Gary Lucas on Captain Beefheart

[dreadedwheat26]

fucking excellent guitarist.

[Manwithcam]

It's an honor to hear stories like these. Thanks. You're amazing.

[vollsticks]

Great interview Mr. Lucas! "Flavour Bud Living"....amazing. Thank you! The "Fast N' Bulbous" album is great, too.

[turntapzap]

Are you Gary Lucas?

[jpendur]

thank you so much for posting this!

[DaDa2Phlux]

Throw an ashtray at the wall ....then listen ....observe ....incorporate.

[fxg11]

Oh, yeah! Thanks, Gary, that was excellent. Entertaining and generous, much obliged.

[sprechstimme]

Do you still have any of the original charts from the Beefheart sessions?

[thunderbirdscarlett]

My Momma Says Obama

[donald195]

Any plans to come back to the uk 2010? you'll get a great reception.

Don g

[git1958]

If you can hear it in your head ..you can play it.... Only if you've got these guys imagination,brains and talent though.

[cosmicrider287]

mindboggling.

[illustriouschin]

a lot of it sounds like random notes to me but what do i know

[philbrown0]

Here's the deal. Working with Don is like that. It seems random. Now, whether or not Don has it all planned out or not is open for discussion. Don says it is. Those of us who have worked with him think that Don is open to the happy accident but he does create the circumstances for that to happen.

And we're reluctant to talk about Don too frankly. I'm not sure why but every body who's worked with him is.

My bona fides? If you look at the last couple of albums you'll find my name.

Phil Brown

[illustriouschin]

ouch, i got pwnd

[Khaddar]

HAHA, kick ass! You rock Mr. Lucas! I hope people don't overlook your talent and focus too much on the Cap(love em to death!)

[unmegaface]

I'm loving the exploding note theory. I'm going to have to get right on that, sounds like it may be pretty tricky. Also please do a UK tour, i've only recently discovered beefheart music but am aware that the magic band has got together since the captains leaving, so feel free to do it again

[nri1969]

Thanks for this, Mr. Lucas. A very enlightening glimpse. I've also read —I think it was in the liner notes to "The Dust Blows Forward"— that the rhythm of "Bat Chain Puller" was derived from the sound of windshield wipers. I guess Mr. Williams could confirm or dispel that story.

[melvyd2]

Captain Beefheart is the most interesting artist of all time in my opnion. I wish there was more interview footage of him. Errol Morris would have been a great interviewer for Don.

[wassupyall]

wow, gary lucas is watching. good for him. hello gary! beefheart was the musical james joyce IMHO. history will realize both his, and the magic band's, genius.

[strawwoodclaw]

Hello Gary Lucas are The Magic Band planning planning on touring the UK again ever??

[MondayMeadows]

I find it quite amazing we have Gary Lucas and Robert Williams commenting here, and feel almost reluctant pushing their comments down the pipeline, by bringing them my sincerest devotion. Thanks both and all the rest of the Magic Band for giving me, or us, the best musical moments ever. Thanks also Gary for helping another genius getting into the scene, yes I'm talking JB. You are a privileged man and a great musician and I'm sure you have deserved every moment of it.

[111noir2000]

does a recording exist of the session

you are relating in this very enlightening

story, and also will you be back in the NYC

area anytime soon?

[garylucas]

yes, the composition in question appears on the final Beefheart album "Ice Cream for Crow"--

and yes, I will be playing the Bowery Poetry Club in Manhattan with Gods and Monsters on June 20th at 10pm

xGary

[Blazingrythm]

Thanks Gary, I enjoyed that!

On Best Batch Yet Don asked me to play like a cat trying to get out of a card board box. (Cardboard was a popular theme with him as he wound down his musical career before abandoning his Capt. Beefheart monker)

He told me to make a snarl like a cat with it's back up during that section of the song.

Search Best Batch Yet to spot it.

[garylucas]

That's great, Robert! Thanks for sharing (Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the great Robt. Williams in the house)...

Gary

[Blazingrythm]

Gary! I don't have a way to contact you but I'd love to play music with you again.

I think you're awesome and loud like me.

Call me!!!!!!!!

[bazonics]

I read a great anecdote in a book a few years back; Apparently the Capt gave Robert Williams a tape of him and jan washing the dishes and told him to create a drum piece of it. Scratching his head, off he went and did his best. He played it to the capt and he liked it, but J.M.Tepper (in a brown nosing moment I think) said "but don, I can't hear the water" "YEH", growled don, "WHERE'S THE WATER"!! ha ha, gota love it.

[pariahpete]

I think one of the overlooked masterpieces of the Magic Band was "Peon". I'm not a musician, and I am not capable of analyzing musical structure, but I suspect the "exploding note theory" explains it better than anything. "Peon" is pretty melodic and might have sounded pretty sweet if it had been played differently. The hard note-by note exchange between Zoot and Rockett gave it it's tremendous power. In typical Beefheart brilliance, it was called "Peon". It has strong, humble dignity.

[garylucas]

The director's idea...not mine. He put everybody everybody interviewed in this dvd in surrreal surroundings.

Gary

[pariahpete]

Hi Gary. I thought your "Porkchop Blue Around the Rind" was a great tribute to the Captain's music. I've been a big fan of yours for a long time and have seen you at The Knitting Factory and with Gods & Monsters. I was amazed to read in your liner notes that you were at the same Beefheart performance in Staten Island that I attended. Back then I wondered why the greatest band in the world couldn't book a gig in Manhattan. It seemed to underscore how unappreciated the Magic Band was.

[nasratfatty]

why the hell is he in a bed?

[BongoBoy03]

Cool interview!

Exploding note theory.... love it.

[redtorso]

guitar genious...Great guy too !!!!! I first time heard him on Beefheart Albums , but I didn't know what he became since then...So nice to see him again !!!!!

[pariahpete]

Gary is a great artist in his own right. The first CD I got of his years ago was "Skeletons at the Feast". It contains cuts from his soundtrack for "The Golem", a silent film from the '20s. His versatility ranges from National Steel Guitar "space delta", lyrical accoustic, electronic, to searing Hendrix-style rock. It makes perfectly good sense that he played with and respects Beefheart.

[gyrexx]

P.S. Some good Beefheart tales here, too!

[gyrexx]

Yeah, this is a new one - an interview w/Gary, in bed, with his shades on...very nice!

[ijherts]

I really liked the interview with gary being in bed, so come on Hollywood start doing your interviews in bed but remenber gary Lucas started it.