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.”