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Have I ever mentioned that I am a huge fan of Frank Zappa? Well, let me get that out of the way right now: Frank Zappa was a capital-G Genius. I promise you, as the years pass, more and more people will recognize his extraordinary talent as a musician, composer, and social critic. And, like me, they will wish he was still here among us to offer his incisive and witty take on matters political and religious (to name just a few of Frank's, ah, areas of interest).

Surprisingly few Americans have ever heard Frank's work beyond the handful of songs that made it onto mainstream radio, like the 1982 hit Valley Girl. But the man left a body of stunning music behind him--music that, more often than not, defies categorization; music that traverses from rock to jazz to classical, sometimes within the same piece--and it was on Frank's virtuoso compositions that many brilliant artists cut their teeth. Guitar wizard Steven Vai and drummer Terry Bozzio spring immediately to mind.

And oh, what fun Frank would have today. It's highly likely he'd have some sort of presence in the blogosphere (can you imagine?!), and he'd undoubtedly have plenty to say about the current free speech and church/state issues swirling around a certain candidate and the progressive, pro-women views of his recently hired bloggers.

Come to think of it, Frank was always a forward-thinker. You know what? This 1981 Zappa song actually crystallizes things quite nicely (be sure to listen carefully to the lyrics).


There's a big difference between kneeling down and bending over...

Cheers, Frank.