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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Marshall Needleman Armintor Sent: Wednesday, March 29, 2000 3:42 AM First off, I’m very glad that you’re getting the chance to expand on your excellent Grow Fins material. Thanks you, Marshall, for the compliment on the Grow Fins set booklet. I actually received a postcard from the people at Revenant last year saying the liner notes were being “considered” for nomination for a Grammy! In the liner notes to his small-group album Locus Solus, John Zorn says something like, “WhenRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Monique / Michael Cohen Sent: Monday, February 21, 2000 3:47 PM I am very excited about this book! I’ve reread the Zoot Horn Rollo book at least 3 times! I’m sure the book will address things that I’m already interested in like Beefheart’s relationship with Zappa (and also how Zappa interacted with Magic Band members), I don’t know who to address my answers to Monique or Michael, because there’s two names here. Beefheart’s relationship with Zappa was an always-changing love-hateRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Steven Vacca Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 12:41 AM Has anyone ever talked in-depth with Beefheart’s old girlfriend, Laurie, to get her perspective on the Don Vliet that she knew during the ’60s and the Trout period? That would be one very different perspective apart from the band, the music industry insiders, the fans, etc. She obviously saw the raw Beefheart in private and in public, and must know the truth about the guy. If interviews are conducted to obtainRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Wingnut Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2000 4:30 PM Are train hopping references drawn from Mr. Van Vleit’s or another band members personal experience? When Van Vliet’s family moved him to Mojave, he was about 13. Mojave is one side of the road, and the railroad tracks are on the other. Their only company was a few shacks, some cattle loadings pens and ramps, and a couple of hobo camps. Don claimed that as a young adolescent, he used to goRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Michael H Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2000 2:04 PM Another topic might be what Don and the other band members thought of various other artists. We know about Herb Alpert from the Grow Fins set. Thanks, Michael, for your questions. Don’s opinions of other artists seem to radically change throughout the years, as the interviews I have read by him show. There was a time when he practically worshipped Eric Dolphy. Then, in a later interview in the early 80’s,Read More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Jarkko Nevalainen Sent: 20 January 2000 08:29 I’d like to know more about Jeff Moris Tepper. I’d also like to know what ex-members of the band are doing nowadays. The Grow Fins book was great. I have not actually contacted Jeff for some time. He is quite busy with his paintings and music. I know him as Jeff since I met him in December of 1974. I was helping the Van Vliet’s move back to Southern California from Northern CaliforniaRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: John Wilby Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2000 12:36 PM How happy were/are you with the Drumbo nickname? My first thought was that I would be called “Dumbo” and people would make fun of me. Then, I thought, “Who cares?” I think it’s a great name. Zoot used to call me “Drumhead.” I think it is a memorable name and I hope I distinguished it somehow as being associated with competence. What did the other members think of theirs? I thinkRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Hans Van Hulst Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 8:36 PM The fact that you are writing a book is great news. If I could have my way, the book would concentrate heavily on the making of Trout Mask Replica. TMR is the real mystery in the career of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band. I mean, given TMR, most of the subsequent albums make sense; but none of the music before TMR even hinted at Trout Mask Replica. The secretRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Matt Janovic Sent: Sunday, January 16, 2000 2:28 AM Hiya, how about more in-depth coverage of Don’s meetings with Ornette Coleman, and his relationship with Frank Zappa? Thank you! Thanks Matt, Coleman is a mystery to me. I wasn’t there, nor was I really interested in meeting him. If it would have been Coltrane, I would have camped out on his door, but I never cared that much for Coleman. Bill’s book gives the most information any band member wouldRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Dan Mellamphy Sent: Friday, January 14, 2000 2:13 PM A little light shed on the mystery of “The Mysterious N. Senada” would be interesting. Perhaps in a section on Early Collaboration Work or in one that could be devoted to the wonderful monster that is called the Mythological or Fabulistic impulse (the inevitable generation of myth and fable that eventually surrounds such figures as B). Something else that might be interesting could be called the “Avatar” effect: for instance, theRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Steven Cerio Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 12:48 PM Hi John love your work, here are a few possible questions for your book. With Don being an untrained musician, I would imagine his piano parts would suffice for melodic guidelines but how did he impart his rhythmic ideas to you? By singing, or actually playing the drums. Sometimes he would stomp on the floor or pat his legs. His rhythmic parts on piano were written as played. I just wroteRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Robert Carey Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 3:23 AM Sorry this is so long. But here goes. Most of the stuff I have read about the Trout Mask era band (e.g. your notes to the Grow Fins collection and Bill Harkleroad’s Lunar Notes) talk mostly about how hard it was to live and work with Don. That is interesting, but I think readers would also like to know more about the day to day life in the Trout Mask house.Read More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Pierre Antaya Sent: Monday, January 17, 2000 3:32 PM I hope you and your family are doing well. My name is Pierre Antaya and I have been a CB&TMB fan for some thirty years. So much so that I am planning a Web site. The site will focus on the Beefheart alumni and entourage. If all goes well, it will go online sometime before the winter of 2001 and will be in three languages (French, German & English). Below areRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: The Artist Who May Become Known As John Ellis Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2000 3:21 PM We talked several years ago on the phone, which I enjoyed. Good luck with the book. I’ve noticed the song lyrics when published as poetry sometimes include different or extra lines, wondered if they were rewritten by Don or was this the form they were originally composed before they were altered to fit music? Van Vliet seldom had a set pattern for anything. IRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Basil Storey Sent: Saturday, January 15, 2000 7:47 PM When the Trout Mask Replica music was played on stage, did the fans dance? Hardly ever. It seems like most folks would sit down and observe, but I’d be busting the damn bloody insanest body contortions. Were there any fans that made a particular impression on you? I rarely interacted with fans on tours. We were usually whisked in and out and seldom were able to actually talk with fans afterRead More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Bruno Ghezzi Sent: Thursday, January 13, 2000 4:48 PM Hi Drumbo, I think that “Dachau Blues” is the only cut Don plays bass clarinet on; in fact, it is a twin bass clarinet workout in which both Don and Mascara Snake play bass clarinet. There is no other cut on Trout Mask Replica in which Don plays b.c. My question is: Is this true? Bruno, This is a tough one for me to answer as I wasn’t at the session.Read More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Bob Jennings Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2000 1:11 PM I am especially interested in the design and manufacture of that “conga’ drum set Drumbo played at the Warehouse in New Orleans in 1971, but I am also interested in any of the equipment aspects of the Magic Band. Gear issues are always left out of biographies, but it would be cool to know what kind of guitars the Magic Band played in their Post-Szabo Archtop Period. Bob, Post-Szabo Archtop Period???Read More →

