The great thing about Frank Zappa is, he doesn’t need an introduction. Even if you weren’t a follower, if you’re above the age of 45, you know his name.
My preconceived notions were that he was a wild man, perhaps even savage given some of the sexually explicit lyrics my friend had played me once just to see me in shock mode. I had also heard his daughter Moon Unit talk to Marck Maron once (they also dated briefly) about how her dad would be inthe basement creating much of the time. Hence, while cad and absentee dad may have a smidge of truth, I came away from this doc as an admirer. The 60’s and 70’s were a time of breaking away from the 1950’s majority, but more than being part of a movement, Frank Zappa simply was following his own off beat inner compass.
This documentary, unlike “Weiner”, was tightly edited and interesting throughout. My favorite moment was at the end of Zappa’s life (certainly not a spoiler) when one of the cheesey morning show hostesses was prodded him with the question, “How do you want to be remembered?”, Frank’s response is refreshingly realistic. His response I won’t give away. See the doc, I hope it gets an Oscar nomination and that Thorsten Schutte who directed, has more upcoming projects.
