Frank Zappa’s favourite punk song
Frank Zappa was never afraid to test the limits. In his music, he pushed the boundaries of genre, bending and blending everything from jazz to avant-garde to comedy. He was just as willing to push the boundaries of what was acceptable outside of his creative work, too, unafraid to share his honest and often brutal opinions about his peers.
From questioning the legitimacy of his 1960s peers to sharing his dislike for the Beatles for being caught up in commerciality, Zappa threw unflinching criticism at countless icons. If we are to see him then, as an artist and a man of extremes, it follows that he should be just as bold and brazen with his praise.
When he wasn’t critiquing commercial artists or carving out his own legacy, Zappa was willing to share his love for those artists who he did believe to be legitimate. Not all of his opinions on his fellow music-makers were derogatory – he heaped praise on the likes of Neil Young and Johnny Watson.
Though they existed within one of few genres he never really ventured into in his own work, Zappa once even shared his liking for new wave staples Blondie. When he was asked if he liked punk rock during an interview with Acid Rock, Zappa tentatively responded, “Some of the songs. I like a couple of the songs that Blondie does.”
Led by Debbie Harry, Blondie were one of the boldest bands within that scene, reinventing and reinvigorating it, so it’s no surprise that they endeared themselves to Zappa. Between Harry’s soaring vocals and their early new wave inventions, Blondie created enduring hits like ‘Call Me’ and ‘Heart of Glass’, but there was one track that Zappa was particularly enthusiastic about.
When prompted to specify the Blondie tracks he enjoyed, Zappa named ‘Sex Offender’, later renamed to ‘X Offender’. Released in 1976, the track was Blondie’s debut single but it already showed off their prowess within the new wave scene with jangly soundscapes and Harry’s soon-to-be iconic vocals.
It also hinted at their boundary-pushing artistry, as Harry takes on the voice of a sex worker who seems to want “nothing more” than the policeman who is arresting her. Over the playful punk rock instrumentation, she delivers the story with unexpected lightness. “You read me my rights, and then you said ‘Let’s go,’ and nothing more,” she shrugs, “I thought of my nights…”
The bold debut single was a hint at what was to come for Blondie, earning them a following as well as the admiration of Zappa. It makes sense that this song was not only one of Zappa’s favourite Blondie songs, but one of his favourite releases within punk rock.
‘X Offender’ entirely appealed to his own artistic interests. Blondie had shown an immediate disregard for commerciality with the lyrics to their debut, although their amendment of the title did show some concern. Of course this brazen, boundary-pushing approach would appeal to Zappa of all people.
The song never became quite as iconic as some of their later work, entirely eclipsed by the iconic ‘One Way or Another’ and the chart-topping ‘Call Me’, but it did mark the beginnings of Blondie and one of Zappa’s favourite entries into the punk rock realm.
Listen to ‘X Offender’ by Blondie, Frank Zappa’s favourite punk song, below.
