When one takes the name of Frank Zappa, the terms weird, cynical and unpretentious also will be brought up in the same sentence or the next one.

For almost every Rock N Roll musician, the names Terry Bozio, Steve Vai and the long list of musicians who have worked with Zappa will sooner or later ring a bell, if not already.

Popular songs of his like ‘Bobby Brown’, ‘Valley Girl’, ‘Titties and Beer’ along with a massive number of albums with 'The Mothers of Invention' are still in demand even though he's gone (R.I.P)... and of course, I'm sure that you should have seen or heard Zappa on Zappa (his son Dweezil playing his father's tunes with Steve Vai).

Oddly enough, since Edgar Varese was his initial influence, his inclination to use sounds that are classified as 'noise' along with those nonsensical yet undeniably witty lyrics have been a constant feature throughout his career as a musician, composer and lyricist.

Almost all his albums are a reflection of his sense of humour and his affection for parodying other musicians, artists and almost any recognizable group who take themselves very seriously today. And somehow that element of outright rebellion in Rock music isn't there anymore... thanks to the corporatization of music!

Not only has he worked with talented musicians but had an eye for spotting upcoming artists too... ask Steve Vai and Terry Bozio while also dabbling with cinema as well. You could see that there was clearly a level of sophistication when it came to the music they were putting out in albums (by the dozens actually) and the fun they had while performing live.

Apart from music, his efforts to keep the Parental Advisory label off rock records is well-documented by his appearance in TV talk shows against the objectives set by Tipper Gore and the PMRC. In my opinion, he was right about not censoring records as it buckets music into 'good' and 'bad' categories... and stifled the creative freedom of artists that is paradoxical in itself.

Due to his chain-smoking addiction, he was diagnosed with cancer which led to his demise not so long ago, but before he left us... he managed to compose symphony music which of course, had its very special 'Zappa' touch to it, while maintaining the norms of classical music as well.

It would be safe to assume that the man didn't necessarily find value in convention and perhaps his contribution to Rock was like a breath of fresh air to an industry that wasn't pushing the limits as much as he would've liked. And it paved the way for a fresh generation of artists that would follow in his footsteps...

Frank Zappa, although similar to the common man, is widely acknowledged to be a musician far ahead of his time. And what was heartening was that he was inducted into the Rock N Roll of Fame after his demise. And one couldn't help but notice the sarcastic wit that is so Zappa... in Moon Unit's speech during her father's induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame.

Now I can go on and on about the virtues of the man and his music and so on and so forth... but I'd like for you to watch/ listen to a song called ‘Black Napkins’ (see video below) that even the guitar virtuoso Steve Vai claims as a one-of-a-kind performance by the bizarre and awesome Zappa...