Zappa, Ahmet 1974- (Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa)

PERSONAL:

Born May 15, 1974, in Los Angeles, CA; son of Frank Zappa (a musician) and Gail Sloatman (a businesswoman); married Selma Blair (an actress), June, 2004 (divorced, June, 2006); children.

ADDRESSES:

Home and office—Los Angeles, CA.

CAREER:

Musician, actor, and writer. Member of band "Z"; performed with father, Frank Zappa, and brother, Dweezil Zappa, on recordings Shampoo Horn and Music for Pets, and with Leather Dynamite. Host of television programs, including Based On, But Can They Sing?, webRIOT, and Robotica. Actor in film and television, including Roseanne, Mad TV, Children of the Corn V, Too Pure, Jack Frost, Grown Ups, and Ready to Rumble; voice actor on Powder: Up Here and Gen 13. Executive producer of film Fraggle Rock.

WRITINGS:

(Self-illustrated) The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

ADAPTATIONS:

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless was adapted for film by Disney Studios.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ahmet Zappa's childhood in the home of legendary rocker Frank Zappa was unconventional in many ways, and finding time to watch monster movies was a pastime shared by father and son. For the impressionable young Ahmet, such imaginative viewing made a strong impression. "As a child, what Ahmet desperately needed was an advice book on how to repel monsters, say, when they emerged from under your bed and announced they were about to eat you," reported Sharon Krum in the London Guardian. Drawing on his childhood memories, the musician and actor wrote and illustrated The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, his first novel for young readers. "I wanted to create a book that would have been very useful to me as a child," Zappa told Katherine Rushton of the Bookseller, recalling his own elaborate nighttime rituals to ward off monsters. "This is me celebrating my life. I'm writing what I know."

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless takes readers into the lives of Max and Minerva, the children of a "monsterminator." As they help their father fight monsters, they are guided by an encyclopedia-with-attitude named Ms. Monstranomicon. When their father is captured, Max and Minerva set out to rescue him using a bag of tricks that includes concoctions made of cat hair, coffee grounds, and toilet water. While noting that Zappa incorporates some obvious gags, such as naming a castle "Doominstinkinfart," a Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that "the lighthearted gross-out humor, lavishly illustrated with photographs and childlike drawings, will provide plenty of silly entertainment." Diana Tixier Herald, writing in Booklist, wrote that "Lemony Snicket fans who relish the strange and yucky will find Zappa's barf-filled romp … monstrously entertaining."

Zappa struggled with learning disabilities as a child, and as an author he has made it one of his goals to create a text that is accessible to reluctant readers. To raise the interest level, he includes illustrations that depict monsters of all sorts, as well as brief bites of "factual" information about the monster world. In fact, Zappa originally conceived The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless as a series of illustrations rather than a novel; when his publisher told him they would only accept the illustrations if there was a story to go along with them, he pressed onward. The resulting text, according to Rushton, is three times longer than that Zappa was required to write. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, "Zappa's lively monster doodles and photo-illustrations of the main characters … add kooky, creepy graphic appeal" to the novel.

Of his literary goals, Zappa stated on his home page: "My simplest wish was to be able write a book that everyone would enjoy, but more specifically, I wanted to write a book that would empower children to overcome their fears and inspire those who have suffered similar learning disabilities as mine to realize just how wonderful reading a book can be."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2006, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 59.

Bookseller, June 30, 2006, Katherine Rushton, "Monstrous Parenting," p. 23.

Guardian (London, England), July 29, 2006, Sharon Krum, interview with Zappa.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 639.

Library Media Connection, October, 2006, Betsy Ruffin, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 73.

People, February 9, 2004, "Blair Hitch Project," p. 22.

Publishers Weekly, June 26, 2006, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 52.

School Library Journal, July, 2006, Walter Minkel, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 116.

Time, April 19, 1993, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, "Making Brotherly Music," p. 73.

ONLINE

Ahmet Zappa Home Page,http://www.ahmetzappa.com (April 28, 2007).

