For those of you who are unfamiliar with Captain Beefheart, there is a huge amount of information to trawl through on this site, which is a daunting prospect. Why bother anyway? Simply because his music, art and poetry is amongst the most expressive, original and rewarding stuff that I have ever encountered, and there are a lot of us out there who would agree.

This page is intended as both a guide to the man's work, and a guide to The Radar Station, showing you the best bits to read, the finest paintings to look at, and a few other bits and pieces to give you a good feel for the man and his music. Then you're sure to want to come back and check out the whole kit and caboodle and the kitchen sink.

If you are new to Beefheart and are just here out of curiosity, please drop me a line with your first impressions. Hate it or love it, I want to know.

Enjoy yourselves....

The Magic Band produced what is commonly regarded by critics and fans as one of rock's few truly original bodies of work. Combining elements of free jazz, blues and rock, they produced something distinctly different from anything which had ever been heard before, and heavily influenced a wide range of later musicians such as Tom Waits, PJ Harvey and John Lydon.

In the words of Frank Zappa, "Listen, be quiet and pay attention to this man's music, because if you don't, you might miss something important and we wouldn't want that to happen to you. You need all the friends you can get."

The following articles provide a good introduction to the Beefheart story, and provide an entertaining insight into the 'specialness' of the music:

• Captain Beefheart by Peter Keepnews, written late on in the Captain's career, but provides much personal history, and considers the themes of Beefheart's work. Recommended.
• Plastic Factory - Matt Groening, Simpsons creator, speaks of his fondness of Beefheart, and of his first encounter with Trout Mask Replica.
• Trout Mask Replica?? The Captain Must Be Mad! - a fantastic piece from 1969 which pulls apart Trout Mask Replica and tells you exactly why you should love it.
• Have a look at the Low Yo Yo Stuff section in which visitors to this site tell their tales of how they first got into him, why his music / painting really matter to them, and anecdotes about the Magic Band live experience or meetings with the man himself.

If you haven't yet heard the Captain's music and don't know where to begin, have a look at the collection of reviews for all the Magic Band's albums. Most people seem to feel that Safe As Milk, Trout Mask Replica and Clear Spot make a good introduction to his music. Rhino have released an excellent double CD collection spanning his whole career called The Dust Blows Forward, which would be another good place to start.

You can also download the Radar Station's Captain Beefheart screen saver "She's Too Much For My Monitor" which features over 30 pictures of the man in action and 14 sounds. It's a big file (5,117K) but well worth the download time.

If you are interested in buying some of the Captain's CDs, then head towards The Radar Station's on-line shop.

Don retired from the music industry after 1982's Ice Cream For Crow album to concentrate on his primary love - paint. He has since established himself as a highly respected expressionist with his paintings selling for large sums of money, often to individuals with little or no interest in his musical past. The similarities between the two media are there, however. "I'm painting the stuff I played," he explained, and those familiar with his music will notice many themes from his songs represented in his paintings - from lyric lines as titles to his fascination and respect for wildlife. The humour is still highly evident as well. Who else could paint a picture entitled 'Gum At The Bottom Of The Grocery'?

The gallery, Run Paint Run Run contains over 60 of his paintings, but I recommend heading straight for the 1985 Collection for a good introduction. Other favourites are:

Boat and Blue Bodagress, 1984
		Egyptian Toss Up, 1994
Crepe And Black Lamps, 1986
		Black Accountant, 1989
Cinnamon Chops, 1990

Click any picture or title above to see the full picture. If you want to read a few words about his art, check out these, from the art-info section of the Radar Station:

• The Painting of Don Van Vliet by Roberto Ohrt. This excellent piece is very long, but highly recommended.
• A Crossover of a Different Colour by Kristine McKenna, a New York critic.

Don Van Vliet's poetry and song words are as unique as his music, he has a very distinctive method of expressing his concerns. His poetic style is often compared with his painting style, with Don using his words like paint, smearing them over his canvas to create an over-all effect, rather than dealing in precise meanings. We may not always know what he is getting at, but the rhythm, imagery and sounds are startling, moving and often downright funny. You can find a selection of his words in the poetry and lyrics section of this site.

Read the words to Falling Ditch, a song from Trout Mask Replica. My favourite of all his lyrics is Frownland, a very beautiful poem which also comes from Trout Mask Replica.

Just dip into the poetry and lyrics section - whatever you find will be worth reading. Do be sure to have a look at A Christmas Card From Don Van Vliet in particular.

If you are interested in current news items about the life and work of Don Van Vliet / Captain Beefheart, then have a look at the Van Vliet News Page - a collection of all the up-to-date news items at the Radar Station, including details about new or current exhibitions, releases, publications etc.

The news as it first arrives will always be posted at Up Sifter, the site update and general news page. If you find yourself visiting the Radar Station regularly, Up Sifter would be a good first port of call.

I hope this taster has been appetising, there is plenty more on site to keep you occupied. There are also a number of other Beefheart-orientated sites on the Internet which are worth checking out (see the links section). Particularly recommended among these is Detlef Juergen's Live Performances and Rehearsals Info which is a comprehensive catalogue of the Magic Band's every move.

If you don't yet own any Magic Band recordings, the majority are readily available through The Radar Station's own on-line store. Buy from here and keep The Radar Station afloat!

If you have enjoyed this introduction to Don Van Vliet / Captain Beefheart, then join us in The Fire Party Beefheart discussion list and find a place t' park your machine. All are very welcome.

Now it's time to get stuck in to the links below, have fun: