 Frank Zappa and his moustache. AFP Copyright © MediaCorp Press Ltd |
ROCKER Frank Zappa was born in Baltimore, Maryland, but gained greater popular acclaim in Europe than in the United States. On Sunday, devout European fans of the late musician brought his mustachioed likeness back home in the form of a bronze bust.
Several hundred fans gathered on a sweltering afternoon as city officials dedicated the bust of the ponytailed rocker outside an east Baltimore library. The bust is a replica of another in a public square in Vilnius, Lithuania, and was donated to the city by Zappa enthusiasts in the small Baltic nation.
"The spirit of Frank Zappa is alive and well in Baltimore," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. The mayor joined Zappa's widow, Gail, and three of his grown children in watching as a curtain was drawn back to reveal the bust set atop a 3.6-metre steel pole. Later, Zappa's son, Dweezil, took the stage with his tribute band, Zappa Plays Zappa.
Zappa was known for everything from novelty rock songs to elaborate classical compositions. He died of prostate cancer in 1993 at 52.
Sunday's ceremony marked the 25th anniversary of Zappa's testimony before Congress on freedom of expression for recording artistes, though the scheduling was coincidental. Zappa had testified against proposed warning labels about lyrical content, calling them a path to censorship.
http://www.todayonline.com/Entertainment/Music/EDC100921-0000038/Zappa-honoured