Don Van Vliet

He was born Don Glen Vliet and not Don Van Vliet. The latter was an affectation that soon got forgotten as his Captain Beefheart persona took centre stage in his career. Van Vliet remembered, or so he said, being born. This fact, or not, describes him best – he was a one off in every sense of the word. However, this article is not about the good Captain but rather his real life, if such a thing exists in such a creative soul, self. He was born in Glendale, California on 15th January 1941 the son of Glen Alonzo and Sue Vliet. By the age of three he was already painting. By the age of nine he was winning awards for his sculpture. Oddly his parents did not encourage his precocious talent in fact they positively discouraged it. The only men the Vliet’s knew who painted were homosexual or deviant. They were right, perhaps, on one count.

When he retired from music in 1982 he returned to painting. It was the best move he ever made even if thousands of Beefheart fans thought otherwise. He never made much money with his wayward musical genius but his painting was another thing altogether. Crude perhaps, raw for sure the paintings looked, and still do, as though an alien intelligence had arrived on planet earth, seen the variety of life that was to be found here then captured not only the look but more importantly the very spirit of what they observed - Primal, feral, elemental, beautiful and cruel. They then daubed these images onto cave walls only for mankind to discover them later. Fortunately for Don Van Vliet they didn’t have to. For once his art had appeal and it sold at good prices; good for Van Vliet that is.

Broadly speaking Van Vliet’s art was abstract expressionism but not in the same way as of Willem De Kooning or Barnett Newman’s, nor is it in anyway remotely like Jackson Pollack: reminiscent perhaps of Franz Kline but still individual enough, if not unique, to be obviously by Van Vliet: more raw, primitive even and so indebted to his close proximity to the Mojave Desert where he lived. In 1997 Dr. John Lane, director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art had this to say of Don Van Vleit’s work “(it) "has that same kind of edge the music has." Lane also went on to say, to underscore my point, that he (Van Vliet) contrasted with the bohemian New York urbanised abstract artists as he used a rural environment for inspiration one which added a distinctly naturalistic view point. This ‘angle, if that is best to describe it, was the fundamental difference between him and those that came before. His contribution to contemporary art, and I am speaking or his paintings here, matched that of his music. He took the blues and mutated it to another, new and exciting form; he did the same thing with his paintings. Even more Yo Yo Stuff.

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aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

Eider Falls at Lake Tahoe - an animation

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aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

Josette Simon

It is not only because she has a slender, swan like neck that one dreams of nuzzling; it is not only because she has a perfectly kissable mouth that I fantasise of brushing my own lips against; it is not because of that cutest of noses or those large, liquid, chocolate brown eyes that seem so alluring nor is it those ears, those wonderfully, delectable ears that like so many black peoples are so tiny, so in need of nibbling; no, it is none of the above even if I do find Josette Simon simply adorable. Her talent, apart from being gorgeous, is to be found in her chosen art: Josette is an actress.


I have never seen her performance in ‘Cry Freedom’ even though it was that film with her apparently flawless performance that gave her the springboard to launch her career.

For me it was Blake’s 7 that caught my attention and with it the talented Ms. Simon. (I hate the Ms tag altogether but it seems the correct thing to do nowadays). When I watch the old videos I have of the show I fail to see why I liked it so much but in the late 70’s and 80’s it was compulsive viewing in my house with both my wife and I hooked to the show. Dayna Mellanby entered the world of Blake and company during season three. Like so many characters in the series her personality was powerful but flawed. Dayna’s apparent death at the conclusion to the series left a sense of mystery. No one was really sure if she had in fact died or managed to escape.

Josette Patricia Simon, OBE, was born in 1960 in the UK of Antiguan descent. She learnt her craft at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London and is a well regarded stage actress who performs frequently with the Royal National Theatre and also the Royal Shakespeare Company. Of her major achievements being cast as one of the three 'weird sisters' in Macbeth is at the forefront. But it is her defiance of accepting what some see as traditional white roles that has given her a degree of notoriety. It could be argued that casting a black person in a white role is pointless, illogical but isn’t that precisely what Laurence Oliver did in reverse?

Since then Josette has performed on stage and TV. Her appearance in ‘Lewis’ was both moving and memorable as she provided the love interest to the Geordie Detective who, when pursuing the truth involves Stephanie Fielding’s (Josette’s character) son thereby spoiling any chance the pair had of sharing a romantic liaison.

Like any good actor it is Josette’s economy of style that impresses, that and her ability to infuse her own individuality into the persona of the character she is playing. Had I been Avon, that acid tongued individual from Blake’s 7, I would have kissed the girl when the opportunity arose but then again what sane man wouldn’t have?

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aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

Facts from a Funny Old World

The very first recorded Ancient Olympic Games took place in 776 BC. The event was a stadion race (a foot race equivalent to 190metre or 208 yard dash). The winner was a humble baker from the Greek city state of Elis named Coroebus.
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 cLIpPinGs fRoM saTanS tOEnAil.

Who Says Satire Is Dead?

Flash animation by my son. He's working his way through the government.

A Double D Anniversary - Dickens and Debussy

The New Year brings with it a rash of anniversaries. Foremost has to be Charles Dickens who celebrates his birth some 200 years ago. Another notable D is that of Claude Debussy who was born on 22 August 1862. Both men have continued to bring joy to countless people over the intervening years and deservedly receive huge acclaim from literature and music.


