Don van Vliet - News Center 4, San Francisco Interview

[@vollsticks]

Bless him...he looked, like seventy years old when he was in his late forties...the guy really was ill. We will never see his like again.

[@johnarchluleta]

most underrated artist of our time.

[@andrewmoser5539]

"Protege of Frank Zappa" oooff!! I bet Don was pissed! Maybe even Frank, they were pretty consistent in insisting that they were equals (even during their rough periods).

[@Matty88K]

Yes. Associate of Frank Zappa, or friend would have been the appropriate term.

[@nicholasgardiner9601]

@@Matty88K Peer, member of the cohort, in the pantheon.

[@GordiansKnotHere]

You would be correct.

[@mikefelix6338]

Their relationship was beautiful and they pushed each other to musical greatness - Frank recording Trout Mask, in one take, was the peak of their creative artistry for me.

[@Circlemaker24]

Maybe it was a shot at him for being a pain in the ass to interview

[@broken1394]

I love his art, but then again everything Don ever did was Art. ♥️

[@Vor_Tex_Sun]

He had one of the best rythm and blues voices also and so much character and humor

[@klausrain111]

If we survive as a species that long, the world might catch up to The Captain in about 100 years.

[@Im9002glorious]

Seems like we're actually moving further and further away

[@vollsticks]

More like 1000!

[@ElimGarakSpoonHead]

🤣🤣I love everything about is the fact that they called it an interview and he only said two words had me rolling

[@soaringvulture]

Did he say any words? I couldn't understand anything he "said".

[@napomania]

That is makes me pretty sad. Because the captain was ill, I don't know if he could speak very well

[@101Volts]

Stay away from tobacco, y'all... Don was into cigarettes, like many of his generation. I'm not sure what kind, but they did a number on him. Him and hundreds of thousands of other people, from Warner Oland (lung cancer at the age of 58, in 1938) to Humphrey Bogart (throat cancer at the age of 58, 1957) to President Dwight Eisenhower (heart attack, 1950s [though I admit that his former frequent smoking might not have been the only factor]) to my uncle Eddie (died shoveling snow.)

[@shirleymental4189]

@@101Volts He had MS. People die, get over it.

[@MeatyCoon]

@@shirleymental4189 Tobacco does exacerbate MS a lot.

[@stevedotwood]

Fast 'n' Bulbous. Also a tinned teardrop!

[@tonyedwards4067]

now that's original..?

[@stevedotwood]

@@tonyedwards4067 No, it's a quote. I forgot the quotes

[@ronbailey5985]

music by the true genius of the sixties.

[@chuffpup]

Those paintings look really good. I never saw his artwork before and from what I see here, I bet they're worth a pretty penny now. Ironic and sad that creative people live in poverty and obscurity, only gaining real popularity in death. Legendary music and art.

[@jcjc5702]

About 50k$ each I think

[@tomp.6239]

Reminds me of great Dire Straits song "In the Gallery." Post mortem recognition, too late for the artist, has happened all through history. Van Gogh could tell you.

[@sledz9]

tv is such a shitty thing, the whole interview with him in the material about him is only one (out of context) sentence at 0:41; it's really ridiculous.

[@irplane]

+hospodyn Yeah, why would they interview him and only use a second of the clip?!

[@reimunddratwa9788]

+Mr.DC24 you can read more into the details of the actual interview here www.freewebs.com/teejo/argue/enigma.html

[@irplane]

I should've thought to check that site, thanks for the link.

[@aaron3349]

+hospodyn tv is the worst its all 6 second sound bytes

[@bjorntorske6576]

I was thinking maybe he didn't have more to say at that moment. I mean the expression in his art should suffice. And yeah, TV isn't the best medium to communicate the visions of such gifted people. Maybe bar the John Peel narrated documentary. Better get back to his records, rather.

[@rogerdodger5415]

I miss Captain Beefheart. There was only one ☝️ 🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸😎👍🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸

[@Raymantico]

I may be responsible for thisI taped it off broadcast TV and later sent a copy to a Beefheart-obsessed cat in NYC

[@LolLordy]

Neat, well here's a second-hand thanks for your archival!

[@Dan_Frechette_Songwriter]

One of my all time heroes.

[@bent2]

His MS illness is really showing in this clip. He struggles to talk clearly, and I also noticed the shaking. The last decade he lived he couldn't even talk and paint anymore.

[@Alix777.]

Really sad...

[@nicholasgardiner9601]

Exposure to Epstein-Barr virus may precede the incidental and consequential onset of MS. MS expresses sexual dimorphism that is more common in females than males. After initial onset there may be remission or a period of latency before the expression of the disease returns. You don't want any part of it the disease is progressive and degenerative. Similarly Parkinson's can be prematurely triggered by exposure to vile chemicals and nasty solvents. Lupus, fibromyalgia be glad you haven't got any of these yet. Time is limited, cleave to your own critical path. Choose non-trivial goals. Only in the United States are obviously hazardous chemicals presumed legally innocent even after they are known and shown demonstrably hazardous and deadly.

