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Captain Beefheart, a.k.a. Don Van Vliet, dies at 69
Entertainment Weekly ^ | 12/17/10 | Simon Vozick-Levinson

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 City’s 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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society
KEYWORDS: beefheart
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To: Grizzled Bear

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.


41 posted on 12/17/2010 5:01:40 PM PST by KevinB (We'll stop treating Obama like a dog when he stops treating us like a fire hydrant - Fred Grandy)
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To: mylife

Bongo Fury is one of my all time favorite albums.


42 posted on 12/17/2010 5:05:48 PM PST by Gomez (shibboleet)
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To: rahbert
I wonder if the LSD was a factor in his early demise?

RIP

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.

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.

43 posted on 12/17/2010 5:26:50 PM PST by BluesDuke (Another brief interlude from the small apartment halfway up in the middle of nowhere in particular)
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To: BluesDuke

LOL - I wonder how many folks here know where his name came from?


44 posted on 12/17/2010 5:47:38 PM PST by Slump Tester (What if I'm pregnant Teddy? Errr-ahh -Calm down Mary Jo, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it)
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To: Slump Tester
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. ;)
45 posted on 12/17/2010 5:55:14 PM PST by BluesDuke (Another brief interlude from the small apartment halfway up in the middle of nowhere in particular)
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To: Borges

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!


46 posted on 12/17/2010 6:16:22 PM PST by sand lake bar
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To: Borges

The Captain and Frank grew up together in Lancaster - used to cruise for babes together ...


47 posted on 12/17/2010 6:36:21 PM PST by Lmo56 (If ya wanna run with the big dawgs - ya gotta learn to piss in the tall grass ...</i><p>)
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To: P.O.E.

“He always was ahead of his time (and still is).”

Amen. RIP Captain Beefheart.


48 posted on 12/17/2010 7:09:20 PM PST by jocon307
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To: Borges
And now, Meatloaf remains as the only living rockstar named after edible flesh.


Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.

49 posted on 12/17/2010 7:19:08 PM PST by The Comedian (Government: Saving people from freedom since time immemorial.)
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To: Upstate NY Guy

Troutmaskreplica amazing stuff..Oh NOOO this is sad news.
Thanks for the craziness capt’n


50 posted on 12/17/2010 7:24:45 PM PST by sonic109
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To: sonic109

Saw him back in ‘70 or ‘71 at the Union at U of Iowa.
We had a good time from what I remember...


51 posted on 12/17/2010 7:30:18 PM PST by Eric in the Ozarks (Impeachment !)
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To: Eric in the Ozarks

Saw him around 69 here in NY City . It was a very magical night as well ....from what I remember...wooo hooo


52 posted on 12/17/2010 8:02:36 PM PST by sonic109
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To: The Comedian

No doubt he and Frank are tuning up for a righteous version of “Willie The Pimp”. RIP Captain.


53 posted on 12/17/2010 8:09:42 PM PST by Lurker (The avalanche has begun. The pebbles no longer have a vote.)
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To: Borges

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.


54 posted on 12/17/2010 8:45:09 PM PST by Some Fat Guy in L.A. (Wanna learn humility? Become a Pittsburgh Pirates fan!)
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To: Borges
The Capt. played a mean blues harp.

Genius musician.

55 posted on 12/17/2010 8:53:54 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: Some Fat Guy in L.A.; Conservative Tsunami
I played a bit of Trout Mask for her, she declared me the winner of the weird music contest.

lol...Trout Mask trumps ALL in the weirdness dept. Even Sun Ra Arkestra stuff.

56 posted on 12/17/2010 8:56:12 PM PST by Mr. Mojo
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To: a fool in paradise

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...


57 posted on 12/17/2010 9:04:26 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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To: Gomez
Thanks a million for posting that!

Classic.

"My favorite will always be 'Safe as Milk'"

58 posted on 12/17/2010 9:23:16 PM PST by Bullish
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Comment #59 Removed by Moderator

To: Billy the Mountain

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.


60 posted on 12/17/2010 9:29:29 PM PST by Revolting cat! (Let us prey!)
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