Fast and bulbous no more. 
Captain, oh my Captainā¦
One of my earliest influences. Not just on music but also on life.
Heāll be having a whale of a time. After all, the clouds are full of wine ā¦
[edited to add āmyā which Iād inadvertently ommitted]
Wasnāt āSafe as Milkā released on Buddha records, (home of bubblegum pop)?
Methinks the Beef snuck into the homes of many naive middleclass white Americans that way!
Hereās the man on Letterman: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQs8dka52H4
I am honored to have been Donās attorney for a bit back at the time of āIce Cream for Crowā (I went to a recording session for that LP) and his early days focusing on his visual art. He was a remarkable person, and groundbreaking sonically and visually. Watching that Letterman video (I was in the Green Room that night watching the interview) and his āIce Creamā¦ā clip on it reminded me of how influential heās been on artists I love today, like Jack White, for exampleā¦
My friend, Gary Lucas, was his lead guitarist and manager at that time, and if youād like a taste of Captainās music, watch for a live performance by Gary (or check out his website). Gary is, imho, one of the most unique guitarists out there today, still. Heās doing a tribute show (arranged before Donās passing) out here in LA sometime in the next month or so. It should be awesome.
The world is a little sadder and less imaginative now that Don has departed.
Hereās to his memory,
Jaydoc
What this old world needs is a good 2 dollar room and a good 2 dollar broomā¦Amen.
My dad was doing the ironing listening to āelectricityā when I was 5. My life then changed from that point onwards.
Here is a film of don from 1993:
Wow, his speech is really slurred. If his MS was that serious in 1993, I hope he had good palliative care for the last 17 years.
Hereās the Captain on Letterman, probably a few years earlier:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQs8dka52H4&NR=1
Something I didnāt realize till I read his obit in the Post the other day was that heād been married for 40 years. He was notoriously difficult to work with, his wife must be a really special person to live with him for that long.
You could always count on The Captain for a good quip, such as this one in the clip:
āThe way I keep in touch with the world is very gingerly - because the world touches too hard.ā