» Where We Meet: Peter Halter talks ‘Zappa’ at the TCA
A new documentary and discussion at the TCA
IT IS INCONTROVERTIBLE that Frank Zappa held a unique place in American culture. He crammed an astonishing diversity into his 52 years of life: diversity in musical genres explored, in instruments played, in cohorts and collaborators and friends. He was hailed as a genius by conductor Kent Nagano and nominated by Czechoslovakian President Václav Havel to the country’s cultural ambassadorship while being rejected twice for admission into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and accused by critics of lacking emotional depth. His passionate fans disagree with that assessment and consider him to this day as a prophet.
A new documentary from director Alex Winter explores the private life behind the mammoth musical career. It features appearances by Zappa’s widow Gail, and many of his musical collaborators including Mike Keneally, Ian Underwood, Steve Vai, Pamela Des Barres, Bunk Gardner, David Harrington, Scott Thunes, Ruth Underwood, Ray White and others.
“I wanted to make a very human, universal cinematic experience about an extraordinary individual,” Winter said of the film. “What helped make this vision possible was Gail Zappa granting us exclusive access to Zappa’s vault; a vast collection of his unreleased music, movies, incomplete projects, unseen interviews and unheard concert recordings.”
The documentary opened at the Taos Center for the Arts (online) on Friday (Nov. 27), and runs through tomorrow, (Dec. 4). Today, Thursday (Dec. 3), the TCA presents a live Zoom discussion of the film at 5 p.m., hosted by longtime programmer and festival coordinator Peter Halter.
“Zappa is such an interesting character,” said Halter. “Everyone has a different idea of who he was. I don’t think most people realize his depth. I grew up in Denver and listened to him on the radio, hearing him and the Mothers of Invention, and they were funny, there was a certain edge. Then what really intrigued me later, when I started radio DJ’ing in Boulder, we had a connection with his record label, Barking Pumpkin. I knew more about him, that he was an amazing composer. I was listening to electronic music, Edgard Varèse who is considered the father of electronic music, and he was a strong influence on Frank. In the 1950s, Varèse did a piece called ‘Poème électronique’ for a new space ... When Frank was 15, his mother asked him what he wanted for his birthday and he said he wanted to talk to Edgard Varèse. So she tracked him down in New York and he was out of town, but Frank talked to his wife.
“A couple of years ago Sony Pictures had a documentary about Frank that I brought to the TCA. This one is like a companion to it. They have archival footage, access to interviews with his wife Gail, they pulled from all sorts of places. It really goes more into his composer side. That started early. Though he was considered a rock musician, he considered himself a composer.
“This movie is very interesting. It rounds up, for me, what a complicated man Frank was. In later life he would conduct Varèse pieces. He ended up with this reputation as a rocker but he was always striving for an avant-garde edge as a composer. That really comes out in this movie.
“It’s so interesting, too, how he was so against the censorship in the 1980s. He was a spokesman against censorship, like George Carlin, the ‘seven words you can’t say on television.’
There was a point where he was going to run for president. What’s interesting, too, is for a rock star to speak against drugs, but for legalization. It adds to this strange complicated man that he was. The other thing that’s interesting to me in this movie is what a businessman he was. He realized he was employing musicians. That comes out in this, too. This really nice edge of a movie that rounds out all the other stuff.
“What we’re going to do on Thursday is just chat. At 5 p.m. we’ll go live and just talk. A film fans’ discussion. I’m just moderating and opening it up to people.
“I think for everyone it’ll be different. It’s just interesting to hear everyone’s take on it. We used to do a monthly film fans’ discussion. You never know. Some people who have a vague idea of the rocker Frank Zappa will learn a lot about the composer. We’ll talk about it and see what everyone thinks. Just the rounding of the man Frank Zappa was. He was all sorts of things. You can’t pigeonhole him.”