Frank Zappa: The Negative Dialectics of Poodle Play

I have read the following books by or about Frank Zappa. In addition, this list constitutes a ranking of my assessment of the quality of these books.1. THE REAL FRANK ZAPPA BOOK by Frank Zappa and Peter Occhioigrosso 2. MOTHER! THE FRANK ZAPPA STORY by Michael Gray 3. FRANK ZAPPA: THE NEGATIVE DIALECTICS OF POODLE PLAY4. ELECTRIC DON QUIXOTE: THE DEFINITIVE STORY OF FRANK ZAPPA by Neil Slaven 5. NECESSITY IS... THE EARLY YEARS OF FRANK ZAPPA AND THE MOTHERS OF INVENTION by Billy James 6. COSMIK DEBRIS: THE COLLECTIVE HISTORY AND IMPROVISATIONS OF FRANK ZAPPA by Greg Russo 7. NO COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: THE SAGA OF FRANK ZAPPA by David Walley 8. THEM OR US by Frank Zappa 9. UNDER THE SAME MOON by Suzannah Thana Harris 10. BEING FRANK: MY TIME WITH FRANK ZAPPA by Nigery LennonWhen I started reading FRANK ZAPPA: THE NEGATIVE DIALECTICS OF POODLE PLAY, I found myself having flashbacks to the days of my doctoral studies and to the philosophical debates emerging from the 60's liberation movement. While a Ph.D. student I studied Postmodernism, Feminism, Liberation Philosophers, etc. You know, all the stuff you'd think would have no application outside of graduate study. As a result, I was fascinated because reading this book was the first time I had to actually reflect back to the philosophies I studied. I actually found myself reading POODLE PLAY in the manner that I read my required readings as a Ph.D student. I checked and read some of the citations; I searched for more information on topics for which I was unfamiliar (i.e.," Situational International"); I discussed major themes and ideas with colleagues who were professors of economics, philosophy, sociology and political science. After reading the several chapters, my first impression was that Watson's book was intellectually challenging - more challenging than any recent research I have been reading.Two critical points can be made. First, I was profoundly struck by Watson' critique of Feminist Theory within Zappa's work. I never read such an analysis and found it refreshing. I saw Zappa much more of a deep thinker and an intellectual giant. Second, some of Watson's later analysis of Zappa's work seemed to be pushing the envelop to absurdity. I began to see Watson as a pseudo intellectual particularly when he equated KING LEAR with Zappa's APOSTROPHE('). Watson writes: "In 'Nanook Rubs It' Nonook blinds the fur trapper by rubbing his eyes with snow discoloured with ... [you know]. Blindness is also central to King Lear." (page 243). I almost stopped reading.Somehow I managed to continue to read and I'm glad that I did. When I reached the epilogue, the entire book was made clear. Here, Watson describes his meeting with Zappa and his wife, Gail, after they read the prepublished manuscript of POODLE PLAY. At that time, Zappa had terminal cancer and the book made him laugh! Clearly, this was Watson's intent for his book. I finally got it! In an attempt to define the humor

This one is very very funny!!If you have basic knowledge about culture, literature, music, political and western history and philosophy, this is even funnier.I have read this about ten times and it is more funnier every time.WARNING! This is hard one to play!

OK, it's a shame this book is out of print. I bought it years ago, and still come back to it time and again. The writing at times becomes laden with theory and reference, but the concepts are clearly outlined (kind of like Frank's music actually!)So what was the Rhino Records guy complaining about? Ben Watson is obviously a huge fan of Zappa's, and if you love FZ you will appreciate this effort. I agree with Mr. Watson's assessment that Frank's music connects with and further develops the heaviest and oldest themes in art. Most unlucky people will never get past FZ's satire to hear the infinite layers above and below the belt... read the chapter on "Thing-Fish"!

as i swam through the output macrostructure delighting in the accidents of conceptual similtude i streamed into a smoky chamber where a host of zappophiles cast off their fetishistic ways proclaiming themselves the sons of ben and set fire to the booklets photos and packaging they had purchased with their cds and getting high off the smoke when ben himself appeared in a cloud saying don't just burn the packaging burn the discs too for everything that lives is smelly and so the smoke from the burning discs blended with the outside world so diluting it was no longer visible but infinitely audible and the host of zappophiles gasped as they realized that the outside smoke was beginning to take on the audible characteristics of the zappasmoke as it blended combining and strengthening and just as they began to really get off they gathered and built an enormous tent to contain the smoke so it would not further dilute into the atmosphere so naturally the smoke that was kept inside the zappatent was consumed commodified and died but what escaped grew in strength and joyfully recombined endlessly recreating its own delights and life itself

I read this book for no reason that is very clear to me anymore, since when I bought it I was neither a left-wing academic nor a Zappa fan. I think the sheer obsessive folly of the whole thing got me hooked. And in fact, quite apart from it's virtues as a treatise on philosophy (which, among other things, it is) or a book about Zappa, it's one of the best books ever written about rock music. Watson's brilliant inspiration was to try to bring together his dedicated left-wing politics and his love for the vast and ungainly oeuvre of the decidedly non-left-wing Frank Zappa. It's a heroic attempt, and the amazing thing about it is that it's persuasive. Zappa's hatred of religious fundamentalism, his dedication to music, his humour, his indomitable determination to stick to his guns, his courage in opposing repressive government policies, are what get Watson really enthusiastic. It's true that there's not all that much here about the music qua music, although Watson considers Zappa to be an important composer and the finest rock guitarist since Hendrix (and he's not far wrong about either); but the minute attention to Zappa's lyrics produces some of the most unlikely and brilliant literary criticism since William Empson. The section when he goes to visit the ailing Zappa in LA is remarkable (Zappa seems to have generally approved of the book, and is a gracious interviewee even when he claims that he can't stand Shakespeare.) "Preposterousness is an underrated quality" claims the author in a letter to Zappa's wife, and this book bears him out. It also turned me into a Zappa fan. Now that has to be a good thing.