Zappa on Miami Vice

I remember seeing the last bit of this episode, I think it was the only one I ever did see. I was flipping channels and there was Frank, playing some drug lord-type. All I remember is that at the end, he was forced to jump from a boat into the water (they couldn't arrest him for some reason). I think he went in holding his nose. I saw this when it was aired, so my memory of it is quite old, but I think I remeber his hair being short. This would probably place it just after the PMRC hearings, about 1985? He didn't do that great a job of acting, but then, neither did Don Johnson.

Brian Zavitz (bzavitz@fres2.glfc.forestry.ca)

I have a copy of it. Roberto Duran (the boxer) plays a guy that blows his head off in the first scene. Zappa talks about coke as "weasel dust" and jumps off a boat holding his nose. He looked great.

tep@suzyscreamcheeze.altcit.eskimo.com

At a 1990 press conference in Prague, Frank said the producers of the show offered him the part but he initially turned them down (didn't say why). But then Dweezil, who was a big fan of the show at the time--it's OK, he was still pretty young--was really disappointed that Frank turned it down, so Frank called back and accepted the part.

Stan Ivester (ivester@utkvx.utk.edu)

Back to aff-z stories