irksome rumors, such as the legend that he ate poop on stage!).  The first four chapters cover his childhood and his early adult life – typical of any bio – with many of the atypical and downright bizarre things that stand out to him in his memories of those times.  If this approach seems to imitate his approach to lyric-writing; well, that is to be expected from this music iconoclast!

CJ:  The scientist chapter caught me laughing out loud and imagining my brothers, husband and sons trying some of the experiments. It was at the end of Chapter One I decided against recommending the book to my sons. This chapter also explained a lot about Frank's "oddness". My gosh! Puddles of mercury?? Maybe we should go back to letting kids play with the stuff. Frank was obviously more brilliant than the average Joe on the street today. Heck, I played with mercury as a kid (laughed out loud at breaking a ball of mercury with a hammer because I've done it!).

FM:  Interesting from a musician’s standpoint is his discussion of his early musical influences:  mostly 20^th century classical composers such as Varese, Stravinsky and Webern!  How you get from that “point A” to the “point B” of the albums by the Mothers of Invention and Zappa’s later solo work is a good question, but the concept of the “avant-garde” in each aesthetic is certainly consistent.  His early interests in explosives and theater are given some space as well.

CJ:  Occasionally I found myself skimming because I didn't have a clue what he was talking about, specifically all the technical music terms. I'm sure my formally educated music friends ate those sections up.

FM:  A peek at some of the later chapter titles indicates a more thorough look at some of the larger issues he has concerned himself with in more recent times, but this section is more hit and miss, often focusing on particular (not to mention peculiar) friends and family members Zappa remembers from that period.

CJ:  As a history teacher I found his recollection of his father’s government service quite interesting. Personal accounts of what our government was really doing during the cold war will change the way we teach our kids history. Frank was really on the cutting edge of this movement, only in recent years have we been looking at history through something besides blindly patriotic eyes.

FM:  We do get a look at one of his earlier run-ins with the law; what is essentially an Eminent Domain issue, the power of politicians to take private property for public use.  His recording/filming studio in Cucamonga, California was under surveillance.   “The [San Bernardino Valley] vice squad had bored a hole through the studio wall and was spying on me for several weeks.  The local political subtext to all this had something to do with an impending real estate development which required the removal of the tenants before Archibald Avenue was widened.”  In a clear case of entrapment, a vice squad agent hired him to do a soundtrack of what sounded like an orgy, and then the vice squad busted him, taking his property in the bargain.  “I was charged with ‘conspiracy to commit pornography.’  The pornography charge was, under state law, a misdemeanor.  The conspiracy charge, on the other hand, was a felony…”

CJ:  The social commentary about "long hair" and stereotypes speaks volumes. Never had I imagined California being anything but on the edge of the envelope. (I've never been there.) Frank completely blew away every preconceived idea I had about the state. The story of his studio in Cucamonga sounded more like something that would happen in Sapulpa, Oklahoma or Selma, Alabama.

FM:  On the topic of playing live performances (mostly with his band, The Mothers of Invention) we see the marks of a true entertainer:  “On our worst night we had three paying customers.  We told them we were going to give them an evening of customized, personal entertainment.  There was a passageway in back of the Garrick that led downstairs to the Café au-Go-Go’s kitchen.  Everybody in the band went down and got hot cider and bunches of little snacks.  We put towels under our arms, like waiters, went back, served our audience their refreshments and talked with them for an hour and a half.”  Now that’s a concert!

 

 

 

Next Week:  Chapters 5-8
Week 3:  Chapters 9-14
Week 4:  Chapters 15-19