Ode to the Captain by Nigel Sutcliffe

Many thanks to Simon for sending his friend’s poetic tribute along.

you fucked with language like no

fucker had done before
you turned a three minute noise
into a ribcage and tuned
the bones to different
scales with a genius lifted tuning fork
the greatest composer of the 21st
century not bad for a man
whose greatest work was done in
Trout Mask Replica
but a replica of what if anything?

the river fishes swim on land
and kill all the humans
and i fail to notice.

i am crucified above an altar
of dead desert reptiles
a church in the shape of
your moustached face.

you attacked notes with lunacy
and melody with hallucinogenic creativity
your lyrics were so ugly
i almost saw the blood poisoning
my hi-fi and the CD cover bursting
with malicious intent.
a groove to kill with the deadmans voodoo
spell, a doll pinned in the breast plate.
Mojaveblues scratched with
Vocal chords against audio blackboards.

– Nigel Sutcliffe

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