He passed away in California on Friday 17th December 2010, leaving behind a wife, Jan. They had been married for 40 years. Captain Beefheart's experimental work blended psychedelic rock, blues and jazz and was considered offbeat and totally unique.
He was well known for his powerful singing voice and for his experimental compositions. He worked with his Magic Band, rising to fame in the 1960s as an avant-garde performer and composer with a multi-faceted approach to music. In a 1973 interview he told Oui Magazine, "I was like an egg rolling through time until I was 24. Then the egg cracked and I popped out."
Trout Mask Replica
The 1969 album “Trout Mask Replica”, produced by Frank Zappa, won critical acclaim and is today considered a highly prominent rock-art masterpiece. It is rated number 58 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of all Time. Zappa, who died in 1993 and Van Vliet were old school friends who played in a group together as teenagers. They had planned to make a film together, 'Captain Beefheart versus The Grunt People' which gave Van Vliet his stage name. Zappa supported him throughout his career and gave him a recording contract.
Many artists including Tom Waits, Nick Cave, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand, Talking Heads, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and The White Stripes claim to have been influenced by Captain Beefheart. Well known for his surreal mix of offbeat lyrics, wild rhythms and his earthy, gravel-toned voice, Van Vliet also mastered numerous instruments including the saxophone, clarinet and harmonica. Free jazz was an obvious influence, he demolished musical rules but there was no improvisation. Beefheart wrote the music note by note and was known for exercising tyrannical control as band leader.
He was a favourite artist of late BBC disc jockey John Peel who happily promoted Captain Beefheart's experimental releases and also narrated a 1997 documentary about the star. Peel once said: "If there has ever been such a thing as a genius in the history of popular music, it's Beefheart."
Between 1965 and 1982, Van Vliet recorded 12 studio albums with the Magic Band, his biggest hit being “Lick My Decals Off Baby” which reached number 20 in the UK charts in 1970. He also directed feature length films and music videos and designed and illustrated album covers. His final record, “Ice Cream for Crow” was recorded in 1982 with his manager Gary Lucas. The albums lyrics were surreal and poetic as ever; “The minute that you sleep, So I got to throw my preach, Skeleton breath, Scorpion blush, I have a crush on your skeleton” he wrote in “Skeleton Makes Good.”
Van Vliet the artist
In the late 1980s, Van Vliet retired from his music, devoting himself instead to the visual arts. In 1987 he published “Skeleton Breath, Scorpion Blush”, a collection of his paintings and poetry. He became something of a recluse in the 1980s when he retired to the desert, residing in a trailer while his abstract paintings fetched high prices. He enjoyed a successful career as an artist, selling some of his work for as much as $25,000.
Tributes to Captain Beefheart pour in
As news of his passing began to circle social-networking sites yesterday, tributes to the Magic Band genius began pouring in faster than fans could read them; "R.I.P. Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. We wish you safe passage and return," wrote experimental rock band Akron/Family. Frank Zappas children Diva and Ahmet also both paid tribute to the star on Twitter and many fans posted links to favourite tracks.
Former Magic Band guitarist Gary Lucas plans to bring the Beefheart Symposium to Los Angeles next month. Lucas will show rare footage of the band live and slides of Don's paintings and drawings. He also promises to play unreleased tracks and to discuss the history of The Magic Band. Join Gary and 'special guests' at The Echoplex on 13th January 2011.
Josie Budd - Hi, I am a writer, personal growth blogger, photographer, meditator and mother based in Glastonbury, UK. As a writer and science graduate, ...
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