Music is the best

Ron Case/Keystone/Getty Images 

Early 2016 was littered with a number of prominent rock stars deaths but strangely my attention was drawn in this time to one in the distant past.  Not sure how this happened exactly (web searching on "prostate cancer" ?) I ran into some brief but chilling information on the illness of Frank Zappa, leading to his death in 1993.  Bluntly, my understanding is Frank had "urinary problems" for a number of years, underwent "tests" with no specific diagnosis or resolution, before having some kind of emergency crisis culminating in a confirmed diagnosis of metastatic and inoperable prostate cancer.  What brought this home to me in a way not possible in 1993 was the fact that I now have an intimate familiarity with this path having had "problems" for a couple of years; multiple tests, many many painful exams and attempts at therapy for what has been termed "prostatitis", ie "who knows what's wrong".  As well, I had no idea that Frank was EXACTLY MY AGE, like ~49 at diagnosis and only 52 when he died!  I have good surveillance and hopefully better diagnostic tools available than in Frank's day, but nonetheless brought it home that one can't relax on these things or assume anything.

Not to dwell on the prostate aspect (guys over 35, get an exam and have PSA checked right now!!)... The revelation above sent me into a couple of weeks of obsessive reading; years of Zappa interviews and a survey of available video of Frank in various forums, interview, docs etc.  My early introduction to musical Zappa was through JP (of course...), who had Zoot Allures and Live in New York in steady rotation around the time they were current releases '76-'78-ish.  Paul loved the music but the theatrics of the Zappa show was a big draw for him as well, I think. I never took a deep dive into Frank's music after that period though - I bought the "Shut Up and Play yer Guitar" compilation, not so much for Frank as for the connection to Steve Vai back in the late '80s/90s.    I don't think it's necessary to connect with the music to gain inspiration and from the life of Frank Zappa however, as odd as that sounds.  Frank was astonishingly productive with the same allotment of time on earth I have had - 60+ albums, countless live performances, the movies, and the forging and maintenance of one of the most recognizable personas in modern music history. Contrary to popular (mis)conception, Frank was a dedicated workaholic who spoke out publicly throughout his career against drug and alcohol use and preferring to spend his time in his basement studio deeply engaged in the act of creation.  For Zappa in words, I recommend his own book (ie "The Real Frank Zappa Book", available at Amazon or anywhere) and a breeze through the excellent archive of articles and interviews at:

http://afka.net/Articles/index.htm

One of my favorites is the piece written by journalist Rip Rense called "Zappa Drinks and Goes Home" (http://www.riprense.com/zappa_drinks.htm), which offers a rare glimpse into the non-public face of Frank, in his last days.   Not sure I would have believed the TGIF thing had I not actually seen a video clip of the night Rip refers to (with the Chieftains, etc) which I saw in a documentary but is also available in FULL on Youtube as "Frank Zappa Salad Home Party"

Anyway, I was touched deeply by all this and have drawn inspiration and courage from his story and words.  In particular, the message I took away from my reading to distrust rules, dogma and formal education relying on instinct, self-direction, and the construct of a "personal" approach to harmony/music rather than become tunneled into convention resonates with me.  Could go on and on but this is becoming epic (and thereby unreadable)... last word to Frank, a statement oft-quoted from which the title of this post is derived,

“Information is not knowledge.
Knowledge is not wisdom.
Wisdom is not truth.
Truth is not beauty.
Beauty is not love.
Love is not music.
Music is THE BEST.” 

- Frank Zappa