Difference between revisions of "Dweezil Zappa"

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Second child of four, first son, born September 5, 1969.
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[[Image:Fredzep.jpg|right|thumb|Fred Zeppelin rehearsal (Dweezil on right)]]'''Dweezil Zappa''' is  Frank Zappa's second child of four, first son, born September 5, 1969. He is a musician having played guitar from an early age.  As a 12 year old he was rehearsing in a band called ''Fred Zeppelin''. 
  
[[Dweezil Zappa|Dweezil]] was originally named '''IAN''' ([[Ian Underwood]]) '''DONALD''' ([[Don Van Vliet]] - a.k.a. [[Captain Beefheart]]) '''CALVIN''' ([[Cal Schenkel]]) '''EUCLID''' (Euclid James [[Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood]])...
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[[Dweezil Zappa|Dweezil]] was originally named '''IAN''' (after [[Ian Underwood]]) '''DONALD''' (after [[Don Van Vliet]]) '''CALVIN''' (after [[Cal Schenkel]]) '''EUCLID''' (after  [[Jim "Motorhead" Sherwood|Euclid James Sherwood]])
  
As a baby, appeared on the Dutch VPRO documentary [[The True Story Of 200 Motels]], and can be heard on the interview disc "[[Incredibly Frank]]".
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<blockquote><p>
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When Dweezil was born, Gail decided to have 'natural childbirth.' At that time, the only hospital in
 +
Los Angeles that would allow this process to occur with a Dad in the delivery room was Hollywood
 +
Presbyterian Hospital. </p>
 +
<p>When it was time for the Big Delivery, we experienced a slight delay -- we had to fill out a mass of
 +
papers before they'd let us in, riddled with irrelevant questions like: "What religion are you?" </p>
 +
<p>Gail looked at me and said, "What do we put?" I said, "Musician." </p>
 +
<p>That was the first thing that upset the admitting nurse. The second thing to spoil her afternoon was
 +
when she asked: "What are you going to name the child?" Gail said, "Dweezil." </p>
 +
<p>Gail's got a funny-looking little toe which had been the source of family amusement so often that it
 +
had acquired a 'technical name': it wasn't really a toe -- it was a "Dweezil." I thought then, and
 +
continue to think today, that Dweezil is a nice name. Fuck the nurse if she didn't like it. </p>
 +
<p>The nurse pleaded and pleaded with us not to name the child Dweezil. Labor pains and all, she was
 +
going to make Gail stand there unless we gave her another name to put on the form. I couldn't see
 +
letting Gail suffer just to argue the point, so I rattled off an assortment of first names of guys we
 +
knew: IAN (Underwood) DONALD (Van Vliet) CALVIN (Schenkel) EUCLID (James "Motorhead"
 +
Sherwood). As a result, Dweezil's original birth certificate name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa.
 +
The nurse thought that was okay. </p>
 +
<p>In spite of this harrowing experience, we always called him Dweezil. He was five years old when he
 +
discovered the real names on his birth certificate. </p>
 +
<p>(I was in my mid-twenties when I found out! Up until the time I had to get a passport for the first
 +
European tour, I thought my name was Francis -- a name I had always hated. In order to get the
 +
passport, I had to present my birth certificate -- a mysterious document I had never seen before. My
 +
mother mailed it to me from California, and on it, much to my delight, was a name OTHER THAN
 +
FRANCIS -- well, it wasn't that good -- "Frank" isn't much of a bargain -- but I had thought for years,
 +
even printing it on album covers, that I was Francis Vincent Zappa Junior. How could I be such a fool?) </p>
 +
<p>Dweezil was very upset, and demanded that steps be taken to rectify this tragedy. We hired an
 +
attorney and had his name legally changed to Dweezil. </p>
 +
</blockquote>
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<div align=right>-[[The Real Frank Zappa Book]]</div>
  
"[[My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama (The Album)|My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama]]", album (1988, Chrysalis Records VK 41633) and single.
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He recorded solo albums, as well as collaborated with his brother [[Ahmet Zappa]] in a [[wikipedia:Shampoohorn|group named "Z"]].  Dweezil Zappa ied the Frank Zappa-tribute band named "[[Zappa Plays Zappa]]" from 2006.
  
"[[Havin' A Bad Day]]" (LP, Barking Pumpkin ST-74204, August 22, 1986), produced by FZ.
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His career outside of the music world has ranged from providing the voice of Ajax in the [[Duckman]] cartoon to presenting [[wikipedia:Dweezil & Lisa|a TV food show]] with his then girlfriend Lisa Loeb. He married Lauren Knudsen in 2005.
  
Shot the front cover photo for "[[Zappa In New York]]".
 
  
Plays guitar solos on "[[Sharleena]]" (probably not on the 1970 [[Chunga's Revenge]]) and "[[Stevie's Spanking]]" on "[[Them Or Us]]".
 
