Left field American artist Don Van Vliet, who was mainly known by his nom-de-plume Captain Beefheart was one of the most original musician- poets of the 20th century, to whom the term "ahead of his time" can be applied. A true musical genius and iconclast who passed away in 2010 following several years of illness with MS.
Beefheart wild and free has been part of my life, for a long time. Brilliant, eccentric, indefinable, difficult – Captain Beefheart’s musical career was often seemingly impenetrable, but his true genius was in his experimentation that, along with the work of his mentor Frank Zappa, helped pave the way for a generation of creative musicians and break the boundaries between art and rock.
His music blended rock, blues and psychedelia with free jazz, avant-garde and contemporary experimental composition. He invented his own genre of music, which even seems to go beyond music itself. Captain Beefheart's music at its best is a form of art, that is maybe best compared to an abstract painting. His body of work is never an easy listen but over the 12 studio records that he created with The Magic Band there are moments of sheer brilliance. Captain Beefheart was born January 15, 1941 to impoverished parents at Glendale, California. He had little time for formal education, claiming later: “If you want to be a different fish, you got to jump out of the school.” But from an early age he displayed artistic ability and, according to his own account, was offered a full scholarship at a European art school at the age of 13 by a local dairy, an offer his parents refused on the ground that all artists were ”queer”. in Glendale, California. He was born Don Vliet, but he changed his name into Don van Vliet in the early sixties. His genius was discovered very early through his paintings and sculptures, and at the age of thirteen, he was offered a scholarship to study in Europe. His parents didn't accept the offer, and decided to move to Lancaster instead. It was during his stay there, that Van Vliet met Frank Zappa. Although he had no formal musical training, he had a passion for the blues, a desperate desire to perform and a distinctive voice, very reminiscent of Howling Wolf. In 1964 Captain Beefheart formed The Magic Band, and in 1965 the band signed to A&M, for which they recorded two singles. The first, "Diddy Wah Diddy" (The Bo Diddley-song), was actually quite successful, but A&M wasn't interested in Beefheart's ideas for an entire album. In 1967, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band finally got the opportunity to release their debut album, "Safe As Milk", on the label Buddah. After 1968's "Strictly Personal" Frank Zappa offered his old friend to make an album on his own label Straight Records, promising him complete creative freedom. Of course Van Vliet couldn't refuse this offer, and he recorded arguably the, most fascinating, original and avantgarde rock album ever made: "Trout Mask Replica". It was released in 1969. It is considered to be his masterpiece produced by his friend Frank Zappa who allowed Van Vliet full creative control over the music. its 28 sprawling tracks retain something of Beefheart’s youthful obsession with the blues. But with individual instruments playing often fractured atonal and polyrhythmic lines in opposition to one another, the influence of free jazz exponents such as Ornette Coleman and John Coltrane is unmistakable. Thanks to the brilliance of "Trout Mask Replica" and its follow-up, "Lick My Decals Off, Baby" (1970), Captain Beefheart gained popularity in both the United States and Europe. These were followed by "The Spotlight Kid" and "Clear Spot" (both released in 1972), deemed too commercial to many but to me still garner lots of delight, then came "Unconditionally Guaranteed" and "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" (both released in 1974) It is true that "Bluejeans & Moonbeams" is not as experimental as Beefheart's early recordings, but I think it still contains some beautiful blues-oriented songs that are well worth a listen.
After a short collaboration with Frank Zappa called "Bongo Fury", Beefheart returned with 1978's "Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)" and 1980's "Doc At The Radar Station", then in 1982 came "Ice Cream For Crow". It would turn out to be his last album, for after "Ice Cream For Crow", Van Vliet decided to devote the rest of his life to painting.During his retirement from music he lived in the desert of California in quiet solitude with his wife Janet who he had married in 1970 and mainly engaged with the production of exquisite and primal painting in the Abstract Expressionist style.
The following was included in the exhibition document Stand Up To Be Discontinued in 1993. Its evident the MS was clearly taking it's toll and is incredibly sad to listen to.
Captain Beefheart reading "Fallin' Ditch" as a poem
When I get lonesome the wind begin t' moan
When I trip fallin' ditch
Somebody wanna' throw the dirt right down
When I feel like dyin' the sun come out
'n stole m' fear 'n gone
Who's afraid of the spirit with the bluesferbones
Who's afraid of the fallin' ditch
Fallin' ditch ain't gonna get my bones
How's that for the spirit
How's that for the things
Ain't my fault the thing's gone wrong
'n when I'm smilin' my face wrinkles up real warm
'n when um frownin' things just turn t' stone
Fallin' ditch ain't gonna get my bones
'n when I get lonesome the wind begin t' moan
Fallin' ditch ain't gonna get my bones
Captain Beeefheart - Fallin' Ditch
Captain Beefheart reading "Skeleton Makes Good" as a poem
There's so many things to feel
and see while you're awake
they're just out of reach
out of grasp yeah out of reach
and just as many;
maybe more the minute that you sleep
so I got to throw my preach
skeleton breath
scorpion blush
I have a crush on your skeleton
watch out unsuspecting stranger
you'll fall off the log
headfirst into dreams
end up screaming
this will comb the wolf
and that will comb the fog
what will peen the rain
what will preen the hog
oh you mean earth
and hell over you
and laugh at your tire tracks
if you get up
skeleton makes good.
The Tired Plain
The bra was white and yellow elastic
and held to foam cones
the corners triangular shaped
pyramid
three edges made one point
starfish and embry boards
triple D cupped and poked to a point
the main character was composed into a bow
that broke first in the front
and equal on adjacent sides
American cowboy was approaching on a collision course
– his hands groped outstretched three digits triangular
to the front nail a line was drawn from the middle
finger to the knuckle of the index finger across
the middle finger onto the third –
creating a perfect arrow
with an imaginary point
The following documentaries are also so engaging to watch.
The Artist Formerly Known as Captain Beefheart
Beefhearts status as an outsider icon of strange music helped him cultivate a mythic presence in the history of popular music and though his work, whether in music or drawing, was never mainstream and only ever gained a relatively small following, he was nevertheless a larger-than-life character who pushed the boundaries of his art in a way which influenced many who followed in his wake.
Amongst those who have cited Captain Beefheart as an influence are Tom Waits and PJ Harvey, many post-punk bands, and exprimental artists while devotees include , Matt Groening (creator of The Simpsons) and the film director David Lynch
http://www.beefheart.com/
