Customer Reviews

Real Frank Zappa Book

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By way of dissing Zappa's famous appearance before Congress to argue against warning labels on records, conservative columnist Don Feder derisively refers to Frank Zappa as a "rock creature" and makes fun of him for naming his daughter Moon Unit. (You'll find these remarks in _A Jewish Conservative Looks at Pagan America_. Feder is usually better than this.)

But the fact is that Zappa was a genuine homegrown American original, a musical genius, and a thoroughly subversive Enemy Of The State. And whatever one thinks of their names, the rest of us should have children like Zappa's. (They're all grown up now, of course, but Moon was a highly poised young lady even at the age of thirteen. I don't remember seeing any of Feder's kids on talk shows when _they_ were teenagers.)

Love or hate his music; agree or disagree that his sometimes-acerbic social commentary often went over the line into sheer pornography. If you want to meet the man himself, this book is the only one you need to read.

It's all in his own words, as told to Peter Occhiogrosso. The style will be recognizable to anyone who has ever read the liner notes on a Zappa album. And the content is part autobiography, part correction of underground-rock-grapevine misconceptions, part almost-libertarian political activism, part musing on the nature of musical composition.

A handful of highlights, chosen from among many: He proposes that music could be digitally downloaded, an idea whose time apparently hadn't come when Zappa first thought of it. The chapter on his "pornography trial" in the UK is hilarious, not least because it includes selections from the actual transcripts. And if you want to know _why_ his kids turned out so well-spoken and mature at such early ages, check out his advice on childrearing.

By the way, Zappa did not do drugs, no matter how many well-meaning imbeciles tell you otherwise. On the contrary, he was one of a handful of anti-drug crusaders in the music industry, and one of an even smaller handful who wasn't a recovering addict himself. Reality is better than drugs anyway, and Zappa knew it.

His untimely death from prostate cancer left a gaping hole; he was irreplaceable. But thank goodness for this book.

This is not casual reading, summer reading, something you just pick up. It's an inside account for the fact- and tidbit-hungry FZ fan-atic, for those FZ-crazed psychos who have to know more than you do about one of rock's ultimate musical geniuses. This book is written for the Zappa fan by FZ himself, and as such it is an essential addition to an FZ fan's collection. If you've listened to your FZ albums to the point where you know the songs' lyrics, have heard/read some of the rumors and legends, and wish to expand "your mythology" and "conceptual continuity," you're ready.

FZ's music leads the way, as it should, and you'll either love it or hate it pretty quickly. Reading up on FZ before you start listening to his recordings isn't going to help you, and more likely would serve to confuse. This being said, this book is best for the FZ listener who has made the critical personal decision to become an FZ fan, and who wants to educate himself/herself a little bit more about the man who makes the noises come out of the speaker.

And this book is the best place to start. As an (assisted) autobiography, this is the real deal, the observations, memories, and facts directly from the source. FZ says himself in the introduction, "...I do not think of my life as amazing in any sense--however, the opportunity to say stuff in print about tangential subjects is appealing." The countless FZ web pages and fanzines contain all of the information contained in this book and then some, but this is the best place to start your FZ education. FZ's dedication of the book to "Gail, the kids, Stephen Hawking and Ko-Ko" (the 'talking' gorilla) provide the very first indication that the reader is in for a better glimpse of FZ than you can get from listening to the sonic eccentricity of "Billy The Mountain" or "Weasels Ripped My Flesh."

The format is essentially chronological, but wide open, free flowing, with quick jumps to new subjects as diverse as "Jazz: The Music of Unemployment" and "How To Raise Unbelievable Children." There are lists, poetry, instructions, lyrics, interview snippets, letters, transcripts of congressional testimony, tables, photos, and wonderful illustrations. The illustrations are fine, detailed and punctuating the text well, done by the mysterious hieroglyph-signature artist whose name escapes me. What is surprising is that FZ couldn't get longtime FZ album cover artist Cal Schenkel to contribute his talents to the book.

The book is a great investment, a fine addition to an eclectic library, and a wonderful repeat read.

We get some of everything with this one.

It gives us a feel for his personality and speaking style. Italics, underlining, and boldface are used liberally; I could hear his voice as I read.

It gives us a nice collection of anecdotes from various stages of Zappa's career, from his high school years up through the orchestral work with the LSO - even a couple of tales from the 1988 'Best Band You Never Heard'. If you like these, you will wish there were more, though.