Zappa, Ahmet 1974- (Ahmet Emuukha Rodan Zappa)

Personal

Born May 15, 1974, in Los Angeles, CA; son of Frank Zappa (a musician) and Gail Sloatman (a businesswoman); married Selma Blair (an actress), June, 2004 (divorced June, 2006); children.

Addresses

Home and office—Los Angeles, CA.

Career

Musician, actor, and writer. Member of band "Z"; performed with father, Frank Zappa, and brother, Dweezil Zappa, on recordings Shampoo Horn and Music for Pets, and with Leather Dynamite. Host of television programs, including Based On, But Can They Sing?, webRIOT, and Robotica. Actor in film and on television, including Roseanne, Mad TV, Children of the Corn V, Too Pure, Jack Frost, Grown Ups, and Ready to Rumble; voice actor on Powder: Up Here and Gen 13. Executive producer of film Fraggle Rock.

Writings

(Self-illustrated) The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

Adaptations

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless was adapted for film by Disney Studios.

Sidelights

Ahmet Zappa's childhood in the home of legendary rocker Frank Zappa was unconventional in many ways, and finding time to watch monster movies was a pastime shared by father and son. For the impressionable young Zappa, such imaginative viewing made a strong impression. "As a child, what Ahmet desperately needed was an advice book on how to repel monsters, say, when they emerged from under your bed and announced they were about to eat you," reported Sharon Krum in the London Guardian. Drawing on his childhood memories, the musician and actor wrote and illustrated The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, his first novel for young readers. "I wanted to create a book that would have been very useful to me as a child," Zappa told Katherine Rushton of Bookseller, recalling his own elaborate nighttime rituals to ward off monsters. "This is me celebrating my life. I'm writing what I know."

The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless takes readers into the lives of Max and Minerva, the children of a "monsterminator." As they help their father fight monsters, they are guided by an encyclopedia-with-attitude named Ms. Monstranomicon. When their father is captured, Max and Minerva set out to rescue him using a bag of tricks that includes concoctions made of cat hair, coffee grounds, and toilet water. While noting that Zappa incorporates some obvious gags, such as naming a castle "Doominstinkinfart," a Kirkus Reviews contributor concluded that "the lighthearted gross-out humor, lavishly illustrated with photographs and childlike drawings, will provide plenty of silly entertainment." Diana Tixier Herald, writing in Booklist, wrote that "Lemony Snicket fans who relish the strange and yucky will find Zappa's barf-filled romp … monstrously entertaining."

Zappa struggled with learning disabilities as a child, and as an author he has made it one of his goals to create a text that is accessible to reluctant readers. To raise the interest level, he includes illustrations that depict monsters of all sorts, as well as brief bites of "factual" information about the monster world. In fact, Zappa originally conceived The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless as a series of illustrations rather than a novel; when his publisher told him they would only accept the illustrations if there was a story to go along with them, he pressed onward. The resulting text, according to Rushton, is three times longer than that Zappa was required to write. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, "Zappa's lively monster doodles and photo-illustrations of the main characters … add kooky, creepy graphic appeal" to the novel.

Of his lofty literary goals, Zappa stated on his home page: "My simplest wish was to be able write a book that everyone would enjoy, but more specifically, I wanted to write a book that would empower children to overcome their fears and inspire those who have suffered similar learning disabilities as mine to realize just how wonderful reading a book can be."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, May 15, 2006, Diana Tixier Herald, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 59.

Bookseller, June 30, 2006, Katherine Rushton, "Monstrous Parenting," p. 23.

Guardian (London, England), July 29, 2006, Sharon Krum, interview with Zappa.

Kirkus Reviews, June 15, 2006, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 639.

Library Media Connection, October, 2006, Betsy Ruffin, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 73.

People, February 9, 2004, "Blair Hitch Project," p. 22.

Publishers Weekly, June 26, 2006, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 52.

School Library Journal, July, 2006, Walter Minkel, review of The Monstrous Memoirs of a Mighty McFearless, p. 116.

Time, April 19, 1993, Sophfronia Scott Gregory, "Making Brotherly Music," p. 73.

