The Feuding Zappas

Well, if we're gonna thread-drift...

 

Dweezil and his family appeared on ABC's "Celebrity Wife Swap".

https://www.jambase.com/article/dweezil-zappa-family-featured-on-celebrity-wife-swap

Why, oh, why wasn't this show on when Frank was alive?

 

Rowrrr... pretty wife. I wouldn't swap her out.

Dweez also participated in some lame cooking show with then-GF Lisa Loeb.

Also Rowrrr...

 

I'm pretty sure that earlier in this thread, someone mentioned that Dweezil and his family only have health insurance because of Megan's job as a flight attendant. Being a working musician is not a path to riches, especially when one isn't primarily a songwriter. You have to get attention any way you can these days.

 

Speaking of attention....
Someone on the Kickstarter 'comments' ponders whether this could ALL be a 'Kaufman-esque' attempt at keeping the 'Zappa' name in the papers!
...while that WOULD be hilarious, I don't think that's the case...

 

Do you think all this is ultimately going to be settled in the wrestling ring? OK, as long as Dweezil gets Jim Cornette as manager.

Where is Celebrity Deathmatch now that we really need it? Dweezil and Moon, versus Ahmet and Diva (with her signature "mile-long scarf" move.)

 

Frank didn't want me to buy bootlegs, I disagreed with the morals of them too but I still bought them 'cos I love Frank's music.
I disagree with the politics of ZFT but, just like the bootlegs, I'm still going to buy the CDs 'cos I love Frank's music.
I support DZ in his crusade to keep playing his father stuff because, guess what, I love Frank's music.
At the end of the day it's about my relationship to Frank and his music that's central to how I look at this situation , this other stuff just gets in the way of the music.

 

I'll allow it!!!

 

Upcoming Zappa Records/UMe releases: Frank Zappa | UME: Universal Music Enterprises

 

Meanwhile.... the actual Zappa site says NOTHING about it!

 

Ahmet and Joe, talking about the Vault, the UMe deal, the house, Dweezil (briefly), and the future:
Securing Frank Zappa’s Vault

Optimistically, he looks to the opportunities ahead. In May, Ahmet plans to open Utility Muffin research Kitchen’s new location, and a home for a new vault. “When you’re in the control room, behind you will be windows into the room, and you’ll be able to see just how much content Frank made,” Ahmet says. “It will be the crown jewel of this space.”​

 

I was just reading about Picasso and his family's never-ending feud over his estate and it made me think of Zappa... For your reference:

 

Is it uncharitable that I read this and think, "Wow... the talentless leeches and ambulance chasers can even come from within a deceased artist's family...?"

Maybe I'm just feeling particularly stung reading this after reading the updates on Prince's estate.

 

From ganma's reference:

Since selling off most of Picasso's personal art collection and other physical items of value, the Picasso heirs today are each extremely wealthy. Most of their fortunes have come from selling his name to everything from perfume to restaurants.
​

Thankfully, few want to eat at at a Zappa's restaurant. The Burnt Weenie Sandwich will never become haute cuisine. Even fewer would want to wear a Franktm perfume.

 

Oh, I don't know... a bowl of Horribly Foreshortened Cornfkakes sounds pretty good right about now.

 

Hmm... I don't know. A "Broken Hearts Are for ***holes" line of greeting cards would probably go over very well! Someone get Hallmark on the horn!

 

I don't think anyone would forgive receiving a "Suicide Chump" card though.

 

That is. A. Great. Idea.

 

I've worked for Hallmark. Let's just say, that is more of an American Greetings type of card.

 

I think Zappa's music has aged very poorly...I just dont' think any young kids are getting into it... about the last relevance Zappa had to younger people was when Phish would cover Peaches and that was about 20 years ago! Whatever the trust is doing they are failing badly...

 

"Making available" stuff that was already available is not the most exciting news flash.

 

Aged poorly? Some maybe.
Family Trust failing to attempt marketing? Probably.

 

New article in the LA Weekly:

Despite Family Legal Battles, Dweezil Zappa Keeps Playing His Father's Music

From the article:

“There’s a trademark issue that’s happening where [Ahmet and Diva] have filed to establish themselves as exclusive rights holders of the surname Zappa,” Dweezil says. “Anything that is ticketed entertainment — live music, personal appearance, music production, music festivals — all these things, they want to have the exclusive rights to the name Zappa. If they were to be granted the exclusive rights to the name Zappa, they could have the ability to block me from being able to use the name my father gave me to identify myself. So much of this is completely unnecessary and a huge waste of money. But they’re spending the money of the trust to do it.”
​

From The Real Frank Zappa Book:

“People make a lot of fuss about my kids having such supposedly ‘strange names’. But the fact is that no matter what first names I might have given them, it is the last name that is going to get them in trouble.”​

 

The bread things are all dry 'n' scratchy
The meat thing where the cats ate trough the paper
And the stuff in the strainer
The bananaes are black
The got flies in the back
And also the chicken
In the dish with the foil
Where the cream is all clabbered
And the salad is frightful

 

I know some.