Frank Zappa Quotes To Free Your Mind

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His preferred description as an American composer, Frank Zappa pushed the limits of free speech and decency with his sexually explicit lyrics as well as the boundaries of music. And Frank Zappa quotes are often an uncensored glimpse inside the mind of a late musical genius who liked to challenge the social norms.

(For the sake of this article, we’ve included the more PG versions.)

While the greatest majority of his music was instrumental, it is ironic that he was targeted as one of the primary reasons for explicit content labeling on music when it is sold.

Zappa’s genius for writing highly complex musical masterpieces, including handwritten manuscripts for every note played, are often overshadowed by his independent and politically controversial quotes often created headlines and almost always ruffled feathers.

Image Courtesy of Wikipedia

Drawing influence in his early life from the artistic noise compositions of Edgar Varese, Zappa would often incorporate random sounds and noises as part of his own works. His interest in music began while he was a teen in San Diego with doo-wop and rhythm and blues. It wouldn’t be long for Zappa to move into his most well-known forms of jazz and rock.

His inventive and creative nature showed brilliance, as he started and formed the basis for fusion jazz and jazz rock that would be followed by greats such as Miles Davis. This combination would also lead to what many consider as Zappa’s greatest album, Hot Rats, that features one of his greatest works, “Peaches en Regalia”.

Throughout his career, Zappa was surrounded by an all-star cast of artists that performed his near impossible feats.

Reading through the list of performers in the various groups that performed Zappa’s music is like reading a who’s who of the best instrumentalists of the twentieth century.

As his music matured, Zappa shifted his craft to composing and directing orchestras rather than with his own vocals and guitar. He even was able to arrange a performance by the Royal Philharmonic performing his composition at Albert Hall, although the show was canceled due to concerns of explicit lyrics.

In 1990, Zappa was diagnosed with prostate cancer. This did not stop the composer from doing what he loved and where he found his calling.

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Throughout his life, he was a defender of free speech and was outspoken against the use of drugs.

In 1986, one of his most recognizable public performances was in the House of Congress where he spoke out against placing “Explicit Content” labels on music as a form of censorship.

For the remainder of his life, Zappa would become more political and continue to generate headline worthy quotes and make statements that would be found controversial until his death in 1993. At the time of his death, Zappa was only 53 years of age.

Keep reading to discover our favorite Frank Zappa quotes…

  1. “A mind is like a parachute. It doesn’t work if it is not open.”
  2. “The universe consists of 5% protons, 5% neutrons, 5% electrons and 85% morons.”
  3. The most important thing to do in your life is to not interfere with somebody else’s life.”
  4. “Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.”
  5. “Reality is what it is, not what you want it to be.”
  6. “Modern Americans behave as if intelligence were some sort of hideous deformity.”
  7. Politics is the entertainment branch of industry.”
  8. “It gets harder the more you know. Because the more you find out the uglier everything seems.”
  9. “Stupidity has a certain charm – ignorance does not.”
  10. “Republican is fine if your a millionaire. Democrats is fair if all you own is what you wear. Neither of them’s really right, cause neither of them cares.”Frank Zappa | Hi-Fi News
  11. “The only difference between a cult and a religion is the amount of real estate they own.”
  12. “Censoring what you say is one of the ways in which people who are not nice can take away your personal freedom.”
  13. “I never set out to be weird. It was always other people who called me weird.”
  14. “A wise man once said, never discuss philosophy or politics in a disco environment.”
  15. “There’s a big difference between kneeling down and bending over.”
  16. “We pretend to be a free society, and we pretend to be an adult society, but if you look at the facts, our news is just as contrived, and controlled as Pravda!”
  17. “There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we’d all love one another.”
  18. “If you want to get laid, go to college. If you want an education, go to the library.”
  19. “Interviewer: ‘So Frank, you have long hair. Does that make you a woman?’ Frank Zappa: ‘You have a wooden leg. Does that make you a table?”
  20. “One of my favorite philosophical tenets is that people will agree with you only if they already agree with you. You do not change people’s minds.”
  21. “Music is the only religion that delivers the goods.”

Watch Frank Zappa - Freak Jazz, Movie Madness & Another Mothers | Prime  Video

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