Zappa's earliest influences were 1950s pop and rock (such as doo-wop and rhythm and blues), and 20th-century classical composers including Igor Stravinsky and Edgard Varèse. His output was divided between adventurous instrumental compositions and succinct, catchy rock songs with ribald, satirical, or comically absurd lyrics. On stage he demanded virtuosity and spontaneity from his musicians, and employed many performers who would later go on to achieve fame in their own rights. He directed and released a number of films featuring himself, his musicians and entourage, including 200 Motels and Baby Snakes.
His career started in 1955. His earliest recordings date from the mid-1960s, and include collaborations with his school friend Captain Beefheart. In 1965 he joined a bar-band called The Soul Giants, quickly dominating its musical direction and rechristening it The Mothers. Their first release (as The Mothers of Invention; the name alteration requested by their record company) was the 1966 double album Freak Out!. The line-up of the Mothers gradually expanded to accommodate Zappa's increasingly ambitious and avant-garde music, but by 1969 he decided to work outside the band structure, focusing on his solo career, and effectively disbanding the Mothers in 1971.
The beginnings of his solo career in the late sixties and early seventies was characterised by a strong free jazz influence, with albums containing little, if any, lyrical content, such as Hot Rats, Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo. Towards the mid-seventies his albums became more rock-orientated, with a combination of Jazz Fusion instrumentation and Rock song structures. This more accessible sound bore reasonable mainstream appeal, especially with the release of the well-advertised albums Over-Nite Sensation and Apostrophe (') (which both went Gold), but Zappa's unpredictably eclectic output never led to solid mainstream recognition. He received uniformly lukewarm reviews from popular music publications such as Rolling Stone throughout his career. In his late seventies' output, the gulf between his humorous songs and more lengthy, complex instrumental music widened, and albums, such as Zappa in New York, Joe's Garage: Acts I, II & III, and Sleep Dirt displayed, by track, both sides firmly segregated.
Zappa saw a second run of success in the early eighties with the release of many albums with predominantly comedic rock songs, but later continued to experiment with virtually every style of music through the eighties, and was productive as ever until his death. His output in this later-career period included two albums of strikingly original classical music with the London Symphony Orchestra, an electronic take on 18th-century chamber music (written by the obscure Italian composer 'Francesco Zappa', no relation), an album of Synclavier compositions (misleadingly titled Jazz From Hell which garnered a Grammy award), a double-CD release of electric guitar instrumental music (the laconically titled Guitar) and a plenitude of official live releases, revisiting fan-favourites as well as showcasing Zappa's talent for reinventing the music of others; his version of Stairway to Heaven becoming a word-of-mouth favourite.
Zappa produced almost all of his own albums, spending many hours in the studio recording and manipulating tracks, and was always at the forefront of emerging technologies; from tape editing, collage, multitrack and overdubbing in the sixties to digital recording, electronic instruments and sampling in the eighties. Conversely, Zappa was also a obsessive self-archivist, recording virtually every one of his live performances, and often using live recordings of new material without needing to enter the studio. The archive of tapes at his family home in Los Angeles continues to be a source of posthumous releases for the Zappa Family Trust. He was also noted as a spotter of talent and his shifting line-up of musicians included Lowell George, Jean-Luc Ponty, Terry Bozzio, Chad Wackerman, George Duke, Mike Keneally, Adrian Belew and Steve Vai, as well as giving Alice Cooper his first break in music and working again with his old collaborator Captain Beefheart when his career was in decline.
In the late 1980s he became active in politics, campaigning against the PMRC's music censorship scheme and acting as culture and trade representative for Czechoslovakia in 1989; and considered running as an independent candidate for president of the US.
His death in Los Angeles, California, on 4th December 1993 came three years after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer.
Agency Man
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smiling Big Brother, stern father perhaps
Sell us a president, agency man
A gay smiling nothing we know never craps
Let's try California
(Pay us first before we do it!)
We'll get a smiling nazi
Rent a baby
Kiss a baby
Ladies in for tea
And here's a bunch of speeches
We'll toss them in for free
Sell us a president, agency man
Smiling Big Brother, stern father perhaps
Sell us a president, agency man
A gay smiling nothing we know never craps
We'll sell him in the movies
On the tube throughout the year
We'll sell him by the buckets
To the Okies drinking beer
We'll teach him how to walk and talk
We'll putty up his chin
We'll print his picture everywhere
Of course the SCHMUCK will win
From the heart of old Death Valley
To the ruling of our land
A simple trick, you simple pigs
Just the way we planned
"Agency Man" is a satirical song by Frank Zappa that criticizes the political manipulations of the American government. The song starts with the lyrics "Sell us a president, agency man," which refer to how politicians are marketed to the public as products. The "Agency Man" is a reference to the advertising agencies that work for political campaigns, whose job is to create and market a particular image of the candidate.
The song goes on to describe how the agencies manipulate the public with various tactics, such as renting babies for photo-ops, staged speeches, and selling the candidate through movies and television. The lyrics are critical of the superficial nature of politics and how image and marketing are often more important than substance or policy.
Zappa also touches on the idea of American exceptionalism and the way politicians are marketed to appeal to the masses. The line "A gay smiling nothing we know never craps" is a satirical jab at the idea that Americans are sold an image of a perfect candidate who is always smiling and never makes mistakes.
Overall, "Agency Man" is a scathing critique of American politics and the way politicians are marketed to the public. It exposes the superficiality of political campaigns and the way image and marketing are often more important than substance or policy.
Line by Line Meaning
Sell us a president, agency man
Request for the services of an advertising executive who can help sell a political candidate to the public
Smiling Big Brother, stern father perhaps
The desired image of the candidate is one that is both friendly and authoritative
A gay smiling nothing we know never craps
The candidate's personal beliefs and values are not important, as long as they can maintain their public image successfully
Let's try California
The advertising firm suggests trying out the campaign in California first
(Pay us first before we do it!)
Payment is expected for the agency's services before any work is done
We'll get a smiling nazi
The candidate may have undesirable traits, but the agency is confident they can still make them appealing to the public
And march him right on through it
The campaign will proceed regardless of any criticism or protests
Rent a baby
The candidate should make public appearances with young children to appear more relatable
Kiss a baby
Further emphasizing the importance of appearing family-oriented
Ladies in for tea
Campaign events should be organized to appeal to certain demographics
And here's a bunch of speeches
The agency will provide pre-written speeches for the candidate to use
We'll toss them in for free
These speeches are included in the cost of the agency's services
We'll sell him in the movies
The candidate will appear in films to promote their image
On the tube throughout the year
The candidate will also appear in television commercials throughout the year
We'll sell him by the buckets
The campaign will be marketed aggressively to the public
To the Okies drinking beer
The campaign's target audience includes blue collar workers and rural Americans
We'll teach him how to walk and talk
The candidate will receive extensive media training to ensure they present themselves correctly in public
We'll putty up his chin
The candidate's physical appearance will be altered if necessary to improve their image
We'll print his picture everywhere
The candidate's likeness will be prominently displayed in campaign materials
Of course the SCHMUCK will win
The campaign is confident in their ability to make even an unsuitable candidate successful
From the heart of old Death Valley
The campaign is willing to go to any lengths to ensure success
To the ruling of our land
The campaign hopes to influence the future direction of the country by controlling who holds political office
A simple trick, you simple pigs
The campaign's manipulation of public opinion is easy to achieve and the public are seen as gullible
Just the way we planned
The advertising firm is confident in their strategy and expects it to be successful
Contributed by Annabelle S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.