Tuesday, December 1
Lagunitas Presents…
A Gman Author Series Event
Frank Zappa’s America
Author Bradley Morgan in Conversation with Jill Hopkins
Free with RSVP / 21 & over / Doors: 7pm / Show: 7:30pm
Books available for purchase and signing immediately following
From his early albums with the Mothers of Invention, Frank Zappa established a reputation as a musical genius who pushed the limits of culture throughout the 1960s and 1970s, experimenting with a blend of genres in innovative and unheard-of ways. Not only did his exploratory styles challenge the expectations of what popular music could sound like, but his prolific creative endeavors also shaped how audiences thought about the freedom of artistic expression.
In Frank Zappa’s America, Bradley Morgan casts the artist as an often-misunderstood figure who critiqued the actions of religious and political groups promoting a predominantly white, Christian vision of the United States. A controversial and provocative satirist, often criticized for the shocking subject matter of his songs, Zappa provided social commentary throughout his career that spoke truth to power about the nefarious institutions operating in the lives of everyday Americans. Beginning in the late 1970s, his music frequently addressed the rise of extremist religious influence in American politics, specifically white Christian nationalism.
Join Bradley and Jill Hopkins in a conversation about the book, the man, his music, and his ideas about the country, and how many of them are still applicable today.