[@MrMusicbyMartin]

“Music for the eyes” is such a Van Vliet phrase

[@IfNedWereHere]

His paintings were totally music for the eyes. Most of his paintings look like if you splattered individual Trout Mask Replica pieces directly into a canvas.

[@goodtohaveinajam8148]

Still sell for seven or eight dollars! In 2022, a quick glance at ebay shows from 13.99 up to 149.99, 299.99 for a boxed set. Collectable. Still a hero! Revered as a creative genius, a Zappa collaborator.

[@presence5426]

Revered throughout the boneknob land.

[@birdy1numnum]

RUN PAINT RUN RUN! RUN PAINT, RUN RUN!

[@petersharp7644]

I have to say, knowing what we know now, the good Captain did not look well in that brief clip and appeared to be already exhibiting signs of the shakes. R.I.P. Still much missed.

[@rodhuy01]

yes Peter, and to think he lived 20 more yrs. the latter yrs must have been not too good for him i dont think. a true genius. one of the few only.

[@seanbrennan5192]

There was magic in him

[@matthewstokes1608]

The man was just fantastic - art was him

[@paulvandermaas6639]

An original. A one off.. fantastic.

[@boogieboxmusic4331]

Have you ever had a girl like that? Threatening to go down to New Orleans get herself lost and found... genius... love his paintings too..

[@beflygelt]

wow that was wonderfully horrible

[@carleneboulden4386]

what ??.

[@beflygelt]

Carlene Boulden this was a very, very bad report is what I mean.. TV sucks

[@carleneboulden4386]

+beflygelt yeah

[@ciaranward3559]

"A protege of Frank Zappa"

[@TheKitchenerLeslie]

I'm not a fan of that kind of art, but I've seen a few of his paintings I wouldn't mind owning.

[@napomania]

Music fot the eyes. Thanks Don

[@robertbeckerbecker1354]

FANS LOVE THE SOUNDS!

[@nelsonx5326]

His paintings look like his music. He is a most interesting person.

[@icecreamforcrowhurst]

0:35 ladies and gentlemen, the mullet

[@toddmcdonald5365]

Wow. 92 seconds to explain who is/was Don Van Vliet (with intro.) Such generous consideration by the News Director. How much time do you think he would have been given today -- if any.

[@petermaxwell2965]

never knew beefhart wasn't a huge fan, but i miss him.. poeple like him! were too mechanized or something now! take the time..

[@cosmicdrifter287]

the man speaks!

[@liberalmind8680]

A protege of Frank Zappa. U sure ?

[@rodhuy01]

Frank a protege of the good Capt @!!

[@stephaniebarron52]

Cross-pollination

[@scottlebrun6782]

Yeah right... what a dumbass

[@billbrooks6756]

Captain was before Zappa Safe as Milk is pure genius

[@vollsticks]

@@billbrooks6756 Well....Zappa put out like three or four records before Don released Safe As Milk....not that that means anything, I *like* SOME of Zappa's music but I *LOVE* all of Don's!

[@SaccidanandaSadasiva]

(that's right, The Mascara Snake, fast and bulbous!)

[@simiandream5571]

Captain!!!!

[@InfiniteRhombus]

rip captain beefheart, he got too good at the horn.

[@Audfile]

Where did you get such a clip? I mean that's really digging into the tapes there.

[@bob733333]

The moon was a stone's throw

[@alanasbury84]

What haaaaaappened? It's so hot

[@Alix777.]

The sun ain't stable

[@burmesecolourneedles4680]

The moon was a drip on a dark hood

[@billydeewilliams9104]

'Rocker turned artist'... No, he was always an artist.

[@c3p6]

He spoke for 2 seconds and I still literally have no idea what the fuck he said lmao

[@peggykelley1799]

It's the blimp frank, it's the mother ship.

[@QuangThichDuc]

Man 7 or 8 bucks for a beefheart album back then. Unheard of now.

[@DerpRulesAll]

Back before all the newbies knew who he was; definitely not a protégé of Zappa.

[@silasvelkner3253]

Compare this interview to the Letterman one from '82. A mere 6 years. He aged a lot.

[@lapsedarchive2633]

Compare Ice Cream For Crow to Safe As Milk. He looked like a very young man in Safe As Milk, like an old man in Ice Cream For Crow, and he was only 39 years old! This planet had to privilege of knowing Captain Beefheart far too briefly.

[@kookamunga2458]

The rapper word smiths of today can learn a lot from Captain Beefheart.

