Today, I’m reviewing Earth to Moon: a memoir by Moon Unit Zappa, daughter of the late rocker Frank Zappa.
Title: Earth to Moon
Series: N/A
Author: Moon Unit Zappa
Genre: Memoir, Autobiography, Rock ‘N’ Roll
Length: 368 pages
Release Date: August 20, 2024
Publisher: Dey Street Books
From Moon Unit Zappa, the daughter of musical visionary Frank Zappa, comes a memoir of growing up in her unconventional household in 1970s Los Angeles, coming of age in the Hollywood Hills in the 1980s as the “Valley Girl,” gaining momentum as an accidental VJ on a new network called MTV, and finding herself after losing her father, then her mother, and the testing of her most important relationships.
Blurb: How can you navigate life as the “normal” child of an extraordinary creative? What is it like to live in a hothouse of individuality that on one hand fosters freedom of expression, and on the other tamps down the basic desires of a child for boundaries and affection? Should you call your parents Frank and Gail from birth?
For Moon Unit Zappa, processing a life so punctuated by the whims of genius, the tastes of popular culture, the calculus of celebrity, and the nature of love, was at times eviscerating, at times illuminating—but mostly deeply confusing. Yes, this is a book about growing up in the shadow of Frank Zappa. Moon and her family were a source of constant curiosity, for their unique names and for their father’s reputation as a musical savant and fierce protector of the First Amendment, even though he was never a commercial success.
Searching for her own path, first as her father’s inadvertent musical collaborator and public sidekick with their surprise mega radio hit, then as an actress, an artist, a spiritual person, a wife and mother, Moon Unit calculates ever-changing equations of fame, family, death and ultimately legacy when dealt the shocking news that Gail’s will established an unequal distribution among the remaining, tight-knit Zappas, catalyzing a quest for meaning and redemption.
With love, humor, and humility, Earth to Moon reminds us that every family is faced with problems that are unique to their particular makeup, but the journey to growing into yourself with grace is as universal as it gets.
Available at:
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****
I never heard the song “Valley Girl” by Moon Unit and her father, Frank Zappa. I never even heard her father’s music. But growing up in the 80s, I was well aware of them. So when her memoir became available, I added the book to my TBR pile. I have finally found time to read and review it. Being a teenager of the 80s, I wanted to see what it was like for Moon growing up in the San Fernando Valley since I had seen the movie “Valley Girl” and thought she was so lucky.
Although I enjoyed my 80s teenage years, mine was much different from Moon’s. Her life was nothing like “Valley Girl.” It was the exact opposite.
The memoir starts with Moon being born and introduced to planet Earth by her parents, Frank and Gail Zappa. From the beginning, she was told to call them by their first names, never mom or dad.
I must say she had a very unconventional upbringing, the complete opposite of mine. She had to deal with a domineering mother and an absent father. Instead of being a daughter, she was a mother, doing everything to soothe her mother’s stress over being married to a famous rock star who had a penchant for groupies.
I always thought of Moon as pretty and grounded whenever I saw her on TV, but she reveals who the real Moon is in her book, and we get a look at an insecure young lady who simply wanted the love and approval of her parents, something they never gave her until their dying days.
As a child, Moon had to deal with her father’s mistress living in the basement, listening to her mother’s heartbreak over a lover Frank had in Germany, and adult magazines at her fingertips. Her mother’s life centred around Frank, and Moon’s centred around people pleasing, especially her parents, so they’d love her.
The book is written in the present tense, which puts the reader deep into the memoir. Moon also has a great voice that makes for easy reading. I usually read fifty pages a night, but I easily went into the hundreds because she has a very compelling story to tell.
There were spots that weren’t necessary, so I skimmed over those paragraphs. But all in all, I found myself reading the majority word-for-word.
This is a deep look into a rock ‘n’ roll family that everyone dreams about being a part of, thinking about how lucky the children must be to grow up with a famous father. But I think Moon would have given anything to have a family that held tight together, as noted by her whenever she visits her friends and yearns for their conventional upbringing.
If you’re a fan of Frank Zappa and are hoping to get a glimpse of his life, you will be disappointed, because Moon cannot offer much on her famous father due to his constant absences, and when home, he disappears into the basement to work.
Do yourself a favour and get a copy. This book is more than about a daughter being raised by a rock star. This is about a young woman growing up wishing for parents who truly loved her and the impact it had on her.
Maggie Blackbird 