1982 April

Vol. 1 No. 1

Zappa
Photo spread by Eric Pohlmann, 2 pp

Francis Vincent Zappa, Jr., was born December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Md. But don't hold that against Baltimore.

Frank Zappa has always amazed the musical community with his outrageous material and stage presence. The Mothers of Invention were the background for his biting sarcasm of the musical field. In the days of the teeny bopper and groupies, Frank released "Crew Slut". When disco grew big, we heard "Dancing Fool" and "Sheik Yerbouti". Poking fun at his own medium put Frank Zappa where Lenny Bruce stood with the Las Vegas stand-ups... bizarre and different, yet with a message.

Characters such as Nanook of the North and themes such as "Titties and Beer" and "Dynamo Hum" show Frank's diversity as a humorist. His creativity seems endless, with the release of as many as five albums in one year.

Musically, Frank was trained in the classics. In concert, he does everything from directing a small orchestra and playing exhilarating lead guitar... to dancing with an inflatable doll and holding a smelly underarm contest.

Representing both musical creativity and humor – this is Frank Zappa as seen on his 1980-81 United States tour.