Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words Page #10

and we really got the impression

that it took all of his strength

to even do this interview.

And although he guards his privacy,

he talked about his cancer,

and in spite of it all,

at 52, Frank Zappa is still Frank Zappa,

funny, opinionated, and off the wall.

For the last four years,

Zappa has focused on classical music.

Almost unheard in America,

he sells out concert halls in Europe.

Tell me about The Yellow Shark concert.

It was... It got an extraordinary reaction.

How'd you feel about that?

Well, as I said to you a little earlier,

there's no accounting for taste.

Come on!

You must have been thrilled.

I was sick.

Some... So it's hard to be truly thrilled.

But, I was... l was happier that they did that

rather than throw things at the stage.

You have made a career

out of making fun of everybody,

gays, Jewish-American princesses,

and you have taken a lot of heat for it.

Does that bother you at all?

No. I'm totally unrepentant.

Is there anything you ever did

that you were sorry for in music?

No.

A lot of performers

do things that are shocking,

or might be considered

obscenity or pornography,

but you get singled out a lot, I think.

Do you have any idea why?

'Cause I'm ugly.

Stop!

Well, you know, the...

In this world of basic stereotyping,

give a guy a big nose

and some weird hair,

and he's capable of anything.

You're a legendary workaholic.

- Are you able to work...

- Not anymore.

Not anymore.

Tell me.

Basically, on a good day,

I can go 9:
30 to 6:30, but...

It's really slowed you down.

Yeah.

Can you tell me a little bit

about how you've been doing?

- Fair.

- Fair.

Yeah. Good days, bad days.

More bad days than good days?

Yeah.

Let me go through a list of words that,

whenever you read about

Frank Zappa, you hear.

And tell me how they strike you.

"Rock legend."

That's pathetic.

"Test pilot pushing the edge."

That's...

Don't you like that one a little bit?

- No.

- No?

No.

It's a little bit too...

Got that military aroma to it.

"Eccentric genius"?

Eccentric, yes. Genius, maybe.

"Funny guy."

Only to a few.

Here's a question,

you'll know exactly what it is,

and that is, how does Frank Zappa

want to be remembered?

That's not important.

Not important at all?

Want to be remembered for the music?

It's not important to even be remembered.

I mean, the people who worry

about being remembered

are guys like Reagan, Bush.

These people want to be remembered.

And they'll spend a lot of money

and do a lot of work to make sure

that remembrance is just terrific.

And for Frank Zappa?

I don't care.

One, two, three, four.

You're 18.

Take the spoon out of your nose,

take the needle out of your arm,

take the beer out of your mouth, and go vote.

You know what I mean? Vote.

Register and vote like a beast.

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