Welcome to my very favourite item here at the Radar Station. It’s a streaming audio interview broadcast on the John Peel show on the 24th April 1973.
Fourteen minutes long, it is less of an interview than a friendly chat. John Peel states at the beginning that he is notoriously bad at interviewing people, but this is one of the best interview I have ever heard with the Captain and really captures his sense of fun.
This tape was sent to me by Peter Cooney, many thanks indeed.
‘Replica’ was the second album I bought new circa 1970. Someone had stolen the sleeve so the music was very cheap. Never forgotten and I have prosletyised for 50 years. Saw the band live in Glasgow circa 1973 and they were great. My comment is really to bring to notice that IIRC ( long time has passed ) there was a BBC Radio 3 interview of Van Vliet and it contained a memorable encapsulation of Don’s wit. R3 had a very intellectual slant in the long past and the approach of the interviewer was pseudo-serious. He lit upon a Trout Mask piece ( the one that sounds like a piano falling downstairs ) and remarked with what sounded like a barely suppressed smirk…
‘How long did that piece take you to compose?’
Don replied…
’45 minutes’
Interviewer chokingly…
‘Why did it take so long ?’
Don…
‘I didn’t know how to play the piano before I started…’
Cue listener descending into helpless and oft-recalled laughter.
Is this interview on the radar? My recall of it is unlikely to be exact but I still laugh at the thought of this great character.