With an utter strangeness matched only by his prolificacy, Frank Zappa cut a totally unique swath in the fabric of music history. His career began before the Beatles stormed the beaches at the Ed Sullivan Show and persisted for more than 30 years, unassisted by any psychotropic substances stronger than hot dogs, black coffee, and nicotine. To say that he was an innovator, an iconoclast, and ingenious would only be a start, not to mention somewhat redundant and using only words that begin with the letter “i”… but Zappa was all of these things. Drawing on a wide range of influences, including ‘50s vocal groups, early 20th century avant-garde composers, and his own demented sense of humor and morality, Zappa created a bizarre amalgam of disparate musical styles and perverse lyricism that he used to poke fun at and holes in everything that, well… just everything: no further qualification is necessary.

Somewhere in the middle of this unusual journey, Zappa paused to speak to Mary Travers about his upcoming live album, Bongo Fury, and a number of other topics of no small concern, including what it’s like to rehearse next door to Elton John and the inherent inaccessibility of commissioned classical music. No opinion is withheld, but Frank is always self-aware enough not to comment on subjects he knows nothing about; clearly his intelligence extended beyond the stage and studio.

Like so many in his profession, Frank Zappa’s life was tragically cut short. But while most live fast and leave behind a limited catalog, Frank didn’t waste a moment of his time on the foibles of fame and fortune. Most of the money he ever earned was redirected into some new project: composing, recording, performing, conducting, producing, parenting, even cultural attaché-ing, his whole being was committed to “conceptual continuity.” The world may never again see an artist so unique.