Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (2016)

Directed by: Thorsten Schütte | 90 minutes | documentary, biography, music | Starring: Frank Zappa, Theodore Bikel, Arlene Francis, Keith Moon, Steve Allen, Jimmy Carl Black, Pierre Boulez, Thomas Braden, Napoleon Murphy Brock, Paul Carman, Katie Couric, Mike Douglas, George Duke, Václav Havel

Pop music is teeming with eccentrics. Every now and then a genius shows up. But musicians who unite eccentricity and genius? You rarely see them. Brian Wilson, Captain Beefheart, Prince. Or the greatest genius of them all, Frank Zappa. A quirky, authentic, non-conformist, charismatic and highly original type. Blessed with an astonishing technique and recognizable voice. But also the man of guitar solos that seemed to never end.

‘Eat that Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words’ tries to get a grip on this phenomenon. Not easy, because Zappa hid his private life behind thick walls. As a musician he was involved in rock, jazz, modern classical, blues, rhythm and blues, pop and all styles in between. His lyrics were usually socially critical, but always with a healthy dose of humor. And he was a foul mouth like the best.

‘Eat that Question’ tells Zappa’s story through interviews and concert recordings. Unfortunately, Zappa never talked about his origins (Baltimore, 1940), his private life (married, 4 kids) and rarely about his musical influences. He does reveal himself in the interviews as a hyper-intelligent but rebellious type. You may be able to deduce the reason for that revolt from the first music fragment. A very young Zappa, neatly cut and in impeccable costume, who still laughs with a talk show host. A Zappa who is laughed at by an audience that doesn’t understand his experimental music. A Zappa who, a few years later, looks like a rebellious hippie with a guitar.

Because of its concept ‘Eat that Music’ is a bit collage-like. Not a problem for the fan, but for viewers who don’t know Zappa and his music, it will all be a bit more difficult. Also because the songs are quickly cut short and the interviews sometimes refer to forgotten things. Like the political bickering about Zappa’s overly explicit lyrics.

The fans are also somewhat hungry. Where are the stories about the great musicians Zappa once collaborated with (from Lowell George to Steve Vai)? Why was he so eager to be recognized as a serious composer? Why those endless guitar solos? And why did he let his kids participate on his albums when he really wanted to leave them in the shadows?

Fortunately, we have nothing to complain about impressive images and musical fragments. The highlight is the interview that Zappa gave just before his death. When the irony has disappeared from the look and you suddenly see his vulnerable side. And a vulnerable eccentric genius, how often do you see that?