Posted on 12/17/2010 2:40:07 PM PST by Borges
Avant-garde rock legend and visual artist Don Van Vliet, who performed under the name Captain Beefheart, passed away today at age 69. A representative of New York Citys Michael Werner Gallery, which hosted several shows of his paintings, confirms the sad news to EW. Van Vliet died of complications from multiple sclerosis at a hospital in Northern California this morning.
Listened to some of his stuff years ago. I tried to get into it, but I couldn’t. Nevertheless, a lot of people could. RIP.
Bongo Fury is one of my all time favorite albums.
I wonder if the LSD was a factor in his early demise?He'd suffered with MS for a good many years, though it was easy to assume various things since he almost never gave interviews after he gave up the Magic Band and music.RIP
He came out of the blues and he never really abandoned the sensibilities of the blues even at his most extreme. I still enjoy Safe as Milk and, when it came out unbastardised, The Mirror Man Sessions. I remember some critics saying Lick My Decals Off, Baby was what Trout Mask Replica would have been with a little more judicious editing, and I could understand that. I wonder, though, what it would have been without the extremes to which Van Vliet is said to have subjected his musicians during the making of Trout Mask.
A singular character. A singular music theoretician. And there's probably more than one way to define "singular" in his case. May he rest in peace, and may he find favour with the bluesmen he loved, who preceded him, when they greet him.
LOL - I wonder how many folks here know where his name came from?
LOL - I wonder how many folks here know where his name came from?I do, I think, but I'm not quite so sure it's appropos for a family forum. ;)
Sad to hear this! I love “Veteran’s Day Poppy.” I saw the Captain live at Detroit’s Punch and Judy Theater back around 1980 or 81. Sat right in front row. Pretty amazing!
The Captain and Frank grew up together in Lancaster - used to cruise for babes together ...
“He always was ahead of his time (and still is).”
Amen. RIP Captain Beefheart.
Troutmaskreplica amazing stuff..Oh NOOO this is sad news.
Thanks for the craziness capt’n
Saw him back in ‘70 or ‘71 at the Union at U of Iowa.
We had a good time from what I remember...
Saw him around 69 here in NY City . It was a very magical night as well ....from what I remember...wooo hooo
No doubt he and Frank are tuning up for a righteous version of “Willie The Pimp”. RIP Captain.
Doc at the Radar Station is one of my all time favorite albums. I never cared much for Trout Mask - too disorganized.
My 16 year old daughter listens to some weird stuff - I played a bit of Trout Mask for her, she declared me the winner of the weird music contest.
Genius musician.
lol...Trout Mask trumps ALL in the weirdness dept. Even Sun Ra Arkestra stuff.
Capt. B. was really where rock’n’roll stepped out of bounds, perhaps for the last time. All these years I’ve expected one last word from Don...
Classic.
"My favorite will always be 'Safe as Milk'"
My view as well. How many of us would choose his or the execrable Frank Zappa’s LPs for desert island disks?! Let’s not kid ourselves.
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