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.
Concentration Moon Part Two
Frank Zappa Lyrics
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Billy mundi (drums, vocals, yak)
Bunk gardner (woodwinds)
Roy estrada (electric bass, vocals)
Don preston (retired)
Jimmy carl black (drums, trumpet, vocals)
Ian underwood (piano, woodwinds)
Motorhead sherwood (soprano, baritone saxophone)
Dick barber (snorks)
Concentration moon
Over the camp in the valley
Concentration moon
Wis I was back in the alley
With all of my friends,
Still running free:
Hair growing out
Every hole in me
American way
How did it start?
Thousands of creeps
Killed in the park
American way
Try and explain
Scab of a nation
Driven insane
Don't cry
Gotta go bye bye
Suddenly: die die
Cop kill a creep!
Pow pow pow
Concentration moon
Over the camp in the valley
Concentration moon
Wish I was back in the alley
With all of my friends,
Still running free:
Hair growing out
Every hole in me
American way
Threatened by us
Drag a few creeps
Away in a bus
American way
Prisoner: lock
Smash every creep
In the face with a rock
Don't cry
Gotta go bye bye
Suddenly: die die
Cop kill a creep!
Pow pow pow
The song "Interview Part 2" by Frank Zappa can be interpreted as a critique of the American justice system in the late 1960s. The lyrics describe a "Concentration moon" hovering over a camp in the valley, a reference to the horrific concentration camps of the Holocaust. The singer wishes to be back in the alley with his friends, running free with hair growing out of every hole in his body. This can be interpreted as a rejection of societal norms and the desire to break free from the meaningless constraints that society imposes on individuals.
The song goes on to critique the American way of life and society, which is threatened by those who reject the norms and rules that are imposed upon them. The lyrics describe the killing of thousands of "creeps" in the park, which can be interpreted as a reference to the police brutality and violence that was taking place during this time. The song also references the imprisonment and torture of those who reject societal norms and are labeled as "prisoners" and "creeps."
In conclusion, "Interview Part 2" is a satirical critique of American society and the justice system during the 1960s.
Line by Line Meaning
Concentration moon
The focus is on the moon which symbolizes something far away and unattainable.
Over the camp in the valley
It is positioned over the concentration camp which is the only way to get there.
Concentration moon
The focus is still on the moon which may represent hope for those imprisoned.
Wish I was back in the alley
It is better to be anywhere else other than the concentration camp.
With all of my friends, Still running free:
The one positive memory he has is of being with his friends and feeling free.
Hair growing out Every hole in me
He has become feral and is growing hair in unexpected places.
American way How did it start?
The American way of doing things has created this mess in the world.
Thousands of creeps Killed in the park
The American way of life has resulted in thousands of people dying brutally.
American way Try and explain
It is difficult to come up with an explanation for the state of the world.
Scab of a nation Driven insane
The United States of America is a festering wound that is making everyone crazy.
Don't cry Gotta go bye bye Suddenly: die die
The situation is so bad that it makes sense to leave, or risk being killed at any moment.
Cop kill a creep! Pow pow pow
The police are responsible for killing people and their actions are tantamount to murder.
Threatened by us Drag a few creeps Away in a bus
The authorities feel threatened by those who speak out, and those who do speak out are taken away and imprisoned in buses.
American way Prisoner: lock Smash every creep In the face with a rock
The American system is so broken that people are being imprisoned and beaten to death with rocks.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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