Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Lick my decals off, baby (advertisement)

[Jethrofinger]

In case none of you heard or noticed, Decals has been on iTunes and other MP3 stores since January. If you don't have it and want it now, go get it. I did and I also have the 2000 vinyl reissue (which I used my USB turntable with. It sounds a bit better in the MP3 all cleaned up IMO)

[vollsticks]

The Hand And Toe Investment!

[robzitinho]

Dada-ist ads.Fabtasticularisticatingly missed. sho enuff.

[slammydoor]

According to drummer John "Drumbo" French in his book "Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic," this entire advert, top to bottom, was conceived by guitarist Elliot Ingber (Winged Eel Fingerling).

[DJAlbertFreeman]

This Captain Beefheart advert is amazing! A bit like what Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds were aiming for with the adverts to Dig Lazarus Dig, only many moons before.

[GETAUSERNAMEGETALIFE]

In Melksham... it's me!

What an ad - what an album - what a man!!

[Kohntarkosz]

I wonder how many TV stations actually aired this advert at the time, and more to the point, how many people ran out and bought the record after seeing the ad.

BTW, I remember the Grateful Dead had several radio commercials for their albums that were similarly strange. The ones for Aoxomoxoa are hilarious, "I'm here to tell you about the new record from the Grateful Dead on the Warner Bros/Seven Arts label. I'd tell you what it's called, but I forgot how to pronounce the title!".

[LondonDada]

A tremendous Dadaist .. and a remarkable human being. RIP ( rock in paradise ) el 'Cap.

[lamccaugh]

Could someone please explain to me the concept and plot to this ad? What is with the foot shaking Don did? Those shoes he wore are disgusting they look like little girls patent leathers did he wear pantyhose in those days too?

[Cunobelinus54]

"The black paper between a mirror breaks my heart so that I can't go..."

[stakka79]

Ace ad, Don was a one-off, and we miss him.

[medicaldoctor369]

Hahaha! Oh Peter!

[DaDa2Phlux]

This looks like a good natured poke at " Mummenschanz' specifically, and Performance Art in general ,which would be in keeping with Don's sense of humor & the absurd ! I've been digging this for months - but something about it reached me on  few registers inward.Yes ...you should mourn indeed his passing

[DaDa2Phlux]

What a race and how he ran it!.A conceptual torrent -with the drive,belief to carry it all to fruition One must have the 'chops" to cajole,whine or bully,if needed to get the other players to realize a vision at times.Then there is a "backstory".His humor,counterpoint to the ravages of MS,running through his body of work.But that is just on the surface.Through it all ,the belief in the next morning-proven by marriage to his first love for over 40 years.Puts me to shame for giving up so easily

[donald195]

The music for my life

RIP

[vonbontee]

Shit, less than a week after I viewed this...RIP, Captain, you loony genius

[festilina]

What a beautiful advert this is: a piece of performance/film art all by itself.

'New on Repreeeeese, it's "Lick My Decals Off Baby".

RIP Captain.

[nobodysbard]

The world's a poorer place today without Don V V.

[MrFanfab4]

RIP Don .

[quieterrps]

Great advertisement for a killer record. At some point I expected Dali to pop his head out!

Thanks.

[FunnyCowboyDance]

RIP you crazy bastard. Go freak out some angels.

[Jethrofinger]

Rest in peace, Don.

[RURALWARROOM]

Still makes me chuckle. Beats David Lynch at his own game!

[princeminski47]

R.I.P., Don. You DEFINE "irreplaceable."

[fruitbatrepublic]

RIP

[69Tiburoncito]

R.I.P. Don (van) Vliet, Captain Beefheart.

[vonbontee]

Hahaha, did this ad ever air at all?!

[HisEmptyHouse]

I always wonder who the hell on youtube are those nameless, soulless people that downvote videos that by no means should ever be downvoted.

[festilina]

'New on Reprise: it's "Lick My Decals Off Baby."'

