Captain Beefheart - John Peel Interview (April 24th, 1973)

Captain Beefheart interviewed (or rather just having a casual conversation with him) by John Peel on April 24th, 1973. Picture is of Don and John in 1968 during a Peel session.

[@MrTimBranston]

I was roady for Don and the band in 1968. He said he really liked my brown corduroy shoes! I've never been the same since.

[@Jiv_Ing57819]

Man I remember the first time I heard trout mask replica, and now it's never the same. : )

[@mazesco]

Brown shoes can make it.

[@andrewhillis2269]

You knew & worked for the captain, you are a very fortunate man! If I could get in a time machine & visit the captain I would!!!

[@stuntmusicgameshow311]

Now, i can never be the same.

[@vicente8705]

Big Black Baby Shoes

[@Genjo_N_Mojave]

I first met Don in '75 when Zappa, his wife, and Don pulled into a steakhouse in Frank's Rolls Royce Silver Shadow, where I cooked at. Frank ordered Spencer's steak blood rare 10 seconds on each side, then he stood over looking me and counted the seconds off. I was so nervous it was all I could do to count to 10. A few years later, I met Don when he came into the Denny's in lancaster, CA., and I was then working at. He came in at 3 in the morning after the bars closed. He was carrying an artist sketch pad, and he was drawing in it with a magic marker. He ordered a cheeseburger, and a few minutes later, he threw it at my head when my back was to him. It hit the wall a foot from me, the busted out laughing because, after all, it was the drunken bar crowd. I turned around, and Don was laughing his ass off too, and no one else had seen it. I went out and met him, had a long conversation with him, and quite a story to go with it. We became friends from that point on, and I often gave him rides to and from his mother's trailer and would hit up numerous bars. He blew my mind when he always insisted on going to the local Disco. But it was only live music in town. from 78 to 81, I spent a long time drinking a lot of booze with Don. He was quite eccentric and not very talkative. When he came into Denny's, the waitresses were afraid to death of him due to his deep gruff voice. He hated it when waitresses would interrupt him to ask him if he'd like more coffee when he was drawing. The waitresses used to pay me to go take his order, cook his dinner or breakfast, and then wait on them and fill his cup of coffee without ever saying anything to him. When he wanted to talk, he made it quite clear that I spent countless hours with him for a couple of years. I always comped his meals. He was a beautiful one of a kind genius of a guy.

[@presence5426]

Did he tip?

[@presence5426]

Oh, and what did he like to drink?

[@ricdavid7476]

cool story man

[@rockettebob]

i believe you are a very lucky fellow. i washed dishes for a few famous people. cooked for a few too... cocktails with Don would be a great tip..... THANK YOU !!!...rockettebob in reno

[@hope_canyon]

Far out. Thanks for sharing

[@georgeorwell100]

Don't think I'll ever stop missing John Peel.

[@_Ramen-Vac_]

+Tim Warner brought the very finest out of artists

[@andrewhillis2269]

John Peel was the best music teacher I ever had!!!

[@cinematicpassages8884]

Don't think i'll ever stop missing Captain Beefheart

[@gilldanier4129]

You could always rely on something special to come through the radio.

[@erikl1003]

"I'm absolutely normal." I could fall asleep listening to the Captain talk.

[@juankgonzalez6230]

What a lovely interview. Hearing the Captain play around clueless interviewers and making them uncomfortable will always be funny, but it's so nice when he's actually confortable and can talk with someone who "gets it"

[@brandonmoran6055]

I got to know Don after he moved to Nor Cal. We became friends as he liked to spend hours at Saunders Mkt. in Trinidad,Ca. (My first job!)

[@vicente8705]

I’d love to hear more about your experiences with the man

[@tuskedbeast]

Second Vicente. Anything you want to share here, please do.

