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The CHAIRMAN. Senator Gorton.
Senator GORTON. Mr. Zappa, I am astounded at the courtesy
and soft-voiced nature of the comments of my friend, the Senator from
Tennessee. I can only say that I found your statement to be boorish,
incredibly and insensitively insulting to the people that were
here previously; that you could manage to give the first amendment
of the Constitution of the United States a bad name, if I felt
that you had the slightest understanding of it, which I do not.
You do not have the slightest understanding of the difference
between Government action and private action, and you have certainly
destroyed any case you might otherwise have had with this Senator.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. ZAPPA. Is this private action?
The CHAIRMAN. Senator Exon.
Senator EXON. Mr. Chairman, thank you very much.
Mr. Zappa, let me say that I was surprised that Senator Gore
knew and liked your music. I must confess that I have never heard
any of your music, to my knowledge.
Mr. ZAPPA. I would be more than happy to recite my lyrics to
you.
Senator EXON. Can we forgo [sic] that?
Senator GORE. You have probably never heard of the Mothers of
Invention.
Senator EXON. I have heard of Glen Miller and Mitch Miller. Did
you ever perform with them?
Mr. ZAPPA. As a matter of fact, I took music lessons in grade
school from Mitch Miller's brother.
Senator EXON. That is the first sign of hope we have had in this
hearing.
Let us try and get down to a fundamental question here that I
would like to ask you, Mr. Zappa. Do you believe that parents have
the right and the obligation to mold the psychological development
of their children?
Mr. ZAPPA. Yes, I think they have that right, and I also think
they have that obligation.
Senator EXON. Do you see any extreme difficulty in carrying out
those obligations for a parent by material falling into the hands of
their children over which thely have little or no control?
Mr. ZAPPA. Well, one of the things that has been brought up
before is talking about very young children getting access to the
material that they have been showing here today. And what I have
said to that in the past is a teenager may go into a record store
unescorted with $8.98 in his pocket, but very young children do
not.
If they go into a record store, the $8.98 is in mom or dad's
pocket, and they can always say, Johnny, buy a book. They can
say, Johnny, buy instrumental music; there is some nice classical
music for you here; why do you not listen to that.
The parent can ask or guide the child in another direction, away
from Sheena Easton, Prince, or whoever else you have been complaining
about. There is always that possibility.
Senator EXON. As I understand it from your |
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