Zappa convo over at rockcritics.com

Scott Woods at rockcritics.com has begun a series of posts about Frank Zappa, not just about the music but about the fact that, according to Scott, Zappa is the major artist who's most universally despised by rock critics.

I've got a brief comment (which, typically for me, is about nomenclature):

I think "reviled" and "despised" are the wrong words, especially "despised," and what you yourself have posted here explains why: not just that Zappa is "major," but that he did something and has got something singular and he cuts a strong enough figure that you have to at least take him on (or at least if you're a critic over forty you think so*). So, instead of "despised" and "reviled," I would use the word "hated," which allows for at least some respect.

Btw, I think you're underrating what ELP represented to critics: "classical" quoting Prog that represented a path that enticed some of "us" but in retrospect represented our insecurity and that we were supposedly right not to follow. Modify this slightly, and it applies to Zappa too.

*I think you need to be careful about the word "universal" here. There probably are critics over forty who've barely listened to the guy and who've not formed an opinion — or anyway, some who back at age 16 didn't hear a long disquisition in study hall from their friend Maureen about the genius of Frank Zappa.

Fwiw, there's a time I would adamantly have counted myself among the haters. Maybe I'd continue to, if I'd continued to pay attention.

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UPDATE: Oh yeah, and Dave is part of the discussion too, and Monae turns out to be relevant.