written by victoria yang
Frank Zappa was a famous American rock musician that was popular in the 1960s. Born into an Italian-American family in Baltimore, Maryland, he achieved great commercial success in Europe. His music reflected his iconoclastic views of then current day social and political traditions and he came to be known as a critic of mainstream education and organized religion. Instead, he was known for advocating freedom of speech, political participation, and the abolition of censorship.
We encountered a statue of Zappa in a calm park space with benches, greenery, and a graffitied wall off to the side a block away from our dormitories. It has nothing to do with the popular culture of music, officially speaking, but in the park our group was wondering perhaps in the 90s when freedom–and this statue–was once again welcomed into Lithuanian life had something to do with the statue’s creation. Did the perception of America’s own freedom affect the subsequent musical taste and adopted symbols?
The bust itself does not have any direct connection to Lithuania itself, only that it was made by Lithuanian artist Saulius Paukštys. In fact, Zappa never came to know of the statue’s existence, despite the monument being one of only two places in the world with a memorial dedicated to Zappa’s memory. Instead, Paukštys made up an elaborate lie about the origins of the statue–specifically about traveling to the US and becoming close friends with Zappa.
The monument was erected on December 17th 1995. The statue was created by sculptor Konstatinas Bagonas who was known for his busts of Lenin during Soviet times. The memorial was originally planned to be erected next to the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Gymnasium. However, teachers at the school worried that the statue would be mistaken for the famous Lithuanian composer that was the school’s namesake and that Zappa’s music would have a bad influence on the school’s students. Nonetheless, a copy of the statue was later donated to Zappa’s hometown of Baltimore. Now, the statement remains a monument to freedom.
The monument was erected on December 17th 1995. The statue was created by sculptor Konstatinas Bagonas who was known for his busts of Lenin during Soviet times. The memorial was originally planned to be erected next to the M. K. Čiurlionis Art Gymnasium. However, teachers at the school worried that the statue would be mistaken for the famous Lithuanian composer that was the school’s namesake and that Zappa’s music would have a bad influence on the school’s students. Nonetheless, a copy of the statue was later donated to Zappa’s hometown of Baltimore. Now, the statement remains a monument to freedom.
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