"It was a test of Lithuania's [new] freedom," Paukstys told Rolling Stone magazine in 2002. The Zappa monument is still the second-most-popular tourist site in Vilnius.
In time, the fan club decided to commission a replica of the piece and donate it to Zappa's home country. Their first idea was to offer it to Los Angeles, where Zappa lived for many years before his death, at 52, of prostate cancer.
But by the time the replica was complete, Carlos Aranaga, a State Department official who grew up in Baltimore, was working at the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius and got wind of the project. "I'm proud of Baltimore's cultural heroes," said Aranaga, now stationed in Washington. "Mencken, Eubie Blake. To Lithuanians, Zappa is like the Mencken of rock -- a true iconoclast."
At Aranaga's suggestion, a contingent headed by Paukstys targeted Baltimore. Gail Zappa, the musician's widow, has said she avidly supports placing the sculpture in Baltimore.
Paukstys said the completed bronze of Zappa will be ready for shipping from Lithuania to Baltimore within 10 days.
