DWEEZIL ZAPPA

Dweezil Zappa

Frank Zappa was without a doubt one of the most polemic musicians and activists of his generation. His views on the many styles of music he mastered and politics have extended and continue to extend farther out from the impact his stone first made on the water’s surface. A visionary and outspoken artist, Frank Zappa is a cult in and of himself. So what is it like to grow up in the shadow of such a larger-than-life figure? Apparently far easier and way cooler than one would think.

Dweezil Zappa, the eldest boy of Frank and Gail Zappa, has been rocking the guitar since the age of six, a Fender Music Master—a gift from his father. Where musician parents might be noted for a certain degree of absenteeism inherent to the profession’s schedules, Dweezil had the advantage of growing up with an involved father whose love for music carried over and was fostered at home. Heck, one great perk was getting personalized tutoring from then band member Steve Vai.

At the age of 12, Dweezil joined his father onstage at the Hammersmith Odeon in London and as he states in his website’s bio, “That was a great experience. I was so excited to have been asked to play but I was incredibly nervous. Since I could only really play lead in the key of A, Frank devised a hand signal for the band to modulate the song ‘Stevie’s Spanking’ down to A from it’s original key of B.” Whatever nerves he might’ve had, they were gone when later that year, along with a crew of tweens and Eddie Van Halen producing, he released his first single, “My Mother Is A Space Cadet” on his dad’s Barking Pumpkin label.

His fairytale life could’ve derailed at any time but Dweezil Zappa, like the rest of his siblings and his late mother, has commanded respect as a musician in his own right and has continued his father’s legacy of sound. It hasn’t been easy and since his mother’s passing, the Zappa Family Trust has been taken over by his younger siblings Ahmet and Diva but in true Zappa form, he’s revamped the Zappa Plays Zappa act and in celebration of Frank’s seminal debut, Freak Out!, he’s taken to the road with a tour celebrating his father’s music and spirit.

The 50 Years of Frank: Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever the F@%k He Wants ~ The Cease and Desist Tour is an experience that mimics his father’s evolution as a musician with band members recycling through different iterations and mining Frank’s extensive catalogue, his own additions, and that unmistakable Zappa spirit that stands defiant in the face of idiocy, restrictions, and the very worst aspects of normalcy. Freak out and freak on.

50 Years of Frank: Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever the F@%k He Wants ~ The Cease and Desist Tour at 7pm on Thursday, January 12 at the Culture Room. Tickets cost $40.25. Visit dweezilzappa.com.
~ Abel Folgar