Text by Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi

During my stay in Tokyo I loved to watch YouTube videos before going to bed. By chance I found this one and felt that some of my readers might be interested in this great musician who passed away two years ago. I heard the first time about Captain Beafheart when I was in Japan maybe around 1976. A friend of mine had a cassette of a Frank Zappa live recording featuring Captain Beafheart on vocals. This album is still one of my favorite one.

A little information about the Captain

Don Van Vliet, born Don Glen Vliet, January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter, artist and poet widely known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 13 studio albums. Noted for his powerful singing voice with its wide range, Van Vliet also played the harmonica, saxophone and numerous other wind instruments. His music blended rock, blues and psychedelia with avant-garde and contemporary experimental composition. Beefheart was also known for exercising an almost dictatorial control over his supporting musicians, and for often constructing myths about his life. Read more about him here.

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