SECONDS SECONDS #44, 1997 • Interview by George Petros
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MAGAZINE SECONDS SECONDS #44, 1997 • interview by George Petros GAIL ZAPPA GAIL ZAPPA — proprietor of the Barking Pumpkin and Zappa record companies; wife of Francis Vincent (Frank) Zappa (1940-1993); mother of Zappa scions Dweezil and Ahmet (of the Rock Band Z), Moon (of “Valley Girl” fame) and Diva; spiritual administrator of Frank’s enormous musical legacy; ninth-largest individual entertainment-related donor to the Democratic Party, 1991 through 1996 ($218,000, according to The New York Times); and living repository of much of Frank’s ambiguous bitterness and calculated irony (but not so much of his sense of humor…). Gail, thanks for taking care of Frank through thick and thin so that he could take care of us. 572 “For the most part, groupies in Rock & Roll are a lot more fun because they’re open about getting the job done.” SECONDS: Can I kick this off by ZAPPA: I heard a chorus of voices and talking about The Real Frank Zappa they said, “This is it.” Book and a few other books? SECONDS: He was a sex symbol in ZAPPA: It depends. Let me say this: I those days, if I’m not mistaken. don’t want to promote any book we don’t ZAPPA: I think you’re into some have anything to do with. fantasy. I never thought of him as a sex SECONDS: I’m also interested in your symbol. Frank promoted himself and the opinion of the Nigey Lennon book — band as a bunch of ugly guys who played ZAPPA: I don’t want to discuss that fantastic music. one. I haven’t read that book but let me SECONDS: But, as he relates in his say this: I think the means by which she book, he was a subject for the Plaster decided to promote it says much more Casters — about the author than it does about the ZAPPA: No, he doesn’t say that, and subject. he wasn’t. He just brought Pamela Des SECONDS: So you haven’t read it. Barres together with Cynthia Plaster ZAPPA: And I won’t. Caster because they both had a common SECONDS: It does allude to a interest, which was Noel Redding. relationship between her and Frank — SECONDS: Did you ever meet Noel? ZAPPA: That’s as close as she’ll ever ZAPPA: Yeah. get to a relationship with Frank — an SECONDS: I don’t want to offend you allusion. I anticipated books like that by placing you in the groupie scene — and I’m sure other people are thinking ZAPPA: Why? I was a groupie. of doing them. It doesn’t necessarily SECONDS: Tell me about that. imply there was an ongoing relationship. ZAPPA: Every culture produces its SECONDS: I’m very interested in you own groupies — whether you’re a sailor, and I’m not trying to use you to get doctor, or movie producer — name a Frank Zappa anecdotes. Were you not the profession and it has its equivalent secretary of the Whiskey A-Go-Go? groupies. Talk to Zubin Mehta — even ZAPPA: I was a secretary for the guy a symphony director has their groupies. who owned the Whiskey. I worked For the most part, groupies in Rock & directly for Elmer Valentine, yes. Roll are a lot more fun because they’re SECONDS: And that was the point at open about getting the job done. which you met Frank? SECONDS: Had you any conquests as a ZAPPA: There was another girl who groupie prior to Frank? worked in the office part-time and did ZAPPA: There were some people who filing. I went to her house for dinner seriously defined themselves as groupies and, coincidentally, she shared a house and were devoted to honoring the people with Frank. He called that evening and who were involved with producing the said, “I’m at the airport. Come and get music. There were two types of groupies me — and don’t bring anyone.” in those days: the ones who wanted to Of course, she disobeyed and brought run away with the English Pop Star me. I met him at Los Angeles Airport. and have a castle, and then there were SECONDS: Was it love at first sight? the ones who just liked music and were ZAPPA: Yeah. Well, I have to say devotees of particular bands and they I always knew I was going to meet would literally service those bands. It someone extraordinary. I just knew that. was a religious experience for most of SECONDS: When you saw him, you those girls. The altar was Rock & Roll, knew he was the one. the guys were the gods and the women 573 G A I L Z A P P A were the high priestesses. The idea to work in the cane fields. Frank, of