The Frank Zappa Companion: Four Decades of Commentary

by Andre Kostelanetz, John Rocco, Richard Kostelanetz

A collection of essays by such names as Vaclav Havel and Bob Guccione, Jr, this work includes a transcription of Zappa's famous testimony before Tipper Gore and the rest of the Parents Music Regulatory Committee, along with some of his writings.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0028646282
• ISBN13: 9780028646282
• Release Date: January 1997
• Publisher: Schirmer Trade Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

A cross-section of pop culture

This book does more than just look at forty years of writing about Zappa. The "Companion" comes across as a sometimes scholarly journal of the times in which Zappa's music could actually get produced. Kostelanetz does a superb job of fitting together a diverse mixture of writings from various authors to draw a vivid picture of popular culture and real life in the last half of the 20th century. Through his clever arrangement and organization of these writings, Kostelanetz demonstrates that the youth culture, dada in art, and breakthroughs in recording technology helped shape an environment in which a stubborn, rebellious, and meticulous genius like Frank Zappa could make a forum for his unique talent. This book is thoroughly readable and contains little technical language, yet it does offer much that would be of interest to musicologists, sociologists, historians, and especially artists and musicians. Of course, Zappa fans will appreciate the wealth of details about the man, the composer, the musician, the guitarist, the politician, the social critic, etc. - you get the idea. BUY THIS THING!...

A little insight into Zappa's world

This book is an informative mish mash of different interviews and record reviews by various authors. It covers early Mothers stuff and goes right up through the 90s. Interesting interviews that originally appeared in Guitar, Rolling Stone, and many others. If ya don't know much about Frank and how he was percieved by the public, check this one out.