Yes, you read that right. On Monday June 10 at 4pm West Hollywood Mayor John M. Erickson and two of Frank’s children (Ahmet Zappa and Diva Zappa) will accept the city’s proclamation honoring “the many valuable contributions the legendary musician, activist and counterculture icon has made to music and culture in West Hollywood and beyond.”
It is gratifying when time allows a clearer focus, and it is a goal of any artist to see their work extending into successive generations.
The event will be held in front of the famous Whiskey a Go Go on Sunset. The location is perfect, as that is where Frank often stirred it up, musically speaking. Indeed, Frank and his Mothers of Invention played a marathon three-hour concert at the Whiskey on July 23, 1968, with the intention of releasing an album. The album never really saw the light of day. But now, more than five decades later, the live performance is being released in full as Whisky a Go Go, 1968 on June 21. This massive collection (produced by Ahmet Zappa and Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers) compiles every note played across Zappa’s three distinct sets that night.
But stepping back, having Zappa honored by West Hollywood is a tremendous acknowledgement to not only Zappa’s creative genius but the expanding realization of that genius. Like many artists, Zappa faced blowback from the establishment.
That said, yellow snow is not predicted in the forecast for Monday June 10. So head to the Whiskey and check out the sound, everybody look what’s going down.
(photos by George Rodriguez)
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