[floydyopz]

Hi, I'm an irresponsible, incorrigable typist from West Cornwall and I run the free paper 'The Caterpillar' - A Visionary Ghetto Tabloid. Thanks so much for posting the advert for my favourite Beefheart album. To see my review of the album, go to: yecaterpillar dot blogspot dot com slash 2010 slash 03 slash lick-my-decals-off-baby

Ye Caterpillar Dub Visionary

[Bram25]

David Lynch stuff! _O_

[TumbrelJockey]

Yes Yes Yes Yes.......

[pazzensutra]

"Hell horn, hell horn, hell horn, horn rim grimp."

[WesB]

im 17 nd rly got into the captain....where the fuck can i get a copy of this!?

[ShirtTurtle]

the idea for this video wasn't don's.

the entire idea was conceived by elliot ingber (winged eel fingerling).

all the words read by the announcer are his, as is the idea of the batter being tipped onto the road.

[liuzhou]

The advertisement was seldom shown, but never banned.

[eeayt]

jajajajaja banned jajajajaja they are afraid that kids after seeing this are going to drop out of scholl and grown ups leave their jobs and go DADA!

[aqualash]

How good is this...even today.

The Captain is ahead of his time

even with making adverts.

[Fetrey]

i always thought that the commercial was banned because people hated the confusing nature of it, not because of a guy wearing a hood or the title.

[Bambiezbotron]

I love the cigarette-flicking, song-canceling hand and the sound the butt makes.

[motherbrain86]

i love u don van vielt

[MirrorManism]

I have had an obsession with Beefheart And Magic Band since 1970 . It brings a tear to my eye to see this film clip . Pure unadulterated creativity of the first order ....tight also !!!

[raindog951]

Classic stuff.

"Bubbles popped big,

'n uh lipstick Kleenex hung on uh pointed forked twig,

Reminds of the bobby girls

Never was my hobby girls"

[macc5050]

I just watched a Beefheart on Letterman clip where Letterman said this commercial is now in the Museum of Modern Art.

I guess it takes 20 years or so for people to appreciate genius. LOL.

[jarlcarrerorl]

I'll never get tired of this...

[MelkorNoir]

that's right, the mascara snake!

[jarlcarrerorl]

FAST 'N BULBOUS!

[NewYorkCanWait]

ALSO A TIN TEARDROP!

[outlawwolf621]

one of the best album titles in the world,too!!!!!

[LauryWard]

thats the kind of comercials I don't mind seeing

[GlassPike]

Also, a tin teardrop.

[DangerousBastard]

I have to agree, BEST COMMERCIAL EVER!! lol

[Jeeveshere]

bulbous also tapered

[dootraanougat]

SUBLIME INDEEDY.

[framzoid]

wasn't banned in Chicago.....remember being 16 watching TV with my dad when it came on.......my dad was not amused.....I was....

[00Jose00]

LOL =)

[electricmongoloid]

BEST COMMERCIAL EVER !!!

[EmpZappa66]

Imagine if this was a super bowl commercial.

[amandolin0]

l m a o

[PsytranceMan777]

"New on Reprise, it's Lick My Decals Off Baby." = XD

[Bennrush]

what a gem!

[krlsurquixa]

Beefheart is amazing.

[jylon42990400]

what the fuck is this

[mungogubbins]

This is a squid eating dough in a polyethelene bag. Didn't you know?

[AcidTrout]

That commercial was fast yet bulbous.

[ch00n]

That's right, the AcidTrout, fast and bulbous.

[billnoceros]

tight also!

[JazzyJonas]

tapered also!

[Phreekoid]

A squid, eating dough in a polyethylene bag, is fast and bulbous, got me?

[speakerfishes]

What is the name of the song they're using?

[unclevernon]

it's 'Woe-is-uh-Me-Bop'

[Frowned]

Wha' d'ya run on, Rockette Morton?

[youtubbs67]

I run on beans, laser beans.

[jupitermind]

Its f*ing obscene but there again its pure f@ing rock n' roll folkx :---)

[Hoglegvid]

I love it.

[pazzensutra]

I'm sure it was banned because of the title, not because somebody had a black hood on. What an odd commercial! All I got to say is......."HELL HORN, HELL HORN, HELL HORN, HORN RIM GRIMP!!!!!"

