V03-T13 My Mother Is A Space Cadet

.....While riffing on a theme of 'little things' I remembered that I had a viable selection by a bona fide child.

Volume 3: A KINDER, GENTLER ZERO TOLERANCE, track 13

• 02:37 "MY MOTHER IS A SPACE CADET" (words: Dweezil Zappa, Moon Zappa, Steve Vai; lyrics: Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai)
• performed by Dweezil [Zappa]
• original source: A-side 7" Barking Pumpkin WS4 03366(US) 1982
• and my source: the same

.....Let me just quote from my original notes and chime in again later:

"This came with a picture sleeve that made it a must for me. It shows a pubescent Dweezil before his eyebrows met. He and his 12-year-old friends are all trying to look like brooding bad-asses and it comes across as a parody of album covers like MEET THE BEATLES and especially ENGLAND'S NEWEST HIT-MAKERS (the first US Rolling Stones LP). I guess if they wanted to distinguish themselves from those other hairless wonders over in Tiger Beat, then scowling at the camera is the way to do it. Of course, having the sound to back it up is that much easier when dad's hired help is Steve Vai.

"I am actually curious as to why Vai really did this. It's easy to assume that Frank told him to, but the Zappas don't strike me as those kind of people and his kids certainly wouldn't have developed the ambitions to launch as many projects as they have if they were in the habit of being spoiled and having things arranged for them (outside of having them released on the family label, I mean). He may have done it because he teaches guitar and Dweezil was a student; he may have done it out of a sense of mischief; he may have been bored. He may also have done it because projects that are spontaneous and not tailored for commercial consumption are rarely brought to completion in the California entertainment industry. That would be reason enough."

.....Well, since writing that I haven't managed to confirm any of my speculations about Vai's motives behind this, although I have since learned that despite his writing credit the guitar parts (except for the intro and a massive slide towards the end) may have indeed been handled by the then 12-year-old Dweezil. The intro and slide were likely by Eddie Van Halen, who, along with an engineer make up the pseudonymous Vards credited with producing. Although Vai's website doesn't mention the single, Dweezil's goes into some length about the guitar used, for all you gear-heads out there:

http://www.dweezilzappaworld.com/articles/17-seuss-flying-v

.....and site member Ambassador-at-large contributed the following:

http://www.dweezilzappaworld.com/search?q=greg+kurstin

.....What's been most odd about looking around for scraps of information on this single is the large number of sites, commercial and otherwise, which discuss it, even reproduce the sleeve photo art, but mention even less about it than I have above. I expect that from the mp3 piracy websites, but nearly empty pages on Wikipedia and even the single's very own Facebook page(?!) feel discouraging. They don't even mention that Greg Kurstin, who co-wrote the B-side, "CRUNCHY WATER", is half of The Bird And The Bee (I'm guessing he's the bee).