News Latest News from Ultimate-Guitar.Com. en-US Copyright 1998-2026 Ultimate-Guitar.Com. All rights reserved. https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php?artist=11617 Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:02:03 -0400 Sun, 15 Oct 2023 22:38:51 -0400 60 Ultimate-Guitar.Com https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/static/_img/logo_trans.png https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/modules/rss/news.xml.php?artist=11617 144 44 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-nailed-frank-zappas-famously-unplayable-montana-melody-and-got-his-rarest-possible-reaction https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-nailed-frank-zappas-famously-unplayable-montana-melody-and-got-his-rarest-possible-reaction Music News: "I'm dehydrated, sick as a dog, totally sleep deprived, and I just thought, 'I'm never touring again."]]> Wed, 18 Mar 2026 05:02:03 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/frank-zappa-thought-rocks-future-was-bleak-because-of-how-the-music-industry-works-when-youre-saying-nothing-then-youll-make-millions-of-dollars https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/frank-zappa-thought-rocks-future-was-bleak-because-of-how-the-music-industry-works-when-youre-saying-nothing-then-youll-make-millions-of-dollars Retrospective: "No matter what the artist creates, in order for the public to hear it, he's got to go through this peculiar kind of filtration system."]]> Sun, 08 Mar 2026 01:50:15 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-recalls-frank-zappas-uncanny-ear-tonight-he-only-played-three-wrong-notes-and-half-a-wrong-scale https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/steve-vai-recalls-frank-zappas-uncanny-ear-tonight-he-only-played-three-wrong-notes-and-half-a-wrong-scale Music News: "It comes to that part, and I could basically get the top note, almost got the second note. It's there, but it's a micro tone. It's weird."]]> Fri, 06 Mar 2026 04:02:03 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/everything-followed-on-from-that-mike-keneally-was-terrified-of-frank-zappa-as-a-kid--then-zappas-stunt-guitarist-job-defined-his-career https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/everything-followed-on-from-that-mike-keneally-was-terrified-of-frank-zappa-as-a-kid--then-zappas-stunt-guitarist-job-defined-his-career Music News: "There's a family tree of connections there that's pretty easy to trace."]]> Tue, 06 Jan 2026 08:02:01 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/i-didnt-have-enough-respect-for-it-this-was-the-biggest-challenge-of-playing-frank-zappas-music-and-mike-keneally-admits-he-disregarded-it https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/i-didnt-have-enough-respect-for-it-this-was-the-biggest-challenge-of-playing-frank-zappas-music-and-mike-keneally-admits-he-disregarded-it Music News: "My focus, as a young buck at age 25, was just give me the hard stuff... Those were more exciting [and] were easy in comparison."]]> Wed, 31 Dec 2025 06:02:02 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/stuff-was-sprung-on-us-on-a-nightly-basis-mike-keneally-on-frank-zappas-grueling-improv-demands https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/stuff-was-sprung-on-us-on-a-nightly-basis-mike-keneally-on-frank-zappas-grueling-improv-demands Music News: "It's just time for you to sell it, and you wouldn't know for how long."]]> Sat, 27 Dec 2025 03:03:44 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-kept-losing-money-mike-keneally-on-why-frank-zappas-tours-were-designed-to-lose-money-and-how-he-became-zappas-human-musical-archive https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-kept-losing-money-mike-keneally-on-why-frank-zappas-tours-were-designed-to-lose-money-and-how-he-became-zappas-human-musical-archive Music News: "No matter how many tickets he sold, he kept losing money."]]> Wed, 24 Dec 2025 02:57:28 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/that-requires-having-a-different-state-of-mind-frank-zappa-wasnt-so-much-a-guitarist-as-he-was-a-composer-dweezil-zappa-reveals https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/that-requires-having-a-different-state-of-mind-frank-zappa-wasnt-so-much-a-guitarist-as-he-was-a-composer-dweezil-zappa-reveals Music News: "He had the ability to play for 10 or 15 minutes without repeating himself."]]> Wed, 10 Dec 2025 03:47:54 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-said-i-have-frank-zappas-phone-number-i-went-you-have-what-how-almost-two-years-of-incessant-phone-calls-got-steve-vai-a-job-with-frank-zappa https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-said-i-have-frank-zappas-phone-number-i-went-you-have-what-how-almost-two-years-of-incessant-phone-calls-got-steve-vai-a-job-with-frank-zappa Music News: "I tried calling at 16 [years old]."]]