Captain Beefheart has died and progressive rock has lost one of their heroes. Captain Beefheart, whose real name is Don Van Vielt, died of complications of Multiple Sclerosis.

Captain Beefheart's greatest success was his album Trout Mask Replica, an avant garde masterpiece of 57 songs that stretches the use of every rock instrument. He, and his Magic Band, took the guitar, drums, bass, trumpets, etc to new dizzying heights. His lyrics are tongue in cheek yet bitingly critical.

Beefheart stopped performing in 1982, so the world has been without this man performing for all of my life, but in his death we can celebrate his great body of work.

I conclude this with a poem about Abe Lincoln by Walt Whitman.

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done;
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won;
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and daring:
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.