SCHLOCK, THE MONKEY - cultural claptrap: Dec 18, 2010

“…you see, I don't think I do music, think I do spells." - 1980

FURTHER THAN WE’VE GONE

Associated Press obit

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2010/dec/17/don-van-vliet-aka-captain-beefheart-dead-at-69/

DON VAN VLIET aka CAPTAIN BEEFHEART

Died December 17^th 2010 at the age of 69

Avant-garde rock musician and abstract expressionist painter and sculptor

Back in 1972, every night before I went to sleep I put on my big black head phones and listened to Captain Beefheart’s latest album, TROUT MASK REPLICA…in my dark bedroom, lying on a faux zebra patterned pillow, a double album of bluesy avant-garde, surrealistic gibberish and scrambled noise. I had literally no words to describe what I heard. The singer sounded a bit like Howlin’ Wolf who I had just recently dug into by way of his London Sessions LP. But the angular rhythms and strange aural hijinx and indecipherable lyrics...what the hell was this?...I remember noticing for the first time that my dreams were in color when I woke one morning after closing the previous day with TROUT MASKlll I’m not sure if I’d heard his semi-hit ‘Diddy Wah Diddy” in 1966 which was a distorted and loud recording of a pop/blues tune. Sort of Stonesy but filthier. The album SAFE AS MILK was Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band’s first album. I didn't catch that one til years later either.

I missed this early blues band type stuff, I jumped on the Beef wagon with the Zappa produced TROUT MASK and I’m sure it was because Zappa’s name was attached to this that had some credibility with me. Other than the Beatles “Revolution No. 9” and some of the Yoko stuff on her solo albums with John, I hadn’t heard ANY avant-garde music at all. I was hooked. From that point on anything slightly dissonant, complex or just plain weird would catch my attention over and over again.

When he went "softer" in the mid-70s, a lot of his fan base bailed but I dug them change. Soon, though with punk (and many of the punks claimed influenced by Beefheart) and the singer/songwriter boom as well as my new, real discovery of jazz I was ready. I snatched up Hot Rats in my "anything Zappa" phase and by the time Ice Cream For Crow came out I was versed in Beef legend. It's like a pallette cleanser for me. When all the music in life starts buncing up it's bloomers and sounding predictable and the same, I go back to Beefheart and though he hasn't made a record since 1982, his spirit will surely be missed.

Here’s a quick collection of major BEEF…hold on…

I'd highly recommend this great 6 part documentary. There are some spectacular shots of his later art work as well....

JOHN PEEL’S CAPT. BEEFHEART DOCUMENTARY (PT. 1 OF 6)

“THE ARTIST FORMERLY KNOWN AS CAPTAIN BEEFHEART”