Things are gonna get weird for the latest Cardboard Sessions.

Introducing Ian Donald Calvin Euclid Zappa.

Funny story. When you’re the son of nonconformist rock-pop-jazz god like, say, Frank Zappa, you’re gonna stand out. And when Papa Zappa gives you the nickname “Dweezil,” coined after a funny looking pinky toenail from mom Gail, it not only sticks. You call the lawyer and make it Ian’s official name, which they did when Dweezil turned five and he insisted that’s what he should be called.

Raised in LA, radically.

There’s a lot of creativity to go around, growing up in a household with a Hall of Fame musician. Dweezil was bitten by the music bug at a young age, as was his sister, Moon Unit Zappa. He received his first guitar, a Fender Musicmaster, when he was just six years old. At age 12, Dweezil released his first single, “My Mother is a Space Cadet.” It was co-written by his sister Moon and Steve Vai, and produced by none other than Eddie Van Halen. Oh, and this is worth noting: Steve and Eddie also taught young Dweezil to play the guitar. So basically, he attended the Harvard of guitar school.

What in the world is a VJ?

The MTV era had arrived and Dweezil continued his rise to fame around the world. He was officially a “Video Jockey,” aka VJ, for the burgeoning, 80s-defining Music Television network. In fact, his sister Moon would make regular guest VJ appearances, as well. He also lent his guitar talents to the Fat Boys song “Wipe Out,” had a part in the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie The Running Man and had a pretty famous cameo in the seminal coming-of-age film Pretty in Pink by John Hughes.

Cartoons, comedy and…wrestling?

 If you think the 90s was all grunge and ennui, think again. Dweezil kept things odd and awesome, performing a cover of the Bee Gees “Stayin’ Alive” with Ozzy Osbourne singing the vocals. The lawyers eventually made Dweezil pull it from his album Confessions, but Ozzy put it on his own box set Prince of Darkness (this IS worth a quick search on YouTube, folks). Dweezil wrote the theme music for The Ben Stiller Show, plus he voiced the character Ajax Duckman for the animated series Duckman. And along with his brother Ahmed, he created a show called Happy Hour and promoted it on the World Wrestling Federation Rage Party, the night before WrestleMania XV.

Odd instruments. Strange sounds. Eclectic career.

Throughout his journey, Dweezil has not only won a Grammy. He’s won legions of fans who admire how he embraces the wonderfully weird—with ripping guitar sounds, intricate licks, and wildly creative compositions. His performances continue to inspire, blending innovative, often improvisational arrangements with jaw-dropping technique. So who better to get into his own Hikari Studios to jam on our cardboard instruments, including the new cardboard Fender Telecaster? We invite you to experience Zappa Plays Zappa and their new single, “Man Your Stations,” composed by Dweezil himself. Enjoy!