[@speeduser3597]

Mark E Smith is another great prosodic rapper.

[@thegreatreverendx]

Interviewer: What are your paintings about? Van Vliet: …things… Interviewer: What kinds of things? Van Vliet: …good…things…

[@imDezrt]

things.....good things

[@tuffgonggbUNCTION]

SOULJAH ROCKER

[@michaelholland5242]

It’s the captain Holsey67 🇬🇧

[@thomassummerhill6357]

I’d buy one , !

[@francispoivre8903]

Check the price first.

[@watchitnowison]

When it was safe in SF..

[@carltaylor4942]

A squid eating dough in a polyethylene bag is vast and bulbous.

[@hanawana]

Carl Taylor fast 💨 and bulbous 💡

[@Matty88K]

Fast and bulbous. Ah yes, the mascara snake, fast and bulbous. Also, a tin teardrop. That's right!

[@burmesecolourneedles4680]

@@Matty88K Bulbous also tapered!

[@jaypickett3552]

Soft like butter, hard not to pour Out enjoying the sun while sitting on a turned-on waffle iron Smoke billowing up from between her legs made me vomit beautifully

[@shoh1149]

Rip

[@stevefaure415]

This must have been one of his very last appearances on camera. He's in rough shape, you can tell.

[@geinikan1kan]

"He apparently want to say something about Man and Nature . . ." Wow. And to think he did that without barney google.

[@user-tl2qn1qi1g]

Zappa prodigy ? EFF off.

[@JohnPaulsonJohnisaStegosaurus]

this is tragic in so many ways. not anything to do with DVV but with the ignorance of this video and those like it.

[@brianfox340]

Why does Karl Sonkin look like he's being played by Owen Wilson?

[@rickfitzgerald4426]

Just because somebody stands out from the masses does not make them a genius.

[@danimaldann]

i will agree with that .., but don was a genius if there ever was one in my opinion

[@daveluck5717]

Lol ,, that was a slapdash piece of something ,,, hardly a glimpse. The music was interesting and had it's moments,, but i suspect Zappa had his number.

[@charmicarmicat2981]

Protege of Zappa huh? I resent that. I feel like Don was everything Zappa wanted to be but couldn’t reach himself. Not to say Zappa isn’t amazing but, Don took everything Zappa wanted to do and made it better

[@francispoivre8903]

He made it different, not better. You gotta love them both.

[@charmicarmicat2981]

@@francispoivre8903 I do love them both, for sure. I just think saying he was Frank Zappa’s protege is kind of bs

[@Matty88K]

Can't argue about musical tastes, but Frank Zappa's musical skills were light years beyond Van Vliet's. Frank composed sophisticated orchestral pieces, was a master of the electric guitar and had a well developed understanding of music theory. He was also a perfectionist. Captain Beefheart was much looser in his performances and musical compositions. That's one reason why their collaboration was so short lived. Frank wanted everything exact. He made his band rehearse 8 hours a day for 2-3 months before a tour. Don couldn't be bothered.

[@originalmusician1098]

@@Matty88K Two different sides of the brain. IMO, Zappa came more from the left side (logic), and Don came more from the right side (creativity). With both, their art was a marriage of both sides of the brain. It's just that they had a different balance from each other. Don was far more weighted to the right and spent the majority of his life over there.

[@jimmypsychonaut9530]

:-)

[@amandalively1]

I can't call it... He seemed to play music like a painter... Didn't really get it... But I can respect it...

[@jb5565]

Pseudo Intellectualism?

[@jimsonbrown9768]

I still don't get he's music. I tried. I'm just not sofisticated enough.

[@mikemars2112]

Give Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) a listen.

[@Mrariesdave]

Safe as Milk album is genius!

[@soaringvulture]

Stop trying. Just get it.

[@jonathansutcliffe3401]

donv an being hassled in the desert by weirdry...????

[@goldenagenut]

I've got several of his old lps, love his music but not impressed with the paintings. Abstract art is a crapshoot from the start but i don't really see any notable technique or imagery there, art is subjective however so. .

[@michaelfuria4257]

The Charles Manson of experimental music

[@matthewstokes1608]

Michael Furia no, Manson was a disgusting, dark, evil little squirt - Beefheart was all about the happy and uplifting - there is NO comparison whatsoever

[@alcoholya]

@@matthewstokes1608 watch some of the interviews with Drumbo and Harkleroad(Zoot Horn Rollo).. The good captain had a nasty side apparently. Of course, he wasn't a racist murderer like Manson.

[@sic82]

In Drumbo's book, he said that he and Don met Charles Manson at a love in and they both thought he was fucked in the head

[@curleyteeth]

I thought he was a man but he turned out to be a muffin.Jim.Liverpool.