The Music of Frank Zappa: Course Archive

This page contains materials from previous offerings of the course, including final project topics, photographs, and recorded media.

Student Research Projects

  • Final Research Topics — Spring 2015
    • Eric Breon: “Critical Reception of Frank Zappa’s Music for Acoustic Concert Ensembles”
    • Michelle Brite: “Modern-Day Zappa”
    • Jonathan Covach: “No Commercial Potential: The Fluidity Between High and Low-Brow in the Music of Frank Zappa”
    • Jacob Denny: “Irony, the Language of Frank Zappa”
    • Mia Detwiler: “Frank Zappa’s Concert Music: Early Twentieth-Century Influences”
    • Adam Dillon: “The Utility Muffin Research Paper: Frank Zappa and His Audience, from Continent to Continent”
    • Kyle Downs: “Frank Zappa’s Fingerprints on the Music of Steve Vai”
    • Sean Enfield: “The Tragicomedy of Zappa’s Joe’s Garage”
    • Jake Greener: “Zappa as a Literary Scholar: 'If you want an education, go to the library'”
    • Robert Heuer: “Freaks, Hippies and Zappa: A History of Aberrance”
    • Roger Hunt: “Zappa and Lamar: Commentary for a Purpose”
    • Dakota Jimenez: "Xenochrony: A Look into the Studio Applications of Frank Zappa"
    • Gustavo Mazon Finessi: "Zappafying the Jazz: A Frank Zappa Fake Book?"
    • Victor Musasia II: “Lyrical Analysis of One Size Fits All”
    • Sam Melnick: “Mother of Mouth: A Brief Survey of the Symbolic and Instrumental use of the Mouth in Music by Zappa, Björk, and Popular Musicians”
    • Martin Morgan: “Organizing the Abstract”
    • Leland Rooney: “Producing Muffins: Zappa and the Studio”
    • Doug Sanders: “Satellite Conceptual Continuity”
    • Ethan Sedelmeier: “The Cucamonga Years: The Pre-Mothers Music of Frank Zappa”
    • John Sturino: “The Conceptual Continuity of Joe’s Garage”
    • Kaitlen Turner: “The Truth in Storytelling”
    • Jose Valdez: “The Blues in Zappa”
    • Brooke Vlahos: “Synesthesia, Bitches!”
    • Tyler Waters: “Guys with Big Noses: What Makes an Iconoclast?”

