MAD GENIUS

FRANK VINCENT ZAPPA

Sketch: yafiz siddiqui

Born: December 21, 1940 in Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Died: December 4, 1993 in Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, USA

"Communism doesn't work because people like to own stuff.

Art is making something out of nothing and selling it.

One of my favourite
philosophical tenets
is that people will
agree with you only
if they already agree
with you. You do not
change people's minds.

Some scientists claim that hydrogen,
because it is so plentiful, is the basic
building block of the universe.
I dispute that. I say there is more
stupidity than hydrogen, and that is
the basic building block of the universe.

It isn't necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice.
There are two other possibilities: one is paperwork, and the
other is nostalgia.

Most rock journalism is people who can't write,
interviewing people who can't talk, for people
who can't read."

Facts and Figures

12: At the age of 12, he began learning the basics of orchestral percussion.

Avant-garde: Zappa grew up influenced by avant-garde composers such as Varèse, Halim El-Dabh, Igor Stravinsky, and Anton Webern, R&B and modern jazz

1966: Debut album: Freak Out!

The Mothers of Invention: Known as “The Mother”, this band was formed under the leadership of Zappa

Politics: He favoured capitalism, entrepreneurship, and independent business, stating that musicians could make more from owning their own businesses than from collecting royalties.

97: He produced 97 albums in his life time.