Track of the Moment: Po-Jama People by Frank Zappa

 

Now, weird bands get a lot of love on the blog. Some are artsy and interesting, such as Squarepusher or Beat Happening. Others are just flat out crazy, such as Nick Cave and Tom Waits. However, none of them compare to the father of weird, Frank Zappa. Not only is he weird in an artsy and interesting sense, but he’s also batshit insane, and I mean that in the most sincere, loving, and awesome sense possible.

If you follow the blog religiously (which I assume all of you do), you’ll know that me and John posted a few songs during the Summer Psychosis round, as just a taste of his insanity. However, it wasn’t just the music that was crazy. During an interview, one of the long time members of the band said that Frank Zappa was always writing. Day, night, on the plane, backstage at a concert, on the tour bus, dropping a deuce (okay, he didn’t say that, but I can’t see how it wouldn’t be true). He was constantly working on his music and his craft, and it shows.

And he just kept going. There were times when he and the band would be working in the studio for days on end. There’s a story where the band spent 40 hours straight in the recording studio, after which Frank gave them 4 hours to go home and catch some sleep before they had to be back to keep working (Zappa didn’t leave the studio during that time). He was a crazy person, through and through. And that’s how he’s had enough material to release 91 studio albums, more than any other band (greatest hits excluded. And yes, technically more than the Grateful Dead, because they have a wacky way of releasing music that makes it impossible to follow, but I count about 60 albums that fall under my criteria). Hell, he had enough material for 29 albums to be released after his death. He’s had such a high output that Wikipedia has to list the month his albums came out, just to keep them organized chronologically.

Anne Fank Zappa. Why, internet, why?

Now, when most people hear that story, and hear his music, you immediately think that he did drugs. Like, all the drugs. At once. All the time. However, he didn’t like drugs. I can’t say whether or not he tried them, but he says that he doesn’t like the kind of person that drugs turn you into (aka an asshole), and didn’t allow any drugs to be used during a tour by any of the band members. What they did on their own time was whatever. But when they were playing gigs, they were dry. I’m sure that he drank, and allowed alcohol consumption, and he was always smoking cigarettes (even on stage), but nothing illegal or drastically mind-bending like weed, LSD, cocaine, heroin, etc.

Besides “no drugs”, he had strict guidelines for the people in his band. Here’s an animated version of him describing how he manages the people he hires to play for him, but if you’re too busy/lazy/locked in a basement and don’t want your captor to know you’re online, it’s pretty simple. You practice 6 days a week, 8 hours a day, for 2 months. No questions. If you don't perform up to Zappa's standards, you'll be sent home, even in the middle of a tour. It's fascinating to listen to him explain his philosophy. He was very concerned about the music and the audience, and didn’t want the jerk in the band to be messing things up.

But really got me interested in him, besides our totally awesome Summer Psychosis bracket (which you should definitely check out. Like, for reals, it’s pretty cool), was a story my dad told me about when he went to a Frank Zappa concert. My dad is a huge Frank Zappa fan, and I’ve heard this story a lot. When he was living out in California in the late 60’s and early 70’s (yeah, he’s pretty old), he went to a Zappa concert at some community college. Towards the end of a fantastic show, they asked the audience for songs they wanted the Mothers of Invention to play. After the crowd gave them a few suggestions, Zappa pulled the band into a huddle. After a short discussion they broke and went to their various positions and instruments. And the audience sat there, on the hard wood benches or dirty floor, and heard every song they called out played at once. The drummer played one song, the guitarist played another, the bass a third. All 8 or 9 members were playing something different, and melting everyone’s face as all of the songs melded together perfectly, as though they were meant to be played like that.

Prepare your anus; the bird is going in dry

And then, as their last song, Zappa said “here’s this song I’ve been working on”. Excited to preview a new Zappa song, the audience sat entranced by the slowly building music. Minutes went by as the cacophony rose up and up, gradually engulfing the entire auditorium in anticipation for the song to start. And just as the music reached the very highest it could go, Frank stopped playing and the band walked off the stage. It was the best (or one of the best) shows my dad has ever been to, and he’s seen Steve Winwood and Eric Clapton play together. It’s also a great example of just how good of a musician, a composer, and understanding the emotions and feelings music can evoke.

John already shared “It Can’t Happen Here”, and while “Muffin Man” is a fantastic song that you definitely should check out (it has a sick guitar solo, and is… just weird), I’m going with “Po-Jama People”. Now, I’ve looked for some kind of meaning to this song. But, as far as I can tell, it’s all about how he hates people who wear this kind of pajamas. But it’s such a fantastic song. I mean, just way Zappa says “pajama people” just makes me smile with delight. And the lyrics overall have this almost playful malice to them. But on top of that, you have Zappa’s sick guitar solos in the intro and bridge, the amazing drum beat driving the song forward, the smooth bass line, and the forceful but fun piano, it’s just a one of the best acid jazz songs in existence. So go on, be weird, and enjoy Frank Zappa in all his insanity and musical ability.