Difference between revisions of "Politics"

From Zappa Wiki Jawaka
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(who Z would've wanted as Veep & AG)
(Clean-up.)
Line 1: Line 1:
In 1991 Frank Zappa considered running for [[the President]] of the U.S. in 1992 as an independent, but his illness prevented him from pursuing that further.  Zappa wanted Ross Perot as his vice-president, and Alan Dershowitz as his attorney general.  In 1992 and 1996 Perot ran for president as an independent himself.<ref>[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2019-07-09/that-time-frank-zappa-considered-running-for-president-with-h-ross-perot That time Frank Zappa considered running for president with H. Ross Perot as his veep].</ref>
+
'''Politics''' are a running theme in Frank Zappa's music, as well as a recurring subject in interviews. His most political albums are ''[[Freak Out!]]'', ''[[Absolutely Free]]'', ''[[We're Only In It For The Money]]'', ''[[Thing-Fish]]'' and ''[[Broadway The Hard Way]]''.  
  
==Libertarianism==
+
Zappa was known for encouraging people to register to vote and even had voter booths installed at concerts during his 1988 tour.
  
The [[Wikipedia:Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]] is an American political party.  They approached Zappa in 1988 about seeking their presidential nomination.  Zappa decided that while he agreed with them on some issues, he could not endorse their entire platform, so he declined.  Zappa said,<blockquote> "I can't really stand up and support your platform whole heartedly because some the stuff you have in here is either wrong or stupid. And, in order for me to be a candidate for your party, would they, in fact, nominate me if I couldn't be an ideologue and go the whole 9 yards." And, he said it was doubtful they would support you at the convention if you didn't just spew the whole thing. And I said; "Well, I'm not your bot. Thanks a lot. Goodbye." <ref>[http://archive.is/7ypkg Frank Zappa '88, by Dave Turner].</ref></blockquote>
 
