Zappa And Zappa Versus Zappa

The family-fueled kerfuffle surrounding Dweezil Zappa and his “Zappa Plays Zappa” project has taken another turn, with blowback from the two siblings Dweezil has publicly criticized.  

Jason Moore – Dweezil Zappa (Zappa Plays Zappa)
San Jose Civic, San Jose, Calif.

Dweezil, the guitarist and organizer of the popular tour that performs the music of his father, Frank Zappa, said in a blog post in October that he had received a cease and desist from the Zappa Family Trust that he could no longer perform under that title.

The Trust is managed by Ahmet and Diva Zappa who were imbued with their titles after the death of their mother, Gail, in 2015. Dweezil said the Trust’s C&D forced him to change the project’s name to “Dweezil Zappa Plays Whatever The F@%k He Wants: Cease and Desist Tour 2016.”

Ahmet and Diva have asked a judge to allow them to launch a website to counter Dweezil’s accusations, claiming that “Zappa Plays Zappa” is for use by any of the Zappa children and that they merely asked Dweezil to pay a $1 licensing fee for the use, according to The Wrap.

The brother and sister also apparently asked Dweezil so share proceeds with the Trust and sell Frank Zappa merch alongside Zappa Plays Zappa merch.

Ahmet and Diva are also allegedly upset that Dweezil asked fans to cover his legal bills considering he had received many millions of dollars through a life insurance policy, according to TMZ. Dweezil has since reportedly changed the wording to ask for donations to help him continue playing music.