> Sat, 13 Sep 2025 03:02:03 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank-stops-the-band-and-im-like-uh-oh-steve-vai-says-frank-zappa-would-call-out-bandmates-during-shows-for-mistakes-recalls-what-zappa-did-with-him-instead https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank-stops-the-band-and-im-like-uh-oh-steve-vai-says-frank-zappa-would-call-out-bandmates-during-shows-for-mistakes-recalls-what-zappa-did-with-him-instead Music News: "If you made mistakes, he called you out on stage. He'd stop the show and call you out."]]> Sat, 30 Aug 2025 23:59:38 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil-opens-up-on-what-its-really-like-to-play-frank-zappas-music-explains-why-its-really-hard-to-pull-off https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil-opens-up-on-what-its-really-like-to-play-frank-zappas-music-explains-why-its-really-hard-to-pull-off Music News: "But when you do it, it's really fun."]]> Mon, 25 Aug 2025 00:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/without-frank-i-wouldve-just-been-guessing-adrian-belew-reveals-one-key-thing-frank-zappa-taught-him-about-odd-time-signatures-names-thing-that-becomes-harder-for-guitarists-with-age https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/without-frank-i-wouldve-just-been-guessing-adrian-belew-reveals-one-key-thing-frank-zappa-taught-him-about-odd-time-signatures-names-thing-that-becomes-harder-for-guitarists-with-age Music News: "I would have had a much more difficult time with that if I hadn't worked with Frank."]]> Thu, 14 Aug 2025 04:17:09 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/not-a-comfortable-way-to-play-heres-what-made-frank-zappas-guitar-playing-style-so-weird-dweezil-explains https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/not-a-comfortable-way-to-play-heres-what-made-frank-zappas-guitar-playing-style-so-weird-dweezil-explains Music News: "I always described it as the battle between the chicken and the spider."]]> Thu, 24 Jul 2025 10:41:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/it-took-many-years-to-figure-out-this-is-what-you-really-need-to-know-to-sound-like-frank-zappa-his-son-dweezil-reveals https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/it-took-many-years-to-figure-out-this-is-what-you-really-need-to-know-to-sound-like-frank-zappa-his-son-dweezil-reveals Music News: "I don't think I ever really developed my own style until I went through a whole other process of learning a lot of my dad's music."]]> Tue, 08 Jul 2025 20:17:06 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/ex-frank-zappa-bassist-explains-why-a-bass-player-in-a-rock-band-is-by-definition-a-moron-reveals-what-zappa-was-really-like https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/ex-frank-zappa-bassist-explains-why-a-bass-player-in-a-rock-band-is-by-definition-a-moron-reveals-what-zappa-was-really-like Music News: "Bass players aren't supposed to have ideas; they're supposed to be functionaries."]]> Mon, 26 May 2025 20:39:16 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/nobody-else-would-write-a-song-like-that-frank-zappas-insanely-underrated-mini-opera-is-far-more-interesting-than-people-think-dweezil-explains https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/nobody-else-would-write-a-song-like-that-frank-zappas-insanely-underrated-mini-opera-is-far-more-interesting-than-people-think-dweezil-explains Music News: "It's a 12-minute song with all kinds of crazy things in it and this ridiculous storyline." ]]> Mon, 26 May 2025 13:10:33 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/it-drove-him-nuts-heres-what-frank-zappa-couldnt-stand-if-his-musicians-were-doing https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/it-drove-him-nuts-heres-what-frank-zappa-couldnt-stand-if-his-musicians-were-doing Music News: "My dad's not into that."]]> Wed, 14 May 2025 23:02:02 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/10-songs-that-showcase-frank-zappas-supreme-guitar-soloing-skills-177416 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/10-songs-that-showcase-frank-zappas-supreme-guitar-soloing-skills-177416 Features: Shut up 'n' play yer guitar, indeed.]]> Tue, 01 Apr 2025 14:02:01 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/what-really-makes-a-legend-why-frank-zappa-is-more-famous-than-this-other-equally-innovative-musician-176717 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/what-really-makes-a-legend-why-frank-zappa-is-more-famous-than-this-other-equally-innovative-musician-176717 Features: Sometimes, an artist leaves behind more than music. Persona matters.]]