I am currently reading “A Tale of Two Cities.” It is remarkable that Dickens had the ability to write with such aplomb seamlessly joining humour and pathos together with such verve formed with incredible characterisation. His eye for the underdog is never far from the narrative or his view on the pitiful existence of the working class. He captures so much in each novel airing his views with subtlety and wit so that he never preaches or allows his empathies for social inequality to push the story into second place. Born in 1812 on February 7th in Portsmouth the son of John and Elizabeth, his early life, as most now know, was represented in his novel ‘David Copperfield.’ The tale depicts accurately how awful life would then have been for anyone whose fortunes faded and who found themselves in penury.

Of course he was so much more than a novelist. He was a playwright, a journalist, a writer of travel books and a humanitarian. The fact his stories live on with regular adaptations on both television and film is sufficient proof that at the core of his tales is that fundamental truth that all human beings are created equal. He truly is the quintessential Victorian author.

Achille-Claude Debussy was born eight years before Charles Dickens death in 1862 in St. Germain-en-Laye on the 22nd August. He died, like Dickens, a relatively young man on March 25th 1918. This fact may and probably is quite unremarkable but it tickles my fancy as my eldest daughter was born on 22nd August and I was born on 25th March. Obviously Thumbscrew was not born in 1862 and nor was I born in 1918.

Someone once described Debussy’s musical style as being the sonic equivalent of a Monet painting, a sort of melodic post-impressionist take on life. This resonates with me still especially so when I listen to pieces such as La Mer which illustrates perfectly the extraordinary tone his music produces. In a world of instant access to virtually any given subject combined with an increasingly demanding desire by most people to have whatever it is they want immediately then Debussy’s music provides the ultimate balm: reflective, soothing, calm but with and underlying passion disguised by perfect melodies.

I suppose there is nothing greatly remarkable about two such talents being born in the same century as they both, much like meteors in the night sky, flashed past each other as one faded whilst the other began its ascent. The truth that links these two masters of the form is not their initials but their incredible longevity. Charles Dickens and Claude Debussy.

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aNOtHEr fiLlEteD KIpPeR oN tHe MarBlE pLatTeR.

Proper Quotes From the Upper Crusties

"I have a great mind to believe in Christianity for the mere pleasure of fancying I may be damned."

Lord Byron

. . . aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

A Feast Of Posters

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aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

A Smith & Burrows Merry Chritsmas to one and all...

God damn, this snow
Will I ever get where I wanna go
And so I skate, across the Thames
Hand in hand, with all my friends
And all the things, that we planned

My son's eyes in the outline of his hand
And even though I hate the cold
Constant reminder that I'm getting old
Another year draws to its close, entire London slows
When I dream tonight, I'll dream of you

When the Thames ... froze



God damn, this government
Will they ever tell me, where the money went
Protesters march out on the street
As young men sleep amongst the feet
Another year draws to its close, entire London slows
When I dream tonight, I'll dream of you

When the Thames froze

So tell everyone that there's hope in your heart
Tell everyone or it will tear you apart
The end of Christmas day, when there's nothing left to say
The years go by so fast, let's hope the next beats the last
Tell everyone that there's hope in your heart
Tell everyone or it will tear you apart
The end of Christmas day, when there is nothing left to say
The years go by so fast, let's hope the next beats the last aaaaaahaaaahaaahaaa



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aNOtHEr FESTIVE dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

Eliza Carthy

Some may find having such talented parents a hindrance. Outsiders might claim offspring ride the backs of their famous mothers and fathers. Eliza Carthy does neither. Her talent is individual enough to punch its own weight whilst her love for her Mum and Dad, Norma Waterson and Martin Carthy, is made crystal clear to all who read her sleeve notes.


There is a distinctive folky feel to all of Eliza’s music: it is very much music with roots and soul, earthy but spirited giving it the ability to grow from the wellspring it has come from. More recently she has started to experiment most notably on ‘Dreams of Breathing Underwater’ and ‘Neptune.’ The later has that gritty realism associated with folk but combined with a Germanic cabaret fee that is quote intoxicating.

Eliza is a Yorkshire lass, born in Scarborough in 1975. By 1988, at the tender age of thirteen, she was singing and performing with her mother, Norma, her aunt Lal Waterson and her cousin Maria Knight. Her first album was 1993’s ‘Eliza Carthy & Nancy Kerr’ her latest album is the critically acclaimed ‘Neptune’ that was released earlier this year. It is b y anyone’s standards a splendid album coming as it does in a year littered with splendid albums it stands proud among them.

Like most anyone born of working class beliefs Eliza is a hardworking individual. If not making albums, writing her own material, bringing up her daughter Florence Daisy and doing the shopping no doubt, she is touring, performing or dueting on other artists albums. She seems to juggle a hectic lifestyle whilst remaining true to herself, her family and her roots.

This year has seen a great many excellent albums by the likes of Radiohead, P.J. Harvey, Paul Simon, Little Dragon, Kate Bush and the amazing Civil Wars but Eliza is among that vaunted crew. If you thought folk music was all beards, bellies and badly knitted woolies then think again and as you do listen to ‘Neptune, ‘ it is a fine body of work.

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aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

The Bathtub Test

The Bathtub Test


During a visit to the mental asylum, I asked the Director how do you determine whether or not a patient should be institutionalized.

"Well," said the Director, "we fill up a bathtub, then we offer a teaspoon, a teacup and a bucket to the patient and ask him or her to empty the bathtub."

"Oh, I understand," I said. "A normal person would use the bucket because it's bigger than the spoon or teacup."

"No." said the Director, "A normal person would pull the plug. Do you want a bed near the window?"



. . . aNOtHEr dIp INtO ThE mAGpIE mEMOrY pOOoL.

Prpoer Quotes From Often People

     “Once I was a forty pound weakling. Now I am two separate gorillas.”

Vivian Stanshall

 

. . . aNOtHEr sLOw sHaG iN ThE seDimEnT oF lIFe.