David Bowie Once Had a Bitter Public Feud With Frank Zappa

David Bowie and Frank Zappa both rose to prominence in the 1960s and spent the following years expanding their sounds. Zappa's Mothers of Invention arrived with the avant‑garde Freak Out, and he moved on to orchestral experiments like Lumpy Gravy and jazz‑fusion records such as Hot Rats.

Bowie followed with his mod‑influenced debut and then ascended to glam‑rock with Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and The Man Who Sold the World. Despite those shared interests in experimentation, Bowie made clear his reservations in a 1972 NME interview: "I admire Zappa, but there again, I prefer Charlie Mingus." He added, "A lot of Zappa’s things flatten me, actually," while praising We’re Only In It For The Money for its potential and conceding, "I don’t understand Zappa, and I’m not that intrigued by him to try to unwrap his problems or try to find out why." The feud turned public during a 1978 episode recounted by guitarist Adrian Belew.

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