A Final Note on Frank Zappa

Frank Zappa, in his personal life, musical adventures, and entrepreneurial endeavors, is a character of great significance to the 20th Century Arts scene. From the beginning of his career he shook the system and rattled the cages of every prescribed norm in music. Whether his music was humorous or serious, rock or Orchestral, blues or jazz, he was always pushing the boundaries and leaving the greatest musicians in the world staring in awe, dizzy in his wake.

He inspired many of the most talented, professional instrumentalists and vocalists and had an exceptional ability to bring out the characteristic features of each one. This may be the key to understanding Zappa's impact. He was very observant. He knew what he wanted and when he looked for musicians he had a clear goal in mind of what he wanted to achieve. When he found the musician who displayed even the most remote amount of that feature, he exposed it, displayed it, and took advantage of it in his works. He truly was a genius of music, one capable of seeing the world in a way no one else did.

Though it can be stated that he was a control freak, and that he could be hard to work with, these qualities are overlooked when witnessing the results of such a personality. His prolific career as a songwriter has left the world with over 70 (all notable, in one way or another) albums spanning genres between the world's first concept album, rock and roll through Jazz, to orchestral music, and then back again, over and over.

As a business man, he has helped shape the entrepreneurial standard to strive for in the twenty first century. He helped to break all of the accepted norms in censorship and in what is acceptable musically and visually. His incredible confidence to simply 'stick it to the man' has allowed for artists to do things that were never possible 30 years ago. He battled for the manifestos and librettos of his making to be published in his albums so to let the audiences of his band see truly what it was he was thinking, and to encourage them to think for themselves also. He put his own sweat and blood and hard earned money into interpreting his music within the context of a symphonic orchestra. And now, he is considered amongst the greatest of twentieth century composers, let alone one of the greatest rock and roll stars of all time.

In his personal life, he never backed down from his own beliefs, not for a moment letting his guard slip to the way he wanted things around him to be. He made it clear from the start that this was his show and he made the rules. Even though it is possible that his feelings towards drugs and hippie culture in general may have, at the time, hurt his image, and definetely hurt his earnings, he didn't care. He held strong and now we read about him and are baffled yet quiety impressed with this man's convictions to his cause. There are not many, very few indeed, musicians/rock stars who are so self-disciplined, so unmovable in their beliefs as Frank Zappa. And we hear such qualities in his music. His songs all flow by as an unmovable object. Consistent even at the most scattered of times. And, needless to say, his opinions towards drugs and other dangerous substances have surely allowed for this artist to keep producing masterpieces through his entire life. He is an icon to the rock music business for all artists battling their ego and the wave of stardom.

Frank Zappa is an idol, a simple man with a family, a healthy image of control and self-confidence and conviction. On top of it, he is a hell of a musician who has left a legacy of outstanding music for younger generations to listen to, appreciate, study in class, and carry with them into their own artistic practices.