Captain Beefheart / Don Van Vliet RIP

[clifford_thornton]

News just in and confirmed here.

Damn. I don't know what to say - RIP.

[rostasi]

Very sad.

He had a pretty difficult struggle with MS for a long time.

You can see it's devastating effects as long ago as

the early 90's when Anton Corbijn did that short film

with the Capt. sitting in his wheelchair smoking a fat cigar.

I think John French said that he noticed symptoms as long ago as the 70's.

A solid group of wonderful recordings that are left for us admirers.

[jostber]

Sad to hear this, RIP. Love several of his albums. A progenitor of surrealism in rock. Interesting article on his music: http://www.popmatters.com/chapter/Issue3/beefheart.html.

[JSngry]

He'd not have existed without him.

RIP, and know that you mattered.

[Chuck Nessa]

Got Trout Mask the first day it was out. Thought it was a hoot.

[Chalupa]

Damn. Damn. Damn.

[Chalupa]

Fast n Bulbous.

[Stereojack]

I saw Beefheart & the Magic Band three times in the early 1970's. To this day I maintain that these shows were among the greatest music I've heard during my life.

RIP, Captain.

[thedwork]

sad news. a truly remarkable individual and an awesome artist. RIP.

[7/4]

I'm crushed. This sucks.

RIP Capt. Beefheart, you mattered.

[Dave James]

An American original. There will only ever be one Captain Beefheart.

[rostasi]

Great BBC documentary from 1997 (Part 1 of 6) - narrated by John Peel

Hit that long lunar note and let it float Captain.

[mjzee]

The other shoe finally dropped. I'd been wondering about this for awhile. I actually thought there was a good chance he died years ago and his friends never told.

Healthwise, something definitely happened between 1974 and say 1980. Compare photos of him, or look at his appearance on the Letterman show (available on YouTube). I think you could even see it in his paintings. I went to a show at a Manhattan gallery around 2000 that displayed paintings from the '80's & '90's, and it seemed there was far less control in his brushstrokes. So who knows.

Very sad. I hero-worshipped him for many years, and still after all these years still love the music. RIP, Don.

From when I saw him at Ungano's in December 1970.

[7/4]

I probably went to the same gallery show. I still have the catalog of paintings.

[mjzee]

NY Times obit:

NY Times

And a mention in the Journal:

WSJ

[mjzee]

Oh, and check out the comments in Clifford's initial post!

[BFrank]

I saw this exhibit at Mary Boone's. Attached is a handout from the show - includes 5 glossy images.

The old fart was smart!

RIP

Edited December 18, 2010 by BFrank

[mjzee]

More comments...

BBC

[kinuta]

Sad news.

My link

I'll dig out Safe As Milk and Trout Mask Replica for a requiem.

[BFrank]

At Keystone Korner, SF (from the Rolling Stone website) - probably 12/4/75.

I was honored to be there.

[Hardbopjazz]

RIP.

[Head Man]

I saw him live once, at The London School of Economics in May, 1968. One of the best nights of music...EVER! A true 'one-off'.

Edited December 18, 2010 by Head Man

[Tom in RI]

From American Bandstand.

[BillF]

A Don Van Vliet painting:

another:

and another:

[mjzee]

Golden Birdies

In the mid-90's Beefheart gave band member Moris Tepper a list called The Ten Commandments of Guitar Playing which was replicated in John McCormick's book Rolling Stone's Alt-Rock-A Rama:

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS OF GUITAR PLAYING as given to moris tepper by captain beefheart. they are not arranged hierarchically - each commandment has equal import. also, to help clarify their intent, each commandment is followed by an exegesis.

LISTEN TO THE BIRDS

that's where all the music comes from. birds know everything about how it should sound and where that sound should come from. and watch humming-birds. they fly really fast, but a lot of times they aren't going anywhere.

YOUR GUITAR IS NOT REALLY A GUITAR

your guitar is a divining rod. use it to find spirits in the other world and bring them over. a guitar is also a fishing rod. if you're good, you'll land a big one.

PRACTICE IN FRONT OF A BUSH

wait until the moon is out, then go outside, eat a multi-grained bread and play your guitar to a bush. if the bush doesn't shake, eat another piece of bread.

WALK WITH THE DEVIL

old delta blues players referred to amplifiers as 'the devil box'. and they were right. you have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you're bringing over from the other side. electricity attracts devils and demons. [so now you know what you are, dear visitor of this page!] other instruments attract other spirits. an acoustic guitar attracts caspar, the ghost. a mandolin attracts wendy. but an electric guitar attracts beelzebub.

IF YOU'RE GUILTY OF THINKING, YOU'RE OUT

if your brain is part of the process, you're missing it. you should play like a drowning man, struggling to reach shore. if you can trap that feeling, then you have something that is fur bearing.

NEVER POINT YOUR GUITAR AT ANYONE

your instrument has more clout than lightning. just hit a big chord, then run outside to hear it. but make sure you are not standing in an open field.

ALWAYS CARRY A CHURCH KEY

that's your key-man clause. like one string sam. he's one! he was a detroit street musician who played in the fifties on a homemade instrument. his song "i need a hundred dollars" is warm pie. another key to the church is hubert sumlin, howlin' wolf's guitar player. he just stands there like the statue of liberty - making you want to look up her dress the whole time to see how he's doing it.

DON'T WIPE THE SWEAT OFF YOUR INSTRUMENT

you need that stink on there. then you have to get that stink onto your music.

KEEP YOUR GUITAR IN A DARK PLACE

when you're not playing your guitar, cover it and keep it in a dark place. if you don't play your guitar for more than a day, be sure you put a saucer of water in with it.

YOU GOTTA HAVE A HOOD FOR YOUR ENGINE

keep that hat on. a hat is a pressure cooker. if you have a roof on your house, the hot air can't escape. even a lima bean has to have a piece of wet paper around it to make it grow.