Ike Willis

By chrisgrainger / December, 2, 2012 / 0 comments
I met with Frank Zappa’s lead vocalist and guitarist from 1978 to 1988, Ike Willis last week. It has taken me a few days for the dust settle and for me to formulate my thoughts!

If you have ever listened to Zappa’s album, Joe’s Garage… It’s 90% Ike on leads vocals. And he plays guitar to an outstanding standard too. I’ll admit it was kind of hard sitting opposite the man who I have admired for

so long and, in my mythology at least, is at his best singing the phrase (after a long Zappa guitar solo) to imaginary record executives:

“Well I guess that one did the trick,
If they only coulda heard it,
Half-a-dozen-of-’em-woulda-strangled,
While they were sucking on each other’s dicks”

And all in 11/8 too as if it wasn’t twisted enough.

Ike has stories by the bucketload. And even his journey to his audition with Frank is intriguing when he delivers it. He met Frank backstage and Zappa requested that he play and sing for him, while delaying the stage time so Ike could finish!

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