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AdifferentZappaemergesinepic'operapantomime'ByRipRenseSpecialtoTheJournalTheMilwaukeeJournal,December18,1994

FORTHELAST10yearsofhislife,FrankZappaworkedobsessivelyon"Civilization:PhazeIII,"asprawling,113-minuteepic.Itmarkedthemostcomplexandambitiousmusicalexperimentingofhiscareer.

Finishingthemassiveworkassumedanincreasingurgencyafterthemusician/composerwasdiagnosedwithcancerin1990.Hemadethelastminoradjustmentsonlyweeksbeforehisdeath,at52,onDec.4lastyear.

"Civilization:PhazeIII"wasreleasedearlierthismonthmailorderonlyonZappa'sownBarkingPumpkinRecords.

"Ithinkit'sverymuchaboutfinishinghislife,"saidGailZappa,hiswidow."Iwouldcallthishismasterwork.Hesaidthatafterhefinishedthis,hehadnothingmoretodo.Iaskedhim,'Isthereanythingelseyouwanttotellmeabout?'Hesaid,'No,I'vedoneeverythingthatIcan.'"

MattGroening,creatorof"TheSimpsons"andafriendofZappa's,describedthepiecethisway:"Listeningtoit,itfeelslikeFrankwastryingtocramasmanymusicalideasaspossible,oneaftertheother,intothispiece.It'sverythic

kanddenseandoverpoweringasalisteningexperience.EvenifyouthinkyouknowFrankZappa'smusic,Idon'tthinkanybodycouldbesufficientlypreparedforthepowerhousethisthingrepresents.

PLANNEDPRODUCTION

LinernoteswrittenbyFrankZappadescribetheworkas"anoperapantomime,withchoreographedphysicalactivity(manifestedasdanceorotherformsofinexplicablesocio-physicalcommunication)."Justbeforehisdeath,ZappaexplainedthetheatricalconceptfortheworktochoreographerJameyHampton,oftheISODanceTroupe,andGroening,whoareplanningtostageaproductionofthework.

"Frankwasveryspecificabouthisideasforit,"saidGroening."Hewantedtou

seold-fashionedstagecraft,nothingfancy,noTVmonitors."

"Civilization:PhazeIII"culminatesacomposingcareerthatbeganwhenateenageZappawasfirstinspiredtoputmusicalnotesonpaperafterhearingtheworkofavant-gardecomposerEdgardVarse.

AlthoughthelikesoftheLondonSymphony,PierreBoulezandKentNaganohavechampionedandrecordedZappa'sworks,heisironicallybestknownfornovelpop-rocksatireslike"ValleyGirl"(sungwithdaughterMoonUnit),"DancingFool"and"JesusThinksYou'reaJerk."

ComposedlargelyattheSynclavier,asophisticatedcomputer-drivensynthesizercapableofproducingpracticallyanyimaginablesound,"Civilization:PhazeIII"

isbasicallyorchestralintexture.Aboutone-thirdofitwasperformedbytheEuropeannewmusicgroup,EnsembleModern.Conceptuallyandstylistically,theworkisacontinuationofZappa's1967avant-gardeballet/narrative,"LumpyGravy,"andhis1966album"We'reOnlyinItfortheMoney,"whichhassometimesbeencalledthe"cynicalflip-sideof'Sgt.Pepper'."

"Ithinkthat'PhazeIII'isperhapstheultimatedestinyofthisparticularaspect[ofZappa'swork],"saidGailZappa.

"'PhazeIII'probablystartedofftobeonething,butbecauseheworkedsohar

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dtofinishitbeforehedied,itbecamesomethingalittledifferentthanheoriginallyintended."

MAIL-ORDEREXPERIMENT

Whyreleaseitmail-orderonly?

I'mdoingitthisway,"shesaid,"asanexperiment,becauseIwantedtoseewho'sreallyoutthere,andhowmuchattentionthey'replayingtotheimportanceofhavingFrank'smusicintheirlives."

Couldthemail-orderprocesshinderexposureofthemusic?(Thealbumwilllikelybemarketedinmusicstores"atsomepoint.")

"Itmayseemunfair,inmanyways,totreathismusicthisway,"shesaid."Buthegavethisrecordtome.And[itis]ofparticularimportancetomepersonally.IwantedtomakeitavailabletothosepeoplewhoareloyalfansofFrankinthiscountry...withouthavingtorelyonanindustrythatneversupportedFrankinanywayasacomposer."

Thereare19piecesofmusicin"PhazeIII,"interspersedwitharunningdialogueleftoverfromthe1967"LumpyGravy"sessionsandnewdialoguerecordedbyMoonUnitZappaandZappaassociates.For"LumpyGravy,"Zappapromptedfriendsto"rambleincoherently"intomicrophonesplantedinsideapiano,theneditedthei

rvariousspeechesintoanabsurdistcommentarythatpunctuatedoriginalorchestralmusic."PhazeIII"continuesthattradition,asZappa'sCDlinernotesexplain.

"In'Civilization:PhazeIII,'wegetafewmorecluesaboutthelivesofthepianodwellersandnotethattheexternalevilshaveonlygottenworsesincewefirstmetthem."

CoverartbyUriBalashov(whosemisspellingof"Phase"waspromptlyadoptedbyZappaastheformaltitle)depictsamassivepianoatopamountainous,fearsomecivilization.Withorwithoutthe"pianodweller"story,themusicof"Civilization:PhazeIII"standsasthemostdenseandintricatestuffZappaevercreated.Atleastoneofthetitles,"BeattheReaper,"wouldseemtogrimlyattesttot

hecircumstancesunderwhichcomposerworked.

Groening,alongtimeadmirerwhobefriendedZappalateinlife,describedthesoundas"Stravinsky-esqueorchestraltuneswithConlonNancarrowtirelessforwardpropulsionpresentedwiththemostcuttingedgetechnology"adding,inmoreaccessibleterms:"ThismusicshouldfinallygetZappatakentrulyseriouslyasacomposer.Thereisnothingelseincontemporarymusicthatsoundsanythinglikeit.I'llbelisteningtothispiecefortherestofmylifethat'sforsure."

Perhapsthecenterpieceoftheworkisan18-minute,six-movementcompositiontitled"N-Lite."Zappainsistedthetitlewasmerelyaconvenient,andquiteabsurd,computerlabel,ashesaidina1992conversation."It'snotreallyadramaticstory.Youhaveonlyeightletterstonamethesethingsinthecomputerprogra

m."

Groeningremainsunconvinced.

"Ithinkthatwaspartofhisartisticstancetonotallowhimselftobepinneddown,"hesaid."Heclaimedtherewasnomeaningtothetitle'N-Lite.'Itwasjustanamethecomputerassignedtothepiece.Idon'tbelievethat.Isitabouttheendoflight?Enlightenment?'"

Inanyevent,itnamesmusicthatwasabreakthroughandadepartureinZappa's

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long,remarkablecareer;musicthatportendsthingsthatwill,tragically,nevercome.

"It'scalledmortality,"saidGailZappa."Ithink['PhazeIII']hasalottodowithFrankknowingthathewasn'tgoingtobeabletorealizealotofthingsthathewantedtodo.Sothenyoudowhatyoucan.Partofitisanexpressionofthat.Idon'tthinkhewasinahurry,asmuchashewaspragmaticandsaid.'Icandothis.'Iseeitasabigtime'ThanksFortheMemories,'insomeways."