Captain Beefheart, the king of avant-garde rock, has died in California at the age of 69 from complications to multiple sclerosis.
Don Van Vliet was born in 1941. He became a great mate of Frank Zappa when they were both teenagers and it was Zappa who christened him Captain Beefheart.
Zappa signed him to his Straight Records label and Captain Beefheart released the alt-classic ‘Trout Mask Replica’ in 1969. In 1975 they recorded the ‘Bongo Fury’ album together, a mostly live album that contained song titles like ‘Poofter’s Froth Wyoming Plan Ahead’, ‘Man With The Woman Head’ and ‘Muffin Man’.
It has been written that John Lennon was a huge fan of Captain Beefheart and at one stage tried to sign him to their Apple alternative Zapple label. However, the admiration wasn’t reciprocal and Beefheart lampooned The Beatles with his song ‘Beatle Bones ‘n’ Smokin’ Stones’.
Captain Beefheart recorded with his own The Magic Band but opted out of the music business in 1982 when he turned his talents to painting. Although he stopped painting in the late 90s, his work is still exhibited today.
In the early 90s, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and became wheelchair bound.
The Michael Werner Gallery in New York, where Van Vliet’s painting were displayed, made the death of Captain Beefheart public.
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