Musicians speak to the power of Frank Zappa’s music — an unscientific IndieEthos survey

In the documentary Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words, the film’s subject sometimes comes across as a bit frustrated by his cult of personality. One thing he bemoans more than once is that most people know his name but few buy his music. The film itself is also more focused on his interviews than his performances. It didn’t even take day after I published my review (Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words highlights the mind behind the music … and the ideology — a film review) before a friend texted me to ask “Who is Frank Zappa?”

Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words highlights the mind behind the music … and the ideology — a film review

Though fans will likely go out of their way to see it, those familiar with Frank Zappa will probably not gain any major insight from the new documentary by Thorsten Schütte, Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words. Anyone who already gets Zappa, however, will easily fall in love again. But those with only a passing familiarity with the icon and an interest in popular music’s tension between culture and business, need to see this movie. Made with the cooperation of some of his family (son Ahmet Zappa and recently deceased wife Gail Zappa have executive producer credits), Eat That Question is a refreshing declaration of a man’s desire to express himself freely in the face of moralizing doctrine imposed by the few, the powerful and the sheeple.