Tom Waits, Beck, Pixies and Nirvana to name just a few musical entities influenced by the idiosyncratic whiskers of Don Van Vliet aka Captain Beefheart. Captain Beefheart, avant garde musician and visual artist passed away aged 69 in the snowy appetite of December 17th 2010. Trout Mask Replica will long be considered his masterpiece, it was the first Beefcake I got. I remember lending a copy to my friend who came back to me the next day in English class smiling and proclaiming it to be possessed by a mad genius. At the time this boy wanted to be a nuclear physicist, after this album he wanted to be a brain surgeon.
We both went through the liner notes, the insane lyrics and madcap images, inspired by this glittering star among the concrete mentality of our school surroundings, we started to act more independently, more self assured in our lizard skins using our imaginations as a violent and beautiful paintbrush for our actions. People thought we were on drugs, we were not, we had seen the light, the pink salmon beacon, the power of music and personality instilled in such a marvellous way by the Captain. We salute you here at MRHP Captain Beefheart, may you rest in peace and break out as a zombie if the chance comes, may our brain surgeon friend find a way to resuscitate your imagination from the gratuitous grave!
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