Less than Perfect

"I'm not perfect, but I keep trying
Cause that's what I said I would do from the start."
- Hedley, "Perfect"

http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/newbay/gcpro_audiosolutions_2010summer/#/14

There's something that really stands out to me in this article. Zappa says:

If there is one thing I manage to excel at, it's failure - I manage to fail at 100 percent of the things I do.

Zappa was never 100% satisfied with any of his work, according to this quote. He says that there is never enough machinery or personnel to get things "exactly right". He was his own hardest critic - he strived for perfection in everything he did, and rarely got it (perfection is a very hard thing to achieve!).

I've also noticed that Zappa has always been a very well-spoken man. I've only ever seen one musician who was as well worded (and opinionated) as he was; Marilyn Manson. Both of these men continue to surprise me with the more I learn about how smart they are, and how well-educated they are on the topics they speak about.

I truly believe that Zappa, like he said he would have been if not a musician, could have been a chemist or a physicist. He definitely has the mental capacity for these jobs, and I think he would have been just as innovative in those fields as he was in music.

The Process

"What does he want from me?
What should I try to be?
So many faces all around, and here we go"
- A Chorus Line, "At The Audition"



While I'm sure there are many different videos of people talking about their auditions for Zappa, I was drawn to this one as soon as I saw the name Steve Vai. I was introduced to Steve's music at a young age. When I was 10, I got a CD - Radio Disney: Kid Jams. This featured lots of popular music from the time, but one song in particular stood out for me: Steve Vai's cover of Wipeout. Even without any musical training, I could tell this track didn't belong on the CD - it was far too technical. He was a GREAT guitarist.

Steve, in this video, talks about what the auditioning process was like for Zappa's band (he recorded with Zappa from 1980-1982). Zappa never liked to hear the phrase "I can't do this" or the word "impossible", as Vai recounts. He pushed every one of his band members to their creative limits and expected nothing less than perfection from all of them.

Luckily, Vai made Zappa's cut. He has been called a virtuoso and one of the greatest guitarists alive, due to his knowledge of music and technical skill. Both the 10 year old and 22 year old me agree.

Introducing Me.

"I'll try to do my best to impress
But it's easier to let you take a guess at the rest
But you wanna hear what lives in my brain
My heart, will you ask for it, for your perusing?
At times confusing, slightly amusing
Introducing me"
Nick Jonas - Introducing Me (Camp Rock 2)

I figured that there's probably nothing better than an introductory blog post to start this off. After all, you probably know just as much about me as I know about Zappa (nothing, if you weren't aware). So, a little introduction about me:

My name's Meghan, and I'm a 22 year old music fan. I'm currently in my first semester at university, and reeeeeally want to be a music journalist/editor in the future.

My music taste is very eclectic, though if you ask my father he'll say I'm not musically diverse yet. If you want proof, though, I'll grab my iPod and list the first 10 songs that come on shuffle:

1. Something Corporate - Fall
2. David Bowie/Queen - Under Pressure
3. Glee Cast - Thong Song
4. Dir En Grey - Cage
5. Ke$ha - Dirty Picture [pt 2] feat. Taio Cruz
6. We Came As Romans - Conditions
7. All Time Low - Poppin' Champagne
8. Jonas Brothers - Inseparable
9. Hyper Crush - She's a Freak
10. Drake - Houstalantavegas

Okay, so it may not be the most accurate representation of my musical taste. Two of my favourite artists are not represented on there (Paramore, and Jack's Mannequin). However, the styles of music are clearly diverse: there's pop on there, classic rock, visual kei, dance, screamo, and rap. My friends hate listening to my music on trips because they never know what to expect - they could be listening to metal, and find themselves suddenly listening to a song from a Disney soundtrack.

Regardless of how weird I think my taste in music is, I will agree with my dad on one thing: it needs more breadth, and depth.

This is what led me to joining a class on Frank Zappa.

While, at this point, I know little about him - from what I've heard, he's eccentric, talented, and named his kids really weird things - I'm open to learning more about him. Both my dad and uncle consider themselves Zappa fans, and while not obsessive like some of his other fans, they do enjoy his music and know a lot about him.

Anyways, that's probably all you're going to get out of me for now ;) I don't really think I'm in much of a position to say anything about Zappa yet, as I've only attended one class. Expect something with more substance later on!