Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica

The first times I tried to listen to this, I couldn’t do it. I thought “This is horrible. They’re out of tune, the guys can’t play, the way that he’s singing …” I just thought, “What is this?” Then I started seeing it around more and more and then I finally met Don and there was something very peculiar and interesting about him so I thought, “I have to give this record a chance.” We deprive ourselves the opportunity of appreciating something that is artistic, by making certain claims and being dogmatic or snobbish about it. So I listened to it a bunch and really started to get it. What I really appreciate is when somebody works completely outside the box with confidence and that record is all about that. These guys didn’t care what was going on and that made me think “Why does music always have to be in tune?” and “Why does music have to be rhythmic?” It doesn’t, we’re just conditioned to think that way and you will rarely hear somebody create something that’s brutally unique. The ways these guys do wildly different things with abandon resulting in a willy–nilly brand of controlled chaos, made me think it was all very interesting. It’s like liberation.