Frank Zappa's legacy

[Smelodies]

How would you sum up Frank Zappa's legacy?

[cavorting with nudists]

He gave Captain Beefheart some crucial career help, and made a lot of stinky music.

[nec13]

He gave Captain Beefheart some crucial career help, and made a lot of stinky music.

I'm inclined to agree with this post.

I don't think he made "stinky" music per se; it certainly has artistic merit but I just don't find it enjoyable for whatever reason.

[yesno]

I think we should focus on his legacy of laughter.

[B_Buster]

I recently learned that Captain Beefheart was a humorless slave driver. I've got to admit it has tarnished his image somewhat.

[Lee Harvey Osmond]

Beefheart was sooo much more than a slave driver.  I can recommend reading this...

http://www.amazon.com/Captain-Beefheart-Biography-Mike-Barnes/dp/0815411901/

I still love him and his music though.

Never got into Zappa as much other than say the Baby Snakes video...

[yesno]

Also, without Zappa, we never would have had Les Claypool.

[Smelodies]

He gave Captain Beefheart some crucial career help, and made a lot of stinky music.

Have you heard this one? It's quite nice, music comes in at around the 1:22 mark:

Frank Zappa - Watermelon in Easter Hay

[nec13]

I recently learned that Captain Beefheart was a humorless slave driver. I've got to admit it has tarnished his image somewhat.

This begs the question, is it possible to separate the artist from his or her art? Can an artist's political beliefs or personal issues diminish your enjoyment of his/her art? It's something that I admittedly struggle with.

[cavorting with nudists]

Smelodies, actually I do like that one (discovered it via the Y Tu Mama Tambien soundtrack), but the spoken lead-in really exemplifies a lot that I don't like about his "humor." (Full disclosure: I idolized him between the ages of 13 and 15, so I come by my mature hatred for almost everything by him somewhat honestly.)

[Austin From Chicago]

I'll admit to being a rabid fan when I was about 12-13; I even took up music theory and composing because of Zappa. I still collect every bootleg i can find. Zappa's not to everyone's tastes, and I find a lot of his lyrics needlessly gross, misogynist, or just dumb. But there's something about his best work i still find vitally compelling.

I hate when people who try to prosletyze about their favorite stuff and force it down the throats of everyone around them, especially if their friends indicate that they have no taste for said artist. "You just haven't heard the right song yet, man!" I like Zappa a lot, but i would never try to make other people into Zappa fans, just as I would hope other people wouldn't try to turn me into a Springsteen fan (yecccch). ME: "No, seriously: I've heard "Nebraska" before. No thanks."

(Cue FOTS posting YouTube links to songs off of "Nebraska" in 10...9...8...7....) 

[Smelodies]

That's not why I started this thread, if that's what you think, Austin. I don't really know much Zappa beyond the song I posted and his Crossfire appearances and such.

[Austin From Chicago]

Oh, I wasn't implying that! Sorry! I was just sorta idly thinking out loud about how, when R.E.M. broke up, and I would post on, for instance, Facebook about how I never liked them, I would get barraged by friends posting links to R.E.M. songs, saying thinkgs like, "But..but how can you possibly hate THIS song?!"

It reminded me of some of the early Best Shows where callers would try to convince Tom that Zappa or yes or NRBQ or Tom Waits was great and Tom wouldn't fall for it. I know Tom hates Zappa, for instance, and I personally love Zappa. However, i would never try to convince Tom - or any non-fan of Zappa - that Zappa is wonderful.

I think I'm just typing my internal dialogue again. I apologize if it came off like an attack or a snarky response!