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In early / mid 2000 John French called on Radar Station visitors for some help writing his book, Beefheart: Through The Eyes Of Magic… From: Cisco Garcia Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 3:59 AM How abusive was Don? I’ve read reports that claim he was very nice, and I’ve read reports that said he was an overbearing, abusive taskmaster. Please set the record straight. Cisco, I suppose that he was both. When I worked with him, he was for the most part an abusive taskmaster. The later Magic Band members, especially Eric Drew Feldman, have a completely different vision of Don. I believe the differenceRead More →

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From: Duncan Lockerbie Sent: Sunday, January 09, 2000 10:59 PM Just how into drugs was Don? Was he really psychic? Duncan, Short questions with answers far too big for here, this will all be covered in the book. In the early days, Don was into “grass” a lot. He also experimented with LSD a lot and had a lot of associated mental problems when I joined the band directly related to his abuse of this chemical substance. Don had a lot to do with me getting involved and actually “indoctrinated” me to marijuana almost immediately upon my inclusion to the band at age 18. DuringRead More →

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From: Robert Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2000 6:16 AM John – do you guys now or then feel any kind of sense of lost opportunity playing in rock music? what I’m kind of saying is that the jazz players that played with the old greats like Parker and especially Miles Davis all went on to bigger and better things once they left/fired. I always thought there just didn’t seem to be anywhere else to go for the magic band members, since you guys were further out than the fusion music of Weather Report / Return To Forever/ Mahavishnu Orchestra / etc. Robert, This is oneRead More →