    Final Research Topics — Spring 2012
    • Hayden Barton: “The Artistic Approach Toward Music Taken by Frank Zappa and Trent Reznor”
    • Daniel Bernardo: “Cheese, Sleaze, and Cultural Characters: Impersonation and Voice in the Works of Frank Zappa”
    • Alex Browne: “Fostering Talent: Frank Zappa as a Talent Scout”
    • Teresa Cattaneo: “Flower Punk”
    • Eddie Chalupa: “Disco Outfreakage: Bruce Bickford and his Association with Frank Zappa”
    • Denver Christiansen: “Zappa and Social Archetypes”
    • Neil Coburn: “Frank Zappa and Censorship”
    • Tom Coppin: “Frank Zappa: Composer, Bandleader… Dictator?”
    • Ethan Dorsett: “Was Frank Zappa a Sexual Deviant?”
    • Chris Douglas: “Charles Mingus and Frank Zappa”
    • Austin Ford: “Terry Bozzio”
    • Sam Friedland: “Zappa’s Metamodern Disposition”
    • Jordan Garrett: “Frankly Zappa”
    • Dylan Garrison: “Vinnie Coliauta and Chad Wackerman: Before and After Zappa”
    • Nathan Garrison: “Rhythm & Blues in the Early Works of Frank Zappa”
    • Matthew Gigliotti: “An Absurd Comparison: Frank Zappa and ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic”
    • Darian Gore: “Mutant Gypsy Vacuum Cleaner: A Study of Frank Zappa through the Lens of Album Art and Liner Notes”
    • Brice Haueisen: “Joe’s Garage, Frank Zappa Meets the Mothers of Prevention and Zappa’s Fight Against Censorship and the PMRC”
    • Julian Hood: “200 Motels: Zappa’s Answer to Avant-Garde Film”
    • Ty Hoying: “Not Just Another Mother: Zappa’s Influence on Keyboardist George Duke”
    • Will Huebner: “The Drummers of Frank Zappa: Before & After”
    • Katherine Jahangiri: “Planet of the Baritone Women”
    • Kyle Kersey: “Sane Men in a Mad World: Bill Hicks and Frank Zappa”
    • Callie Lackey: “Pauline Butcher vs Frank Zappa: Comparative Tales Told and Untold”
    • Mason Lynass: “Frank Zappa: Leader of a New Wave of Musical Exploration”
    • Hayden Mapel: “Zappa as Filth: Frank Zappa’s Fight Against Music Ratings”
    • Tyler McElroy: “Reflections Over Frank Zappa’s Business Path”
    • Toby Merrill: “Bringing The Music to Life”
    • Andrew Miller: “Zappa: On Censorship”
    • Devin Miller: “Human Behavior in the Eyes of Zappa”
    • Joseph Morrison: “Frank Zappa: Protopunk, Punk Rock Ideal”
    • Daniel Najera: “Frank Zappa as a Postmodern Composer”
    • Evan Oxenhandler: “Zappa Bands on the Road: The First Ten Years as a Mother”
    • Ryan Pivovar: “Frank Zappa and the New Romanticism”
    • Christian Poteat: “Go Jump Off Your Ivory Towers: Frank Zappa and Education”
    • Nika Potts: “The PMRC Hearings: Studies in Legality, Morality, and Suck-uppery”
    • Jacob Pouttu: “Zappa's Lasting Influence on Audio Engineering”
    • Griffen Rice: “Zappa and Politics”
    • Kitty Y. Rios: “Zappa: Six Degrees of Post-Modernism”
    • Lisa Robertson: “Zappology vs. Transcendental Meditation and Zen Buddhism”
    • John Rusch: “A Philosophy of Humor in Frank Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti”
    • Hannah Sandle: “Frank Zappa: Misogynist, or Misunderstood?”
    • Marcus Schiebold: “Was Zappa As Weird As You Are?”
    • Chelsey Shriner: “Frank Zappa’s a Star” (Zappa and Astrology)
    • Paul Shinn: “Frank Zappa and his Band Members: Bozzio, Colaiuta and Vai”
    • Andrew Talty: “Calvin Schenkel: The Artwork of Frank Zappa”
    • Georgeanne Travis: “Frank Zappa and the Fall of Communism in Czechoslovakia”
    • Jordan Tucker: “Frank Zappa’s Saxophonists”
    • Matt Young: “Zappa and Miles, Ahead of Their Time”

    Final Research Topics — Spring 2009
    • Luke Angle: “Obsessive Creativity” (Comparison of MF Doom and Frank Zappa)
    • Alec Bart: “Frank Zappa’s Musicians”
    • Jason Bennett: “Frank Zappa’s Guitar and Gear: Up Close and Loud”
    • Graham Black: “The Necessary Contradictions of Frank Zappa”
    • Andrew Dittman: “The Adventures of Frank Zappa and Huckleberry Finn”
    • Stephen Estes: “Dominus Vo’ Bisque ‘em Et Come Spear a Church of Appliantology: Zappa and Religion”
    • Cody Forrest: Chasing Squirrels (an original composition styled after Frank Zappa)
    • Michael Garman: “The Frank Zappa Secret Riff Collection”
    • Jordan Gheen: “The Horn Players of Frank Zappa”
    • Michael Giulietti: “Frank Zappa From A Progressive Perspective”
    • Grant Goldberg: “Frank Zappa’s Unacknowledged Legacy”
    • William Green: “Frank Zappa’s Social Commentary”
    • Colton Harmon: “The Political and Social Views of Frank Zappa”
    • Allie Harris: “Stevie’s Spanking” (a biography of Steve Vai)
    • Jake Haygood: “Over-Nite Sensation: the Band’s Contribution”
    • Colin Hinton: “The Influence of Frank Zappa’s Drummers on his Music”
    • Adam Lockhart: “Frank Zappa: The Artist”
    • Brooks Martin: “Not-so Lone Rhinoceros: Adrian Belew’s Performance and Conceptual Continuities”
    • Derek Molacek: “Why Don’t You Like Me? The Critics’ Reactions to Frank Zappa and Frank Zappa’s Reaction to the Critics”
    • Brady Morrison: “How Much Chance Did Zappa Partake In?”
    • Ramon Muzquiz: “Frank Zappa: Punk Friend or Foe?”
    • Manuel Oyarce: “Where Does Frank Get Off?”
    • Brady Pitcher: “Breaking the Mold: How Frank Zappa & the Mothers of Invention Began Desensitizing Mainstream America”
    • L. Scott Price: “Time and Macro-Rhythms within the Project/Object”
    • Colby Schreck: “Frank Zappa's Drummers”
    • Hamilton Skrabanek: “The Guitar Wizardry of Frank Zappa: An Exploration in the Evolution of Tone and Technique”
    • Erik Stolpe: “Anything, Any Time, Anywhere – For No Reason At All: Frank Zappa’s Anti-Standard”
    • Tyler Thomas: “Zappa vs. the Audiofetishists: An In-Depth Look At Zappa’s Revisionism to We’re Only in it for the Money and Crusin’ With Ruben and the Jets
    • Colton Harmon: “The Political and Social Views of Frank Zappa”
    • Danika Trierweiler: “Religion in the Life and Work of Frank Zappa”
    • Simon Weaver: "The Roxy Band"
    • Ashley Witherspoon: “Frank Zappa as a Teacher”

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2007
    • Paul Thomas: “Lumpy Gravy: Investigation and Analysis”
    • Richard Dale, Jr.: “Frank Zappa the Guitarist"
    • John Guari: “I Hear That Beat, I Jump Outta My Seat: Rhythm and Meter in Frank Zappa’s Music”
    • Matthew Hough: “Zappa Guitar Muffin Cheese Compressor”
    • Thad Bonduris: “Structural Improvisation as We Know It: Frank Zappa’s Aversion of Group Democracy”
    • Oren Bruton: “Frank Zappa and the German Connection”
    • Dane Ernst: “Zappa’s Credo”
    • Sungjoon Lee: “Frank Zappa vs. Lou Reed”
    • Chaz Underriner: “Frank Zappa in 1967: A Broken Satirist”
    • Carolina Calvache: “Transcription of an Excerpt from ‘Inca Roads'”
    • Sarah Hruzek: “The Sociological Perspectives of Frank Zappa”
    • Gred Dixon: “Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart"
    • Gabriel Arreola: “Frankie Z and the Wacky World of Drugs”

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2006
    • Levi Howard: "An Analysis of The Lyrics of Joe’s Garage as Postmodern Literature”
    • Mark Douglass: “Joe’s Garage and A Clockwork Orange: Shock Value for a Higher Cause?”
    • Joe Holmes: “FZ’s Methods of Surprise”
    • Emily Crow: “An Analysis of High and Low Culture in Franz Zappa’s Lyrics”
    • Adam Strange: “The Personal Side of Frank Zappa: FZ as a Husband/Father”
    • Laura Marrero: “Unity of Rhythmic Motives Throughout Frank Zappa’s Sheik Yerbouti
    • Chris Douglas: “Zappa’s Percussionists”
    • Tim Mabrey: “Zappa and Censorship” Bret Crow: “Orchestral Maneuvers and Approaches”
    • Tyler Huffman: “The Studio Genius of Frank Zappa”
    • Jason Harron: “The Crux of Conceptual Continuity”
    • Brian Felker: “Zappa’s Minstrel Show” Steve DeCrow: “Zappa and Censorship”
    • Nick Groesch: “Frank Zappa vs. The Herd (in the Nietzschean sense)”
    • Dennis Pitman: “Zappa, Politics, and Government”
    • Tony Spiro: “Zappa the Rhythmic Fetishist”
    • Stephen Lucas: “The Symbolic Context of Vegetables in the Music of Frank Zappa”
    • Adam Lockhart: “Frank Zappa: An Artful Balance of Vernacular and Non-vernacular Musics”
    • Brandon James: “Being Frank About Frank”

