September 17, 2002
8:06 AM   Subscribe

Sen. Paula Hawkins was at one time curious about what kind of toys Frank Zappa's children played with. Now we know: Among Dweezil's collection was a 1963 Fender Stratocaster owned, played, and burnt to a crisp by one Jimi Hendrix. Now, Dweezil is selling the thing, but not to buy a new car or house or something. He's trying to raise funds to refurbish his old man's studio. Zappa once wrote an essay about how to raise fantastic children. It seems from this story that he did exactly that.
posted by NedKoppel (12 comments total)
 
I tried googling for the article NedKoppel mentioned in his post, with little luck. Any Zappa fans know of the essay he refers to?
posted by absquatulate at 8:48 AM on September 17, 2002


that is the coolest thing thing i have heard of any of kids doing, since who really wants to play a toasted guitar. i don't know, just as everyone has a public and private side i sincerely think that in real life zappa's kids are cooler then the come off publicly and don't try to be "weird" like their old man. i don't know, they either just annoy me, or i hold frank in too high regard
posted by the aloha at 8:51 AM on September 17, 2002


since who really wants to play a toasted guitar

As the article says (and in the 3rd paragraph no less):

"One of Hendrix's roadies had given it to Zappa, who used it on his own 1976 album Zoot Allures after making it playable again."
posted by terrapin at 8:57 AM on September 17, 2002


"You really get quite a sense of history from the guitar, particularly knowing that two of world's greatest guitar virtuosos have played the same instrument. It is very cool,"

No dude, it is very, very cool.

Any Zappa fans know of the essay he refers to?

The article about raising kids, though it might have been reprinted elsewhere, is actually a chapter in Frank's autobiography, "The Real Frank Zappa Book," which is required reading for Zappa fans. It's probably the most fun you'll ever have being educated, aside from having a much older lover.

(also: twenty bucks says Paul Allen snaps this guitar up and sticks it in EMP.)
posted by Ty Webb at 9:05 AM on September 17, 2002


my apologies, terrapin. i missed that sentence.
posted by the aloha at 9:12 AM on September 17, 2002


That's exactly what I was referring to, Ty Webb. Perhaps it was not entirely accurate of me to refer to it as an "essay." Sorry for the confusion.
posted by NedKoppel at 9:13 AM on September 17, 2002


I would sell tickets to see it, I couldn't depart with my dad's guitar, or could I. What else does he have?, ok now to buy the book to see.
posted by thomcatspike at 11:15 AM on September 17, 2002


I'm actually in the middle of reading The Real Frank Zappa Book now. I definitely recommend it. I just got through the part where Frank is in London, trying to explain his lyrics to British Magistrates. Very funny but frustrating too, because of the constant attempts to stifle him everywhere he went. The lesson the book teaches is that society abhors a weirdo.

We need a new Frank Zappa. Maybe Dweezil will channel his dad's spirit in his old studio and have it possess someone, heralding the return of the original freak.
posted by picea at 11:28 AM on September 17, 2002


Dweezil had the guitar for sale on the Zappa site for a while for 500k or $1 million or something.

Here is the guitar with Frank. Damn, I miss him.


posted by BarneyFifesBullet at 11:36 AM on September 17, 2002


i don't know, just as everyone has a public and private side i sincerely think that in real life zappa's kids are cooler then the come off publicly and don't try to be "weird" like their old man. i don't know, they either just annoy me, or i hold frank in too high regard

I've never been a Dweezil fan since he played gee-tar for Don Johnson on that horrible single "Heartbeat." After I saw that, I reckoned he hadn't the heart that his old man did. I recently got my mitts on Dweezil's Automatic, though, and, as it turns out, the kid has some interesting ideas and did indeed learn a thing or two about polytonality, eyebrows, and humor in music.
posted by NedKoppel at 12:21 PM on September 17, 2002


Dweezil played guitar on the cover of "Smoke On The Water" for Pat Boone.

That's Pat Boone, people.

Anybody who says he didn't get Frank's sense of humor is a moron.
posted by swell at 8:32 PM on September 17, 2002


Growing up working class in Baltimore will make anyone weird.
posted by stbalbach at 12:08 PM on September 18, 2002


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