Musical Madness : ‘Confessions’ of a ‘Buffoon’: Dweezil Zappa and Pals at Whisky

The Scene: The party Wednesday celebrating the release of Dweezil Zappa’s album “Confessions” on the Barking Pumpkin label. The party was held at that venerable rock venue, the Whisky.

Who Was There: The Zappa family--father Frank, mother Gail, and siblings Diva, Ahmet (who sang with the band) and Moon Unit--plus 500 guests out to see Dweezil and his band. Notable were Eddie Van Halen, Justine Bateman and Tom Arnold with wife Roseanne Barr, who said, “We love the music. We love the message in it.” Asked what the message was, Barr said, “We’re still trying to figure it out.”

The Buzz: Zappa plays real good.

Chow: None. And the invite said, “If you plan on consuming alcohol, you must be prepared to suffer the consequences & bring cash & ID.” Obviously, Frank Zappa’s Barking Pumpkin label is no wild spendthrift with the public relations budget.

Entertainment: Dweezil and the band played an intense, witty two-hour set that one critic called “a tongue-in-cheek rock ‘n’ roll ‘Name That Tune,’ with tunes ranging from Barry Manilow and Neil Diamond to AC/DC and Queen.” It included a vocal appearance by Donny Osmond on the Bee Gee’s “Stayin’ Alive.” It was about as eclectic and ironic as you can get.

Quoted: “We try to be as musically precise as possible while acting like complete buffoons on stage,” said Dweezil.

My Typewriter Wants to Kill Your Publicist: A press release--exhibiting no sense of irony--begins: “With the 1988 release of his second album, ‘My Guitar Wants to Kill Your Mama,’ he (Dweezil Zappa) made it clear that while he may have inherited his musical inclination from his famous father, his prodigious talent as a musician and composer are entirely his own. . . .”

Overheard: “I lost my hearing years ago. We used to stand in front of the speakers and go--I don’t know--catatonic, I guess.”

Kids, Stay in School: A windowless dressing room at the Whisky is about 10 feet by 15 feet. It’s painted black and equipped with five chairs, five towels, one table with nine bottles of mineral water and a four-foot mirror that’s smashed in at the bottom. It’s depressing enough to make you understand why rock stars overdose.

Revealed: For the cameras, Roseanne Barr displayed the colorful tattoo on her left breast. It’s about one inch by two inches and has the name Tom in the center. “I got one too,” said Arnold, although his went unrevealed.

The Family That Rocks Together: “I never leave home,” said Dweezil, who lives with his parents. “My car is 4 years old and it has 14,000 miles on it. Everything’s at home. I eat, sleep, see movies and hang out with family and friends in a confined space.”