  
 +
==Attempts of political parties to approach Zappa as their endorser==
  
 +
The U.S. political party, ''The [[Wikipedia:Libertarian Party (United States)|Libertarian Party]]'', approached Zappa in 1988 to seek their presidential nomination.  Zappa decided that while he agreed with them on some issues, he could not endorse their entire platform, so he declined.  Zappa said,<blockquote> ''"I can't really stand up and support your platform whole heartedly because some the stuff you have in here is either wrong or stupid. And, in order for me to be a candidate for your party, would they, in fact, nominate me if I couldn't be an ideologue and go the whole 9 yards."'' He added it was doubtful they would support you at the convention if you didn't just spew the whole thing. And I said; ''"Well, I'm not your bot. Thanks a lot. Goodbye."'' <ref>[http://archive.is/7ypkg Frank Zappa '88, by Dave Turner].</ref></blockquote>
 +
 +
==Cultural Ambassador==
 +
 +
Zappa did agree to become Cultural Ambassador of [[Czechoslovakia]] in the 1990s. He travelled to the country and had various conversations with recently-elected president [[Václav Havel]]. However, his plans were thwarted by pressure by the U.S. government and multinationals to ''either do business with us or with Frank Zappa''.
 +
 +
==Presidential ambitions==
 +
 +
As early as 1971, interviewed during [[Roelof Kiers]]' ''[[Frank Zappa (1971 Documentary)]]'' Zappa considered running for President, but felt having to stay in [[The White House]] for four years was something he couldn't bring himself too.
 +
 +
In 1991 Frank Zappa considered running for [[the President]] of the U.S. in 1992 as an independent candidate, but his illness prevented him from pursuing that further.  Zappa wanted Ross Perot as his vice-president, and Alan Dershowitz as his attorney general.  In 1992 and 1996 Perot ran for president as an independent himself, but lost to Bill Clinton.<ref>[https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/entertainment/music/story/2019-07-09/that-time-frank-zappa-considered-running-for-president-with-h-ross-perot That time Frank Zappa considered running for president with H. Ross Perot as his veep].</ref>
 +
 +
In a 15 April 1991 radio interview with [[Charles Amirkhanian]], ''[[Ode To Gravity - Frank Zappa: World Affairs Commentator]]'', Zappa discussed the possibility of running for U.S. President and having [[John Cage]] and Noam Chomsky as cabinet members: ''"The only thing I'm worried about is that since John Cage is macro-biotic, he won't be available for the Cabinet now."''
 +
 +
==Zappa about politics==
 +
 +
''"I think pop music is the new politics, and the only valid politics. A lot of the things wrong with the world today could be put right by musicians quicker than they could by politicians."'' - ''[[Frank Zappa. Reviled, Revered Mother Superior]]'', Chris Welch, [[Melody Maker]], 5 October 1968.
 +
 +
''I watch the politics in the States go by and gag over it once in a while. I get involved in it as much as I am an artist and I say what I like about the environment in which I produce my work. To get out in the street and wave a flag is a waste of time, definitely a non functional gesture. It doesn't alter any condition and if you want to be a hippy on the weekends and you want to be involved and don't have anything much to do – go to a demonstration. A lot of people misconstrued the early albums because they didn't see that I was criticizing both sides of the fence. On one hand I have Bow Tie Daddy talking about this dude who drinks and goes home in his Lincoln, and then the discussion about the flower punks. And all that album did was alienate the flower punks. I haven't dropped the social stuff. Only the blatant stuff has gone. Political social stuff can exist on a non-vocal level. In a more subtle way. I don't want to carry on doing the same thing for ever.'' - 'Quoted from ''[[It's all in self-defence]]'', Jonathan Green Friends, 22 November 1969.
 +
 +
''"Most of my songs are not political, they are sociological. It's more a bane to my existence. People said I was talking about political stuff, and the only thing that I can see is remotedly political is "[[Brown Shoes Don't Make It]]", 'cause that's about legislators."'' - ''[[Mother In Lore]]'', Patrick and Barbara Salvo, Melody Maker, 5 January 1974.
 +
 +
''"Well, I don't think politics – or the personality game of politics – really does matter. They're all working for the same company. It's hard to tell one from the other. That's just a charade. [In the 1960s] anybody who thought he had an ideal was used by the people who were supposed to be removed. Peace marches and things like that were social events more than they were real idealistic, "Hey, let's go do something" situations. You could get laid at a peace march, too. After the march, you grabbed a girl with a stinking blanket, and it was something to do. That's what it was all about. Now, you can go to a disco and do the same thing – and you don't have to smell that blanket."'' - [[Interview: Frank Zappa]], Charlene Keel, Genesis, April 1979.
 +
 +
''"Politics isn't the answer to everything. That's like the 1,000 clowns at the circus who get out of the tiny car, and you're supposed to be amazed. That's what politics is. They don't really stick their heads in the tiger's mouth. Politics is a bunch of show and blow for people who don't understand. The real decisions are not conducted at the polling place; they're conducted over a glass of Perrier in some luxurious resort where people with lots of bucks decide how they're going to chop up the world."'' - ''[[He's Only 38 and He Knows How to Nasty]]'', Clark Peterson, Relix, November 1979.
 +
 +
''I've always thought that democracy was a good idea. I've always thought that if you're going to have a political system, that's the one that's the most in phase with how people actually think and how they like to live their lives if government would leave them alone. And so I think that it's something that's worth supporting."''
 +
- ''[[Frank Zappa's Crusade – 25 Years And Counting]]'', Drew Wheeler, Billboard, May 1990.
 +
 +
==See also==
 +
* ''[[The Frank Zappa Column?]]''
 +
* ''[[Ode To Gravity - Frank Zappa: World Affairs Commentator]]''
 +
* ''[[What Did You Do In The Revolution, Dada?]]''
 +
* ''[[Frank Kofsky interviews FZ]]''
 +
* ''[[Frank Zappa. Interview in Playboy]]''
 +
* ''[[Sample This!]]''
 +
* ''[[Phi Zappa Crappa Interview:]]''
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
<references/>
 
<references/>
  
[[Category:Politics]]
+
[[Category:Conceptual Continuity]]
 +
[[Category:Targets]]

Revision as of 00:23, 14 November 2020

Politics are a running theme in Frank Zappa's music, as well as a recurring subject in interviews. His most political albums are Freak Out!, Absolutely Free, We're Only In It For The Money, Thing-Fish and Broadway The Hard Way.

Zappa was known for encouraging people to register to vote and even had voter booths installed at concerts during his 1988 tour.