  
Guest vocals on "[[Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention]]".
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==Involvement with  Frank Zappa's work==
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* First album name-check, at one month old, on the sleeve inner of [[Hot Rats]] with; "...Dedicated to '''Dweezil''', Bub & Gil"
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* Baby Dweezil can be seen in [[The True Story Of 200 Motels]]
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* Vocals on [[Frank Zappa Meets The Mothers Of Prevention]]
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* Shot the front cover photo for [[Zappa In New York]]
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* Guitar solo on [[Whipping Post]] on [[Does Humor Belong In Music?]]
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* Guitar on [[Sharleena]] on [[You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3]]
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* Barks on the track [[Waffenspiel]] on [[Civilization Phaze III]]
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* Lead guitar on [[Dirty Love]] and [[Chunga's Revenge]] on the [[Zappa's Universe]]
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* Produced "[[Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa]]" (with [[Spencer Chrislu]]) also wrote the liner notes.
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* Lead guitar on "[[Chunga's Revenge]]" and "[[Bavarian Sunset]]" on "[[Trance-Fusion]]"
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* Guitar solos [[Stevie's Spanking]] on [[Them Or Us]]
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* "DWEEZIL - Star in the [[One Size Fits All]] [[:Category:One Size Fits All (The List)|universe]]
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* Led [[Zappa Plays Zappa]]
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* He is also interviewed in the documentary [[Cry Baby:The Pedal that Rocks the World]].
  
Guitar solo on "[[Whipping Post]]" on "[[Does Humor Belong In Music?]]".
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===Own Recordings===
  
Contributed to "[[Sharleena]]" on "[[You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore Vol. 3]]"
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* My Mother is a Space Cadet (1982)
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* [[Havin' A Bad Day]] (1986)
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* [[My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama (The Album)|My Guitar Wants To Kill Your Mama]] (1988)
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* Confessions (1991)
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* Automatic (2000)
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* [[Go with What You Know]] (2006)
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* [[Return Of The Son Of...]] (2010)
  
Barks on the track "[[Waffenspiel]]" on "[[Civilization Phaze III]]".
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==See also==
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*Family
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** [[Gail Zappa]]
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** [[Moon Zappa]]
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** [[Ahmet Zappa]]
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** [[Diva Zappa]]  
  
Played lead guitar on "[[Dirty Love]]" and "[[Chunga’s Revenge]]" on the "[[Zappa's Universe]]" video.
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[[wikipedia:Dweezil Zappa|Dweezil Zappa]] Wikipedia Article
 
 
Produced the "[[Frank Zappa Plays The Music Of Frank Zappa]]" CD, and sequenced and edited the tracks with Spencer Chrislu; also wrote the liner notes.
 
 
 
Voice of Ajax, son of Duckman, in the "[[Duckman]]" cartoon (1994).
 
 
 
"DWEEZIL (auriga Ra6b 46m145d47º6')" is one of the stars in the "[[One Size Fits All]]" (1975) "[[:Category:One Size Fits All (The List)|universe]]".
 
 
 
FZ in [[The Real Frank Zappa Book]] (1989): "''When Dweezil was born, Gail decided to have 'natural childbirth.' At that time, the only hospital in Los Angeles that would allow this process to occur with a Dad in the delivery room was Hollywood Presbyterian Hospital. When it was time for the Big Delivery, we experienced a slight delay - we had to fill out a mass of papers before they'd let us in, riddled with irrelevant questions like: 'What religion are you?' Gail looked at me and said, 'What do we put?' I said, 'Musician.' That was the first thing that upset the admitting nurse. The second thing to spoil her afternoon was when she asked: 'What are you going to name the child?' Gail said, 'Dweezil.' Gail's got a funny-looking little toe which had been the source of family amusement so often that it had acquired a 'technical name': it wasn't really a toe - it was a 'Dweezil.' I thought then, and continue to think today, that Dweezil is a nice name. Fuck the nurse if she didn't like it. The nurse pleaded and pleaded with us not to name the child Dweezil. Labor pains and all, she was going to make Gail stand there unless we gave her another name to put on the form. I couldn't see letting Gail suffer just to argue the point, so I rattled off an assortment of first names of guys we knew: IAN (Underwood) DONALD (Van Vliet) CALVIN (Schenkel) EUCLID (James 'Motorhead' Sherwood). As a result, Dweezil's original birth certificate name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. The nurse thought that was okay. In spite of this harrowing experience, we always called him Dweezil. He was five years old when he discovered the real names on his birth certificate. Dweezil was very upset, and demanded that steps be taken to rectify this tragedy. We hired an attorney and had his name legally changed to Dweezil.''"
 
