One day in the mid-1960s, a used-car salesman offered Frank Zappa $100 to make an audio-only sex tape for a bachelor’s party. A broke, 24-year-old Zappa took the job, recording moans, grunts, and squeaky-bed sounds onto a cassette with help from then-girlfriend, a go-go dancer named Lorraine Belcher, as noted by John Corcelli in “Frank Zappa FAQ: All That’s Left to Know About the Father of Invention.” On March 26, 1965, a vice squad burst into Zappa’s studio and arrested him on a felony charge of conspiracy to commit pornography, per Rolling Stone, for which the maximum penalty was 20 years in jail. The “used-car salesman” turned out to be Sergeant Jim Willis, Vice Investigator of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s office.
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A short trial followed, during which Zappa pleaded “no contest.” The judge laughed while listening to the incriminating tape in court, deeming it not a serious offense. The charges against Belcher were dropped, and Zappa’s felony charge was reduced to a misdemeanor. He spent 10 fateful days in a filthy, crowded jail known as Tank C. In less than two weeks, all of Zappa’s remaining faith in authority crumbled, and he became distrustful of the legal system, the education system, and the United States Constitution, per Corcelli. Once he was released, Zappa closed his studio and joined the Soul Giants as a guitarist. The following year, he hit the big time with his new band, The Mothers of Invention, and the release of their debut LP, “Freak Out!”
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