Diva Zappa

Last updated
Diva Muffin Zappa
Born
Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen Zappa

(1979-07-30) July 30, 1979 (age 44)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Artist
  • businessperson
  • actress
  • musician
Parent(s) Frank Zappa
Gail Zappa
Relatives Moon Unit Zappa (sister)
Dweezil Zappa (brother)
Ahmet Zappa (brother)
Lala Sloatman (maternal cousin)

Diva Muffin Zappa (born July 30, 1979) 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.

Contents

Personal life

Diva Zappa was born in Los Angeles. She 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] Diva Zappa won an award at age 12 in a poster contest to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect. [2]

Diva's father Frank died in 1993. Following the death of her mother Gail in October 2015, Diva 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 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 , Diva Zappa said her primary role in the trust is to be present when her father's work is highlighted. [5]

Career

Diva Zappa's first film appearance was in the 1998 film Anarchy TV , along with her older siblings. Since then, she has also appeared in Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (1998), National Lampoon's Pledge This! (2006), as well as various TV shows including Felicity , Brothers & Sisters , and The Mighty Boosh .

In 1999, Diva 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, Diva 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 Diva 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]

She can be seen in season two of the NBC show Good Girls as a midwife.

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRoleNotes
2015 Fun Size Audience Member
2022 Next Exit Karma

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
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

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References

  1. ↑ Mary Campbell (January 31, 1980). "Zappa still lives in the world of the weird". Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
  2. ↑ Gary Libman (April 29, 1992). "The Hardest Words". Los Angeles Times.
  3. 1 2 Randall Roberts (24 June 2016). "It's brother and sister against brother and sister in bitter fight over control of Frank Zappa's legacy". www.latimes.com. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  4. ↑ "Inside the Zappa Family Feud". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2017-12-08. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  5. ↑ Roberts, Randall. "Zappa family drama: A look at where Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet and Diva are today". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  6. 1 2 Staff (December 28, 1999). "Tipper Gore Plays Drums for Diva Zappa". Spartanburg Herald-Journal .
  7. ↑ "Diva Zappa: Two Gores and a Record". Wilmington Morning Star. 1999-12-29. Retrieved 29 March 2011.
  8. 1 2 "Hand Made Beauty".
  9. ↑ Sarah Taylor (August 10, 2006). "Purl Girl". Women's Wear Daily.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Vickie Howell (Spring–Summer 2009). "Knitting Diva". Knit 1. Magazine.
  11. 1 2 "Diva Zappa's knits are the daughters of invention". The Independent. 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2017-03-25.
  12. ↑ "southbankcentre.co.uk". Archived from the original on 2013-11-01. Retrieved 2013-10-30.
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