No Easy Cure for America’s €˜paranoid Style’

The Magic Band : The John Robb interview

In 1994 Captain Beefheart's Magic band reformed for a series of gigs to celebrate the late Captain's genius and their own musical brilliance. Instead of being the usual money grabbing cashing in on a brilliant legacy, the gigs were fantastic celebrations of then still alive reclusive genius whose strange alchemy and thrilling music sounded like nobody and influenced so many.

Before their gig in Manchester I grabbed an in-depth interview with the band

…

Pure genius

Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band made some of the greatest and most mind boggling original records in the history of rock n roll. Challenging the form, they cross-pollinated Coltrane with Howling Wolf, they mashed a dark humour with a childlike glee, they mangled riffs, they turned music on its head and they made records that sounded fantastically off kilter catchy and stuffed full of a zig zag wandering genius that are still the benchmark for all that's weird and wonderful.

Their high water mark was 'Trout Mask Replica', an album recorded under much duress and creative genius as leader Captain Beefheart pushed the band to its creative extremes.

Beefheart himself bailed out in 1980 and the last of the various line-ups of the Magic Band went with him. It looked like end of story until last year when Magic Band drummer John 'Drumbo' French reformed the band.

Tonight we are sat backstage at Manchester Bridgewater Hall, a beautiful modern venue in the city centre that is about to be packed with Magic Band acolytes who will give the band a standing ovation after an amazing show.

Pre-gig the group are mooching around backstage, John French is sat with bass player, Mark 'Rockette' Morton, discussing all things Magic Band.

Why did you put the Magic Band back together?

Drumbo "I try to figure that out myself!'

Mark "What possessed you ha! ha! ha!'

Wasn't the original idea to put the classic "Trout Mask' replica line up back together?

Drumbo..'Yeah, I was trying to get the Trout Mask line up because we grew up together to do instrumental versions of 'Trout Mask'- that was my original interest.'

What was it like when you got back in the room after years

Drumbo "We played 'Steal Softly Thru' Snow' straight through…'

Mark "…and it was like 30 years hadn't gone by'

Is this an attempt to readdress the history of the Magic band, whose contribution was so overlooked.

Drumbo "It was so disappointing the way we have been written out like in the Rolling Stone article in 1970 with Don saying he took untrained musicians and taught them how to play! We had been in bands. We knew how to play! We knew more about music than he did. Everybody in the Magic Band contributed to the style- even by being selfless and open minded- so it was disappointing to read this article and on top of that not even have my name credited on the original "Trout Mask' album.'

So this reformation is an attempt to redraw the balance?

Drumbo "It was more to associate some good experiences with playing the music. Most of the experiences I already had were bad experiences because Don was such a tyrant. He was a poor leader. He didn't know how to lead or how to motivate people- it was often the wrong kind of motivation. It's a lot more fun now.

It was kind of a healing thing for me because when I listened to the albums before all I remember was the interrogations. I call them interrogations but he used to call them band talks. He was the instigator, everybody else stood back said nothing… he'd say really humiliating things, degrading things to you

The minute you showed any frustration he would say that you were not into it and that you were trying to sabotage the project and letting the others down!

He left us alone to work on the music and then he would then come in with 5 more sketchy new ideas.'

Mark "We had these terrible band talks. Deciding on taking turns to roll Bill (AKA Zoot Horn Rollo – Magic Band guitar player) down the hill!

Drumbo "It was not a happy time but we knew we were onto something good. Any time you do anything above the norm you have to strive to get higher and it takes sacrifices. We knew that. Don said he was diagnosed paranoid/schizophrenic and I really believe it. He would come up with the weirdest sub plots like he would suspect that we were planning amongst ourselves to sabotage the music…'why are you trying to make my music more commercial, why are you doing that" he would say.'

Mark 'He would say 'whose thinking in C, someone is thinking in C…'

Drumbo 'That was his way of saying that somebody wasn't really into it..but you can't be on it 100 per cent all the time and that's what he expected…'

The Trout Mask sessions are legendary for the band's spartan living conditions and a work ethic that would terrify modern groups and all this was supported Don Van Vliet's mother, Sue.

Drumbo 'His mother was supporting him and he was supporting the band with funds that she gave him. He didn't want to go out to work. He never considered the practical side of things like we must make money to support ourselves. None of us had cars. He had a car and he would send someone out for groceries and the rest of us would sit around the house and work all the time,…and it was cold!'

