Be sure to check out the online catalog for Property from the Estate of Frank and Gail Zappa as part of the Icons & Idols: Rock n’ Roll auction, starting Friday, November 4th and Saturday, November 5th; and the continuing online-only auction ending November 13th at 5:00pm.
The career of the legendary Frank Zappa (1940-1993) spanned over 30 years. As a music composer, producer, director and guitarist, he would fuse musical genres and incorporate diverse musical techniques and sounds, some often politically charged and intentionally shocking. Often described as a genius, Frank Zappa was undeniably one of the most innovative musicians of the 20th century. He led the sixties California freak movement and composed classical compositions throughout his career. He was a hero of free speech and spoke out against censorship often and in public. In 1967, Frank married Gail Zappa and purchased a home in Laurel Canyon in Los Angeles, California. The compound was complete with a home studio that he named Utility Muffin Research Kitchen. Zappa made over 60 albums during his career and toured the world for decades. Frank and Gail had four children — Moon, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva. Gail was a strong supporter of artists' rights and an animal activist.
During the Zappas' decades of touring the globe, they amassed a collection of exotic furnishings, fine antiques, salvaged architectural pieces, unique collectibles and whimsical items that appealed to their panache for colorful and non-conformist eye. The Property from the Estate of Frank and Gail Zappa will include many of the personal treasures that found their home at the fabled compound in California. These include a Venetian gilt metal chandelier, an Italian Baroque console table, and a carved gilt wood bookcase. Contemporary fine art including a still life by John Alexander, a nail relief sculpture by Robert Harley, and a large painting by Ashley Laurence titled “Angel Pig” (painting name given by Gail Zappa) are also included in the auction.
The auction also includes memorabilia and personal items that document and celebrate the career of Frank Zappa and his love story with Gail. This includes a Dandies Fashions coat worn by Frank Zappa on the July 20, 1968 cover of Rolling Stone magazine; a purple ribbed turtleneck worn by Frank Zappa in 200 Motels (United Artists, 1971); a stage worn vest that Zappa also wore on the back cover of the 1972 album Waka Jawaka; a collection of career related awards presented to Frank Zappa including various Gold records, a National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences Lifetime Achievement Award, a GRAMMY® nomination plaque; a clay Thing-Fish model; a ukulele featured on the Thing-Fish album cover; and a collection of hotel keys collected by Frank and Gail in their travels.
Throughout his career, Zappa took music to places rarely trafficked. In an interview with The Times UK in 2013, Gail Zappa put it this way: when she first met him in 1966, his group, the Mothers of Invention, was “the LA band; the real deal. There were others — the Byrds and the Doors and all that. But the real guys? It was the Mothers. Because they did stuff nobody else did, and they said things no one else would dare say.” That is part of the Frank Zappa legacy. Visit www.julienslive.com to browse the entire auction as well as to register to bid in person, by phone, or online proxy bidding!