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.
Wonderful Tattoo!
Frank Zappa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Enclosed are photos of my cock
And the wonderful tattoo John [Stackee] in Houston did for me.
We plan to continue the design on my balls the next time I'm in Houston.
I really enjoy PFIQ,
Someday I hope to visit L.A. and meet you.
Bob C.
2221-DCM
Dear PFIQ
Dear PFIQ friends
Dear Jim
Dear Jim and PFI
I still want it
I have come to a decision
For those that believe than . . . that bigger is better
Marine hardware stores carry a full line
Of stainless steel rings.
Enclosed are photos.
I just wanted to reassure a woman
Who want nipples pierced
I, frankly
Would rather have a fakir
I will send you a few other pictures as soon as I get them
2376
237-O
3134
2221
We
Plan
To
Con
Tin
Ue
The
De-sign on my balls
The next time I'm in Houston
I really enjoy PFIQ
Someday I hope to visit L.A.
And meet you!
The only thing that surprises me
Is that every year I have the urge to have another hole
Do you think, Jim
That a gynaecologist
With the aid of your magazine could do a clit hood piercing?
Possibly one day the ultimate experience can be realized
I believe we are witnessing the evolution of a new type of man,
The quintessential being, a person who is totally modern
While at the same time primitive in desires and spirit
I feel this combination is rare in today society.
This type of person has the desire to get things done and it's...
This attribute will help both sides achieve
I'm seeking the quintessential man for myself
Through piercing, tattoos and education.
Possibly one day the ultimate experience can be realized.
My last sexual partner like the jewelry on most occasions
But not all
And I accidentally left the impaling jewelry out of all one night
And half the next day.
Everything is healing nicely.
The song Wonderful Tattoo! by Frank Zappa is a combination of letters and paragraphs that seemingly depict something obscene and disturbing. However, it is a satiric approach to a society where body modifications like tattoos and piercings are considered taboo and frowned upon. In the song, the lyrics depict a man who is highly interested in getting his genitals pierced and tattooed. He even goes on to reveal his plans to design his balls the next time he is in Houston. The reference to PFIQ is a nod to the piercing magazine, Piercing Fans International Quarterly, which was popular at the time.
The man also talks about the desire to meet Jim and PFIQ in Los Angeles and how he enjoys the magazine. The lyrics also talk about the man's need to constantly get another hole every year. He enquires if a gynecologist can provide a clit hood piercing and how he seeks the quintessential man for himself through piercings, tattoos, and education.
Overall, the song is a satire and a commentary on how society perceive body modifications and how it has become the norm in modern times.
Line by Line Meaning
Dear Jim and PFI,
Addressing Jim and his publication PFIQ in the opening sentence.
Enclosed are photos of my cock
Sending photographs of the author's genitalia as an accompaniment to the letter.
And the wonderful tattoo John [Stackee] in Houston did for me.
Referring to a tattoo that has been acquired in Houston and expressing enthusiasm for it.
We plan to continue the design on my balls the next time I'm in Houston.
Indicating that further tattoo work will be undertaken on the author's genitals in the future.
I really enjoy PFIQ,
Expressing a liking for the publication PFIQ.
Someday I hope to visit L.A. and meet you.
Expressing a desire to visit Los Angeles and make the acquaintance of the recipient(s) of the letter.
I just wanted to reassure a woman
Who want nipples pierced
Providing assurance to a woman who may be considering having nipple piercings done.
I, frankly
Would rather have a fakir
Stating a preference for having something done by a fakir rather than a medical professional.
The only thing that surprises me
Is that every year I have the urge to have another hole
Accepting that having new piercings is something that the author feels a compulsion to do.
Do you think, Jim
That a gynaecologist
With the aid of your magazine could do a clit hood piercing?
Asking whether a gynecologist could perform a particular kind of piercing with the aid of the publication.
Possibly one day the ultimate experience can be realized
Indicating that there may be an ultimate experience related to body modification that can be achieved.
I believe we are witnessing the evolution of a new type of man,
The quintessential being, a person who is totally modern
While at the same time primitive in desires and spirit
I feel this combination is rare in today society.
This type of person has the desire to get things done and it's...
Reflecting on what the author considers to be a rare combination of modernity and primitive desires that is evident in body modification practitioners.
I'm seeking the quintessential man for myself
Through piercing, tattoos and education.
Describing the kind of man that the author is personally seeking, emphasizing qualities that he associates with body modification.
My last sexual partner like the jewelry on most occasions
But not all
And I accidentally left the impaling jewelry out of all one night
And half the next day.
Relaying an anecdote about an erotic encounter that involved jewelry used for piercing.
Everything is healing nicely.
Assuring the recipient that the author's piercings and any related physical modifications are healing well.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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