Interview of Frank Zappa (1986)

Crossfire, PMRC and free speech

On CNN’s Crossfire in 1986, Frank Zappa sits across from the culture-war panel while the PMRC’s warning-label campaign is still hot. He answers Tipper Gore dryly. Free speech comes first. Parental panic comes second. He refuses to let senators grade rock records like homework.

The suit and the mustache carry the picture. The audio is sharper. Zappa keeps his volume down and treats the shout-show like a civics class.