Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words (2016) * * *

Directed by:  Thorsten Schutte

"He is anti-music," said a fan of Frank Zappa's when interviewed following a concert.  This is a phrase which stuck with me as I try in vain to describe Zappa's music.   It is amusing to hear him referred to over and over as a rock musician and composer, but I'm not sure Zappa himself would agree with that.  His works legendarily defy description and pigeonholing into any genre.   At times, it is pointed satire while other times it is made of dissonant chords which sounds like the band is hitting a record number of clunkers.   

Your mileage may vary as to your enjoyment of Zappa's music.   What is not in dispute was his ability as a maverick to write, record, and release it.   His music was such an eclectic hodgepodge of styles that you would think a Zappa interview would reveal an off-the-wall madman.   Eat That Question is composed entirely of music and interview clips which show Zappa as a thoughtful man with a disdain for music convention and a champion of expression.   Zappa had a burning cigarette in his hand in almost every interview, but was not a drug user.   His rule for the members of this band, The Mothers of Invention:  Do what you will when they're not touring, but stay away from drugs while touring.  The last thing Zappa wants is to wonder why his drummer was thrown in jail when he should be on stage performing.   

This is not an interview with talking heads engaging in their views of Zappa.   In a unique setup, Eat That Question focuses entirely on Zappa himself.   His wife and children are briefly mentioned in an interview, but they are not seen nor heard from.   I found this style refreshing and doesn't dilute its subject.   Zappa's only U.S. top 40 hit, Valley Girl, is only mentioned once and not performed in the movie.   Eat That Question is interested in the artist himself and showing us how a misunderstood musician created music in which the word unique may not be sufficient enough to describe it.   

Eat That Question doesn't beg you to like Zappa.   His music doesn't resonate with me, although I can appreciate its contribution to pop culture.   Instead, Eat That Question, without slipping into hagiography, presents us a musician and composer who was silenced by prostate cancer in 1993 at age 52 and the likes of whom may never come again.   If I were to describe Zappa, I'd say he was to music as Andy Kaufman was to comedy.   They were mostly interested in pressing the limits of what music or comedy could be.   Whether you liked what they produced came a distant second.