The Zappa Family Trust has become the center of speculation between family members, as they do their best to hash out the musical belongings of their late father in a way that is legally sound. When Frank Zappa’s widow Gail Zappa passed away last year, control of the Family Trust went to two of Zappa’s four children, Ahmet and Diva Zappa, while the other two, Dweezil and Moon Unit, remained beneficiaries. This created a despicable tension between family members that is now under scrutiny of the public eye.
The terms of the Family Trust have specifically involved Dweezil Zappa, who both uses his father’s name in his touring band and plays his music regularly. Evidently, last week the Zappa Family Trust informed Dweezil that he did not have the rights to use the name Zappa Plays Zappa, as the last name is a trademark owned by the trust, so he responded by changing the band’s name to Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa.
His brother Ahmet responded with an open letter to dispute that claim, among several others made about the Zappa Family Trust, saying, “Your tours help keep Frank’s name alive, just like the work Gail and I have done through the ZFT.” Ahmet’s letter also goes on to say that Dweezil has rejected the plans for a family meeting for quite some time, saying he doesn’t have time in his schedule unless his lawyers are present.
In an interview that ran around the same time as Ahmet’s letter, Dweezil explains the situation to the Boston Globe, saying, “I know people are sad and angry. They can’t understand why it’s happening….But for me, I’ve been going through this for a long time, so it’s not a completely raw nerve.” He goes on to say that it was, in fact, his mother Gail, that “began creating the obstacles” by charging him a fee to use his band name, Zappa Plays Zappa. “And it wasn’t a small amount of money.” He also mentions that his mother repossessed fourteen guitars that were left to him by his father, and that his siblings are planning to auction them off.
While the Boston Globe interview was not in response to the letter, it certainly sheds some light on the background of this situation. “This whole thing is unfortunate…I’ve been doing Zappa Plays Zappa for 10 years because I want people to experience my dad’s music, to have the opportunity to hear it performed live,” explains Dweezil. “For people to believe what Gail was doing, as far as protecting and nurturing Frank’s legacy, it turns out to be quite a different story.” He plans to eventually lay out his side of the story in an online post, which we will share when it becomes available.
Dweezil Zappa is playing with his band at the Brighton Music Hall in Allston, MA, this Saturday, May 7. Whether as Zappa Plays Zappa or Dweezil Zappa Plays Frank Zappa, we hope you’ll enjoy the show.
[via Boston Globe]