Probably the closest Captain Beefheart will ever come to becoming a household name was when Stephen King named a cat in the book Christine after the iconoclastic singer and painter.
For, despite appearances on Saturday Night Live and Letterman, Beefheart (born Donald Glen Vliet) was always considered too strange for radio.
In spite of this lack of mainstream success, Beefheart continues to draw in new listeners looking to expand their musical vocabulary. Released in 1969 by Frank Zappa, Beefheart’s double-album, Trout Mask Replica, still sounds as fresh, timeless and surprising as it would have at the time its mix of free jazz, blues and rock, overlaid by Beefheart’s surrealist lyrics, isn’t an easy listen, but it continues to reward audiences four decades later.
Enigmatic to the end, after releasing Ice Cream Crow in 1982 Beefheart all but abandoned music to concentrate on painting and, as the Multiple Sclerosis that eventually took his life worsened, he dropped out of the public eye completely.
Even without new material, Beefheart continues to be an influence to musicians young and old. Upon hearing of his death, opera singer-turned-rock star Zola Jesus sent this to her fans on Twitter:
“Gave my brother my old, worn down copy of ‘Trout Mask Replica’ before I moved as a thank you to introducing me to his music when I was far too young. Nothing he did was a mistake, there were no accidents in his music. Only sheer invention, passion… dear god, why does the world keep losing such important people? Who will fill their shoes? My heart is heavy for you, Don Van Vliet!”
