“A historic loss”: Why did Frank Zappa stop touring?
Frank Zappa is possibly one of the most underrated live performers in rock and roll history. He and his bands took music to new and exciting places on stage just as they did in the studio. And his first outfit, The Mothers of Invention, was particularly renowned for their wild live performance stunts, including, in Zappa’s own words, “whipped cream shooting out the ass of a giraffe”.
But in 1988, after nearly three decades of performing in front of audiences and 18 years of touring, Zappa hung up his guitar. He would never be seen on stage again.
There has been long-running speculation about the reasons for his 1988 tour being Frank Zappa’s last. He was already battling chronic illness at the time, which turned out to be prostate cancer. Its 1990 diagnosis regrettably came too late to save Zappa, and he died from the disease three years later.
Then, there was his potential move into electoral politics, which was mooted in 1991. Zappa was apparently considering an unlikely bid for the US presidency. If he intended to take a campaign for his name on the presidential ballot around the US, then any more music tours in the pipeline would have had to take a backseat anyway.
The immediate reason for Zappa stopping touring is more straightforward, though. And really quite unnecessary.
Who was Scott Thunes?
After putting together a 12-piece band, including guitarist-vocalist Mike Keneally, Zappa toured the US. He played a mixture of classics from as far back as The Mothers of Invention’s pioneering 1966 debut album Freak Out! and new, experimental material.
Whenever Zappa was absent from tour rehearsal sessions, bassist Scott Thunes served as stand-in musical director. It seems Thunes’ abrasive conducting style irked some of his bandmates, who also questioned his ability on the bass.
Once the first part of the tour was completed, the band headed off to Europe for its second leg. By this point, tensions were flaring when two horn players openly offended Thunes in front of a German tour promoter. Zappa asked them all to get along, which led to open mutiny.
According to Zappa Vaultmeister Joe Travers, Zappa then “chose to disband the group and cancel the rest of the tour, reportedly forfeiting $400,000 in revenue.” Travers notes how “it’s an even more historic loss considering Frank Zappa was to never tour again.”
Undoubtedly, Zappa’s tragic illness and death were what ensured he’d never tour again after 1988. Perhaps if he’d lived longer, we’d have had the pleasure of seeing him back on stage at some point.
Nevertheless, the reason he stopped in the first place was frustration and exhaustion with the petty infighting of his musicians. Still, little could they have known they were forcing Frank Zappa to finish with touring altogether.