@edgewear:
I recently watched a documentary about FZ where he said something to the effect that, in his view, "the absurd" was the primary reality.
No doubt, this was a major factor that determined the flavor of the vocals he felt were "necessary" to provide to meet the dermands of "Pop culture" (if that phrase isn't an oxymoron, I don't know what is).
I suppose this could be viewed as something somewhat akin to Dadist art. My BA is in studio art so I've been exposed to many styles but although I can appreciate what the Dada artists were doing, the work itself doesn't appeal to me, aesthetically and this is the exactly the issue I encounter with the vocals in Zappa's music. Although I share many of his opinions regarding the aspects of american culture he delights in poking fun at, I don't as a rule enjoy satire as a fundamental focus of music. The best adjective I can think of to describe how the vocals in Zappa's music sound to me is "cartoonish", which is not a quality that I find esthetically appealing. In other words, I'm unable to regard the human voice "as just another instrument" where Zappa's music is concerned.
When listening to music with vocals, I want to be able to idenitify or at least empathize with the story the singer is telling and with Zappa's music, this cartoonish quality has the effect of constantly undermining any such identification, which, to be honest, I find pretty frustrating.
