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.
Tinsel Town Rebellion
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To the whiskey on the strip
You can hear the crashing, blasting strum
Of bands that come to be real hip
And get a record contract
From a talent scout some day
They'll sell their ass, their cocks and balls
They'll take the check 'n' walk away
For a week or two perhaps
They'll buy some ugly clothes to wear
And hope the business don't collapse
Before some stupid magazine
Decides they're really good
They're a tinsel town rebellion band
From downtown Hollywood
Tinsel town rebellion, tinsel town rebellion band
It's a little bitty tinsel town rebellion
A tinsel town rebellion band
They used to play all kinds of stuff
And some of it was nice
Some of it was musical
But then they took some guy's advice
To get a record deal, he said,
They would have to be more punk
Forget their chops and play real dumb
Or else they would be sunk
So off they go to s.i.r. to learn some stupid riffs
And practice all their poses
In between their powder sniffs
Chop a line now, snort it up now
And when they think they've got it
They launch a new career
Who gives a fuck if what they play
Is somewhat insincere
Tinsel town rebellion, tinsel town rebellion band
A tinsel town rebellion,
A tinsel town rebellion band
Did you know that in tinsel town the people down there
Think that substance is a bore
And if your new wave group looks good
They'll hurry on back for more
Of leather groups and plastic groups
And groups that look real queer
The tinsel town aficionados
Come to see and not to hear
But then again this system works
As perfect as a dream
It works for all of those record company pricks
Who come to skim the cream
From the cesspools of excitement
Where Jim Morrison once stood
It's the tinsel town rebellion
From downtown Hollywood
Is everybody happy?
Oh never mind!
No problem!
The lyrics to Frank Zappa's Tinsel Town Rebellion describe the music scene in Hollywood, where unscrupulous people take advantage of aspiring musicians to make quick profits. The lyrics describe how young bands playing different genres from Madam Wong's to Whiskey a Go-Go can be discovered by talent scouts, sign record contracts, and then change their style to become more punk in order to sell more records. The lyrics go on to describe how the bands are pressured to conform to the system, to take drugs and create an image, and how, ultimately, the system works for the benefit of the record companies who come to skim the cream from the "cesspools of excitement." The "tinsel town rebellion" is a reference to the irony of the rebellious image that these bands claim to represent, while they are essentially playing into the hands of the corporate record industry.
The lyrics can be seen as a criticism of the music industry that sacrifices individuality, musicianship, and sincerity for commercial gain, and how young musicians are exploited and forced to conform to a specific image or sound to appeal to mass-market audiences. The lyrics point out the absurdity of this system, where bands trade their values and musical integrity for short-lived fame and success while the record companies profit. Ultimately, the "tinsel town rebellion" is a false rebellion, where the bands and the audience are mere pawns in the music industry game.
Line by Line Meaning
From madam wong's to starwood
From playing gigs at small venues like Madame Wong's to performing at more established ones like Starwood
To the whiskey on the strip
To the famous whiskey bar located on Sunset Strip in Hollywood
You can hear the crashing, blasting strum
You can hear the loud and intense music being played by these bands
Of bands that come to be real hip
Of bands that strive to become popular and trendy
And get a record contract
And ultimately secure a deal with a record label
From a talent scout some day
From a scout who will notice their talent and potential
They'll sell their ass, their cocks and balls
They'll do whatever it takes to succeed, even if it means compromising their integrity
They'll take the check 'n' walk away
They'll gladly accept the money and leave without any hesitation
If they're lucky they'll get famous
If they're fortunate enough, they'll become well-known
For a week or two perhaps
However, their fame may be short-lived and not last very long
They'll buy some ugly clothes to wear
They'll purchase unattractive and outrageous outfits to stand out and make a statement
And hope the business don't collapse
And hope that they'll be able to maintain their success and not fail
Before some stupid magazine
Before a magazine that lacks credibility
Decides they're really good
Decides to support and promote their music
They're a tinsel town rebellion band
They're part of a rebellious movement in Hollywood
From downtown Hollywood
Originating from the central and urban part of the city
Tinsel town rebellion, tinsel town rebellion band
Referencing the name of the song and its message
It's a little bitty tinsel town rebellion
Highlighting the insignificant impact of the rebellion in Hollywood
They used to play all kinds of stuff
They used to experiment with different genres and styles of music
And some of it was nice
And some of their music was pleasant and enjoyable
Some of it was musical
Some of their music was complex and skillful
But then they took some guy's advice
But then they followed the guidance of some individual
To get a record deal, he said,
Who suggested that in order to secure a record deal
They would have to be more punk
They would have to adopt a more rebellious and aggressive style, like punk music
Forget their chops and play real dumb
Abandon their skills and play music that is intentionally simple and unsophisticated
Or else they would be sunk
Or else they would fail to make it in the music industry
So off they go to s.i.r. to learn some stupid riffs
So they head to a music rehearsal space called S.I.R to learn simple and unoriginal musical phrases
And practice all their poses
And rehearse their theatrical and exaggerated movements on stage
In between their powder sniffs
In between their use of cocaine
Chop a line now, snort it up now
Drugs are constantly being used and consumed
And when they think they've got it
And when they think they've mastered their fake and commercial image
They launch a new career
They start their journey to commercial success
Who gives a fuck if what they play
They don't care if what they play is dishonest and insincere
Is somewhat insincere
And lacks authenticity and truthfulness
Did you know that in tinsel town the people down there
Informing the listeners of a fact about Hollywood
Think that substance is a bore
Believing that meaningful and deep content is dull and uninteresting
And if your new wave group looks good
And if your band looks appealing and fashionable
They'll hurry on back for more
The superficial and shallow audience will return for future performances
Of leather groups and plastic groups
Of groups that are artificial and fake
And groups that look real queer
And bands that have an unusual and trendy appearance
The tinsel town aficionados
The superficial and trendy fans of Hollywood
Come to see and not to hear
Attend concerts to see the band's fashionable image rather than to appreciate their music
But then again this system works
However, this approach to commercial success is still successful
As perfect as a dream
Works flawlessly and results in commercial success
It works for all of those record company pricks
It benefits the greedy executives of the record labels
Who come to skim the cream
Who come to take a big chunk of profits without putting in the work
From the cesspools of excitement
From the degrading and contaminated sources of musical inspiration
Where Jim Morrison once stood
Where legendary musician Jim Morrison has once performed
It's the tinsel town rebellion
It's a rebellion that has been co-opted and corrupted by the music industry in Hollywood
Is everybody happy?
Questioning whether the superficial and empty commercial music industry in Hollywood is something to be proud of
Oh never mind!
Suggesting that it's pointless to bother or worry about the current state of the music industry
No problem!
Ironically implying that there is a problem with the music industry in Hollywood
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