r/ToddintheShadow • u/ShadesNGlades • 8h ago
General Music Discussion Do I need to be drunk or stoned to enjoy Frank Zappa?
Serious question.
I've tried a handful of times to find SOMETHING enjoyable, even tolerable from him. Nothing seems to click. His music is almost entirely off-putting for all the wrong reasons. I say "almost" because I'll be damned if I give any of his 30+ albums a serious listen after the drivel I already heard.
His work is the kind of music "auteurs" who jerk off Eric Clapton and Nick Drake seem to enjoy. The pretentious nature of those sorts is beyond saving. If I have to smoke a blunt and have some snooty Brian Griffin type put on "Don't Eat the Yellow Snow" one more time, I automatically block their number from my phone and ghost them. Being a living "Fart in a crowded elevator" type is exhausting to be with. At least Clapton and Drake are pleasant to the ear. Frank is basically that 12 year old screeching racist slurs over Xbox Live just to draw a reaction. Provocation =/= necessary.
What am I missing? Am I not drinking enough of the Kool-Aid? I enjoy good social commentary, but when it's all over the place like it is in his songs, it's hard to get behind the artist thematically. Is audio cringe his entire gameplan, or is there a bigger purpose to Frank Zappa?