Frank Zappa, the great American composer, guitarist, performer, band leader, record producer and film director was born today in 1940, and in this particular household, the birth of the baby Zappa is a much bigger holiday than the b’day of that other kid this week. As I type this, there is a diptych painting of Frank Zappa and the original Mothers of Invention hanging over my desk, looking down at me.

Frank Zappa would have been 71 today if he were still with us. Truly an artistic titan of the 20th century. 

Below, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention doing a splendiferous work-out of “King Kong,” the titanic instrumental centerpiece of live Mothers’ shows of the late 1960s. (I probably own 200 versions of this song on bootlegs):
 

Previously on Dangerous Minds:

Frank Zappa reads from ‘Naked Lunch,’ 1978

Zappa/Mothers ‘Sleeping in a Jar’ animated film