Before you send me a question, please have a quick look through this short list to see if you can find the answer. If you just want to say hello, then please do go ahead and mail me.

• What is Don Van Vliet up to now?
• Where can I contact him?
• Is Don ill?
• Where can I get a copy of Lick My Decals Off Baby?
• Where can I buy other Beefheart albums?
• How can I get to see the BBC documentary The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart?
• Are you Don Van Vliet?
• Is this Don's own official web site?
• How do you pronounce 'Vliet'?
• Where can I get hold of a particular bootleg / live show?
• Where can I buy Don's paintings or prints?
• Are there any exhibitions of his paintings on at the moment / where can I see his paintings?
• What is the next Magic Band album that I should buy?
• Can you send me an mp3 of a song from a Beefheart album?
• Where can I buy Beefheart T-shirts from?

Don retired from the music business after 1982's Ice Cream For Crow album to concentrate on his then blossoming, now highly successful, painting career. The interviews that he gave after this big decision would suggest that he was doing what he had always wanted to do and was extremely happy at home with his wife, cat and canvasses.

There is certainly no chance whatsoever of any more albums or another tour. Anyone who misses the music should look at the paintings which contain the same approach, the same themes and the same sense of humour.

I genuinely have no idea, and would strongly advise against trying to do so. As you probably know he is a very private person who does not wish to be pestered by Beefheart fans - let's do him a favour and respect his wishes.

That said, if you do still wish to try to get in contact, then the best I can suggest is that you send your letter to his gallery and ask them to forward it to Don.

Serious enquiries should be directed to:

Justine Birbil (associate director), Michael Werner Gallery, 4 East 77 Street, New York, NY 10021, USA

You can also contact Ms Birbil by telephone on (212) 988-1623 or fax on (212) 988-1774.

It would seem that he is, though all 'official' statements have denied any possibility of an illness. Rumours circulate, who knows which are true.

In the BBC documentary The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart John Peel stated that Don was suffering from 'a long term illness'. The 1994 poetry readings and Anton Corbijn film would also suggest that Don is unwell. This long term illness seems most likely to be Multiple Sclerosis, but this is merely speculation.

His gallery and any friends still in contact with him continue to deny that he is in anything other than top shape and say that the rumours of ill health are probably just exaggerated speculation caused by Don's reclusive nature. What little evidence there is for the rest of us to go on would suggest otherwise, however.

Don's illness, assuming that he is ill, is another big reason not to bother him needlessly.

This stunning album, possibly Beefheart's finest, has been completely unavailable for some time now, a situation which has long confused and frustrated Beefheart fans. Would Sgt. Pepper ever be treated like this? Frankly I doubt it.

I'm not aware of any plans to release the album on CD. Over the last decade several serious attempts have been made to release lavish CD editions, but nothing has ever materialised.

Does this add to the album's qualities and enhance it's specialness? When you finally get your copy you will probably treasure it all the more, and copies are out there to be found.

Fortunately, Decals is available as a limited edition vinyl release from Diverse Vinyl. You'll just have to get yourself a turntable - and it's well worth it.

You are able to order all available Captain Beefheart CDs through The Radar Station's on-line shop. This service runs in association with Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. For every purchase made through the Radar Station, we receive a small amount of commission (at no extra charge to you) which will help to cover the costs of running this site.

This applies to all sales made through this site - not just Captain Beefheart material. The links from The Radar Station to Amazon contain a unique identifier, so if you follow a link from here and place any order, I still receive a commission. If you would like to support this website (and believe me it needs it!), please feel free to order all your CDs and books at Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk after following one of the links from this site.

The shop features not only all the Captain's albums, but also Frank Zappa albums which feature Captain Beefheart, albums by ex-members of the Magic Band, and Beefheart-related books.

Not that easily I'm afraid. As far as I know the BBC have no plans to release it in the UK, the US or elsewhere. Assorted illegal BitTorrent sites may offer you a means to download the documentary.

There are occasional informal screenings of it around the world - in February 2002 it was screened at the Knitting Factory in New York as part of a special Beefheart evening. If you hear of any such event please do let me know so I can pass on the info. If any event isn't listed on the blog then we don't know about it.

No, it is purely a 'fan' site and Don has no involvement with it what-so-ever. While we'd love it if he did become involved, utopia on Earth is more likely.

The site was set up purely out of a love for his music, art and general view of the world, and as a tribute to someone whose importance should never be overlooked or underestimated. If ever you need reminding that things can be different from the mundane and lazy pap which surrounds us at every turn, there's nothing better than Captain Beefheart. It's a tonic.

But let's move on before we start drooling...

Your best bet is to sign up with an illegal BitTorrent service and download whatever unreleased Beefheart you can find. But that's illegal.

If there is an exhibition on anywhere in the world that we are aware of then it will be listed on the weblog. If there is nothing listed then there are no current exhibitions (or we don't know about them if there are).

His exhibitions are fairly infrequent, however - the last time his paintings were exhibited in the UK was 1994.

The only place that you stand a fair chance of seeing some of his work is at the Michael Werner Gallery in New York and Cologne. Always drop them a line before making a special journey just in case they don't have any of his work available at the time.

Michael Werner Gallery, 4 East 77 Street, New York, NY 10021, USA

No.

The mp3s available in the rare music archive are all unreleased, live or rare tunes that have never appeared on any legitimate Beefheart release. If you want to hear any of the Captain's albums, just go out and buy them - not only is this easier but it's money spent well and doesn't rip anyone off.

If you can't find them locally, you can buy them all online (see the Radar Station's online store).

The only place I know about at the moment selling Beefheart t-shirts is The Garage - two of them, in fact!

Their Mirror Man T-shirt looks especially good, but the Trout Mask Replica T-shirt is, bizarrely, treated to a 'colour by numbers' effect which I don't quite understand. Whatever, I'm sure these will both please the huge number of people who have written to me asking where they can get Beefheart T-shirts from.

I must admit that I find this one equally tempting. Many thanks indeed to Emily Booth for the tip off.