Em 1989, o Zappa participou de um programa da Rádio KCRW de Santa Mônica, Califórnia, no qual mostrou as 10 gravações que levaria para uma ilha deserta. São elas:

1. Octandre - Edgard Varese
2. The Royal March from L'Histoire du Soldat - Igor Stravinsky
3. The Rite of Spring - Igor Stravinsky
4. Third Piano Concerto, first movement - Bela Bartok
5. Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson
6. Three Hours Past Midnight - Johnny Guitar Watson
7. Can I Come Over Tonight - The Velours
8. Bagatelles for String Quartet - Anton Webern
9. The Anton Webern Symphony, Opus 21 - Anton Webern
10. Piano Concerto in G - Maurice Ravel

Veja também esta transcrição feita pelo pessoal do alt.fan.frank-zappa de um programa de rádio produzido pela BBC. Além de algumas piadas, o Zappa apresenta algumas das músicas preferidas dele. A seleção é bem eclética, do Varese ao ZZTop, passando por Stravinsky e Black Sabbath.

Do próprio Zappa, a música escolhida foi "Watermelon In Easter Hay" (Joe's Garage), um dos solos mais bonitos da história da guitarra, IMHO.

Leia tb este artigo escrito pelo Zappa para a Guitar Player sobre a evolução da guitarra na música pop.

If you have access to them, take the time to listen to the guitar solos
on "Three Hours Past Midnight" (Johnny Guitar Watson), "The Story Of My
Life" (Guitar Slim), or just about any of B.B. King's singles from that
period. For my taste, these solos are exemplary because what is being
played is honest and, in a musical way, a direct extension of the
personality of the men who played them. If I were a music critic, I
would have to say that these values for me mean more than the ability to
execute clean lines or clouds of educated gnat-notes.

Other examples of good guitar stuff from that era might include "Lucy
Mae Blues" (Frankie Lee Simms), "Happy Home" (Elmore James - even though
Elmore tended to play the same famous lick on every record, I got the
feeling that he meant it), and the work of Hubert Sumlin (and Buddy Guy
a couple of times) on Howlin' Wolf's things. I'm sure there are other
hot items, but this is a short article.