Film
The Guardian says that Captain Beefheart is among the "oddballs" whose work will be featured in London's The Barbican's upcoming film season, Pop Mavericks. The season runs from 2 Sept-2 Dec.
At MoMA in New York there is also a season of music films now running in conjunction with the exhibition Looking At Music, on until the end of this year. MoMA says that rapid changes in technology can be traced in early music videos by The Beatles, David Bowie, Captain Beefheart, The Residents, and Devo, all drawn from the Museum’s collection. The New York Times review gives more details.
A new feature film How To Be by director Oliver Irving includes Captain Beefheart's 'Clear Spot' in the soundtrack. Oliver explains how he came to select the music for this film about Art, twenty something, living at home and hitting a "quarter-life crisis".
I was looking for artists that had a deft simplicity to their music - the kind of thing that Art might aspire to. I knew from the start I wanted to use Captain Beefheart - I love his raw child-like (yet extremely sophisticated) quality. In terms of the score, this was a development of the songs that Art plays in the film. We had this integral idea to both kind of mock the serious sincerity of his lyrics but also to show that within his quite simple songs there is actually a very hooky and effective tune and dynamic - there is masses of potential there!
There is a trailer for the film at the How To Be website.
Video
The long-awaited video of April's 'Beefheart Night at The Knit' has now appeared as a vidcast at Dusty Wright's Culture Catch. Appearances include those of Fast 'N' Bulbous with Gary Lucas and Phillip Johnston, Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo, Suicide's Alan Vega, Kurt Loder, David Lynch and our very own correspondent, Peter Warner.
Six songs from Mallard, recorded for German television in 1976, have now been placed at YouTube. 'Back On The Pavement', 'One Day Once', 'Reign Of Pain', 'A Piece Of Me' and 'Mama Squeeze' can be viewed in sequence here. 'Road to Morrocco' is also available.
Robert Williams and John Lydon appear before Judge Judy at YouTube.
Audio
John 'Drumbo' French's track, 'Get So Mean' from his forthcoming album 'City Of Refuge' will be released in the UK on September 1st on a bargain-priced Proper Records sampler CD.
The Roger Hurricane Wilson recording of 'Sure Nuff N Yes I Do', featuring Rockette Morton on bass, has now been placed at Roger Hurricane Wilson's MySpace page where the album 'Exodus' can be ordered. It is also available at CDmojo.
Radio
As 'Daffy Duck's Rhapsody' faded out, Bob Dylan introduced the next record on his Theme Time Radio Hour - Birds
Mel Blanc did a lot of voices - our next artist just did one - but it's a heck of a voice. Don Van Vliet was born in Glendale, California - he stopped performing in the 80s to focus on his painting. He's a really good painter but I wish he'd made more records. [tangent about the Corvids - crows and rooks etc] Here's a song that goes as straight as the crow flies - Captain Beefheart and Ice Cream for Crow.
Bob had previously played 'Click Clack' in his show More Trains
Text
Also at Culture Catch is Steve Holtje's extended Captain Beefheart Album Survey - begin here with Part One and follow the links to Part Two and Part Three.
"He is the great Beefheart. When the radio’s fast casket and mild rage hit all-time crumbling, the high-hat’s pollution and drums plunged like a hacksaw through an ice age."
For more of this recent blog entry, see Backwards Gavelling.
Medicine
The Idiot Bastard reported yesterday on the medical condition of Jimmy Carl Black, known to Don Van Vliet as Indian Ink.
I spoke with Jimmy Carl Black this evening (Thursday 28 August) following his operation last week to remove a tumour on his lung. He confirmed that, despite what he had been told (see our recent interview), the tumour WAS in fact cancerous. He sounded fairly chipper, but they say they can now only treat him with more chemotherapy. He comes out of hospital on Monday (1 September) and will soon start his treatment as an out patient. To help Jimmy pay his mounting medical bills, there's a special limited edition CD (Stick Man For Ever!) and some nifty apparel and other stuff available to buy here: http://www.cafepress.com/jimmycarlblack. Please do what you can to help the dear old Mother.
Thanks to Simon P for transcribing Dylan's Beefheart intro and to the various Fire Party members who continue to give heads-ups about all manner of interesting and curious Beefheart related items. If you come across anything which you think will fit in this space, please write in.
