Dweezil Zappa Again Changes Band Name
By Andy Kahn Jun 18, 2016 • 9:07 am PDT
Photo by Paul Haftel
The ongoing dispute among the surviving children of Frank Zappa continues with Dweezil Zappa again announcing the altering of the name of his band. In a new message posted on his website, the guitarist revealed his band once known as Zappa Plays Zappa that was recently changed to Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa will now be called simply “Dweezil Zappa.”
The second oldest of Frank’s children explained a disagreement over proceeds from Zappa Plays Zappa tour merchandise sales between 2006 and last year, failed to be resolved with the Zappa Family Trust (ZFT) prior to his mother Gail Zappa’s death last year. Not able to reach a deal with current ZFT heads – his younger siblings Ahmet and Diva Zappa – Dweezil’s attempted name change was apparently met with a cease and desist order by the ZFT.
In addition to the name alteration, Zappa also labeled his upcoming “Dweezil Zappa” shows as the Cease And Desist Tour 2016. Below is a portion of Dweezil’s statement, head here to read the full message:
Questions, questions, questions… flooding into the mind of the concerned young person today! People are asking me, “Why this is all ZFT stuff happening?” The shortest answer is this:
There is a contract dispute that began in 2006 when the Zappa Plays Zappa tour started. My mother reneged on our tour merchandise contract, keeping 100% of the tour merch revenue for herself from 2006-2015. She failed to resolve this injustice in her lifetime. Ahmet and Diva Zappa have the ability to resolve the injustice as trustees of the ZFT. Instead of trying to make things better they have made things worse by demanding to continue to take 100% of the tour merch revenue from me and if not I am not agreeable then I am not allowed to continue touring, according to them. I can continue to tour but not as Zappa Plays Zappa. I changed my name to a perfectly legal new name Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa. Since then they have sent me misguided threats of prosecution and another CEASE and DESIST letter so and it has become quite an unfortunate situation. The odd part is I offered them a very fair opportunity to sell ZFT merch on my tour to which I would split 50/50 and they rejected it. I guess they would rather have 100% of nothing than 50% of something. Anyway that ship has sailed…
I can offer you some insight in to the questions I have myself by sharing the conclusion of my lawyer’s response to the most recent Cease and Desist letter I received from the ZFT.
Putting all of the legal issues aside, none of the positions you have taken make sense from a business prospective. Dweezil is an acclaimed musician in his own right. To your own detriment, you have now stopped him from using his father’s name as a fair and accurate description of the music he intends to play. Dweezil has diligently and faithfully maintained a presence of his father’s legendary music within the worldwide public eye for a decade without any cease and desist letters from Gail Zappa. No one benefited greater from Dweezil’s efforts than Gail Zappa and the Zappa Family Trust, yet your client threatened litigation as soon as he became a trustee.
Dweezil has done more than anyone in the family, including Frank’s widow, to promote Frank Zappa as a musician/composer, as a brand and a cultural and musical icon. He has done so with humility and the utmost integrity. Your client has continuously tried to stop him, all the while ignoring the many musicians and bands across the globe who actually infringe on Frank Zappa’s name and likeness. What are you and your client really trying to achieve?
My final thoughts:
When there is an injustice what do you often see people do? They rally together, make signs and shout in the streets so that people can hear about the injustice they are suffering.
Since the efforts to deal with this ZFT matter privately have been met with threats I have been put into the position to have to share the story publicly and stand up for myself by figuratively walking the picket line with a sign that says ZFT Don’t Tread On Me!
The last thing I want is for any of this drama to overshadow my Father’s music. His commitment to excellence and his integrity have always been a guiding light for me.
I understand there may be some public confusion about all of this. Multiple name changes etc. I also understand that this drama may be a turn off to people.
Earlier this week, Dweezil’s older sister Moon Zappa appeared in a promo for the Thorsten Schutte-directed documentary about her father, Eat That Question: Frank Zappa In His Own Words. Watch the clip below:
