We’re continually updating the Radar Station – a snippet of news here, a new cover version there – but we don’t list everything we’ve added. However, I thought it would worth letting you know about some major additions to the site:-

1. Captain Beefheart on film
A new section listing dvds and videos that are available plus a list of all the known footage of Don and the Magic Band. At the moment each piece of footage has a some text and an image from the film, but my intention is to add more detail for each entry as and when time permits.

See what's on film - www.beefheart.com/datharp/dvd/index.html

2. Magic Band live in Oxford 2005
A batch of photos and a review of one of the reunion Magic Band’s shows from their UK tour of last year. Andy Swapp kindly sent these along several months ago but I’ve only recently managed to get these pages sorted.
Take a look at Andy’d photos - www.beefheart.com/datharp/reunion/pics/swapp/index.html
Take a look at other reunion shows and info -
www.beefheart.com/datharp/reunion/pics/index.html

3. Scratch of Light art index added to
Our unrivalled gallery of Van Vliet art is now even bigger. I’ve just added another 20 or so of Don’s paintings to our collection. These include the rare ‘early-ish’ Saint Dog from 1976 to The Drazy Hoops #1 from 1997, the wonderfully named God’s Empty Socks (1994), and the original painting of Ed Marimba that appeared on the cover of Spotlight Kid. Others include:-

China Pig
The Corn Thief
Evening Bell
Goat Head
Light Rubber Mountains in the Distance Stretched
Lycanthrope’s Pig
The Navy Blue Vicar
Nudes with Boas Tricks
One Step From The Jungle
Red Shell Bats
See Through Dog with Wheat Stack Skirt

plus a bunch of ‘untitled’ pieces.

When I get time there are another 20 paintings still to add.

Visit the Gallery - www.beefheart.com/runpaint/picindex.htm

Posted by Steve Froy at 1:37 PM  - 2 comments - post a comment

The internet radio station, A3Radio, broadcasting from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is currently hosting a Captain Beefheart Anthology on Saturdays and Sundays at 22.00 local time. Chris Fici is the presenter.

At the Australian public national radio station Triple J there is an archive of various fascinating Beefheart related audio clips which were used in a programme broadcast in January 2001. Interviews with Bill Harkleroad, Ry Cooder and Mike Barnes are among the goodies on offer.

The Dutch station Concertzender has archived an hour long programme of Captain Beefheart music which was first broadcast on May 8th this year.

Three tracks from Fast 'n' Bulbous: the Captain Beefheart Project’s album are followed by five from the Mama Kangaroos: Philly Women Sing Captain Beefheart CD. Four Beefheart songs from the theatre project ‘Selling Hoovers in Mojave’ with the Rosa Ensemble and actor Hans Dagelet are sung in Dutch and are well worth wondering over. A couple of Henry Kaiser's Beefheart renditions complete the show.

Thanks to Chris Fici, Chris Burrows and Rob van der Kroef for sending information about these broadcasts.

Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 7:20 PM  - 1 comments - post a comment

Ozit have released another Beefheart 2CD set. This time it's a recording of the last live show ever played by Don and the band - the 31st January 1981 show at the Golden Bear.

As usual with Ozit an opportunity has been missed.

Find more info in our bootleg section here - http://www.beefheart.com/datharp/albums/boots/captainslast.htm

Posted by Steve Froy at 3:36 PM  - 5 comments - post a comment

The Magic Band have been invited to broadcast live on Swedish TV4's morning show on Tuesday 16th May. John French will be interviewed and the band will play two Captain Beefheart numbers. These will be made available on the net at TV4's website shortly after the broadcast. The performance should be available there for several months.

This TV appearance completes the schedule for the sadly curtailed Magic Band tour. The Danish concert was cancelled today while the Norwegian concert was cancelled about three weeks ago.

Update: Tuesday 16th May

The clips of The Magic Band live on Swedish television this morning are now archived at TV4's website. First up was 'Steal Softly Thru Snow' . An interview with John French and Mark Boston followed. Finally 'Circumstances' closed the programme. Click on the links to see and hear the clips.

Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 1:56 PM  - 7 comments - post a comment

Danish author, film-maker and cultural commentator Lars Movin telephoned Don Van Vliet for a chat about his work with music and painting. An edited transcript of their conversation later appeared in a short-lived Danish magazine. It is this interview which is the source of Don’s much quoted line, “It makes me itch to think of myself as Captain Beefheart. I don’t even have a boat.”

‘I don’t even have a boat – Calling the Captain, 30.1.91’, a video notebook by Lars Movin, is to be premiered at the Cinematheque at The Danish Film Institute in Copenhagen on May 23rd. Filming took place in summer 2005 at the location which Don Van Vliet describes in the interview.

Two more films will be presented that evening in a programme called Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band. Elaine Shepherd’s documentary about The Magic Band reunion, ‘Crow’s Milk’, is the main feature and Anton Corbijn’s short film about Don Van Vliet, ‘Some Yo Yo Stuff’ will also be shown. Lars Movin will introduce the evening with a talk.

At its website The Danish Film Institute explains that in showing these three films they are paying tribute to The Magic Band who will be touring in Scandinavia in May and also to Captain Beefheart himself.

I’ve already been lucky enough to see a preview of Lars Movin’s fifteen and a half minute film, albeit only on a domestic television screen. Without giving anything about it away I’d recommend anyone who is interested to attend the showing on May 23rd. Lars wrote to me, “it might only be shown that one night at the Cinematheque.”

Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 7:38 AM  - 0 comments - post a comment