John Smothers
John Smothers (April 4, 1930 [1] - April 27, 2019[2] ) was FZ's bodyguard or 'personal minder' from 1972 to 1984. [3] Zappa hired him after the 1971 incident in the Rainbow Theatre in London when a deranged man in the audience, Trevor Charles Howell, pushed Zappa from stage, causing him to be hospitalized for several months.
Smothers was an imposing and muscular figure. He appeared as himself in Baby Snakes (1979) and is also interviewed. He said that he used to be a bodyguard for The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Dean Martin, Sister Soul and The Temptations too. [4]
Smothers' eccentric speech and his wife Freckles were referenced in the song Dong Work For Yuda from Joe's Garage (1979), where he is nicknamed "Bald-Headed John."
Smothers passed away in 2019.
