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.
That Evil Prince
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Steve vai (guitar)
Ray white (guitar, vocals)
Tommy mars (keyboards)
Chuck wild (piano)
Arthur barrow (bass)
Scott thunes (bass)
Jay anderson (string bass)
Chad wackerman (drums)
Ike willis (vocals)
Terry bozzio (vocals)
Dale bozzio (vocals)
Napoleon murphy brock (vocals)
Bob harris (vocals)
Johnny "guitar" watson (vocals)
Harry:
Rhonda, that evil prince...he certainly does have a way about him!
Rhonda:
At least he didn't piss on my fox...and he has real broadway stars for personal acquaintances!
Harry:
They're all dead, dear...zombies, I believe... the 'walking dead'...jack palance did a show on them once.
The evil prince reaches into the bowels of the ravaged experimental pig and gorges himself on the raw entrails, tossing scraps to the broadway zombies.
Rhonda:
Oh my god! look what he's doing with that stuff from inside the pig! yuck! that's disgusting! are you sure this guy is a prince?
Harry:
He's an evil prince, dear...and part-time theater critic! they don't make a heck-of-a-lot of money, why'know! we should probably feel sorry for him. you have to admit, those are some of the least
Sive cuts of pork.
Thing-fish:
Don't you white folks know nothin'? dat cock-sucker not only mean 'n dangerous, he ignint in regards to de prep'ratium o' food-stuffs! even in san quentim I never seen nobody eat a raw chitlin'!
Uthafucker be crazy! an' when dat gobbige make it's way thoo de digestium process, you bes' be hopin' you on yo' way outa heahh! next item de boy be inventin' come under de headin' o' industrial
Utium!
Harry:
Just what are these...chitlin's?
Thing-fish:
Dat dere I'd perhaps de questium most frequently posed by members of yo' species! I'll jes' gets de mammys t'hep me relucidate dis bafflin' concept wit another thrillin' numbuh! straighten up in
Hair and pay attentium! people, dis is fo yo' own good! do you know what you are?
Sister anne de devine and sister ghenghis-adonis-osmosis clamp electrodes on harry & rhonda. the other sisters re-enter with a pair of stuffed dummies, used to illustrate the song text in a
Re sort of 'bun-raku first-aid demonstration'.
Frank Zappa's "That Evil Prince" is a song that highlights the story of an evil prince who feeds on the entrails of an experimental pig, a symbol of his repugnant and twisted nature. The song opens with two characters, Harry and Rhonda, conversing about the evil prince. While Harry tries to make light of the situation by suggesting that the prince is a critic, Rhonda is repulsed by his actions. Thing-fish, another character, then enters and sharply criticizes the prince's ignorance in preparing food. He describes the chitlins, and what happens during the digestion process. Thing-fish explains that the prince may have something even more disturbing in store under the guise of industrial utium.
The song also features a group of nuns who seem to have a fascination with the story and who demonstrate the lyrics using stuffed dummies. It's unclear if they are there for the pure humor of it, or if this is Zappa's way of making a religious commentary. Overall, the song has a satirical tone with dark humor, painting the picture of an evil prince who is the polar opposite of what a prince should be.
Line by Line Meaning
Rhonda, that evil prince...he certainly does have a way about him!
Rhonda comments that the evil prince has a unique power that sets him apart from others.
At least he didn't piss on my fox...and he has real broadway stars for personal acquaintances!
Despite the evil prince's strange behavior, Rhonda finds solace in the fact that he didn't disrespect her possessions and has made connections to renowned individuals.
They're all dead, dear...zombies, I believe... the 'walking dead'...jack palance did a show on them once.
Harry remarks that the broadway stars mentioned by Rhonda are deceased and have transformed into zombies, referencing a movie by Jack Palance.
The evil prince reaches into the bowels of the ravaged experimental pig and gorges himself on the raw entrails, tossing scraps to the broadway zombies.
The evil prince indulges himself in the remains of a mutilated animal, carelessly feeding parts of it to the undead actors.
Oh my god! look what he's doing with that stuff from inside the pig! yuck! that's disgusting! are you sure this guy is a prince?
Rhonda expresses her disgust at the evil prince's actions and questions his actual royalty status.
He's an evil prince, dear...and part-time theater critic! they don't make a heck-of-a-lot of money, why'know! we should probably feel sorry for him. you have to admit, those are some of the least Sive cuts of pork.
Harry justifies the evil prince's position and behavior, stating that he is not financially well off and that the meat he eats is of poor quality.
Don't you white folks know nothin'? dat cock-sucker not only mean 'n dangerous, he ignint in regards to de prep'ratium o' food-stuffs! even in san quentim I never seen nobody eat a raw chitlin'! Uthafucker be crazy! an' when dat gobbige make it's way thoo de digestium process, you bes' be hopin' you on yo' way outa heahh! next item de boy be inventin' come under de headin' o' industrial Utium!
Thing-Fish scolds Harry and Rhonda, claiming that the evil prince is uneducated in handling food and is dangerous. He reveals that the food he eats could cause severe health issues and calls him crazy, even predicting that he will invent an industrial waste product.
Just what are these...chitlin's?
Harry shows his ignorance by asking about chitlins, a common dish in African American cuisine.
Dat dere I'd perhaps de questium most frequently posed by members of yo' species! I'll jes' gets de mammys t'hep me relucidate dis bafflin' concept wit another thrillin' numbuh! straighten up in Hair and pay attentium! people, dis is fo yo' own good! do you know what you are?
Thing-Fish replies in a condescending manner, stating that Harry's question is commonly asked by people of his race. He then speaks in a cryptic tone, hinting at a revelation he will make to educate them on what they are.
Sister anne de devine and sister ghenghis-adonis-osmosis clamp electrodes on harry & rhonda. the other sisters re-enter with a pair of stuffed dummies, used to illustrate the song text in a Re sort of 'bun-raku first-aid demonstration'.
Two nuns electrocute Harry and Rhonda before presenting them with stuffed dummies and using them to showcase the song's themes.
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