[@perkyporkpie]

I always thought there was a deeply relaxing quality to his speaking voice

[@-danR]

He did a local radio interview here--around '69--one late morning and had more or less just gotten out of bed. This voice you hear in the above is about the _highest_ average pitch of that interview. Lordy, the guy would drop down yet another octave (the interviewer noted this, btw), and it sounded like a Harley-Davidson idling.

[@rochfordsnrubbs6855]

I love this, a very sweet interview between two people with clearly a lot of affection for each other. John Peel and Don Van Vliet in Kidderminster. It's wonderful to think of

[@afrawcon9528]

Someone needs to turn this into a film script

[@ranabirgahir462]

Right On

[@jonweeks9531]

Two peaceful talented good humans that have given a lot to others by doing what they love most, gone but not forgotten as has been mentioned by many ✊🏻

[@alanrogs3990]

No human is good.

[@vollsticks]

And this is the same man who said in one interview "I've only read one book in my life"! Lol, Don, you were such a japester. That's why we love you. RIP The Captain, RIP John Peel F

[@cinematicpassages8884]

I miss Don...

[@vinto34]

Great interview with the captain and peel. Two legends no longer here...RIP.

[@TJWhite-pl6gt]

I could listen to John Peel talk for hours. Very soothing voice. Captain Beefheart, of course, is awesome as always. :)

[@catrincribb1628]

what an amazing intervewer (and nice chap ) John Peel was .

[@dlanodrelda]

For a guy who has been described as not being a 'musician', he sure was a great harp player.

[@NickSBailey]

This is brilliant, Peel got to the real Captain Beefheart such a stark difference to most interviews, you can see the joking around is just him being uncomfortable and out of place but not here at all.

[@sofalugger]

Saw him at Notts Uni, Blew everyone away . . Saw Magic Band 40+ years later!! Brilliant. .

[@user-en9zo2ol4z]

Very nice to hear the Captain. I miss him, and his friend FZ. Each time they played together they gave birth to a toothless unicorn.

[@davidkotze4140]

An absolute legend !! And Frankie too....as a 71year old I've been blessed by the likes3 of the Captain !! ❤

[@zappasmoustache23]

Can you imagine if these two had a podcast? So nice to hear John having a giggle.

[@JohnnyTheExFish]

'... Monday the 30th, Nottingham...' I was there! One of the best gigs I ever saw.

[@MeAndTheBoys_]

Hmmm...something tells me Don was also quite the FUCKING AWESOME HARMONICA PLAYER as well. How this world would need an artist like this right now. Well at least i was alive in a time when artists like this existed,i look at the positive side :)

[@markobarrows4304]

This is an awesome time machine for me; I was 13 then. Long live the memory of Don and John, both great in so many ways. Thank you Idiotska!

[@markobarrows4304]

+Marko Barrows 55 novels. 20 songs in one day. Hah Brilliant! Don had a droll yet kind sense of humor. Huge love and deepest respect.

[@Caligari...]

Don was a great blues harp player .

[@davidwalker5054]

Love him or hate him the music industry needs people like the captain. To shake them out of their complacency

[@beekay5914]

He plays a mean harmonica on Quaaludes!

[@andywjackson1135]

Fabulously liked 🤸🎶🍀 thanking you so much for sharing,🍀🎶🍀

[@michaelodonovan7405]

'Be kind man, don't be mankind'

[@gedrooney9305]

What a great time that must have been for music, I was born 6 1/2 years later.. many thanks for the up load.

[@SteveDavies01]

Love this, thanks for uploading.

[@NatSatFat]

And he has been to Kidderminster, awsome, that is the best place!

[@med-e-cin-mick3078]

Wow the Whistle

[@scott7521]

Two legends

[@ronwood7029]

The most talented man and group very underestimated

[@nice_jangly3048]

The Captain" of all ships"..

[@yvamarquer]

"Be kind man... don't be man-kind"

[@danandersen813]

Be in a hood-womanhood!

[@danandersen813]

Fuckin long for the bitches.fuckin loath and hate 👯 !!!

