Editing Adrian Belew (section)

===Work with Frank Zappa (1977–1978)===
In 1977, while playing with Sweetheart at Fanny's Bar in Nashville, Belew was discovered by [[Frank Zappa]], who had been tipped off regarding the band's talents by his chauffeur. Zappa approached Belew and discussed auditioning him for an upcoming tour, although Belew did not receive an official invitation to audition for the better part of a year. During this time Sweetheart split up. Once the formal invitation came, Belew flew out to Los Angeles and found himself auditioning alongside more formally trained musicians. Believing that he had performed poorly, Belew persuaded Zappa to give him a second audition, a more intimate experience which took place in Zappa's living room. Zappa was impressed enough to hire Belew as a guitarist and vocalist for a year.<ref name=guitarhoo>{{cite web|title=Adrian Belew Interview|url=http://www.guitarhoo.com/interviews/adrian-belew-68|work=Guitarhoo!|publisher=Guitarhoo.com|date=December 5, 2003|access-date=March 7, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029212630/http://www.guitarhoo.com/interviews/adrian-belew-68|archive-date=October 29, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Belew toured with Zappa in 1977 and 1978, and appeared on Zappa's 1979 album ''[[Sheik Yerbouti]]'' and [[concert film]] ''[[Baby Snakes]]''. While with Zappa, Belew was mostly credited as a rhythm guitarist, although he also played lead, melody, or noise lines, and sang lead vocals on the songs "Jones Crusher" and "City of Tiny Lites". According to Belew, "Frank either played or sang, never both at the same time, so ultimately my role became covering his parts. When he sang I played his guitar part. When he played I sang his vocal part." He also took on the role of band clown, performing impressions (such as the [[Bob Dylan]] impersonation on the song "Flakes"), wearing unusual clothing, and performing visual stunts. ("Need someone to wear a flashing helmet and bounce around like a robot? How about Adrian? Need someone to wear a dress onstage? There's always Adrian.")<ref>{{Cite web|date=2020-02-20|title=The story behind Adrian Belew, part 1: 1976-1980 (Zappa, Bowie, Talking Heads)|url=https://musicaficionado.blog/2020/02/20/adrian-belew-part-1-1976-1980/|access-date=2022-05-12|website=The Music Aficionado|language=en-US|archive-date=May 15, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240515222411/https://musicaficionado.blog/2020/02/20/adrian-belew-part-1-1976-1980/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Belew has described his year in Zappa's band as a "crash course" in [[music theory]], due to Zappa's rigorous rehearsals and often technically demanding music; he has stated that he "went to the Frank Zappa School of Rock."<ref>{{cite web
  | last = Brodnitz
  | first = Dan
  | title = An Interview with Adrian Belew, Part 2
  | publisher = about Creativity
  | date = December 28, 2007
  | url = http://about-creativity.com/2007/12/an-interview-with-adrian-belew-part-2.php
  | access-date = April 22, 2009
  | archive-date = July 7, 2011
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075603/http://about-creativity.com/2007/12/an-interview-with-adrian-belew-part-2.php
  | url-status = dead
  }}</ref>