Read: Freak Out My Life With Frank Zappa

I enjoyed Pauline Butcher’s Freak Out! my Life With Frank Zappa because while I enjoy some of the late artist’s music, I have limited patience for the more juvenile elements of his life and music. Butcher, who was a young woman living in London, took what she thought would be a temporary assignment doing secretarial work for Zappa that turned into a roughly four year odyssey that included living in his house — but not sleeping with him. Because Butcher was, for lack of a better term, a normie, she offers distance; she had no idea who he was in 1967.

A learned a few things:

Zappa was widely seen as a virtuoso guitarist. However, he grew up in family that did not even own a record player until he was 15; and, he could not play guitar and sing at the same time.

Zappa’s family moved many times: he attended six different high schools. My impression is that from age 12 forward he had no real friends.

The Zappa house or the log cabin, was previously owned by silent film star Tom Mix. A wide variety of people wandered in and out of the house: Suzy Creamcheese, the GTOs, Cynthia Plastercaster, Linda Ronstadt, Roger Waters, Rod Stewart, Jeff Beck, Mick Jagger. After a man who called himself the Raven wandered in with a bag of blood and a loaded revolver Zappa decided it was time to develop a visitor policy; the Sharon Tate murders inspired him to take security seriously.

By 21st century standards, Zappa was a misogynist. He forbid his wife from even looking at other men, yet he was extremely promiscuous. Almost no one contradicted Zappa; on the rare occasion when he was confronted, he saw no contradiction.

Overall I enjoyed Butcher’s book but I wish it was about 20 percent shorter.