Eat that Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words screening at the Arclight, Los Angeles (15 June 2016)

About Eat That Question Thorsten Schütte’s film is a sharply edited and energetic celebration of Frank Zappa through his public persona, allowing us to witness his shifting relationship with audiences. Utilizing potent TV interviews and many forgotten performances from his 30-year career, we are immersed into the musician’s world while experiencing two distinct facets of his complex character. At once Zappa was both a charismatic composer who reveled in the joy of performing and, in the next moment, a fiercely intelligent and brutally honest interviewee whose convictions only got stronger as his career ascended. Read More Frank Zappa By this point, leader Tsuneo Imahori had absorbed so much Frank Zappa that it was practically exuding from his entire body. The liner notes describe a scenario in …

Those who know me know I love all things Zappa, so the premier screening of Eat that Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words on Wednesday night at the Arclight Theater in Los Angeles was like a magical, trippy escapade. The documentary on the musical legend - created by German filmmaker Thorsten Shutte- is composed of archival material from Frank Zappa’s early days of playing bicycle’s on the Steve Allen Show in the 60’s all the way up to his last interview in 1993.  The film is in your face and unapologetic about Frank and the (seemingly) obscene brilliance he carried on throughout his career (much like Zappa himself), and highlights many controversial hits he took by making the music he made and doing the thing that came as naturally to him as “using the toilet”: Create and Keep Creating.

Many music docs are filled with friends and family talking about who the artist was (or who they thought they were), complete with the dubbed-over voice of the musician in slow motion living out his personal life or shying away from the camera. Shutte has made sure that it’s Zappa talking Zappa...in that it stays true to his own opinion on himself, along with a  pretty spot on look at the collection of his music.

And the film doesn’t have to try to sway you to be into Zappa. You just are.

Because Frank has the kind of integrity most artists claim they have...but a lot end up selling out in some way or another along the way. Frank’s intelligence and humor shine in his interviews, even if it seems like the public is questioning his motives or his bizarre music that a lot of people just straight-up didn’t get. It’s extremely difficult to keep yourself from being totally enamored by this male enigma. Whether he’s heading to Prague to greet his adoring fans or performing the obscene ‘Bobby Brown’, his genuine tenacity and zest for life shines through to the audience.

Moon Zappa ended the night with us, along with the director, answering questions about her dad. She was candid about her father, and although adoring, joked about “wanting to engage with him” more.

Eat That Question is continuing to open nationwide and will be in a number of film festivals this summer.

Thorsten Shutte with Moon Zappa at Arclight, Los Angeles (15 June 2016)

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