Diva Zappa | |
|---|---|
| Occupations |
|
| Parent(s) | Frank Zappa Gail Zappa |
| Relatives | Moon Unit Zappa (sister) Dweezil Zappa (brother) Ahmet Zappa (brother) Lala Sloatman (maternal cousin) |
Diva Zappa is an American artist and actress who has also recorded a one-off comedy single. She is the youngest child of musician Frank Zappa and wife Gail Zappa.
Diva Zappa has three older siblings: sister Moon and brothers Dweezil and Ahmet.
According to Frank, she was given the name Diva "because of the loud quality of her voice. She's audible at 300 yards." [1] Zappa won an award at age 12 in a poster contest to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. [2]
Zappa's father Frank died in 1993. Following the death of her mother Gail in October 2015, Zappa and her brother Ahmet were awarded control of the Zappa Family Trust with shares of 30% each, while Moon and Dweezil were given smaller shares of 20% each. [3] As beneficiaries only, Moon and Dweezil will not receive distributions from the trust until it is profitable per the trust agreement; in 2016, it was still in debt and they must seek permission from Ahmet, the trustee, to earn money with their father's music or from merchandise bearing his name. [3] The uneven divide of the trust has resulted in several conflicts between Frank Zappa's children, including a feud between Dweezil and Ahmet over Dweezil's use of his father's music in live performances. [4] In a 2016 interview with the Los Angeles Times , Zappa said her primary role in the trust is to be present when her father's work is highlighted. [5]
In 1999, Zappa released a comedy single called "When the Ball Drops" about her "hunt for someone to make out with on the Millennium". [6] Tipper Gore played drums on the recording [6] and Kristin Gore sang backup vocals. [7]
Since 2002, Zappa has run her own website/business called "Hand Made Beauty" where she sells her own self-designed and made clothing. [8] The clothing is primarily knitted or crocheted, and consists of hats, ponchos and skirts. [9] A percentage of all sales are donated to the Creative Visions Foundation. [8] She was initially taught how to knit by actress Laurie Metcalf. [10] She does not plan her work, preferring instead to work in a spontaneous manner. [10] In 2011, Zappa had her first UK show of "contemporary knitwear art and couture canvases" with an exhibition titled "Bruce" at the Maison Bertaux Gallery in Soho. [11] The exhibition featured an embroidered photograph of her brother Dweezil playing guitar. [11]
A full-length dress Zappa knitted was worn to the 2009 Grammy Awards by Chloé Trujillo, the wife of Metallica bassist Robert Trujillo. [10] She also made a cape for Diablo Cody. [10]
On October 29, 2013, she appeared in the UK premiere of her late father's orchestral work 200 Motels at the Royal Festival Hall, London, playing the role of Groupie 2 (Lucy). [12]
 | This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(December 2024) |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Fun Size | Audience Member | |
| 2022 | Next Exit | Karma |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Anarchy TV | Courtney | |
| 1999 | Felicity | Student #2 | |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | Classmate #2 | |
| The Mighty Boosh | Astrid | ||
| 2009 | Make It or Break It | Girl #2 | |
| 2016 | Roadies | Harvest | |
| 2017 | Better Things | TBA | |
| 2019 | Good Girls | Harvest |
Frank Vincent Zappa was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestral and musique concrète works; he also produced almost all of the 60-plus albums that he released with his band the Mothers of Invention and as a solo artist. His work is characterized by nonconformity, improvisation sound experimentation, musical virtuosity and satire of American culture. Zappa also directed feature-length films and music videos, and designed album covers. He is considered one of the most innovative and stylistically diverse musicians of his generation.
Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist and occasional actor. He is the son of musical composer and performer Frank Zappa. Exposed to the music industry from an early age, Zappa developed a strong affinity for playing the guitar and producing music. Able to learn directly from guitarists such as Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, Zappa released his first single at the age of 12.
Moon Unit Zappa is an American actress, singer, and author. She is the daughter of musician Frank Zappa.
Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa is an American musician and writer, and trustee of the Zappa Family Trust.