[@danandersen813]

Dudes,fun is what its all about.and thats why i feel so sorry for the good people,that gets cancelled from all the fun,that the mental cases,the doctors and nurses rape and dope out from all the natural weird stuff that is in the brain,called dopamin.without it,„you might as well,die...

[@markpx]

Let's get those novels published!

[@nevillegriffiths4395]

People feel that playing stuff that’s complicated is better than playing stuff that’s good.

[@Evajeanfreedom]

Great interview, very relaxed and insightful 😎

[@manonthestreet1703]

The thought of the Captain roaming around wolverhampton (home town) is just so bizarre to me

[@darkheartlightsoul]

A nice bloke

[@kanacubana827]

BE KIND MAN, DON'T BE MANKIND

[@damiensuil2183]

magic!

[@joenicholls461]

Would love to own one of The Captain’s scrapbooks. Awesome stuff two visionaries in the same room

[@MrWildcountry]

I still have 60 cm (broad) LPs made by him(included outtakes n bootlegs) and his band, FROM Dag

[@railwaystationmaster]

Classic interview .

[@paranoidpjk]

Book a night; Book a night club; night club; book club; booking a night club

[@andrewhillis2269]

WOW I didn't know that this recording existed!!!

[@Juan-wo7zu]

don van vliet may not have been a good guy but I think he was a genius, not only in music

[@douglasanderson8636]

Jungle Jim theatrics..brilliant!

[@periurban]

20 songs a day and a novel at night. Aye right! Ask Drumbo how that worked. Man was still a genius.

[@paleskinnybones]

0:10 already amazing

[@krisscanlon4051]

It will change your life when you start to speak like and or imitate captain beef heart AKA Don... it kind of creeps up on you

[@Setherian]

My favorite lier!

[@presence5426]

Sparkling glitter hoists.

[@pariaheep]

✨✨✨

[@gregdahlen4375]

first time i've heard john peel he sounds like george harrison

[@MegadethBetterThanMetallicope]

Who's john peel he sounds like george harrison? Never heard of him.

[@anima6035]

@@MegadethBetterThanMetallicope i see you're the music police as well as a grammar nazi.. You industrious little bee you

[@mattfacchino3999]

nice interview.

[@tuffgonggbUNCTION]

SOULJAHZ ROCKERZ

[@zorbanongreco]

what a (double) delight 🙃😝😀 thanks idiotska

[@harleybretta7269]

Nice guys.

[@dreamwell2020]

OK - where are all those notebooks?

[@37Dionysos]

Gone booglarize ya

[@huhwha8523]

"I roast brown sugar marshmallows."

[@Jiv_Ing57819]

Whew, sure is sweet : )

[@Jiv_Ing57819]

God next time I be having a fire captain beefheart will be next to me and we'll be roasting brown sugar marshmallows. : )

[@pariaheep]

😆😆😆

[@sagerats9794]

Harmonica boogie at 3:10

[@NatSatFat]

Brown sugar marshmallows! NICE, He is so very normal!

[@pariaheep]

😆😆😆

[@alexfletcher5192]

Beefheart is a problem and he rolled over Peel very easily. It does not mean he was not a major talent, but it took the rigours of the music business for him to appreciate where he was within that industry.

[@pandalilpig]

let's have your noise first

[@SaccidanandaSadasiva]

🕉

[@multiplepersonalities2304]

Are you Ed Marimba?

[@romeosyne]

"I'm far-out enough to be attracted to the opposite sex."

[@ranabirgahir462]

Hot Ratz Winni

[@howlinthewilderness]

The last track Peel plays for the Cap'n. Dig that guitar player! The Big Three - You've Gotta Keep Her Under Hand - 1964 kzbin.info/www/bejne/mKS8qnVphbd3fMU

[@catified2081]

Captain Beefheart...... when 60's cult dealer meets rock musician.

[@petermaxwell2965]

hobo chang-bar...

[@cinematicpassages8884]

😎