[FergussonMcGregor]

after 'they" maced and wrestled these particular cunts to the ground, apparently they all went on to lead profitable lives as messrs. 3rd, 4th,5th,6th, don't forgte 7th, in the Academy Award winninning shambles you probably call"1 Fell Over a COOKoo's friggin nest-thingey..."

[squareeyedgit]

In plain view it's, erm, sorry, who are you? Oh yeah, you're Know-Nothing-Nobody. In the words of Clive, "FUCK ALL IS WHAT YOU'RE ABOUT". Why not get off the computer and do something useful with your life like stick your face in a pylon, it might broaden your perspective a bit.

Might seem a bit harsh, but if you're going to throw insults around, you should know something about what you're ripping first. Clod.

[MFJVIDEO]

hahaha

[IrmaCerrutti]

A crustacean gobbling Plasticine in a polytetrafluoroethylene sleeping bag is naughty and tumescent, got me?

[GolumTR]

Slow and Uniform!

[wannyyydilliamsss]

Quick 'n Lumpy!

[terrybrass]

Dude, YEAH!..i was hoping this was on YOutube, thank you :)

[Lpoolboy]

Funniest advert ever made.

[hatecominupwithnames]

ïm not sure why, but the flinging of the cigarette or what it is is so cool, and captain beefheart in plane view is spectacular!

go Captain, go go!

[Obiwannabe]

no i think people called in and wanted it taken off because it freaked people out back in the day

[ManyGodz]

Can't figure why that was banned.

[billyshitcheese]

we live in a far more developed society than 40 odd years ago. i believe it was the mask and the title, which was taken as sexual innuendo by many, that caused greatest offense.

[crinkleman123]

Because it was sexual innuendo

[InsectRepellant]

I could see a controversy arising for the title back in the day, but what I do not understand, is how the mask could be taken as for a somewhat SEXUAL purpose though...is it possible if you could please explain?

[johnnybrewton]

Who's the announcer? I remember that voice!

[Pidge240283]

Genius!

If Luis Bunel had made TV ads this is what they'd be like!

[IrishEyez01]

weeeeeeeeeeee

[bretecarmen]

weird

[hootinouts]

I've been a fan of the Capt since the early 70's and I must say he's one of the most original artist I've ever experienced. yes, he's underrated and misunderstood by the masses but he's much appreciated by the rest of us.

[oinkysqueak]

I love these people they remind me of the good old LSD days :)

[litlgrey]

A former roommate of mine remembers seeing this ad during the ABC Late Late Show back in 1970. Probably never saw it more than once or twice before it was pulled.  You figure an African-American man whose musical influences include Beefheart, Silver Apples, The Move, XTC and Sun Ra. That's a rounded and righteous portfolio, man. Don Van Vliet himself said he hated this ad, but... he does fabricate a lot.

[ChimpMan44]

I think it's kind of hard to know whether the weirdness in this advertisement actually had some symbolism or meaning, or whether the Captain just orchestrated it to be weird and freak people out. I think that can be asked of all of Captain Beefheart's work from Trout Mask Replica onwards. In any case, the man is a genius, albeit a cryptic, enigmatic and underappreciated one.

[SgtTravisBickle]

Whatever the intended meaning, it doesn't matter. This kind of marketing has been proven to work. Is this really that weird when you think back over the creepiness of The Burger King? I hate those commercials...but they bring in lots of customers. This ad was actually ahead of it's time.

[SgtTravisBickle]

I die every time Beefheart strikes that pose after "In plain view...", he looks like he's gonna start laughing. LOL

[Raymantico]

The "Chien Andalou" of my generation.

[Raymantico]

In the 60s pop and dada advertising met

in this work of art.

It's the "Chien Andalou" of my generation.

[poisontumac]

oh man, I want to go get a black hood and a flour sifter and try this for myself! What fun!

[SgtTravisBickle]

Who HASN'T wanted to do that at least once in their life?

[JohnFordDanceTroupe]

And thank God that commercial made me get that album from the Internets.

[OldGregg20]

still surreal by today's standards, great piece of advertising cos its so memorable.