The Guardian says that Captain Beefheart is among the "oddballs" whose work will be featured in London's The Barbican's upcoming film season, Pop Mavericks. The season runs from 2 Sept-2 Dec.
At MoMA in New York there is also a season of music films now running in conjunction with the exhibition Looking At Music, on until the end of this year. MoMA says that rapid changes in technology can be traced in early music videos by The Beatles, David Bowie, Captain Beefheart, The Residents, and Devo, all drawn from the Museum’s collection. The New York Times review gives more details.
A new feature film How To Be by director Oliver Irving includes Captain Beefheart's 'Clear Spot' in the soundtrack. Oliver explains how he came to select the music for this film about Art, twenty something, living at home and hitting a "quarter-life crisis".
I was looking for artists that had a deft simplicity to their music - the kind of thing that Art might aspire to. I knew from the start I wanted to use Captain Beefheart - I love his raw child-like (yet extremely sophisticated) quality. In terms of the score, this was a development of the songs that Art plays in the film. We had this integral idea to both kind of mock the serious sincerity of his lyrics but also to show that within his quite simple songs there is actually a very hooky and effective tune and dynamic - there is masses of potential there!
There is a trailer for the film at the How To Be website.
Video
The long-awaited video of April's 'Beefheart Night at The Knit' has now appeared as a vidcast at Dusty Wright's Culture Catch. Appearances include those of Fast 'N' Bulbous with Gary Lucas and Phillip Johnston, Sonic Youth's Lee Renaldo, Suicide's Alan Vega, Kurt Loder, David Lynch and our very own correspondent, Peter Warner.
Six songs from Mallard, recorded for German television in 1976, have now been placed at YouTube. 'Back On The Pavement', 'One Day Once', 'Reign Of Pain', 'A Piece Of Me' and 'Mama Squeeze' can be viewed in sequence here. 'Road to Morrocco' is also available.
Robert Williams and John Lydon appear before Judge Judy at YouTube.
Audio
John 'Drumbo' French's track, 'Get So Mean' from his forthcoming album 'City Of Refuge' will be released in the UK on September 1st on a bargain-priced Proper Records sampler CD.
The Roger Hurricane Wilson recording of 'Sure Nuff N Yes I Do', featuring Rockette Morton on bass, has now been placed at Roger Hurricane Wilson's MySpace page where the album 'Exodus' can be ordered. It is also available at CDmojo.
Radio
As 'Daffy Duck's Rhapsody' faded out, Bob Dylan introduced the next record on his Theme Time Radio Hour - Birds
Mel Blanc did a lot of voices - our next artist just did one - but it's a heck of a voice. Don Van Vliet was born in Glendale, California - he stopped performing in the 80s to focus on his painting. He's a really good painter but I wish he'd made more records. [tangent about the Corvids - crows and rooks etc] Here's a song that goes as straight as the crow flies - Captain Beefheart and Ice Cream for Crow.
Bob had previously played 'Click Clack' in his show More Trains
Text
Also at Culture Catch is Steve Holtje's extended Captain Beefheart Album Survey - begin here with Part One and follow the links to Part Two and Part Three.
"He is the great Beefheart. When the radio’s fast casket and mild rage hit all-time crumbling, the high-hat’s pollution and drums plunged like a hacksaw through an ice age."
For more of this recent blog entry, see Backwards Gavelling.
Medicine
The Idiot Bastard reported yesterday on the medical condition of Jimmy Carl Black, known to Don Van Vliet as Indian Ink.
I spoke with Jimmy Carl Black this evening (Thursday 28 August) following his operation last week to remove a tumour on his lung. He confirmed that, despite what he had been told (see our recent interview), the tumour WAS in fact cancerous. He sounded fairly chipper, but they say they can now only treat him with more chemotherapy. He comes out of hospital on Monday (1 September) and will soon start his treatment as an out patient. To help Jimmy pay his mounting medical bills, there's a special limited edition CD (Stick Man For Ever!) and some nifty apparel and other stuff available to buy here: http://www.cafepress.com/jimmycarlblack. Please do what you can to help the dear old Mother.
Thanks to Simon P for transcribing Dylan's Beefheart intro and to the various Fire Party members who continue to give heads-ups about all manner of interesting and curious Beefheart related items. If you come across anything which you think will fit in this space, please write in.
Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 6:20 PM - post a comment
