The city of West Hollywood, California, has declared June 10, 2024 as “Frank Zappa Day.” The celebration commemorates the musician, activist, and counterculture icon’s contributions to the arts and West Hollywood at large. A proclamation ceremony is set for Monday, June 10 at 4 p.m. at the Whisky a Go Go. Mayor John M. Erickson will present the honor to Ahmet and Diva Zappa, children of the late Frank and Gail Zappa, in recognition of their father’s lasting legacy.
“Frank Zappa was not just a brilliant musician; he was a cultural pioneer who left an indelible mark on our city,” Erickson said ahead of the ceremony. “It is only fitting that we honor his contributions in a place that he helped to define—the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip.”
The Whisky a Go Go, located at 8901 Sunset Blvd, was the site of a legendary 1968 performance by Zappa and his band The Mothers of Invention that was intended to become a live album.
To promote the gig, Zappa posted a hand-written ad in the L.A. Free Press that read: “The Mothers of Invention cordially invite you to join them on Tuesday, July 23, 1968 when they will be taking over the Whisky a Go Go for 5 full hours of unprecedented merriment, which will be secretly recorded for an upcoming record album. Dress optional. Starting sometime in the evening. R.S.V.D.T.”
Though an album failed to materialize at the time, the concert will be released at long last on June 21 as Whisky a Go Go, 1968. The album is produced by Ahmet Zappa and Joe Travers and includes all three sets performed on that legendary night of June 23, 1968. The deluxe five-LP and three-CD versions of the record feature unpublished photos from the performance, liner notes by Travers, an essay by Pamela Des Barres of the Zappa-signed group The GTO’s who played that night, and an interview by Ahmet Zappa with Alice Cooper, whose own band was a featured act that evening.