Mark 'Don had created this whole cult atmosphere…'

Did you rehearse all day…what was typical day at the house…?

Drumbo It wasn't rehearsed together. It was me sitting at the piano with the Captain and asking what the next part was. We had to have some kind of system because there were literally hundreds of these little two measure parts. We had to put them all together in some kind of form. It was my system. He didn't have a system for anything. Don was very disorganised. He was a constant creator- lyrics, words, stories but not an organiser.'

Mark 'It was a never ending flow. I was the band typist because I had a degree in typing from high school and I would type everything down. Beefheart would say 'Hey man write this down…get a pen! get some paper! I got to get this down man- while it's here!'

Drumbo 'He'd say, 'wait, wait, I got to get this down! somebody get some paper!'

Mark 'I used to help Don do his paintings. He would do what he called action paintings. He'd the paint all ready and the easel would be set up and he would have all the paint on his brush and thwack and throw it down. I would get the paint ready for him while he threw it around and he would suddenly shout 'that's it- perfect- don't move!' He had that knack of just doing the right thing. It was just another outlet for him. He was always creating, painting, whistling, just letting the stuff out…'

Would he go away a few hours while you worked on the songs

Drumbo 'We'd get the bit and then rehearse and try and get it together.

Did you have an idea were it was all heading?

Drumbo 'No, when we moved into the house Mark was not in the band. We were still working on 'Moonlight On Vermont', ….. "Sugar N' Spikes' and more normal material- kind of a transition and a step up from the 'Strictly Personnel' album.

Mark "' thought I was joining a blues band and they were working on 'Trout Mask Replica'! I thought it was going to be like 'Safe As Milk'! I made it through the audition song and they said I was the first one to make it through the song- you're hired!'

Drumbo 'When Don bought the piano then things started changing. He started banging away on the piano and he wanted us to record it for hours and pick out the best parts. I said, no I'll write down the parts, it would be easier than tracking back through all that tape- which is what Bill ended up doing on the next album, 'Lick My Decals Off, Baby'

Was there an element of winding up the music biz with 'Trout Mask'?

Drumbo "Don wanted to be the greatest and leave a big mark. The label thought his voice would blow Mick Jagger off stage and in the early days they did lot of covers and they also dressed like the Stones so there was an element of them trying to make it.'

Were you aware of what else was going on in the music scene?

Drumbo 'We were listening to Coltrane, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Eric Dolphy…'

Mark 'We purposely didn't listen to the radio or anything current. We didn't want the music to sound like anyone else!'

Drumbo "Don did have copy of the Led Zeppelin's album and 'Their Satanic Majesties Request' by The Stones. He was trying to look at those records from the side, to see what to avoid.'

What part did Zappa play in the album?

Drumbo "He was originally going to record it in the house but Don thought he was getting his music on the cheap. He'd say 'look at the musicians Frank, they are trapped in their environment. They can't get out of their environment! they can't play here…'

How come you left after Trout Mask Drumbo?

Drumbo 'There was a lot of stress and pressure. There was also this underlying thing with this guy, Don's cousin, Victor Hayden (AKA The Mascara Snake) who aspired to be the drummer and was the guest bass clarinet player on the album. I could hear them talking and Beefheart would say to him, 'when are you going to play drums man?' I kept hearing this going on and Jeff would come in and hear this when I was practising. One morning Don came over and said 'play a strawberry…' that is what he told us to do! I didn't feel like playing like a strawberry! but I tried!

Jeff 'I played one but I ate it!'

What does a strawberry sound like!

Drumbo 'Well apparently I didn't know because he got very upset and stopped and stared at me. Then he walked around behind me and grabbed me by the shirt and coat and pitched me down these stairs. I fell about halfway down and he said 'why don't you go and take a walk' he was about 30 pounds bigger than me and qhe was 8 years older…'

He was 28 and you were all about 20

Drumbo 'He was also the one that knew Frank (Zappa) and had all the connections. I didn't feel that I could stay there any longer at that point. I thought I got to get out of here..so I just left.'