It gives us what has to be the best general description of a composer's work ever ('wiggling air molecules, changing over time'). That chapter alone is worth the cost of the book, if you are at all interested in music or art.

We also get the political Zappa, some lyrics, the Zappa home life, and even a bit of What Frank Eats (whatever the kids don't, apparently).

The only thing we don't get (and this is why I wish he'd lived another 30 years) is some detailed analysis of his compositions. We get a couple of places where he is discussing musical theory and practice from a technical perspective (chord progressions that cannot occur in doowop, or why jazz drummers are not normally appropriate in a Zappa band), there is no music printed in the book to help the interested reader follow along. Certainly I can't fault the book for this, but, man, it would have been nice if he'd written one like that.

If you are a student of music, a budding composer, artist, or just think Frank freaks folks out, this is for you.

According to many you'll either hate Frank Zappa's music or love it. Well, as a fan for more than thirty years and being very familiar with the vast spectrum that is his output I love a great deal but not all of his music and although I can't say that I hate any of it, the word love is certainly not my universal response. Now what about the man himself, it's difficult to be clear having never met him personally so I've tried to gain some insight from reading about him. And let's not forget this probably applies to the majority of biographies about anyone. On the other hand autobiographers apparently know their subject quite well. Hmm!?

On the whole I'm glad I have my own copy of The Real Frank Zappa Book. My main problem with the book is that it is not all about him. Now I know you can gain a great deal of insight about a person if you listen attentively while they rant about their favourite dislikes - in particular political dislikes - but it's not the most enjoyable way to get to know someone.

It's very easy to divide the book into two sections. As a book by Frank Zappa about Frank Zappa I really enjoyed the first 14 chapters where I laughed and cried about the more immediate aspects of his life. Chapter 15 onwards is essentially a political treatise and although I am very interested in reading his opinion, I neither laughed nor cried I just became depressed about what no doubt depressed him and led him to spend a great deal of his waking time over night when he felt he couldn't hear the "scurrying" outside. Now, you might say, those rants are just as illuminating about the man as more personal anecdotes but I don't think it required that much to get the point across in the context of a book that is ostensibly about him.

It would be nice to have a book of his memoirs and a book of his political persona as separate entities. Before anyone accuses me of spoiling the discovery of these things for themselves I'm writing this review in response to the experience of buying a fairly weighty book by the man himself, then very much enjoying the overall vein of the first 14 chapters and finally not ever getting that feeling back for the remainder of the book. I wish I had known that in advance - naive perhaps. If they were separate I would read them both with different expectations and appreciate them for distinct reasons. The first half spans his moods the second half is pretty much monomoodic.

In the first half he seems fairly honest about himself. He admits to foibles that many a person with the same foibles wouldn't admit to even quietly in passing let alone in print. He gives interesting background that clarifies his aims in composing in general and the music business in particular. I could read this part many times and wish there was much more writing by him in this vain - I got the feeling that he was leaving quite a bit out and I don't mean as an intentional omission, he probably just didn't have the time. Let's put it to a vote. Which Zappa Album would you sacrifice in order to have more personal memoirs? Personally - none of them - even the ones I'm not 100% sure about, he was after all primarily a composer and not a writer. Hopefully good biographers will fill in the gaps at a future date. The second half requires a stronger disposition and I need to be in a pretty unshakeable mood to confront the ugly reality he saw in the world around him. Yes he could be quite witty about it but it's still depressing and his own frustration with it all is very apparent.

Over all I would say you should buy this book if you have more than a passing interest in Frank Zappa, but there are according to rumours, good biographies out there. I can't recommend any just yet but when I have continued my research further I shall post reviews in the appropriate places.

As Frank explains in his introduction "An autobiography is usually written by somebody who thinks his life is truly amazing. I do not think of my life as amazing in any sense - however, the opportunity to say stuff in print about tangential subjects is appealing." So what we get here is part autobiography and part social commentary, both serving to reveal the true genius of this most unique of American composers.

What the reader will find is an incredibly amusing look at the life and times of Frank, his family, various band members and groupies, along with his extraordinary insight into the ugly mischief of politicians, businessmen, and religious fanatics who plague his existence. His commentary on those latter subjects is just as relevant today as it was when the book was published in 1988.

For those who are not aware of the astonishing creativity of this man, consider that in his chapter on "Failure" he includes a proposal he pitched to Rothschild Venture Capital in the early 1980's for a system that is virtually identical to iTunes. This was almost 20 years before such a system came into being!

I am not overstating the case when I say that this book will enrich your life.

