How Can Frank Zappa’s Colorful Life Possibly Fit in a Documentary?
Both Zappas marvel at how “present” Frank was in conversation. “Most musicians spend a lot of time living in the present, because they’re onstage and that’s being very present, but they don’t stay there,” Gail says. “They go on holiday when they get off. Frank never did. He was always in the present. If he turned towards you, you knew you were in the moment with him.” Ahmet says, “That’s what I’m trying to achieve personally in my life, which I think was awesome about my dad.”
“My obligation was to get the work out there the way Frank built it in the first place.” —Gail Zappa
Frank’s life and legacy has become a chief concern of Ahmet’s as of late, since he has taken over daily operations of the Zappa Family Trust from Gail. The estate recently entered into a new partnership with Universal Music Enterprises, allowing Ahmet to find new ways to spread the Gospel of Frank. The joint venture’s first release will be the 40-years-in-the-making Roxy Movie, finally due out this October. “I really want to try to have a greater connection with the fans and find new ways for them to connect with Frank, get the music in higher quality and have content when they want it, how they want it,” he says, noting that Winter’s documentary is not part of the new partnership. “We’ll be able to put out higher quality content, too. I am also turbo-charged with trying to bring Joe’s Garage: The Musical to fans. When I saw the proof-of-concept performances, I said this just has to see the light of day.”
“My obligation was to get the work out there the way Frank built it in the first place,” Gail says of her previous role.
“I take guidance from my mother who’s been doing this forever,” Ahmet says. “That’s Frank’s partner in crime.”
“I’m more of his partner in cream, really,” Gail rejoins.
Ahmet pauses and says, “I’m gonna try to forget that,” and Gail clarifies, “Coffee and cream.”
As the Zappas attempt to find new ways of presenting Frank’s life work, Winter is almost facing a harder task: presenting Frank. “It’s a movie at the end of the day,” he says. “We want to make something that almost feels like narrative, an epic story of a man, but not a biopic.
“Conveying the man and his times in a way that’s really entertaining and compelling, that’s the end game.” —Alex Winter
“You have the Zappa who made the music that was categorized as rock & roll,” he continues. “You have the absolutely brilliant classical composer. You have the man who was this incredible family man and father and husband. You have someone who lived through one of the most turbulent periods of American history and was extremely active and proactive during that time. And you have the satirical, artistic filmmaker, creative genius who did many other things in the creative arts and politics. Conveying the man and his times in a way that’s really entertaining and compelling, that’s the end game from my perspective.”
Once Winter captures all of Frank’s many sides, presenting the artist’s oeuvre as a whole, as well as his many other multimedia endeavors, won’t be as intimidating as it is now. For once, fans, neophytes and people who just find Zappa interesting in a Warholian sense could get a big-picture look at one of music’s most fascinating geniuses. As of right now, though, they’ll just have to wait until 2017 for it.
For Gail, the documentary will be a chance to demystify one aspect of Frank she feels people take for granted. “If I was gonna have to do this myself, I would want the question answered: ‘Why the fuck would anyone want to be a composer?'” she says bluntly. “I know the answer to that, because I lived it. I just want it revealed somehow, somewhere, because people really don’t understand what a composer is. And that will come through…. And I want to give the finger to all the ‘experts’ out there.”