The Stranglers
The Stranglers were a British rock group, active between 1974 and 1990, consisting of Hugh Cornwell (guitar), Jean-Jacques Burnel (bass), Dave Greenfield (keyboards) and Jet Black (drums). Despite being part of the punk era, they had a more humorous, experimental side, gradually moving to a more poppy sound. They scored hits with Peaches (1977) and No More Heroes (1977), but their biggest song on the charts is actually a very atypical number: Golden Brown (1982).
The Stranglers and Frank Zappa
In 1978, Hugh Cornwell, member of The Stranglers, collaborated with Devo and with Robert Williams (a former Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band drummer), on the album Nosferatu. Cornwell also met Beefheart, of whom he was a huge fan, who supported the project. [1]
Hugh Cornwell is a huge fan of Frank Zappa and named him a huge influence on The Stranglers, alongside Howlin' Wolf, The Doors, Love (The Band) and Captain Beefheart. [2] Interviewed by Mikojan Bezbradica for NIN, (15 April 2026), he said:""Frank Zappa was a genius. I am very familiar with what he did. Unfortunately, I never had the chance to meet him. He created many extraordinary albums and was a highly influential figure in rock music," On 26 April 2026, Cornwell also performed at the festival Zappa Baza (named after Frank Zappa) in Belgrade, Serbia. [3]
Frank Zappa and The Stranglers
"I have some stuff by the Stranglers which I thought was pretty good." - Frank Zappa in I Hate Playing In England, Interview by Hugh Fielder, Sounds, 9 September 1978. [4]
"I heard a few songs by The Stranglers that I liked." - Frank Zappa in Frank Zappa: America's Weirdest Rock Star Comes Clean, Interview by John Swenson, High Times #55, March 1980.
On 22 November 1979, as guest DJ on WPIX, New York, Zappa played The Stranglers' song Duchess.
