Customer Reviews

Electric Don Quixote: The Definitive Story Of Frank Zappa

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Those familiar with the life and music of Frank Zappa might conclude that Neil Slaven has explained Conceptual Continuity better than Frank ever did. Slaven has written a masterpiece biography of one of the most difficult personalities to ever stir the stew of artful politicosociology. Other Zappa biographies, even that written by Frank himself, come across as dry and disorganized in comparison to Electric Don Quixote. Slaven's analysis seems even-handed to me and is far from being the drippings of a starry-eyed Zappa fan. Punches are not pulled, but then again, praise is dealt out when deserved.

Compared to other sources of all things Zappa, Electric Don Quixote is like a spotlight that illuminates not only the facts and chronology, but also the mood and mentality surrounding Frank and the key individuals in his immediate circle. I'm reminded of how much a step forward the new Jimi Hendrix biography (Musician, by Keith Shadwick) is in comparison to the competition. Musician takes the reader into the musical mind of Hendrix and Electric Don Quixote does the same for Zappa, except that Frank's years in the industry were longer, his story more complex, his art less popularly appreciated and his psyche far more difficult to analyze. But Slaven was up to the challenge and we are all the richer for his ability and dedication.

As good as Electric Don Quixote is, I do not consider it adequate to stand completely on its own. It stands on the shoulders of past Zappa bios and without reading at least one or two of them, the reader might lose the sublety Slaven has incorporated. I'd recommend "No Commercial Potential" and "The Real Frank Zappa Book" as possible starting places. These other books provide factual detail, such as info about Frank's settlement with Warner Brothers that could and probably should have been discussed more clearly in Electric Don Quixote.

I'll also warn that the reader is in for a long ride because, as the years pass, this hardcore fan has witnessed the evolution of Zappa's impact. The body of work is so immense and so dense, that it must be digested sequentially, with periodic rest breaks, then the process restarted anew. Zappa's art is like a perrineal flower that slowly mutates over time, reemerging the next spring, or even in winter with newly discovered clues and perspectives. Thanks to Neil Slaven for shining the spotlight in a way that illuminates previously darkened corridors.

The Book is very nicely written and well researched, however in my opinion it does not shed much light on the person that Frank Zappa was. Much rather it is organized straightforwardly in a chronological way and at times reads like a list of gigs and tours.

If someone is interested in the person Frank Zappa my advice would be to read interviews (with F.Z., colleagues and bandmembers), his own biography (with Peter Occhiogrosso) and brwose through the contents of F.Z. devoted websites.

A deeper analysis of F.Z.'s musical works, if at all possible, would be noting short of a heroic task. This work does not attempt to do so, and the smaller passages where some musical aspects are discussed, the content is - for my taste - barely touching the surface.

On the positive side, the author tries to remain balanced and writes from a clearly neutral perspective, which seems appropriate. Most of the political, sociological and/or anthropological (if you will) viewpoints - for which Frank Zappa was also famous - are kept at a minimum in this book.

All in all I can recommend the book as a chronological guideline through F.Z.'s life, but would warn readers (or fans) not to expect answers or a portrait of F.Z. as a person.

Since the 1960's I have enjoyed listening to the work of Frank Zappa. In my more recent years, I have enjoyed reading about his work and life. The books I have read include:

THE REAL FRANK ZAPPA BOOK by Frank Zappa and Peter Occhioigrosso

ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE: THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF FRANK ZAPPA by Neil Slaven

NECESSITY IS... THE EARLY YEARS OF FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION by Billy James

COSMIK DEBRIS: THE COLLECTIVE HISTORY AND IMPROVISATIONS OF FRANK ZAPPA by Greg Russo

NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: THE SAGA OF FRANK ZAPPA by David Walley THEM OR US by Frank Zappa

UNDER THE SAME MOON by Suzannah Thana Harris

BEING FRANK: MY TIME WITH FRANK ZAPPA by Nigery Lennon

With no doubt in my mind, ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE is most creative title among the Zappa biographies. Clearly this title accurately reduces Zappa's musical contribution to the fewest read possible words. Thus, the title is a masterpiece of composition and creativity.

In many ways, the book's content is similar to THE REAL FRANK ZAPPA BOOK. However, Slaven doesn't offer that whimsical and playful flavor that is found in Zappa's and Occhioigrosso's words. Slaven lays out the facts in a well-written and humanistic manner. Of books in my Zappa library, Slaven offers the most even-handed approach. I didn't find this even-handed approach in any of the other Zappa books I have read. However, being even-handed can lead to some dry reading, but nonetheless still worthy for those interested in Zappa's life.

One significant reaction emerges in my head. I hope young musicians read ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE. Zappa made some critical errors of judgement early in his career that effected his entire life. The evil characters - in this and other Zappa biographies - are record company executives. In his naiveté, Zappa was too trusting or too hungry to make rational decisions prior to signing a record deal. If young musicians carefully read ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE (and COSMIK DEBRIS by Greg Russo), they can avoid making the mistakes that plagued Zappa and the Turtles.

The ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE will be enjoyed by all Zappa fans. In addition, I think it should be required reading for all musicians who intend to record.

This book is an even-handed representation of Frank's life and (especially) his work. It is a very good companion to "The Real Frank Zappa Book," but no replacement.
Unfortunately, the editing is horrible. There are entire sentences that are unintelligible even in context, suggesting that words or phrases have been lost to the printer's art. Misspellings abound, particularly in proper names...a reference to "Mick Dagger" clearly indicating that someone went hog-wild with a spell-checker. It's hard to find three consecutive pages that don't have at least one of these gems.
All told, a worthwhile read for any Zappa fan. Hopefully a future edition will address these errors.

I found this book provided more detail on zappa's early years,and also gave a truer account of what contemporaries thought of zappa (i.e a bit of an intellectual).Neal Slaven has taken full advantage of being able to examine the whole of zappa's life and work;unlike previous biographies which had to make assessments with new works still appearing. In summing up more critical than some previous books yet still appreciative.

Neil Slaven is honest about his personal love for Frank Zappa music. Unfortunately the result is a sycophantic homage which tends to be a bit pedestrian. A very sincere book, painstakingly assembled from many sources, but it told me nothing new.

Not a bad read if you're a fan, although it's mostly a mashup of reviews, with very little comment from the author himself. It concentrates excessively on the early ("original") Mothers albums which is really a very small subset of Frank's overall output. Very little content about Frank or his family, and disasters like the breakup of the 1988 touring band are glossed over in a paragraph or two.

A biographer should at the very least know the correct name of his subject. The man's name is Frank Vincent Zappa. Perhaps Neil Slaven would be a better fit at CNN where research is an afterthought.

If one thing defines Frank Zappa it's that he strove for perfection with such single-minded purpose. And, if there's one thing that the life of Frank Zappa highlights it's that perfection is unobtainable. This conclusion in no way negates his achievements, which were phenomenal, but humans make mistakes and these are celebrated in the performance of his music just as much as any other human characteristic. These comments are the first that came into my head when I sat down to write a review of Neil Slavens' admirable effort. There has been some criticism about various inaccuracies in his book and I spotted a few, but for me, this in no way marred the experience and is a very human portrayal of a very remarkable human being.

The best feature of this book, regardless of how you personally may find the style, is that Slaven maintains it consistently throughout. It is comprehensive and well connected and not just hacked together. Since I've finished reading it I've used it many times as a reference and it is particularly useful for locating the timing of certain significant events, such as album releases. Biographers in general make subjective comments about their subjects and here you will find no exception, but Slaven has kept these to a respectable minimum and the book is much more a life story than a critique and leaves readers room to make their own judgements.

Until I read this book, my knowledge of Frank Zappa's life was somewhat fragmented, but after reading it I felt I finally had closure. Electric Don Quixote by Neil Slaven is an unputdownable read and continues to be a useful member of your library after you've finished. Whatever your level of interest in Frank Zappa you should get this book.

This is a compelling account of the work and life of Frank Zappa, in that order.

Throughout this book it is the music of Frank Zappa and it's creation which is always to the fore. To be fair this makes it a little unbalanced in reading it because of the cast of characters with whom he worked about whom we would like to know a little more. Given that it's main concern is his work then this is one defect I am prepared to overlook.

This is a story of an individual for whom compromise is a dirty word. The emphasis is on the individual here because what Frank Zappa produced is an idiosyncratic view of the world which he was not afraid to bring to public attention regardless of the pressures not to do so.

Frank Zappa, as portrayed here is someone who knows what he wants to do in his mind then does whatever he has to do to convert that vision into reality. This clarity of vision is borne out in this depiction as a workaholic and a perfectionist in the persuit of an ideal. His clarity of vision too extended into the social realm where he understood the reality of living in Amerika and how the system established by the founding fathers had been subverted by the politicians and corporations who had benefitted so much for it.

In this fascinating account people move like shadows throughout the pages like extras in a movie that was Frank Zappa's work. His search, nay quest for perfection led him to the extensive rehearsals for his bands and his demands for the highest standards for them. Similarly his intolerance for audiences who cheered him while not understanding his music became bemusement with his growing popularity as the music became more complex.

In a latter section where he was proppelled into the political arena to fight against censorship, he broke the mould of rock stars as imbecililes with eloquent and humorus defences against the forces of darkness massed against him and became a spokesman for a generation. This can be compared with his popularity as almost a samizdat artist in communist countries prior to that system's collapse where he was seen as a staunch defender of liberal (in the European sense) ideals.

His death robbed the twentieth century of one of it's greatest figures in music and in the fight for freedom for individuals. I think that this book is a marvellous tales of single minded persuit of excellence and fighting against adversity. Five stars.