Guitarist Dweezil Zappa is not only a respected musician, but makes it a point to carry on the Frank Zappa legacy by performing his music. Dweezil, son of Frank, recently ran into some issues with his other siblings, who felt that he was taking advantage of the Zappa name for profits. They ultimately forbade him from performing as “Zappa Plays Zappa,” essentially stripping him of the right to use his actual last name, Zappa.
The legal battle between Dweezil and his brother, Ahmet Zappa, remains a dicey one. Both sides have written long op-eds about how the other has mistreated them, but ultimately neither seems apologetic. In fact, Dweezil is working hard to secure his own rights to the Zappa name, and recently launched a Pledge Music campaign to do so. It’s dubbed “The Others Of Intention,” and focuses on Dweezil’s claim to his own name.
“The campaign is centered around my name and how YOU can help ME protect the legal rights to use my own full name to identify myself,” writes Dweezil on the campaign description. “It sounds bizarre but it’s true! I could use your help. I am inviting everyone to please join me to make some noise and raise funds to propel the necessary legal arguments to secure the rights for me to continue to use ZAPPA as my last name.”
You can watch the video that accompanies the campaign, below.
It’s a fairly brilliant move for Dweezil to bring in the fans, as he is certainly the most visible member of the Zappa family. It gives the impression that Dweezil is the hero that brings his father’s music to the people, while Ahmet wants to exploit it behind closed doors. Though it’s hard to say where the truth lies, it’s easy to support someone who is as gifted of a musician as Dweezil is.
You can find the campaign here.