that we were exploring sexuality in the course, is Sicilian and Italian. Sixties — what that meant was there SECONDS: When Moon was born, did was no pressure to have any kind of Frank become more of a homebody? intimacy on a spiritual level. Physical ZAPPA: He was extremely prolific and intimacy doesn’t translate into real he always enjoyed working on his craft. intimacy. It was very easy to sleep with He became more financially able to somebody and much more difficult to explore different ways of recording and get to know them. What’s interesting to different musical ideas. It’s expensive me about the Nineties is that people are to be a composer and Rock & Roll is learning how to become intimate with what paid for his habit. It was a by- each other before they have sex. One of product of his real interest — writing the plusses about AIDS, if you can call music. Both Frank and I are straight- it a plus, is that it’s made it imperative ahead and conservative in terms of for people to establish relationships and what we consider the appropriate way take responsibility for what goes into to raise a family and conduct a stable that relationship, which didn’t happen in environment. the Sixties at all. SECONDS: How about your SECONDS: Then you became pregnant relationship with some of his associates? with Moon around 1967. ZAPPA: Which associates? ZAPPA: Yes, and I met Frank around SECONDS: My first inclination would 1966. be to say bandmembers. SECONDS: And you got married — ZAPPA: I thought it was a good idea ZAPPA: Right before Moon was born. to keep my distance. I didn’t want to SECONDS: Did married life change get involved with the private lives of your relationship? the band members. I had my children, ZAPPA: No, because he named me “Gail I had my own priorities to take care of. Zappa” from the very beginning. It didn’t Remember, everyone in the band was change much. hired by Frank. I never sought any of SECONDS: Was your first name them out as best friends. Some were far Adelaide? more amusing than others and some of ZAPPA: It still is. them have become friends over the years SECONDS: It’s a very lovely name. but I usually kept a solid distance. ZAPPA: Thank you. That was my SECONDS: Early on, there was a grandmother’s name. scene at your house where Motorhead SECONDS: What is your ethnic Sherwood and Pamela Des Barres lived background? with you. Was that Frank’s scene and ZAPPA: My father’s side is a lot of separate from you? European mixtures, with some French ZAPPA: Frank and I were very careful and Irish but mostly Danish; I don’t about having our relationship not be know what else. His grandfather had part of the entertainment. come over from a little part of what SECONDS: How would his music have is now Germany. They didn’t want to been different had he not met you? be German, so they got on a ship and ZAPPA: I have no idea. Dweezil, Ahmet hightailed to Pennsylvania and became and Moon keep getting asked, “What potters. My mother’s background is was it like having Frank as your father?” that her family came from the island of Compared to what? Madeira, a Portuguese territory off the SECONDS: Did you have a tangible coast of Portugal. They went to Hawaii input into the music? 574 “If you leave your door open, eventually people show up, but that doesn’t mean there’s a scene.” ZAPPA: I ran the business but Frank always knew he would say the right wrote the music for himself. Never at thing to the right person at the right any time did it occur to me to comment time and it would represent something on his musical ideas. The only thing I you felt deep inside of you. I don’t know ever commented on was how much I that there is a typical fan, but I think loved his music. most of them have a great musical SECONDS: Was there anything you appreciation and they are certainly in didn’t like about his music? touch with their feelings about what is ZAPPA: No. right and what is wrong. That’s what SECONDS: Did you like the jokes and defines a Zappa fan. the verbal pictures that he painted? SECONDS: How did your life change ZAPPA: I liked everything. when the kids became musicians? Were SECONDS: Frank presented songs about you now looking out for them, too? sex and love — ZAPPA: Looking out ZAPPA: Actually, for them, yes. I’ve Frank was always never managed any very clear that he member of the family.