Frank Zappa's Cultural Legacy
Chapter 2: Zappa and his Cultural Legacy: Authorship, Influences and Expressive Features in Frank Zappa’s Movies
The second chapter was written by Manuel de la Fuenta, and it enters more in the realm for Zappa’s love for filming and movie making. It may have seemed peculiar at the time for a rock star to become so entangled with movies, but Zappa actually admitted that if he found a producer for his beginning works in cinema, he never would have performed rock music. Like his music, we get snippets of deep rooted opinions and themes that he believed were important. Much like his music, Zappa always found ways to have an active audience and challenge their views on things like the government, the music business and anti-drugs. In his film 200
motels, he’s trying to paint a clear picture for what really goes on when a rock group is touring, in contrary to the well known motto of “sex, drugs and rock and roll”. In this film, his idea was to break away from this tainted ideology of rock and portray it realistically for what it truly is. The chapter give’s great evidence when it states “Zappa’s work can be regarded as a conscious example of how rock culture can establish a reaction and opposition against social and political forces that are willing to control cultural dissidence. By naming directly the political agents that are responsible for this control in his records and films, Zappa’s work reveals it’s orientation of unveiling the intentions of these agents, which are usually hidden from public attention”. Zappa’s intention in all his different works was always to educate his audience and bring to light important cultural
The second chapter was written by Manuel de la Fuenta, and it enters more in the realm for Zappa’s love for filming and movie making. It may have seemed peculiar at the time for a rock star to become so entangled with movies, but Zappa actually admitted that if he found a producer for his beginning works in cinema, he never would have performed rock music. Like his music, we get snippets of deep rooted opinions and themes that he believed were important. Much like his music, Zappa always found ways to have an active audience and challenge their views on things like the government, the music business and anti-drugs. In his film 200
motels, he’s trying to paint a clear picture for what really goes on when a rock group is touring, in contrary to the well known motto of “sex, drugs and rock and roll”. In this film, his idea was to break away from this tainted ideology of rock and portray it realistically for what it truly is. The chapter give’s great evidence when it states “Zappa’s work can be regarded as a conscious example of how rock culture can establish a reaction and opposition against social and political forces that are willing to control cultural dissidence. By naming directly the political agents that are responsible for this control in his records and films, Zappa’s work reveals it’s orientation of unveiling the intentions of these agents, which are usually hidden from public attention”. Zappa’s intention in all his different works was always to educate his audience and bring to light important cultural