Frank Zappa on why being a rock star was “nothing to aspire to”
Before there was Mark E Smith and other sneering musicians such as Steely Dan, Frank Zappa led the charge. While he might be just one outspoken figure from an era that produced many, ranging from John Lennon to Lou Reed, Zappa always cut a different image from everyone else. He was a singular character with a definitive worldview, and his unorthodox, sardonic music reflected this.
Although Zappa wasn’t for everybody, and famously butted heads with the other most pioneering artists of his era in The Velvet Underground, prompting their leader Lou Reed to say, “Frank Zappa is the most untalented musician I’ve ever heard,” there was more that connected them than they thought.
No one, not even Mothers of Invention member Jimmy Carl Black, knew why Zappa hated The Velvet Underground so much, supposing it was probably their heavy drug use, something he openly hated. Yet, their staunch commitment to creating art regardless of the pull of industry machinations, societal standards, and the inclusion of stark musical and thematic choices closely link them as early rock insurrectionists.
Reed might have questioned Zappa’s place in rock, with this a common point given his heavy experimentation with jazz and the avant-garde, often eschewing popular music tradition, but there can be no doubt that he emerged out of the rock ‘n’ roll boom that inspired all of their generation.
Putting any questions firmly to bed, Zappa, like most of his generation, was changed when he first heard rock ‘n’ roller Bill Haley pipe, “One Two Three O’Clock, Four O’Clock Rock…” when ‘Rock Around the Clock’ was used in the opening credits for Blackboard Jungle. This movie confirmed that the rock ‘n’ roll genre was now a cultural revolution and the sound of the open-eyed younger generation. The young Zappa was awestruck.
While the anti-establishment ethos of rock ‘n’ roll appealed greatly to the young Zappa, with the energy fuelling it speaking to him and the unique creative force buried deep within, he never wanted to be a rock star. That just wasn’t what he was about. He possessed a kaleidoscopic brain and sought to write music for himself; he never wanted to give in to the whims of the industry or, to be honest, fans. His journey was his own; he would draw upon whatever he saw fit to bring his vision to life, unafraid of lampooning any aspect of society.
Whether he liked it or not, Zappa was seen as a rock star by most of the outside world, mainly because, well, he was a famous and respected musician situated at the top of the industry alongside those he tried to distance himself from and openly loathed. It’s ironic, but you cannot have critical and commercial success in the modern world and be separated from the masses.
When speaking on The Review Show in 1988, Zappa explained why he was not a rock star: “Well, I’m not a rock star. No. That’s really the wrong word for me.”
He then maintained: “No, that’s nothing to aspire to. See, in order to be a rockstar, one must be cute, and, you know, I’m a realistic guy. I shave this face every day; I know what kind of a defecit I’ve got, there’s no way. Herman and the Hermits, you know, that’s a rock star.” This followed other comments earlier in the decade where he distanced himself from rock and said it had become far too overblown.
He always had a unique personality, but it’s safe to say that Zappa wasn’t a rock star in the traditional sense. He didn’t do drugs or ascribe to the classic lifestyle attached to the archetype. Instead, he lived a life that was always hard to predict, from taking on the PMRC to becoming a diplomat. I couldn’t see Lou Reed getting into the political game.
