It seems that the time has come for a reassessment of the career and work of Don Van Vliet. The past year has seen a major reissue campaign. His earliest albums have been remastered with bonus tracks and new essays; a two-disc retrospective from Rhino (The Dust Blows Forward); a five-disc set from Revenant (Grow Fins, which was reviewed here) which features video footage and rare live tracks; and an upcoming long-awaited live set from Rhino Handmade promise to keep things going. Both multi-disc sets include thoughtful essays and interviews with Magic Band members. Captain Beefheart’s time has finally come. One ex-guitarist published a book of remembrances (Bill Harkleroad’s Lunar Notes) and longtime drummer John French is preparing his own book. Another book deals solely with Van Vliet’s art work!
But writer Mike Barnes has put it all together in this nearly 400-page biography simply titled Captain Beefheart. The legend states that Beefheart’s music was taught note-by-note to beginners (the first Magic Band) who played exactly what the good Captain told them — and thus they became HIS instruments (as they learned theirs). The truth is less romantic, but equally extraordinary. Van Vliet was the non-musician — who wasn’t afraid to tackle the saxophone, or piano; whose concepts were bigger and braver than his compatriots; who through sheer strength of will created some of the most exciting, albeit difficult, music of this (or any other) century. Sort of a cross between Howling Wolf and Ornette Coleman, the blues meets musique concrete, Beefheart’s oeuvre is not for everyone. My 13-year-old son can’t stand to listen to any Beefheart music, while his 18-year-old brother has been singing along with the Bat Chain Puller album since he was 8!
Mike Barnes is a big fan — but he doesn’t hesitate to paint a very real portrait of the Captain, warts and all. A man with concepts as dramatic as Beefheart’s has to be an interesting study, and he proves to be that and more. Barnes describes Van Vliet’s childhood, his early successes in the art world (he was on television as a child prodigy, teaching sculpture!), his relationship with his parents (“Get me a Pepsi, Sue!” he would yell to his mother), his lifelong competitive friendship with neighbor Frank Zappa, and his quirky health problems (allergies to cologne, for one). Drawing heavily on interviews with former Magic Band members, Barnes is able to present a rounded picture of the man.
He also gives a critical and in-depth study of the artist. Don Van Vliet is not a lovable band leader. He is demanding, egocentric, self-consumed, and driven, and yet even as they are complaining about the lack of money they saw during their tenures, his band members, almost to a man, look back on their days with the Magic Band as the highlight of their careers. Ry Cooder is the exception, feeling that had he stayed longer with Beefheart he might have died! Ry Cooder is prone to exaggeration. Bill Harkleroad (who played under the nom de guerre Zoot Horn Rollo) told in his book of how guitar parts were created from Van Vliet’s pieced-together rudimentary piano solos and tapes of him whistling. These stories are repeated here, and verified by many, and yet no one wants to take credit away from the Captain. Whatever sounds these gifted musicians managed to come up with was in answer to Beefheart’s surreal instructions (“Play a low note like a high note!”) and they credit him with its creation. This is a fascinating look at a unique individual.
There is only one Captain Beefheart. He gave up music in 1982 to concentrate on his painting career. He is now a respected artist, represented in major galleries around the world. He lives a secluded life with his life partner (wife Jan). Rumours abound about the state of his health, but he continues to create, to respond to his muse. We owe a debt of thanks to Mike Barnes for helping to shed a little light on this remarkable man!
(Quartet Books, 2000)
