Don Van Vliet drawings

Some of Don Van Vliet's drawings are now on show at Michael Werner Gallery in New York until October 25. An exhibition there, called Series Drawings, juxtaposes historic and contemporary works on paper by artists including Georg Baselitz, Joseph Beuys, Marcel Broodthaers, Aaron Curry, André Derain, Peter Doig, Jean Fautrier, Jörg Immendorff, Per Kirkeby, Markus Lüpertz, Henri Michaux, A.R. Penck, Francis Picabia, Sigmar Polke, Eugen Schönebeck, Louis Soutter and Don Van Vliet.

Michael Werner, 4 East 77th Street, New York, NY 10075 Tel: +1 212 988 1623 Fax: +1 212 988 1774 info@michaelwerner.com


Jimmy Carl Black Benefit Concerts

A benefit concert for former Mother of Invention and Magic Band member Jimmy Carl Black has been arranged for November 9 at Bridge House in London. Jimmy recently underwent an operation for lung cancer in Germany and the proceeds from this event will go towards his expenses. Among those appearing will be Zappa and Beefheart cover band The Muffin Men and Zappacademic writer Ben Watson. Tickets cost £20.

The Muffin Men are contributing to several other JCB benefit gigs. The first of these is Stockport For Jimmy - Indian Aid on Sunday October 26, 4-8pm, Bakers Vaults, on the Market in Stockport. Like A Concert For Jimmy, this gig was approved and sanctioned by Jimmy personally. Tickets are £10, limited to 100. Contact arnie.furniss@hotmail.co.uk
More information from The Idiot Bastard (who also lists Jimmy Carl Black CDs for sale)


Another John French sample

Proper Records have posted another sample from John French's forthcoming album, City of Refuge. They also tell me that Drumbo will be blogging on MySpace in the near future to let everyone know about the album, the new band and possibly the first part of his book.


January release for new Fast 'N' Bulbous album

Waxed Oop, a new Fast 'N' Bulbous album, is due out on the Cuneiform label in mid January 2009. The Fast 'N' Bulbous MySpace page is currently playing a cut from the album, a jaunty toe-tapper of a Woe Is Uh Me Bop.

Meanwhile, over at YouTube, Seam Crooked Sam has posted some video of Fast 'N' Bulbous in action at The Knit earlier this year when they previewed some more of their new arrangements of Don Van Vliet compositions.

Gary Lucas, incidentally, tells me that there is a new Gods and Monsters MySpace page with rough mixes of new tracks from a studio album in progress.


Wanna buy a Grunt with a third party check?


Some time ago Barry's Imaginary Publisher produced a poster to be used as a prop in the documentary film, Freak Out in Cugamonga. There is a short illustrated article about the making of the poster, Captain Beefheart vs. The Grunt People, at moonbug.org.

Copies of the poster are now available from Cafe Press, priced at $19.99.




Captain Beefheart as Play Station soundtrack?

A review at IGN.com of a new HD version of WipEout, a Play Station game, contains some tantalising information about the custom soundtrack, "which is a cinch to port over, though from our experience Captain Beefheart doesn't make the best accompaniment to the world of anti-G racing and homing missiles."


Jamie Cohen

Jamie Cohen, a popular music industry mover and shaker, artist, performer and poet suffered a heart attack and died on September 11. He was 55.

As a student at Syracuse University in 1975 Jamie encountered Don Van Vliet at a press conference given by Frank Zappa to promote the Bongo Fury tour. Jamie's verbal exchange with Don can be heard at Gary Lucas' website.

Jamie's interest in the work of Don Van Vliet continued throughout his life. At his MySpace page Jamie wrote, "Don and I have a very bizarre relationship going back to the mid 70's, But that my friends is another story."

Jamie's reading of the Don Van Vliet poem Hollow Smoke was one of the highlights of Beefheart Night at the Knit in April. According to his partner Donna Love, Jamie was quite proud of his reading, and also proud that his reading made Dusty Wright's cut for the vidcast at Culture Catch.

A biography of Jamie appears at Charles Blass's blog and an obituary can be read at The Sante Fe Reporter

Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 9:37 AM  - 3 comments - post a comment

John 'Drumbo' French's new album City of Refuge is scheduled to be released on November 10th. At Proper Records website you can now hear short clips from the tracks, 'Bogeyman', 'Abandon' and 'Whose Side Ya On'. As we've previously mentioned, you can also hear some of the track 'Get So Mean' at John French's MySpace page.

Last night's broadcast of Don Van Vliet's 1993 interview with Co de Kloet, with musical accompaniment recorded in 2008 by Gary Lucas, can be heard until 10th September at the Dutch radio station NPS website. The programme is two hours long. Tom Waits, says Don, ".. had the nerve to think he could sing like me."

Posted by derek@beefheart.com at 6:41 PM  - 10 comments - post a comment