Frank Zappa

“Imagine finding my editor sulking around the lobby of the Waldorf before our first face-to-face interview and photo session with the great Frank Zappa: “there are 11 other writers scheduled at the same time…!” The good news was that I was the only photographer present—and I was prepared. Frank stepped into my sitting room, and six minutes later I was done. He then cordially invited us to join him for a guest DJ hour at WPLJ FM, where I created a series of portraits of Frank conducting the multiple cross-fading of music—hand-picked from the dustiest stacks of vinyl he could find—with a bawdy commercial for Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits.

Always the serious provocateur, having as much fun as possible…!”

Frank Zappa at the Waldorf Astoria in New York, 1979.