Frank Zappa was unfortunately long gone by the time I heard any of his music. My buddy Joel, the big Neil Young fan from college, made me a cassette copy of the album Joe’s Garage after finding out that I didn’t know it. That cassette probably stayed in my car radio for about six months straight. I absolutely loved it. Not only did I like the music, I liked the overall theme of the album and thought a lot of it was utterly hilarious. When I eventually made my way to California, I had a boss, Jack, while working the midnight shift at a grocery store that turned out to be a huge Zappa fan. He’s the one that really familiarized me with a lot more of the catalog. We even made a trip up to L.A. once to see Terry Bozzio, a former Zappa drummer, play a small club in Studio City called The Baked Potato. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience as my first show in L.A.
Song: “Lucille Has Messed My Mind Up”
Artist: Frank Zappa
Songwriter(s): Frank Zappa
Album(s): Joe’s Garage Act I
Release Year(s): 1979
Song: “Summertime”
Artist: Big Brother And The Holding Company
Songwriter(s): DuBose Heyward, George Gershwin
Album(s): Cheap Thrills
Release Year(s): 1968
I Wish You Would Hear Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6jFrq03xPtVVOexYHZF1OW?si=bc9df95d2d854d