[dasafrika]

what a hero.

[benchwarmer969]

I'll bet it was banned because of the name

[thegorillasnake]

Why was it banned?

[gu88766]

look in description...

[yuppiescuzin]

The problem is language. I don't understand what decals are. Could you please explain it to some of us?

[unclevernon]

A decal is a kind of sticker/label. Here is a definition from Wikipedia:

"A decal is a plastic, cloth paper or ceramic substrate that has printed on it a pattern that can be moved to another surface upon contact, usually with the aid of heat or water"

[smmfc]

Yes! Watching this makes me smell like Comet.

[ZigZagWanderer]

Beefheart goes Bunuel / Dali.

[seykwesi]

One of my fave albums of all time

[narrator6]

and one of the more 'accessible' for newcomers to mr. van vliet's music.

[afishwish]

Don't you think that Safe as Milk is the most 'accessible'?

[badams12]

WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!­!

[robinmod]

strangest thing i´ve seen in my hole life... and i LOVE IT!

[sparkalot]

LMAO....die capitaine iz soooooo Dada-esque, n'est-ce pas?

[madrelobo1]

to dadaistra

[bfish420]

hahaha wow dude. i love cpt. beefheart and the magic band, but this advertisement is the epitome of "WHAT THE FUCK DUDE."

[Dudley1970]

Yeah - I don't know who the hell they thought this ad would appeal to! It's a bit weird, sure, but too slow to be engaging or provoking. Oh well.

[georgi80a]

Woe-is-a-me-bop! I'd love to have seen a Beefheart feature film. "Decals" may be his best album (and therefore the best album ever?).

[flammaster]

Hotcha!

[leafarotosed]

...and in Plain View, it's Capitan Beefheart! Got to love it, dada.

[tommy1gtr]

The greatest advertisment for anything EVER!!!!

[bondiebrian]

The art here is compared to Wassily Kandinsky . A Russian Advante Garde painter that composed many poems that are based on the the concept of rhyme..a form of DADAISM BEFORE IT'S TIME..........

[bondiebrian]

I love the black and white Imagery , Isn't that the world we live in...

[BUNGLEJYME]

This is most definately fast and bulbous!

[citizenterryk]

and also, a tin teardrop!!

[Hottub111]

fast and bulbous, also tapered.

[ead1529]

Yes! the mascara snake

[youtubbs67]

That's right.

[sunnycure]

Pena

Her little head clinking

Like uh barrel of red velvet balls!!!!

[Johnnynoir333]

its a keeper

[hiltox]

this is too good

[brock999]

Yes!

So different,so cool.

[jordano45]

kool vid

[Syncopator]

What actually aired was shorter I think-- starting from "In plain view".

It was on one of the local LA channels (9 or 13?), on I think a Sunday afternoon.

I had recently discovered Beefheart via the Trout album, and happened to be watching TV that

afternoon. Could hardly believe my eyes. It was banned because some

people complained that the album title was offensive. It's been hard

to describe to people just how weird it was to suddenly see that appear on

broadcast TV in the late '60s.

[unclevernon]

Thanks for sharing your experience!

[andyferrence]

very weird. I saw it in the 60's and I was born in 1973.

[ViktorSalazar]

that was seriously weird.

the only reason I can see why this was banned is because it makes very little sense.

[Bram25]

It's way cool! But why was it banned? It did not contain any trace of violence or am I blind?

[unclevernon]

You can find more info about the refusal of this clip on the ultimate Beefheart website. For the link: see my description above...

[SkopTeocratico]

Fantastic... Captain Beefheart Genius! Woe-is-uh-mw-Bop-Skop's...

I love Captain! This adversement is magneficent...

[SkopTeocratico]

2 yrs ago... I think that is the best advertisement ever.

[010man]

Wow, this is a gem! It must have been made around '69 when the album came out. This album was preparing people for his next album: Trout Mask Replica.

[fast4bulbous]

'Lick my Decals off, Baby' actually came out after 'Trout Mask Replica'. I love this ad, and both those albums, Go buy them !

[iam1hotgirl]

Man, I'm glad to see it is as weird as I had hoped it would be!

