Frank Zappa, from early in his prolific career, was a superstar. His group, The Mothers Of Invention, routinely shared bills with the best of the psychedelic bands. Scruffy, long-haired Zappa resembled the freaks constituting his fan base, but in his head he stood in stark contrast to most of them – he didn’t get high and opposed drugs (though he smoked plenty of cigarettes), important facts in understanding the art his projects used. Drugs became a divisive issue in the late Sixties; drug culture developed a distinct look and feel. In a paradoxical inversion of philosophies, Zappa incorporated elements of it, so his music meshed with the avant-garde styles of the day. He created a parallel universe of pseudo-Psychedelia, appropriating Dadaist and absurdist mechanisms to assault his audience. He presented his stuff with the assumption that his fans were fucked up on something or other. Cynically, he made fun of everything. Artist Cal Schenkel fit perfectly into his universe. (read more)

Source: georgepetros.com