But you did go back eventually…

Drumbo 'Yeah, but about a year later, that's when Don got his picture on the cover of the Rolling Stone. Mark and Bill called me up in the middle of the night and they said that its not like it used to be. When I got back I learned the 'Lick My Decals Off' album and we did a whole tour and it started to get back into that whole atmosphere again. So it was about a year later that I left again and I stayed gone till about 1975 – 3 years later after those Mercery recordings where they did those two more commercial albums. Don was really down because the critics had really bashed those recordings.'

The commercial stuff never worked as well did it?

Drumbo ' He actually had a really commercial voice but they over produced him.'

Do you like the later albums that you weren't on?

Drumbo "Can we go back to 'Bat Chain Puller'? I think what he was doing there was reaching back – a lot of the stuff on the last three albums was stuff he recycled. I don't care for the last album (1982's 'Ice Cream For Crow') too much but 'Doc At The Radar Station' I thought had pretty strong material. It's funny "Dirty Blue Gene' from that album was the third or forth incarnation of that song. A lot of stuff on the last three albums was pulled from the late 60s early 70s. He had tapes of stuff. 'Floppy Boot Stomp' on 1978's 'Shiny Beast' is 1967's 'Electricity' played backwards!'

Are you still in touch with Beefheart?

Drumbo 'No and that's his choice. I had his phone number for a while and we did talk about 15 years ago and he was good company. He told me he spends a lot of time with his cats. He told me his cats beat him up a lot. I asked him what he did for exercise and he said I ride a bicycle. I was trying to imagine him riding a bike but he was talking about a stationary bike set up in his house! (laughs) I could imagine him riding a bike with one of those little hats!'

What does Beefheart think about the reformed band?

Drumbo 'I heard third hand that he was grumpy about the project but then I didn't figure it was going to be with his blessing.'

Is he ill? There are rumours.

Drumbo 'I'm not sure either. I think he is definitely ill. When I talked to him he still sounded pretty strong. I heard some recording of his talking like thiiiiis and it sounded strange.'.

Mark 'Don was never one to act weak. He didn't go for that. I think he's genuinely ill now. He was always a powerhouse. He was one of the baddest guys I knew!

Drumbo 'That's why he was so determined. He had a lot of force.'

Mark 'He would walk in a room…and want all the attention!'

There was a lot of offbeat humour as well in the music was he funny as well as being a tyrant!

Drumbo 'I think Don had this image of us being a rock n roll Marx brothers and dressing in those outfits.'

Mark 'We enjoyed dressing up and not making statement.'

Who came up with names of band members..

Drumbo "It was during the sessions for the first album, 'Strictly Personal'. Alex St Clair Snouffler who was the guitarist at the time came up with Zoot Horn Rollo which was originally my name…

Mark "We had a lot of names to pick from…I saw Rockette Morton space cadet and I said I'm Rockette!'

Drumbo?

Drumbo "Don came up and said 'Drumbo, that would be a good name. What do you think?' I said 'yeah!'. I love the name Drumbo!'

And Captain Beefheart?

Drumbo 'Frank Zappa came up with that. There is a whole joke about the head of a cock being the size of a Beefheart. Frank was always coming up with stuff like this. Basically Don's uncle would go the bathroom when he would visit and he would leave the door open so that Don's girlfriend could see him urinating! and he would say "its like a big fine beef heart (laughs). With all the sexual energy in rock n roll, Frank thought it would be funny to use the name. They had these superheroes in the morning shows and there was one called Captain Midnight and Frank said- 'Captain Beefheart!!!!!' As a joke.

Mark 'I remember when he came up with the name!'

Drumbo 'The band was originally called, according to the original drummer, Captain Beefheart and his Girlfriend Sue. Sue was actually Don's mother.

Frank was really interested in Don's relationship with his mother because when she would come home Don would shout to her, 'Sue get me a Pepsi!' That kind of thing was always going on. He talked to his mom like that all the time. I was amazed when I went round to hear that.'

Mark 'He was sculpting in his room when he was a kid. He would make everyone stay out when he was creating. At one point he plucked out all of his eyebrows to put in his sculpture!'

Which is a perfect analogy for the genius music he came up with. A one-off, a genius, Beefheart with his paintings and his music created another planet and the Magic Band were a key part of creating this stunning avante art.

It's a message they still carry now, their shows being a celebration of the man and his music.

This truly is a Magic Band.

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Source: https://louderthanwar.com/page/5762/?cat=-1&jwsource=cl

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