Pamela Des Barres is an American rock and roll groupie, writer, musician, and actress. She is best known for her 1987 memoir, I'm with the Band: Confessions of a Groupie, which details her experiences in the Los Angeles rock music scene of the 1960s and 1970s. She is also a former member of the experimental Frank Zappa-produced music group the GTOs.
The GTOs were an all-girl group from the Los Angeles area, specifically the Sunset Strip scene. The group was active for two and a half years (1968–1970), followed by one reunion performance in 1974. Their only album, Permanent Damage, was produced by Frank Zappa and released in 1969.
Jack Frost is a 1998 American Christmas fantasy comedy film directed by Troy Miller and starring Michael Keaton and Kelly Preston. Keaton plays the title character, a father and musician killed in a car accident, only to be brought back to life in the form of a snowman via a magical harmonica. It received negative critical reviews and became a box-office bomb, grossing just $34 million against a budget of $40–85 million.
Barking Pumpkin Records is an American record label founded by Frank Zappa in 1981. Zappa named the label after his wife's smoker's cough when she tried to quit the habit. Barking Pumpkin was initially distributed by CBS Records.
Katharine "Katie" Wagner is an American television personality and Hollywood reporter. She is best known for her 2002–2004 stint as the hostess for TV Guide Channel.
Kristin Carlson Gore is an American author, screenwriter, and director. She is the second daughter of former U.S. vice president Al Gore and advocate Tipper Gore.
Zappa Plays Zappa is an American tribute act led by Dweezil Zappa, the elder son of late American composer and musician Frank Zappa, devoted to performing the music of Frank Zappa.
Music for Pets is an album by the band Z, led by Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa, released in 1996.
Adelaide Gail Zappa was the wife of musician and composer Frank Zappa and the trustee of the Zappa Family Trust. They met in Los Angeles in 1966 and married while she was pregnant with their first child, Moon, followed by Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva. Gail was also the aunt of model and actress Lala Sloatman.
Emily Elbert is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.
Bryan Beller is an American bass guitarist known for his work with Joe Satriani, The Aristocrats, Dethklok, Mike Keneally, Steve Vai, James LaBrie of Dream Theater and Dweezil Zappa, as well as his four solo album releases, View (2003), Thanks In Advance (2008), Wednesday Night Live (2011), and the progressive double concept album Scenes From The Flood (2019). He has been Joe Satriani's touring bassist since 2013, encompassing the Unstoppable Momentum tour (2013–14), the Shockwave (2015–16) world tour, and the G3/What Happens Next tour (2018), in addition to featuring on the Shockwave Supernova record. Beller is also the bassist of the rock/fusion super-trio The Aristocrats, and he managed the band from 2012 to 2018. The Aristocrats have released six studio albums, along with four live releases documenting the band's world tours in support of their debut album The Aristocrats and sophomore album Culture Clash. Their studio album You Know What... was the focus of their world tour that began in the summer of 2019 and extended through to 2020.
Scheila Gonzalez is an American Grammy winning multi-instrumentalist and music educator. She is best known for playing the saxophone and other instruments in the all-female DIVA Jazz Orchestra and with artists such as Dweezil Zappa, Alex Acuña, Ray Parker Jr. and many others. Formerly a full-time member of the Zappa Plays Zappa world tour, since 2019 Gonzalez has been touring with Colin Hay as part of a revived and revamped Men at Work lineup, where she sings and plays the alto saxophone as well as several other instruments.
Anarchy TV is a 1998 low budget, independent comedy film directed by Jonathan Blank. It stars Alan Thicke, Jessica Hecht, Jonathan Penner, Tamayo Otsuki, George Wendt, Mink Stole, and Ahmet, Dweezil, Diva and Moon Unit Zappa. Blank was nominated for the Maverick Spirit Award at the Cinequest San Jose Film Festival for Anarchy TV.
"I Don't Wanna Get Drafted" is a 1980 single by American musician Frank Zappa. The song peaked at #103 US Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and #68 on the Cash Box charts, but more successfully reached #3 in Sweden. The original single version has never been reissued on LP or CD.
Rachel Flowers is an American multi-instrumentalist and composer.
Zappa is a surname. It is an occupational name meaning "farmer", from the Italian word for "hoe".
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