ONLINE

Ahmet Zappa Home Page,http://www.ahmetzappa.com (April 28, 2007).

Zappa, Ahmet 1974–

(Aimet Zappa)

PERSONAL

Full name, Ahmet Emuukha Rodin Zappa; born May 15, 1974, in Los Angeles, CA; son of Frank Zappa (a musician, recording artist, actor, and composer) and Adelaide Gail Sloatman (in business); brother of Dweezil Zappa (a musician, actor, and composer), Moon Zappa (an actress, singer, and artist; also known as Moon Unit Zappa), and Diva Zappa (an actress); married Selma Blair (an actress), January 24, 2004.

Addresses: Office—Monsterfoot Productions, 500 South Buena Vista St., Animation Building, Suite 3F-6, Burbank, CA 91521. Agent—(film and television) Don Buchwald and Associates, 6500 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 2200, Los Angeles, CA 90048; (literary) Judy Hotchkiss, Hotchkiss and Associates, 611 Broadway, Suite 1141, New York, NY 10012; (other) Brady, Brannon & Rich, 5670 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 820, Los Angeles, CA 90036.

Career: Musician and actor. Monsterfoot Productions, Burbank, CA, principal; member of the band Z, with brother, Dweezil Zappa.

CREDITS

Television Appearances; Series:

Host, 2 Hip 4 TV (also known as Too Hip for TV), NBC, 1988.

Host, Happy Hour, USA Network, 1999.

Host, webRIOT, MTV, 1999.

Host, Robotica, The Learning Channel, 2001.

Voice, Gary & Mike, UPN, 2001.

Judge, Star Search, CBS, 2003.

Host, But Can They Sing?, VH1, 2005.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Third student, "14 Going on 30" (also known as "Fassst Forward"), Disney Sunday Movie, ABC, 1988.

Second card guard, Project: ALF (also known as The Return of ALF), ABC, 1996.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

Barry, "A Star Is Born," Growing Pains, 1987.

Roy-Al, "Busted," Roseanne, ABC, 1988.

Louie, "Carol's Papers," Growing Pains, 1989.

Waiter, "Pampered to a Pulp," Roseanne, ABC, 1996.

Guest cohost, Talk Soup, E! Entertainment Television, 1997.

Hollywood Squares, 1998.

Mr. Baun, Mad TV, 1998.

Master of ceremonies, "Bachelor Auction," Grown Ups, 1999.

Late Night with Conan O'Brien, NBC, 1999.

Guest, The Test, FX Network, 2001.

The Jamie Kennedy Experiment, The WB, 2002.

The New Tom Green Show, MTV, 2003.

Appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, NBC.

Television Appearances; Specials:

The 14th Annual Circus of the Stars, CBS, 1989.

Wrestlemania Rage Party, USA Network, 1999.

Host, Based On, E! Entertainment Television, 2004.

Film Appearances:

Jamie, Pump Up the Volume (also known as Plein volume and Y a-t-il une vie apres le lycee?), New Line Cinema, 1990.

Officer Sweitzer, Anarchy TV, 1997.

Lazlo, Children of the Corn V: Fields of Terror (also known as Children of the Corn 5), 1998.

Snowplow driver, Jack Frost (also known as Frost), Warner Bros., 1998.

Hal, Too Pure, 1998.

Cashier, Ready to Rumble, Warner Bros., 2000.

Evil villain, Powder: Up Here (short film), AtomFilms, 2004.

Film Work:

(As Aimet Zappa) Additional voices, Gen 13, 1999.

RECORDINGS

Albums:

(With Frank Zappa) You Are What You Is, Rykodisc, 1981.

(With Dweezil Zappa) Havin' a Bad Day, Barking Pumpkin, 1984.

(With Dweezil Zappa) My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama, Chrysalis, 1988.

(With Steve Vai) Sex and Religion, 1993.

(With Z) Shampoo Horn, 1993.

(With Z) Music for Pets, 1996.

WRITINGS

Composer; Albums:

Shampoo Horn, 1993.