Attempts of political parties to approach Zappa as their endorser

The U.S. political party, The Libertarian Party, approached Zappa in 1988 to seek their presidential nomination. Zappa decided that while he agreed with them on some issues, he could not endorse their entire platform, so he declined. Zappa said,

"I can't really stand up and support your platform whole heartedly because some the stuff you have in here is either wrong or stupid. And, in order for me to be a candidate for your party, would they, in fact, nominate me if I couldn't be an ideologue and go the whole 9 yards." He added it was doubtful they would support you at the convention if you didn't just spew the whole thing. And I said; "Well, I'm not your bot. Thanks a lot. Goodbye." [1]

Cultural Ambassador

Zappa did agree to become Cultural Ambassador of Czechoslovakia in the 1990s. He travelled to the country and had various conversations with recently-elected president Václav Havel. However, his plans were thwarted by pressure by the U.S. government and multinationals to either do business with us or with Frank Zappa.

Presidential ambitions

As early as 1971, interviewed during Roelof Kiers' Frank Zappa (1971 Documentary) Zappa considered running for President, but felt having to stay in The White House for four years was something he couldn't bring himself too.

In 1991 Frank Zappa considered running for the President of the U.S. in 1992 as an independent candidate, but his illness prevented him from pursuing that further. Zappa wanted Ross Perot as his vice-president, and Alan Dershowitz as his attorney general. In 1992 and 1996 Perot ran for president as an independent himself, but lost to Bill Clinton.[2]

In a 15 April 1991 radio interview with Charles Amirkhanian, Ode To Gravity - Frank Zappa: World Affairs Commentator, Zappa discussed the possibility of running for U.S. President and having John Cage and Noam Chomsky as cabinet members: "The only thing I'm worried about is that since John Cage is macro-biotic, he won't be available for the Cabinet now."

Zappa about politics

"I think pop music is the new politics, and the only valid politics. A lot of the things wrong with the world today could be put right by musicians quicker than they could by politicians." - Frank Zappa. Reviled, Revered Mother Superior, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968.

I watch the politics in the States go by and gag over it once in a while. I get involved in it as much as I am an artist and I say what I like about the environment in which I produce my work. To get out in the street and wave a flag is a waste of time, definitely a non functional gesture. It doesn't alter any condition and if you want to be a hippy on the weekends and you want to be involved and don't have anything much to do – go to a demonstration. A lot of people misconstrued the early albums because they didn't see that I was criticizing both sides of the fence. On one hand I have Bow Tie Daddy talking about this dude who drinks and goes home in his Lincoln, and then the discussion about the flower punks. And all that album did was alienate the flower punks. I haven't dropped the social stuff. Only the blatant stuff has gone. Political social stuff can exist on a non-vocal level. In a more subtle way. I don't want to carry on doing the same thing for ever. - 'Quoted from It's all in self-defence, Jonathan Green Friends, 22 November 1969.

"Most of my songs are not political, they are sociological. It's more a bane to my existence. People said I was talking about political stuff, and the only thing that I can see is remotedly political is "Brown Shoes Don't Make It", 'cause that's about legislators." - Mother In Lore, Patrick and Barbara Salvo, Melody Maker, 5 January 1974.

"Well, I don't think politics – or the personality game of politics – really does matter. They're all working for the same company. It's hard to tell one from the other. That's just a charade. [In the 1960s] anybody who thought he had an ideal was used by the people who were supposed to be removed. Peace marches and things like that were social events more than they were real idealistic, "Hey, let's go do something" situations. You could get laid at a peace march, too. After the march, you grabbed a girl with a stinking blanket, and it was something to do. That's what it was all about. Now, you can go to a disco and do the same thing – and you don't have to smell that blanket." - Interview: Frank Zappa, Charlene Keel, Genesis, April 1979.

"Politics isn't the answer to everything. That's like the 1,000 clowns at the circus who get out of the tiny car, and you're supposed to be amazed. That's what politics is. They don't really stick their heads in the tiger's mouth. Politics is a bunch of show and blow for people who don't understand. The real decisions are not conducted at the polling place; they're conducted over a glass of Perrier in some luxurious resort where people with lots of bucks decide how they're going to chop up the world." - He's Only 38 and He Knows How to Nasty, Clark Peterson, Relix, November 1979.

I've always thought that democracy was a good idea. I've always thought that if you're going to have a political system, that's the one that's the most in phase with how people actually think and how they like to live their lives if government would leave them alone. And so I think that it's something that's worth supporting." - Frank Zappa's Crusade – 25 Years And Counting, Drew Wheeler, Billboard, May 1990.

See also

References