Dweezil Zappa shared Eddie Van Halen’s reaction to a complex Frank Zappa song in a recent chat on 100 FM The Pike. He recalled how the guitarist heard him play ‘St. Alfonzo’s Pancake Breakfast’ at a 2010 show and shared:
“But after the show, he came up. He said, ‘What’s that ‘pancake song?’ What are you playing there?’ And I had to play this really difficult part and show it to him on the guitar. He goes, ‘I don’t even understand how you’re playing that. I could never play that.’”
Eddie was friends with the Zappa family and even contributed to Dweezil’s early music career by producing his single, ‘My Mother Is a Space Cadet.’ The ‘Confessions’ singer went on:
“So, in that moment, it was a total role reversal, because me as a 12-year-old, I was saying, ‘Play ‘Eruption,’ play ‘Mean Street.’’ You know, thinking I could never play that. So, I had this complete oddball experience in that moment. It was like the Jedi mind trick or something. It was very strange.”
Celebrating Zappa’s Music
Dweezil Zappa will soon take the stage to play his father’s music on a tour called ‘Rox(Postroph)y.’ He announced his first live dates since 2020 in a March 2024 statement:
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on stage playing the music I love. I’m inspired to try new things and looking forward to playing with the best musicians I know. I’ll be bringing a hot setlist of Frank Zappa classics and personal favorites to all of the fans. If you have never heard my father’s music, this might be the tour to start your obsession.”
The tour will celebrate the 50th anniversary of Zappa’s ‘Roxy & Elsewhere’ and ‘Apostrophe’ albums with reimagined versions of their tracks.
Dweezil will hit the road on August 1 in Phoenix and then visit several major cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Atlanta before concluding in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on September 11.