Dweezil Zappa DZ20: Like Father, Like Son

Dweezil Zappa is an American rock guitarist who has also acted occasionally. His registered birth name was Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa; the nickname Dweezil was coined by his father, and at age five he learned his legal name differed and insisted the nickname become his legal name, which it soon did after his parents hired an attorney. He grew up close to the music industry and took up the guitar and music production, learning directly from guitarists including Steve Vai and Eddie Van Halen, and released his first single, produced by Eddie Van Halen, at 12.

In the 1980s he worked as an MTV VJ and was fired after making derogatory remarks about MTV on The Howard Stern Show. He has recorded solo albums and played for other artists, including lead guitar on the Fat Boys' "Wipe Out" (1987), co-lead guitar with Reb Beach on Winger's cover of Jimi Hendrix's "Purple Haze", and a cover of the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive" for his 1991 album Confessions. His screen work includes a minor part in The Running Man as Stevie and a cameo in Pretty in Pink as Andie's friend Simon, and he voiced Ajax Duckman on Duckman.

Since the 1990s he has worked on a 75-minute piece titled "What the Hell Was I Thinking? ", which he said in September 2004 had about 35 guest guitar players.