Frank Zappa's brilliant three-word phrase for difficult band members

Frank Zappa was a lot of things. He could create serious music and he could also incorporate a bit of silliness at times with his songs, intentionally so. He played anything from rock to jazz and classical, and his avant-garde approach could go with any one of those genres. As a musician, he was a fantastic guitarist, but he knew the business side of running a band as well.

Over the course of his career, Zappa made over 60 albums which meant he played with a lot of musicians. Many times the studio group could be different from his touring band. In the studio, things were easier. Players played the role and notes given them and there was no need to go off-script. Touring was different, though Zappa oftentimes did not care for that.

In a recent interview with the Arizona Republic, Frank's son, Dweezil (a decent musician in his own right, though some might only know him from his MTV days in the 1980s), spoke about how his father would deal with those musicians on tour that Frank felt were trying to selfishly make a name for themselves while being a part of the band and Frank had a great three-word phrase for when he let touring musicians go.

Frank Zappa had a perfect three-word phrase when firing a band member

Dweezil said, "You might find people who could potentially have the technical skills, but they don't have the right personality to even be on the tour bus. You have to look for the person that enjoys the music but also enjoys staying in their lane. That's what my dad was always dealing with – people that would want to draw attention to themselves by changing what their role was, playing things they're not supposed to play...something that is not a written part. And once they started thinking they can do that, they didn't last. My dad's famous quote was, 'Window or aisle, how would you like to return home?"

To be fair, Frank Zappa was quite the perfectionist in terms of the music he created so if he had a vision - and usually it was a very good one - then why would others deter from that? He likely had difficulty why they would choose a different path. Also, to be fair, if someone is being paid to play on a tour, they should try to keep in line with those paying them.

Zappa's approach to music did not always equate to financial success. Audiences sometimes did not know how to react to what he and his bands, most notably the Mothers of Invention, were trying to do. But it is like that with any artist, and Frank Zappa was a true artist.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, two years after his death from prostate cancer. Lou Reed did the induction for him. That seems about as perfect of a combination as one can find.

More music news and analysis: