Those interested in the Zappa story will know that he died just ahead of his 53rd birthday circa December 1993. It ended the feverish pace at which he had worked on his various projects over countless years; principally from his den…the Utility Muffin Research Kitchen, in the basement of his home. So, 21 years later, it’s an interesting question to ask, what would Zappa be doing now, in his 74th year on planet earth?
In my opinion, his interest in all things rock n roll would have long since expired in preference to a full time focus on modern classical; perhaps befitting of a man who had surely outgrown the youthful exhuberance of rock n roll and its acoutrements. Would he still be satirising American society with songs like ‘Titties and Beer’? The answer is an emphatic no; and indeed, as the 80’s wore on, he became less interested in writing lyrics/words to accompany his music. He felt that he could make just as offensive a noise with music alone, without the words. The signs were already there – since the 80’s, there were fewer tours and less inclincation to pick up the guitar or to perform. But what really banged the truth home was his acquisition of a SYNCLAVIER in the early 80’s, a device that would surely replace musicians and all the grief and dissatisfaction they caused him. This became his sole obsession – a dream machine that would do exactly as it was told and perfectly without fault. How rock n roll is that? Of course, it was also a cheaper alternative to having to use real musicians and Zappa always had a shrewd business-like mind; that’s why he stayed in business so you’ve got to admire the man for that!
Imagine, if you will, that the SYNCLAVIER had been around in the 50’s and that somehow, the young Zappa, who was trying to get to grips with scoring Avant Garde music by hand just based on what it looked like had got hold of such a machine. Well, the fact is, he would never have gone through the 60’s and 70’s the way he experienced them. It would have been a different story. In reality this man wasn’t really rock n roll at all; for all the misconceptions about him. He was a straight thinking, conservative guy who stood apart from the hoopla. Sure he was eccentric and liked to inject humour into his music. He never took drugs either.
I digress. What would he have been doing now? Well he would have established good relations with a number of orchestras/ensembles around the world who are sympathetic to his aims; and they would have performed his serious music; which would have helped to maintain his profile. He would still be down in his basement beavering away. And as for the rock n roll tours, well they wouldn’t happen. Period! he would have embraced the power of the internet and indeed anticipated its development when he talked about a future in which music would be sent down a wire. There was no way that he would ever give up working; it would be business as usual…till his dying breath. Just like it was in fact; except he was only about to turn 53 when he drew his last breath.
If he had lived, he would have succeeded in becoming firmly established as a composer of serious music; he would have successfully made the transition he wanted to make. He once remarked that in market terms, he occupied a ‘hostile’ territory, caught between the rock n roll world and the classical, serious. In an ideal world, it is clear where he really wanted to be all along.
Copyright 2014
