Avant-garde musician Captain Beefheart (Don Van Vliet) passed away after a long battle with MS. As the article says, his influence far surpassed his popularity, as he’s, shall we say, an acquired taste. I was never much of a fan, but being a hardcore Frank Zappa fan (a close friend and collaborator of CB) I can appreciate him, and the loss.
Consider this an open thread, one that’s as Safe as Milk.
‘Takes me right back to art school in the early ’70’s when experimentation ran wild. He was better with words and music than he was with a paintbrush.
I bought his Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) album about 30 years ago on a friend’s recommendation. At first it seemed like the ramblings of someone in need of treatment over multiple unrelated tracks of different instruments. I persevered and eventually the complex patterns, both musical and lyrical, fell into place. It was challenging stuff, both raw and sophisticated at the same time.
It stands up over time. Listen to Trout Mask Replica or Shiny Beast and most contemporary music will seem cliched in comparison. The only thing I can think of to match it for originality would be Brian Eno’s Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy.
Too bad his end had to be so hard.
I am/was a big fan of Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. I’m feeling a little better knowing that someone “out there” even knows who Captain Beefheart was.
“Doc at the Radar Station,” which included the classic “Making Love to a Vampire with a Monkey on My Knee.”