Featuring Tonight’s “Don Plays Live Zappa” Radio Show & FIVE Hours of Live Zappa on Live Jam
On Live Jam, where every single track is always the live version, Tuesday nights take on a special electricity. At 10 PM EST, the amps warm up, the faders glide forward, and the unmistakable spirit of Frank Zappa takes over the airwaves. Five continuous hours of Live Frank Zappa performances roar to life every week — but tonight, November 25, 2025, hits different. It marks 40 years to the day since Zappa stood before Congress and delivered one of the most fearless defenses of artistic freedom in American history.
Tonight’s edition of the Don Plays Live Zappa Radio Show pays tribute to that legacy — a legacy forged not just in the notes he played, but in the words he spoke when the entire nation was listening.
40 Years Ago Today: Zappa vs. the PMRC
On November 25, 1985, Frank Zappa walked into the U.S. Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing room and made music history without playing a single note. The hearing was called by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) — an organization co-founded by Tipper Gore — which claimed modern music was corrupting America’s youth. Their proposed solution: a rating system for records, a moral warning label for anything they deemed inappropriate.
Heavy metal, pop, and anything lyrically provocative was placed under scrutiny. What they wanted was simple — an industry that policed itself at the government’s urging. What Zappa saw was something far more dangerous.
Frank Zappa’s Testimony: A Masterclass in Defending Free Expression
Zappa wasn’t merely there to object. He arrived as a razor-sharp thinker, a satirist, and a champion for the First Amendment. His testimony was scathing, witty, and devastatingly precise.
His major arguments included:
🔥 A Stand Against Censorship
Zappa dismissed the PMRC’s proposal as “an ill-conceived piece of nonsense” that would edge the nation toward government-sanctioned censorship. A music rating board—no matter how “voluntary”—would have chilling effects on creativity, he warned.
🔥 Misguided Moral Panic
Instead of addressing real societal issues, Zappa argued, the PMRC was using scapegoats — musicians — for problems rooted in parenting and cultural fearmongering.
🔥 Defense of Artistic Integrity
Zappa insisted that art must remain free from coercion, describing the PMRC’s proposal as a form of “extortion” that would pressure labels and artists into compliance.
🔥 Timeless Quotes
His testimony remains legendary for its blunt clarity. Among his most cited lines is his warning that once you allow one form of content control, “the door is wide open for a complete catalogue of abuses.”
In other words: once censorship begins, it rarely knows where to stop.
Who Stood With Zappa?
The 1985 hearings also featured two surprising allies:
- John Denver, who compared the PMRC’s proposals to the fascist censorship of his era
- Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, who delivered a brilliantly articulate defense of metal’s misunderstood lyrics
Together, the trio became an unlikely but united front for musical freedom.
The Aftermath: How It Changed the Music Industry Forever
Despite their compelling arguments, political momentum carried the PMRC’s initiative forward. The RIAA ultimately agreed to implement a voluntary warning sticker — the now-iconic “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label still seen today.
While the compromise avoided full government intervention, it left a permanent mark on music culture. Yet Zappa’s testimony lived on as a cultural milestone — a moment where artists pushed back against institutional overreach.
Today, as debates over art, censorship, and creative boundaries continue to resurface, Zappa’s words feel more relevant than ever.
Tonight at 10PM: The Don Plays Live Zappa Radio Show
Only on Live Jam — Where Every Song Played Is the Live Version
To honor the 40th anniversary of Zappa’s testimony, tonight’s Don Plays Live Zappa Radio Show goes deeper than ever. Expect:
- Rare live cuts from Zappa’s most experimental tours
- Historic concert recordings highlighting his improvisational genius
- Extended jams, massive solos, and fearless genre-bending
- Archival moments that capture Zappa’s energy, humor, and unfiltered brilliance
And of course, once the show kicks off, Live Frank Zappa runs for a full FIVE HOURS, uninterrupted, uncompressed, unrestrained — exactly how Zappa himself would have wanted it.
Live Jam: Where Live Music Lives Forever
Live Jam continues to set the standard for broadcast music authenticity. No studio polish. No overdubs. No edits.
Every song is always the live version — always.
Tonight, that philosophy takes on new weight. Because if there is any artist whose music was inseparable from his message — whose live performances embodied pure, uncensored creativity — it was Frank Zappa.
Forty years later, his stand for free expression still echoes.
And tonight, we turn it up.
The PMRC compiled a list of 15 songs they found most objectionable, which became known as the “Filthy Fifteen”. This list included a mix of heavy metal and pop songs, and the artists and songs on it were a focal point of the 1985 Senate hearings.
The songs were flagged for themes related to sex, violence, drug and alcohol use, and the occult.
The “Filthy Fifteen” List
| Artist | Song Title | Lyrical Content Theme |
|---|---|---|
| Prince | “Darling Nikki” | Sex/Masturbation (This song prompted Tipper Gore’s initial outrage) |
| Sheena Easton | “Sugar Walls” | Sex |
| Judas Priest | “Eat Me Alive” | Sex/Violence |
| Vanity | “Strap On ‘Robbie Baby'” | Sex |
| Mötley Crüe | “Bastard” | Violence/Language |
| AC/DC | “Let Me Put My Love into You” | Sex |
| Twisted Sister | “We’re Not Gonna Take It” | Violence |
| Madonna | “Dress You Up” | Sex |
| W.A.S.P. | “Animal (F__k Like a Beast)” | Sex/Language/Violence |
| Def Leppard | “High ‘n’ Dry (Saturday Night)” | Drug and Alcohol Use |
| Mercyful Fate | “Into the Coven” | Occult |
| Black Sabbath | “Trashed” | Drug and Alcohol Use |
| Mary Jane Girls | “In My House” | Sex |
| Venom | “Possessed” | Occult |
| Cyndi Lauper | “She Bop” | Sex/Masturbation |
The inclusion of mainstream pop artists like Madonna and Cyndi Lauper alongside heavy metal bands highlighted the PMRC’s broad scope of concern. The list famously provided “a great mixtape of 15 filthy songs for rebellious teenagers” and ironically boosted the sales of the albums in question.