 
 
Dweezil on FZ (at http://www.musicforpets.com/dweez.html) under the heading "Dweezil's Favorite Solos by Dweezil's Favorite Guitar Players": "''Besides being inspirational in my life by virtue of being my father, Frank's playing has had a profound affect on me. Of course he influenced me early on but it wasn't until I had several years of playing experience that I could truly appreciate what he was doing with the guitar. When I first started playing I was 12. Frank's music seemed impossible to play. It was amazing to listen to but horrific to try and learn. His imagination was so powerful and so musical it was devastating. There are so many things about his music that I love but mainly I've always admired his soloing style. I think he was fearless when he played. I loved his description of his solos... He called them '[[Air Sculptures]]'. My favorite 'Air Sculptures' of Frank's are: 1. '[[Ship Ahoy]]' from '[[Shut Up 'n Play Yer Guitar Some More|Shut Up And Play Yer Guitar]]'. (That whole album actually deserves a mention... especially '[[The Deathless Horsie|Deathless Horsie]]') 2. '[[Watermelon In Easter Hay]]' from '[[Joe's Garage Acts II & III|Joe's Garage]]'. That coincidentally is also one of my Mom's all time favorites. 3. '[[Black Napkins]]' from '[[Zoot Allures]]'.''"
 
 
 
See more of the Zappa Household:
 
* [[Gail Sloatman]] ([[Gail Zappa]])
 
* [[Moon Zappa]] (Moon Unit Zappa)
 
* [[Ahmet Zappa]] (Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa)
 
* [[Diva Zappa]] (Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen Zappa)
 
  
 
[[Category:Supporting Cast|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Supporting Cast|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Zappa Family|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Zappa Family|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Bandmembers|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Bandmembers|Zappa, Dweezil]]
[[Category:Musicians|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
 
[[Category:Side Projects|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Side Projects|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Tributes & Cover Bands|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:Tributes & Cover Bands|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:One Size Fits All (The List)|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:One Size Fits All (The List)|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:The Real Frank Zappa Book (The List)|Zappa, Dweezil]]
 
[[Category:The Real Frank Zappa Book (The List)|Zappa, Dweezil]]
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[[Category:Rock Artists|Zappa]]

Revision as of 07:24, 15 December 2011

Fred Zeppelin rehearsal (Dweezil on right)

Dweezil Zappa is Frank Zappa's second child of four, first son, born September 5, 1969. He is a musician having played guitar from an early age. As a 12 year old he was rehearsing in a band called Fred Zeppelin.

Dweezil was originally named IAN (after Ian Underwood) DONALD (after Don Van Vliet) CALVIN (after Cal Schenkel) EUCLID (after Euclid James Sherwood)

When Dweezil was born, Gail decided to have 'natural childbirth.' At that time, the only hospital in Los Angeles that would allow this process to occur with a Dad in the delivery room was Hollywood

Presbyterian Hospital.

When it was time for the Big Delivery, we experienced a slight delay -- we had to fill out a mass of papers before they'd let us in, riddled with irrelevant questions like: "What religion are you?"

Gail looked at me and said, "What do we put?" I said, "Musician."

That was the first thing that upset the admitting nurse. The second thing to spoil her afternoon was when she asked: "What are you going to name the child?" Gail said, "Dweezil."

Gail's got a funny-looking little toe which had been the source of family amusement so often that it had acquired a 'technical name': it wasn't really a toe -- it was a "Dweezil." I thought then, and continue to think today, that Dweezil is a nice name. Fuck the nurse if she didn't like it.

The nurse pleaded and pleaded with us not to name the child Dweezil. Labor pains and all, she was going to make Gail stand there unless we gave her another name to put on the form. I couldn't see letting Gail suffer just to argue the point, so I rattled off an assortment of first names of guys we knew: IAN (Underwood) DONALD (Van Vliet) CALVIN (Schenkel) EUCLID (James "Motorhead" Sherwood). As a result, Dweezil's original birth certificate name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa. The nurse thought that was okay.

In spite of this harrowing experience, we always called him Dweezil. He was five years old when he discovered the real names on his birth certificate.

(I was in my mid-twenties when I found out! Up until the time I had to get a passport for the first European tour, I thought my name was Francis -- a name I had always hated. In order to get the passport, I had to present my birth certificate -- a mysterious document I had never seen before. My mother mailed it to me from California, and on it, much to my delight, was a name OTHER THAN FRANCIS -- well, it wasn't that good -- "Frank" isn't much of a bargain -- but I had thought for years, even printing it on album covers, that I was Francis Vincent Zappa Junior. How could I be such a fool?)

Dweezil was very upset, and demanded that steps be taken to rectify this tragedy. We hired an attorney and had his name legally changed to Dweezil.

-The Real Frank Zappa Book

He recorded solo albums, as well as collaborated with his brother Ahmet Zappa in a group named "Z". Dweezil Zappa ied the Frank Zappa-tribute band named "Zappa Plays Zappa" from 2006.

His career outside of the music world has ranged from providing the voice of Ajax in the Duckman cartoon to presenting a TV food show with his then girlfriend Lisa Loeb. He married Lauren Knudsen in 2005.


Involvement with Frank Zappa's work

Own Recordings

See also

Dweezil Zappa Wikipedia Article