Dweezil Zappa

When did Dweezil Zappa get so smart?

I don’t know, it’s weird. I’m so used to thinking of Frank’s eldest son as being rather marginal, musically and career-wise generally. Maybe it’s because he started his career in the early ’80s, impressive since he was of middle-school age at the time, but still, you can’t start up then and not have some of the age’s schlock get spewed all over you. Maybe it’s just because he was sprinting every which way to get out from under, you know, the shadow, or because he was the eldest. It just seems that everything Dweezil has done for most of his professional existence has just been so, you know, hokey.

The Fat Boys? Don Johnson? THIS?

Ugh. Why not just get that Neon Park album cover out and wipe your ass with it? Rzzzzzz!

But Mr. Zappa has a saving grace, and it is “Zappa Plays Zappa,” which this guy got to attend right here in Rochester this year.

It’s a brilliant show, it’s a brilliant story, and it’s a brilliant way for Dweezil Zappa to at last come into his own.

The show was awesome, especially for a kid like myself who never got to see the real deal. The music is expertly played and well-venerated as one might expect. It’s a fun show, and it looks like if you’re in the South, you might have a good chance of seeing it in 2013.

It’s a brilliant story to boot. If you ever see Zappa interviewed about the show, the narrative is that he had to go back into the bunker and re-learn everything he knew about being a musician in order to take on this behemoth task of learning Frank’s material. It may very well have the added benefit of being true. But it’s a great story nonetheless and an excellent way to convince us old farts that we might get something out of the gig.

Not to mention, I think this series of tours make Dweezil Zappa a darned interesting act to watch from here on out. Might he release a new album? Might it be worth a listen?

I can tell you what; I think the kid has nearly made up for what he did to “My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama.”

Not so sure about this one, though, which is still burned into my head from my MTV drool days. Thanks, Moon.


I should add. Not that everything Dweezil did pre-ZPZ was shite. I always liked this one:



Non-Zappadan Content

“Four Sticks” is called “Four Sticks” because that’s how many drumsticks Bonzo used to play it. Two in each hand. #ZeppelinRules