Zappa The Man: His Legacy and The Emotional Last Interview

It might have taken decades to figure out who Frank Zappa really was (much like Bob Dylan, we might never know either). In his one of his last television appearances on The Today Show in 1993 shortly before his death, Frank Zappa seemed a lot more calm and relaxed. Even though there were more bad days than good, Zappa seemed a little happier. Perhaps for the first time in his historic career, he could relax. He and Gail could also invite friends over to the house to play music together and have conversations (and did it more often that one would expect). The workaholic in Zappa seemed to tire but his passion was still there. It`s tough for someone to go on camera and express how they`re feeling and how they are dealing with their negative issues. Even though it`s obvious he was a little sad, Zappa responded in more of a positive manner to the interviewer`s questions. He urged viewers to get health checkups and contradicted the interviewer when she described him as a legend. For the first time in his life, it seemed as if Zappa was completely normal. Just like everyone else in the world including the politicians he disliked and the ``pom-pom`` girls he criticized, Zappa was like everyone else. He had feelings just like the rest of the world and could be beat by unfortunate health issues that could beat us all. Frank Zappa was a sensitive man and it is blatantly obvious in this interview. He truly did care for the world and his country. He did want to help the people and force change into the things he felt was wrong within our society. He was so passionate about his views and about his social critiques because of his sensitivity and numerous topics frustrated him easily. When asked what Zappa wanted to be remembered for, it`s easy for him to say nothing. Simply because Zappa did not feel like he was supposed to change the world or be remembered as this force larger than life. All he wanted to do was educate the people and speak his mind for being different which should be accepted. Everyone is capable of doing something monumental with their life and should live to achieve their goals; which Zappa did. To be remembered as a legend is somewhat pathetic to Zappa because all he did was live his life the way he wanted to and encouraged others to do the same. Even though we might have seen a softer man in the interview, we also saw a strong human being who created an original vision and a strong person who lived life the way it should be lived: with unlimited choices and no regrets.