“It did feel like we wanted to entertain audiences, but it also felt like we were almost in an ongoing argument with the world.”

'There Was a Certain Negativity and Cynicism to It': Session Veteran Opens Up on His Time With Frank Zappa & How It Affected Him

Session veteran Mike Keneally reflected on the time he spent with Frank Zappa, highlighting the cynicism that lay at the heart of Zappa’s work and how he realized it became “less useful” to cling to that philosophy in the long run.Even though Zappa’s legacy is still held in high esteem for the man’s sprawling creativity and undeniable — and unique — genius, it is also intrinsically intertwined with his character: a cynical hyper-individualist cutting through the world’s prejudices and outdated beliefs with a razor-sharp wit and even sharper tongue.

Keneally had joined Zappa’s retinue in 1988, before his short time with the prog impresario was cut short after the tour was prematurely canceled, while Zappa himself sadly passed away in 1993.

Speaking to Devin Townsend in a recent interview, the musician, who had earned a lot of esteem from his colleagues by pulling double-duty on both guitar and keyboard with Zappa, said that the late icon “before I ever met him or played with him “had such an impact on my on my life, even before I ever met him or played with him.” He added (transcription via Killer Guitar Rigs):

“I was fascinated by his humor, I was fascinated by his attitude, his bloody-mindedness, his individualism and individuality, and the fact that there was nothing else like him.”

“I loved the fact that he seemed to be unimpressed by everything. That manifested in a lyrical attitude that was frequently very funny, and, for me, very entertaining.”

Keneally particularly highlights what Zappa called the “conceptual continuity” of his patron’s works, adding that he “loved trying to figure it out and trying to learn how to play” the man’s music. However, there came a time when Zappa’s worldview started to wear on Keneally:

“But then, as time went on, I realized there were aspects of it that had such a strong hold on me. There was a certain negativity to a lot of it, and there was a certain cynicism to it, and he was proudly cynical. He thought that it was insane to not be cynical.”

Using an album from Zappa’s discography to illustrate his point, Keneally added:

“Frank did an album called ‘Them or Us’ — that was an ‘us against the world’ mindset that had a strong hold in that band as we traveled across the world. It did feel like we wanted to entertain audiences, but it also felt like we were almost in an ongoing argument with the world.”

“And I think that the older I get, the less useful that has become for me. Even though there are all sorts of reasons to be cynical, it didn’t feel like that was a useful energy for me to be propagating anymore.”