Hear Frank Zappa Talk About American Stupidity in 1978

Frank Zappa was one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest class clowns. His music was challenging and progressive, but he never took himself too seriously. His playful mischief mixed with staggering musicianship resulted in a long successful career consisting of over 50 albums. It’s hard to imagine goofy artists like Weird Al Yankovic, Devo or even Insane Clown Posse without Zappa proving the viability of absurdity in music.

Read: Five Zappa Songs For People Who Don’t Get Zappa

On this day (Dec. 27) in 1978, Zappa was interviewed about the dichotomy of seriousness and humor, the multidimensional aspect of music and more. The discussion evolved into a conversation about “coolness and cuteness,” which Zappa viewed as “perverted” and emblematic of American stupidity. Zappa says America is “as stupid as it can be,” and it’s important to “make stupidity work for you.”

Listen to this Frank Zappa interview from 1978 below via the Paste vault.