The LA Beat

“Zappa” (Magnolia Pictures, 2020) chronicles the life and music of Frank Zappa, self-taught musical genius who not only achieved tremendous musical success, but also threw himself into the political turmoil of record censorship when most artist only stuck their heads in the sand. Working with the Zappa Family Trust, the footage used is nothing short of amazing—home movies, practice sessions, concert footage and numerous interviews. Even for someone who professes to be a Zappa fan, there are enough surprises about his life in this movie that it becomes much more than a documentary, in fact an exciting story of a man who never failed to go the way he wanted.

Director and writer Alex Winter (Bill & Ted Face The Music) has compiled some wonderful interviews from those who knew Zappa best. His widow Gail Zappa presents not only a view into the rock days but also a view into his family life. Probably the most poignant line in the entire movie, and a telling look at the privacy of Zappa’s life, is when he was interviewed and asked about his friends. The reply was simple, “I have no friends, I have my wife and four children.” Even though he was utterly consumed with his music, his family was right there in terms of importance.

Pamela des Barres, Ian Underwood, Ruth Underwood, Steve Vai, Bunk Gardner and more band members and crew tell stories about life around the Mothers of Invention. Kudos is given though to everyone, they did not paint everything as rosy. Along with Frank Zappa’s creative genius came an often aloof, taskmaster who was a perfectionist but not full of praise. Zappa was hard to get to know, but none of those who worked with him would deny that it was an awe-inspiring experience. Continue reading →