Preview By Kevin Wilson
You’ve probably seen him on television--he was an MTV mainstay along with his sister Moon Unit, and had a surprisingly good cooking show on the Food Network with then-girlfriend Lisa Loeb. Or perhaps you know him from his random movie cameos (yes, that’s him in Pretty in Pink). But Dweezil Zappa is, first and foremost, a musician’s musician.
In the 1980s, while still in his teens, Zappa scored a big hit with “My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Momma.” In the ensuing years, he released a number of engaging solo albums and has lent his talents as a guitarist to a variety of other recording artists (including Winger, and the semi-legendary Spinal Tap).
Oh, and he also happens to be full-fledged legend Frank Zappa’s eldest son. At the moment, Zappa is in the midst of celebrating and extending his late father’s legacy through one of the decades most interesting musical explorations.
Together with a killer cast of like-minded musicians, Zappa is recreating his father’s oft-overlooked masterpieces and digging deep into Papa Frank’s catalogue.
Zappa rightly feels that he has a certain responsibility to do so. As he puts it, “Frank’s overall contribution to the world of music is not properly understood.”
Hopefully that is about to change.
“With this project, we are re-educating the public and looking to expose a younger generation to Frank’s unique compositional style,” Zappa said.
“What is marketed to kids these days is so limited, but they don’t even realize it. The 12-year-old mind that is accustomed to rap and pseudo-punk will be obliterated by this experience.”
So will the rest of us.
Zappa plays Zappa at the Forecastle Festival.
For more information, visit www.forecastlefest.com.