> Fri, 14 Mar 2025 10:12:37 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/i-feel-sorry-for-him-what-frank-zappa-really-thought-of-elvis-presley https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/i-feel-sorry-for-him-what-frank-zappa-really-thought-of-elvis-presley Retrospective: "When I went to high school, he was a big star, and everybody loved him. I couldn't stand him."]]> Tue, 04 Mar 2025 08:50:31 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/the-more-experimental-it-got-the-less-interesting-and-the-thinner-it-got-what-frank-zappa-really-thought-of-jimi-hendrix https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/retrospective/the-more-experimental-it-got-the-less-interesting-and-the-thinner-it-got-what-frank-zappa-really-thought-of-jimi-hendrix Retrospective: "Some of the really good things that Hendrix did was the earliest stuff, when he was just ripping and brutal."]]> Thu, 20 Feb 2025 02:00:03 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-story-of-frank-zappa-and-tina-turners-weird-collab-spoiler-ike-turner-hated-it-175398 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/articles/features/the-story-of-frank-zappa-and-tina-turners-weird-collab-spoiler-ike-turner-hated-it-175398 Features: "What Is This Shit?" — Ike Turner.]]> Fri, 31 Jan 2025 20:43:58 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/his-life-was-a-runaway-train-frank-zappas-daughter-reveals-what-her-dad-was-really-like https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/his-life-was-a-runaway-train-frank-zappas-daughter-reveals-what-her-dad-was-really-like Music News: "My father's life was a runaway train."]]> Mon, 13 Jan 2025 17:00:03 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-wasnt-like-anybody-else-alex-skolnick-explains-what-really-made-frank-zappa-so-unique https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/he-wasnt-like-anybody-else-alex-skolnick-explains-what-really-made-frank-zappa-so-unique Music News: "That's somebody that could not be anybody else but Frank Zappa."]]> Sun, 05 Jan 2025 21:25:15 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil_zappa_explains_why_having_a_famous_last_name_doesnt_help_reveals_what_frank_told_him_about_it.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil_zappa_explains_why_having_a_famous_last_name_doesnt_help_reveals_what_frank_told_him_about_it.html Music News: "He had ideas that were bigger than most could handle."]]> Sun, 03 Nov 2024 17:43:18 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil_zappa_reveals_one_valuable_lesson_he_learned_from_his_father_it_kept_me_focused_on_continuing_to_grow_and_learn.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/dweezil_zappa_reveals_one_valuable_lesson_he_learned_from_his_father_it_kept_me_focused_on_continuing_to_grow_and_learn.html Music News: "It's kept me focused on continuing to grow and learn things."]]> Tue, 06 Aug 2024 19:10:33 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/window_or_aisle_this_is_how_frank_zappa_dealt_with_undisciplined_band_members_his_son_dweezil_reveals.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/window_or_aisle_this_is_how_frank_zappa_dealt_with_undisciplined_band_members_his_son_dweezil_reveals.html Music News: "You might find people who could potentially have the technical skills, but they don't have the right personality to even be on the tour bus."]]> Sat, 27 Jul 2024 09:26:40 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank_zappa_bassist_tom_fowler_has_died.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/frank_zappa_bassist_tom_fowler_has_died.html Music News: The musician was 73 years old.]]> Thu, 04 Jul 2024 14:54:27 -0400 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/there_was_a_certain_negativity_and_cynicism_to_it_session_veteran_opens_up_on_his_time_with_frank_zappa_amp_how_it_affected_him.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/there_was_a_certain_negativity_and_cynicism_to_it_session_veteran_opens_up_on_his_time_with_frank_zappa_amp_how_it_affected_him.html Music News: "It did feel like we wanted to entertain audiences, but it also felt like we were almost in an ongoing argument with the world."]]> Wed, 28 Feb 2024 23:26:04 -0500 https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/one_thing_that_frank_zappa_thought_was_harder_than_playing_fast.html https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/one_thing_that_frank_zappa_thought_was_harder_than_playing_fast.html Music News: "Now, that's a little bit harder to do."]]> Sun, 15 Oct 2023 22:38:51 -0400