Frank Zappa, favorite son of Baltimore, is coming home in a way.
His son Dweezil Zappa, a brilliant musician in his own right, is bringing Zappa Plays Zappa: Tour de Frank, to town as part of a tour which highlights the Zappa legacy.
“I am a huge fan of his music, just like his fans are,” Zappa said. “This is something I?ve been thinking about for a long time, and I?ve done a lot of work to make it possible.”
The work involved two years of closely studying his father?s extraordinarily sophisticated music so that he could match it chord for chord. No easy task, as anyone who has even taken a passing glance at the elder Zappa?s catalog ? which moves from pop to rock to blues to soul ? can attest.
“The thing about him was that he could write music anywhere,” Zappa said. “He would sit with a pen and paper and just hear the music in his head. He had a clear idea and could orchestra it.”
While Frank Zappa ? musician, composer, arranger, producer, film director, political activist and band leader ? is a cause celebre to many baby boomers, his son fears his music will be swept aside. To prevent that, Zappa shelved his music to undertake this tour, which features some video of Frank “sitting in” on certain songs.
“I try to choose things that really show what makes Frank different than other people,” he said. “Part of my goal is that I?m trying to introduce his music to a younger generation.”
But just why would a musician choose to live in a famous parent?s shadow instead of furthering separate musical chops?
Perhaps one of the most outspoken advocates of shedding a parent?s image is Lisa Marie Presley, who speaks publicly about her annoyance at fans who compare her to her father or request his songs.
“I could do an R&B album right now. I could do Elvis covers,” Presley said in an interview with The Examiner last year. “I don?t ride on coattails. I don?t.”
Zappa is thoughtful when asked about those who reject their parents? music.
“If you feel it, then it?s real for you,” he said. “But I think if you feel like you?re in the shadow, you?ve put yourself there.”
