Who is Zappa's successor?

Cafe Society
1

As any who are into FZ can testify, he was a genre all his own. Can anyone today say that they’re following in his footsteps?

Dweezil is doing his Zappa Plays Zappa tours, which are great in their own way, but it’s basically Dweezil playing Frank’s music. I haven’t heard enough of DZ’s music to know what his own compositions are like.

The closest I can think of today would be Mike Keneally. Seems to have a pretty good range of styles, and isn’t afraid to go for the all-out weird at times.

Any others out there I don’t know about?

2

Mike Patton, maybe?

I wanted to explain here but it’s hard to do.

3

He’s the first name I thought of when I saw the thread title.

4

Thirded. Frank would be a fan.

5

I don’t know if I can really defend this, but maybe Primus?

6

If you include Les Claypool’s work outside of Primus, maybe.

7

I agree Primus would take some defending. Ween I think is closer than Primus, but still somehow not the correct answer I think.

8

Colonel Bruce Hampton maybe? He’s fronted surrealist jam bands for decades, like the Aquarium Rescue Unit, the Fiji Island Mariners and the Codetalkers.

9

I was going to third or fourth or whatever Mike Patton, but I think John Zorn might be a better fit (and similarly difficult to explain). Though I think arguments could be made for Café Tacuba and Elliott Sharp as well.

10

No one, really. To me, I think of someone involved in a popular band who is regarded as a legitimate modern / avant-garde composer - maybe not highly respected by some modernists, but that is their issue.

Maybe Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead? He is part of a popular, charting band and composes quite avant-garde music that is pretty well respected…