This book has it all! It's a bio, it contains dirty rock tour stories, it contains Zappa's own views on a variety of topics, including, but not limited to, family values, guitar playing, drugs, American society, religion, politics and whatnot. For the reader familiar with Zappa's lyrics, you'll feel right at home. It's written in the same manner as his songs, in a personal style so his own that you hear his voice saying the words as you read them. I love it. I've read it five times already and will read it many more. Invaluable.

The Real Frank Zappa Book is great. It captures the humor found in his music, explains some of the concepts that keep popping up, provides a neat look at rock history, and has some scathing commentary about the reality behind the PMRC and rock censorship. Even if you don't listen to his music, read Zappa's book!

Working at a library has almost no perks. I shelve the travel section so there isn't much stimulation in the way of brain waves(then again, my job is pretty tedious to begin with). However, one day while wondering through a friend's section I found a gem. I found The Real Frank Zappa Book. When their were breaks in my work, I would grab this book and read it feverously. Even with my increasing respect and love for Zappa's work, I still found this a great book. It packs a sharp wit, biting comentary, and overal, is just a good quick read.

The book covers Zappa's origin, his early musical influences, the tough times of M.O.I.(Mothers of Invention), insight as to his musical creation process, and even a indepth look into his battle with the well-known PMRC. The great thing is even with all this retrospect, the man never loses his sense of humor. Sometimes slapstick, sometimes satire, always truthful.

Anyone interested in the man that was Zappa, I highly recommend this book. Those who are interested in becoming a musician, I also recomend this book(his musical insight is very inspiring). In fact, I recomend this book to all. Its just a shame he died before his time. Zappa was a true inovator of music. There will never be another Frank Zappa.

We start with Zappa's rather sarcastic yet opinionated introduction in which he claims that he never reads. That claim may be misinterpreted by a few, yet I took it as a stab of sarcasm at those who never bother to, preferring to keep their mind on what's on TV at the time. From that point, it's a short read to the first chapter, which opens with a quote from a Baltimore Sun interview in which Zappa observes: "I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird". The first chapter is a brief recollection of his childhood years, in which he describes in detail why his birth certificate lists his first name as Frank rather than Francis and his early interests in science. In the second chapter, he talks about developing a love for music (Rock, Jazz and Classical especially Stravinsky) and his first attempts at bands.

It continues that way through the first half of the book. We get chapters on his various bands through the years up until 1988 (when this book was written), his association with Lenny Bruce, his formation of The Mothers Of Invention, Various tour stories, a treatise on why he doesn't like Great Britain and a chapter devoted to his own dad.

The second half of the book shifts gears totally and moves away from the memoir side to the polemical side. We get chapters in which Zappa comments on marriage, the failed drug war, the PMRC, Reagan, Republicans, the religious right, Big government, high taxes and so on.

What's interesting about the polemical second half of the book is that while a lot of the events that much of it was written in response to are now history, so many of the rants about them are still on target. From the opening of his Church and State chapter: "A lot of the mongos in the TV religion industry claim to be conservative. But are in fact the US equivalent of the Mongos blowing the shlt out of the Middle East".

In the chapter titled "Practical Conservatism", Zappa makes a strong case for the Libertarian point of view and offers up a good skewering of so-called anti big government Republicans. I also highly recommend reading the chapter entitled "Porn Wars" in which Zappa details his battle with the PMRC. Highly essential reading, especially in the recent puritanical crackdown by the FCC on people such as Howard Stern.

The final two chapters in the book feature Zappa showing off some of his more outrageous ideas that never really came to fruition (IE: A Football Opera) and the last one allows him to get in a few more digs at certain political targets as well as offering some advice to the readers (IE: Vote!).

The Real Frank Zappa book is an interesting read overall. I liked both halves of it equally. But some of the not so politically minded readers will prefer the first half. Puritanical types are advised not to read the second half, as it will doubtlessly infuriate you. Pick up a copy! Another unconventional Amazon quick-pick I heartily recommend is THE LOSERS CLUB by Richard Perez -- just wonderful!

I have read this book three times and have enjoyed it each time. Frank is missed not just because of his incredible musical talent, but his biting satire type sense of humor.

The man was a genious though. I have no doubt about that. He also saw things 20 years ago that we didn't. Doesn't anyone who's read this book realize that Frank predicted downloading music 20 years before Napster or the Internet? He thought it would be done through cable TV. It was the same principle!

If anyone really wants to know and try to understand the man behind the music. This is the best Zappa book of all.