Rounding out our salute to the late great Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart) this week, for today’s Weirdo Wednesday finale, there was obviously no shortage of options that would fit the Beefheart bill. But this final interview on Letterman from 1983 is remarkable, given that he would soon retire altogether from making music to focus on his art paintings, effectively withdrawing from public life in the process.
The characteristically quirky interview offers a fascinating glimpse into Vliet’s isolated childhood upbringing in the Mojave Desert (an area he called home for most of his life) and showcases some of those aforementioned paintings that he would dedicate the rest of his artistic career to after quitting music entirely later that year. Knowing all that, it feels mildly bittersweet watching this interview, especially considering he retired from music at the top of his game after delivering arguably his best two albums back-to-back in Doc at the Radar Station (1980) and Ice Cream for Crow (1982). Although there’s something to be said for going out at the top of one’s game, this interview turned out to be his last national TV appearance, but much like his music career, it was a hell of a way to go out. R.I.P.:
