The Real Frank Zappa Book: Autobiography & Music Memoir - Perfect for Music Lovers, Biographers & Zappa Fans

I bought this book sometime in the mid 90's on a whim. All I had heard from Zappa at the time was a cassette of his Apostrophe album that I don't even remember how I got. I read this in one sitting and it made an impression on me for being one of the funniest and most honest books I'd ever read. I let a musician friend of mine borrow it and I never saw it again.I've recently been listening to a lot of Zappa's music and the urge to read this book again struck me. I figure for ten bucks, I don't mind buying a book again that I remember loving so much.I should say that knowledge of Zappa's vast discography certainly helps in appreciating this book, as I enjoyed it more the second time, but I don't think it's required. There will be references that a non-fan won't understand, but the language and the stories that he tells here make it worth reading for anyone who is interested in music. If you are a musician, this is required reading. The middle chapter called "All about Music" is a brutal, vicious, hilarious attack on the art form that paid Frank's bills (and sometimes didn't) for most of his life. That chapter alone makes this book priceless in my mind, but the whole thing is good. His perspective on life and the world was unique. His style of storytelling reminds me a bit of Kurt Vonnegut in the way that he uses non sequiturs and tangents to paint an overall picture of the point he's getting at.The last section of the book is mostly about his family life and his views on politics, and a lot of the political stuff may seem dated on the surface, but all I had to do was replace the names and pretty much all of it still rang true to me.I don't really know how to review a book like this except to say that I was never bored, and I guarantee I won't be letting it out of my possession again. It's absolutely one of my favorite books. It's charming, funny, and even if some of it isn't necessarily true, it's honest. Does that make sense?Zappa fans have already read it. All musicians should read it. Mostly, I recommend it to people who like to laugh.