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2005
    • Hiro Ueno: "FZ & Captain Beefheart"
    • Jeff Hodges: "Xenochrony and Postmodernism"
    • Pete Saleh: "FZ’s Drummers"
    • Mark Scott: "Analysis of 'The Dog Breath Variations' and 'Envelopes'"
    • Tammy Walker: “Sheik Yerbouti and Broadway The Hard Way as Narrative Objects”
    • Sarah Renfro: "1985 Senate Hearings (FZ and PMRC)"
    • Clayton Freeman: "FZ and the Recording Studio"
    • Eric Rodis: "FZ’s Satirical Legacy"
    • Shannon Brady: "FZ’s Violinists"

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2004
    • Chris Cowart: “The [Studio] Wizardry of FZ”
    • Jessica Leza: “My Elected Officials Want to Censor Your Mama”
    • Isaac Lausell: "Analysis of 'Watermelon in Easter Hay'”
    • Yvonne Canales: “FZ as Father and Husband”
    • Steve Sayed: “Frank Zappa vs. the PMRC”
    • Jake Vaught: “The Drummers of Frank Zappa”
    • Jocelyn Hund: "Analysis of 'King Kong'”
    • Jake Montgomery: “Zappa’s Influence on the Pop Careers of His Musicians”
    • Rhett Butler: “Genre-crossing, Creative Control, and Artistic Independence”
    • Eric Phelan: “Frank Zappa and His Involvement with Film/Video”
    • Matt Nicholson: “The Zolo of Zappa”
    • Kayo Momokawa: "FZ’s Thing Fish
    • Ara Weller: “Zappa for President 2004”

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2003
    • Jeremy Thorn: FZ’s use of quotation
    • Jack Forbis: Influences on FZ
    • Bob Lanzetti: FZ’s Synclavier compositions
    • Chad Wilbur: Influence of contemporary classical music on FZ
    • Aki Hayakawa: FZ covers done by musicians from different genres/styles
    • Rex Emerson: Relationships of FZ’s bandmates’ influences/styles and music
    • Zack Rothenbuehler: FZ’s use of other styles
    • Marjorie Owens: Influence of black culture on FZ
    • Lynnea Edwards: Use of meter in FZ’s compositions
    • Tim Hicks: PMRC hearings and FZ
    • David Hall: FZ’s influence on his performers
    • Ian Kelso: Recording techniques and equipment
    • Tim Disen: FZ’s stunt guitarists: Vai and Keneally
    • Lars Larson: Discussion of four albums from different periods

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2002
    • Doug Smitherman: "Comparison of FZ’s Joe’s Garage with The Who’s Tommy and Pink Floyd’s The Wall"
    • Joe Ayoub: “Zappa and Dadaism”
    • Dallas Morris: “The Elliptical Essence of Progress as Manifested in the Work of FZ”
    • Lily Maase: “The Zappa Phenomenon: Analysis of Natural and Manufactured Irony in the Life and Works of Frank Zappa”
    • Stefan Treber: “An Analysis of 'DuPree’s Paradise' by Frank Zappa”
    • Todd Markey: “Arranging Zappa: Determining a Basis for Arranging 'Toads of the Short Forest'”
    • Jorge Valenciano: “Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention: …And Re-Invention…and Re-Invention (Yet Again)”

  • Final Research Topics — Summer 2001
    • Pamela D. Ward: “Sounds Like an Ugly Guy”
    • Greg Turcotte: “The Fake Night Club”
    • Parker Trevathan: Survey of FZ band lineups
    • Thor F. Sanderson: FZ’s early popular music and his influence on other musicians
    • Danny Smolenski: “Thing-Fish versus Broadway”

Media

Click below to access a variety of media related to the course, including news articles, audio, and video files:

Photo Gallery