There is something so different about Summer 82- When Zappa Came to Sicily. It’s a music film that manages to capture a variety of colliding experiences and emotions while keeping music both a minor and major player, both at its center and on the outer periphery. The premise is revisiting Frank Zappa’s ill-fated trip to Italy and Sicily 35 years ago that concluded with a riot between audience and police at his concert in an historic soccer stadium. This spectacle serves as the backdrop as well for twin stories of family: Zappa’s search for his ancestors’ old neighborhood and the filmmaker Salvo Cuccia’s own obsession with the artist, how that affected his familial relations, and a recollection of his attempt to attend the disastrous show. It certainly sounds like a lot to fit into a coherent documentary and it is, not to mention the account of the Zappa family returning to the homeland for a reunion, plus wife Gail’s and son Dweezil’s pseudo-forensic examination of the footage from the performance. Yet, Cuccia knits it all tightly together with skill and sensibility. This DVD is for the Zappa fan, certainly, but it can be enjoyed by someone who knows little to nothing about the musician just the same. These are stories of hopeful, then painful journeys; emotional, physical, and musical. They are not limited to a particular audience. Granted the finer points of the Zappa tale may be simply that, but the overarching themes of this very conscious and unique perspective stay consistently intriguing throughout. It’s one of those rare times where problematic events are not prelude to an ultimately happy conclusion, but rather a simple documenting of so many things just not going as planned. Yes, the Zappa family reunion does provide some cheery closure, but only bittersweetly; it was missing the one likely to have enjoyed it the most.
News
Archive- Dog Days Fest Drops 2024 Artist Lineup: MJ Lenderman, Sheer Mag, Frankie and the Witch Fingers and More
- Neil Young and Crazy Horse Perform Augmented “Cortez The Killer” and Bust Outs During Love Earth Tour Opener
- The Rolling Stones Announce North American Tour Openers: Widespread Panic, Tyler Childers, Bettye LaVette and More
- Talking Heads to Reconnect for ‘A Night of Stop Making Sense’ Screenings in NY and LA
- Dayglo Presents Takes Over Bearsville Theater
- Goose Goes Back to Class: Band Members Return to Former High School for Student and Staff Concerts
- Marcus King Band Family Reunion to Return for First Time Since 2019 with The Avett Brothers, Sierra Ferrell and More
- Can’d Aid Announces Flyaway Sweepstakes for Two to Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Most Popular
- Warren Haynes, Bill Kreutzmann, Devon Allman and More Share Tributes to Dickey Betts
- Duane Betts Responds to Outpouring of Support Following Father Dickey Betts’ Passing, Shares Tour Update
- Phish Change Forms for Final Sphere Performance
- Phish Dive Deep for Night Two at Las Vegas’ Sphere
- Warren Haynes and Gov’t Mule Pay Tribute to Dickey Betts at SweetWater 420 with Allman Brothers Band Classics
- Brooklyn Bowl to Host Benefit for Bad Brains’ HR, with Members of Bad Brains, Fishbone, Living Colour and More
- Brothers in Frequency: Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country
- Jaimoe to Participate in One-Off Performance with Friends of the Brothers in Fairfield
No Comments comments associated with this post