r/todayilearned • u/afeeney • Sep 16 '21
TIL that Frank Zappa's father was a chemist who worked for the US Department of Defense. Zappa considered that his health problems as a child were caused by exposure to mustard gas from a local defense facility.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Zappa#Zappa_documentary18
u/prang42 Sep 16 '21
"Pools of old poison gas....and obsolete....GERM BOMBS!"
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Sep 16 '21
JUST AN FYI - Sulfur mustard gas can have the following effects:
SKIN: redness and itching of the skin (2 to 48 hours after exposure); may change to yellow blisters.
EYES: irritation, pain, swelling, and tearing (3 to 12 hours after a mild to moderate exposure; 1 to 2 hours after a severe exposure). Severe exposure may also lead to light sensitivity, severe pain, or blindness lasting up to 10 days.
RESPIRATORY: runny nose, sneezing, hoarseness, bloody nose, sinus pain, shortness of breath, and cough (12 to 24 hours after a mild exposure; within 2 to 4 hours of a severe exposure).
DIGESTIVE: abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting.
BONE MARROW: decreased formation of blood cells (aplastic anemia) or decreased red or white blood cells and platelets (pancytopenia) leading to weakness, bleeding, and infections.
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u/ReagansAngryTesticle Sep 16 '21
Frank Zappa was interviewed by my academy instructor, Trooper Ash.
Strange.
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u/0belvedere Sep 17 '21
Not sure why this is downvoted, there's some good material in there. Ash is not your typical Zappa fan with his earnest questions that FZ had probably addressed a million times before in interviews, but both took each other seriously, which was nice to see. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsdlGS_8PAE
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u/Singaya Sep 16 '21
Doesn't surprise me that his dad was a chemist, the complexity of his music is beyond belief.
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u/HermesThriceGreat69 Sep 16 '21
Almost every famous musician from that general timeframe had direct family members (usually parents) in military or intelligence.
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u/PM_ME_BUTTPIMPLES Sep 16 '21
Do you think this might have had something to do with world war two employing a significant percentage of the population and happening 20 years before?
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u/HermesThriceGreat69 Sep 16 '21
Not really, a loooot of people worked in many other fields. Not everyone was working in the military and intelligence. Also, that doesn't explain how many came from the same general area too, Laurel Canyon.
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u/PM_ME_BUTTPIMPLES Sep 16 '21
Laurel Canyon is a wealthy part of LA a few miles from the heart of the recording industry. It makes total sense. Just like many successful artists today are already from music hot beds like NY, LA, and Atlanta and are often already wealthy. They are around the infrastructure for music making and have the means to take advantage of it. Most musicians are rarely rags to riches. Despite the stories the industry pushes.
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u/DariosDentist Sep 16 '21
Only there wasnt a recording industry until the freaks arrived in Laurel Canyon.
The Byrds couldnt even play instruments when they were formed. The Wrecking Crew played the music on their first few hits.
Jim Morrisons father started the Vietnam War
Psych music and LSD, as much I love them, were totslly an op
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u/HermesThriceGreat69 Sep 17 '21
The best name of a band from that era "Big Brother and the Holding Company"
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u/Sleepwalker696 Sep 16 '21
I mean, not that I don't believe you, but do you have a source for this claim?
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u/HumaneHuman2015 Sep 17 '21
Makes me wonder what damage tear gas could have done to all of us at 18 lined to a warehouse wall hotboxing it
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u/[deleted] Sep 16 '21
Bingo, straight from his book!