[crichael23]

Geee,like everything-avant,or progressive or arty in film,you culture monitor-robots have to reduce everything thru the ole LynchValve .What does it matter, who did,knew,licked, who.Wont help you become a more interesting person/artist.

[kitchenwitch64]

I like your view,crichael23.

[w1nd0wdresser]

David Lynch musta been influenced by this???

[ilveroramborambo]

cosa cavolo è O_O

[squarepants2767]

I've never seen such a stunning ad as this.

[jasonpchesney]

Brilliant! Nobody makes 'em like this anymore!

[Robem69]

Does anybody know how to ger a CD copy of Decals or know were I can get the mp3 version?

[sergelapelle]

Out of print. You can rip it off on soulseek.

[danielthomas]

What?! CD?! Go find it on vinyl. Good classic vinyl. Maybe you'll get lucky and find it dirt cheap.

[prrolg]

Winged eel fingerling

[grecomic]

Hey, the captain is wearing his "Trout Mask Replica" hat!

[DavidBloom001]

I would say that you have maybe one quintillionth of the talent or originality that Beefheart has.

[devilsclickingcanes]

Hilarious. I do not know what it is about Beefheart but his schtick is the coolest stuff.

[darost]

Not really banned - probably the title itself offended some viewers, and the squeaky wheel gets the grease.

[mambonumber9]

a touch of Luis Bunuel, it seems, to me

[philmfan]

Yeah, and slightly reminiscent of David Lynch's short films. I'm sure Lynch was not directly inspired and probably never saw this, but it feels like he COULD HAVE.

[unclevernon]

In theory the early shorts The Grandmother (1970) & The Amputee (1974) could have been influenced by the Decals clip. But because of the 'ban' I don't think many people could've seen it. One thing is sure: Lynch knows Beefheart and his music and Van Vliet and his paintings (Lynch mentioned Don in at least one interview). But I'm not sure when Lynch got to know the work of the good Captain...

[unclevernon]

Maybe David Lynch's later shorts were influenced in a way... It would be interesting to ask Lynch about it. But maybe someone has done that allready?

[philmfan]

Someone should. I'm a member on Lynch's website and he does take and answer questions on there, so I guess I should ask and see if there's an answer. Will keep everyone posted. In the documentary photographer Anton Corbijn (sp?) made about/with Van Vliet, Lynch makes several appearances, asking him questions, calling him "Don" and referencing earlier conversations, so I think they're actually friends.

[philmfan]

Oh yeah, and it just occured to me that since this clip is in a museum somewhere - MOMA? that Lynch may have seen it on a visit, no telling how early, though. If it was early enough it may have played a role. Also, in one interview at least Van Vliet mentioned that he loved Twin Peaks.

[unclevernon]

Hi, that's interesting, philmfan! Thanks for the reply. And keep us posted! I'm considering to become a member on Lynch's website but because I'm a student and I don't have a lot of money I'm still hesitating...

Do you thinks it's worth it? (It probably is!)

Cheers.

[Jacktwo]

lather1: I have "Decals" on CD, and I bought it in the UK about eight years ago. I have been told by my best mate - the world's hugest Beefheart fan - that this is impossible. And yet there it is. I can go and hold the thing right now. I have "Decals" on CD. Bought in Britain. About eight years ago. WHo can explain?

[ricfalse]

i've also bought the cd of "lick my decals..." 8 years ago

[djunius]

Enigma/Straight released it and some of the other beefheart/tim buckley/alice cooper stuff in the late-80s/early 90s...i too have decals on cd...

[lather1]

Dada gaga. More importantly what can we do to get DECALS released on CD in UK ? Long-standing contractual problems have meant that this album is not available. A criminal ommission from the Beefheart catalogue. Don is a giant on God's Golfball.

[demmyjames]

decalikoff! winged spillfarting, licious flickstops. mek i chukkl

[GhostBasti]

Word!

[5m0k3Cr4cK]

this had nothing to do with the music and it was flat out offending to parents.

zappas words on this matter

[thecorduroysuit]

this video plays at MOMA.