I saw Art playing drums with Captain Beefheart at Town Hall in the early 1970’s. It was around the time of the Clear a Spot Album. Art was playing a clear plexiglass kit I think it was Zycos drum set. Great playing and great music. The girl I took to the show never went out with me again!😃
I saw that tour in Manchester, UK. We were on the front row< I don't remember the drum kit, but Art Tripp was wearing woman's underwear on his head, as well as sporting an elegant monocle. Unlike your experience the girl who came with us absolutely had the hots for Don.
My long suffering wife went to about ten Zappa concerts with me. When Zappa Plays Zappa started touring I was excited that our kids could hear the FZ’s music live. My wife declined to attend since The kids could go with me.
@@adambarker3130 Did the girl you and to the show with have the hots for Don because of the women’s underwear on his head? To think I’ve been doing things all wrong for all these years!!😢
Outstanding interview. So rare to have an interviewer who is at once completely well informed about the subject matter, asks great questions, and actually willing to give the interviewee the space as much space a s/he needs to answer the questions. And of course it helps to have such a fascinating and thoughtful guy to talk to. Zappa would not have got where he did without the massive talents of Artie, Bunk, Don P., and Ian U., who managed to bring his abstruse, eclectic early works to life and establish him as a composer of "complex" music. Thanks so much, Samuel for helping Artie to share such extraordinary first-hand observations.
@violentauntie Why would you say something like that? Music is a very collaborative endeavour; without the contributions of equally skilled players, any musician will not achieve the potential that is possible within a cohesive ensemble. I do not read Greg's remarks as disrespecting Zappa at all.
The was a fantastic interview. Art Tripp is an incredible musician. Zappa and Beefheart were lucky to have him. Great insight into the 60’s avant-garde.
holy crap -- on top of Cage, Zappa and Beefheart, an encounter with SUN RA?! Did this guy have a homing instinct for musical genius or what? Another killer interview Samuel, thank you!!!
I can't begin to express how thankful I am that you've made this wonderous interview. Art Tripp has always fascinated me as one of the few conservatory, highly skilled musicians taking part of these crazy worlds of Zappa and Beefheart. That is why my only wish beyond whay you've already fulfilled so greatly, is that you continue with these type of interviews, and if possible, now that Art himself mentions him several times, try to get hold of Ian Underwood - the other very talented and classically trained musician Zappa used - as I believe he would also have fascinating, and educated perspectives on music. But regardless, thank you again so much. This was the interview that in many ways for me connected all your other interviews with Magic Band members since Art in some ways had a bigger perspective being classically trained. Thank you so much!
Well, even though so many incredible musicians have been around both Zappa and Beefheart, I don't know of that many who played with both of them and were classically skilled, with a conservatory background to put a perspective on Zappa and Beefheart's music. And since Samuel is interviewing musicians especially around the Trout Mask period, late sixties and early seventies - that very special period in music history - it's not wrong to say that Zappa at that point hadn't played consistently with many conservatory skilled musicians. Maybe I wasn't being clear enough, but no need to mock me or my comment with seeing it as a joke or me as "highly unqualified"...
@@businessmonkeyfilms Hello BMF~ Yes, violentauntie is being unnecessarily harsh. But, there are probably many who disagree with your exact description. If you had said "...one of the few at that time who was classically trained..." you would have escaped any criticism, but when you use "skilled," you're gonna get push back. Clearly, musicians can be highly-skilled with NO formal training, and that certainly describes some of the many great players that Zappa utilized.
What a wonderful interview! I grew up with Art on Meridian Drive in Mt. Lebanon, PA. He always was a great guy way back when. I remember well the years I listened to him practicing on his drums in his home across the street.
nice interview! Used to go to lots the Zappa shows in LA from '68- mid 70's. Frank and the Mothers was as good as it could get at this time; great playing, runnig the gammut of styles from from rock to freeform jazz to doowop, and Frank's ascerbic commentaries on anything and everything! saw Art with Zappa a couple of times in LA at the Shrine. One show was a "history of rock and roll" show (as announced by Frank in the first set), and we were right up front, in the middle, and on acid. Some may not know, but in those days the headliner and the second-billed band often played two set; and that was the case this show. Anyway, the mothers played a number of the tunes that would appear on "just another band from LA", and Frank's favored Doo Wop sounds (Doin' the Bacon Fat was my favorite of the night). while they were tuning up before their second set, my buddy was looking for a smoke, and again, if you know Frank, he had a Winston tucked in the tuning pegs of his guitar. So, I asked him if I could bum a smoke. He looked down, shook one out of his pack, handed it ti the guy in front of me, and said, "pass this to him." So now that we've been introduced (LOL), I started talking to Frank, telling him that they hadn't played any surf music, and that they should play "wipeout", the surf classic. Frank just looked down at me, tuning his guitar, and smoking his Winston. a monment or two later, he stepped to the mike and said something like, "ladies and gentlemen, before, we finish the show, we'd like to conclude our history of rock and roll with thesurf classic"wipeout; drum solo to be performed by "artie" tripp". the guys all looked around, Frank counted it down, and off they went, playing a note-for-note "wipeout". Art at the time was wearing his wavy hair just down over his shoulders, and a "carnaby street" style polka dot shirt; and when they broke for art's drum solo, he launched into a percussive, tempo-breaking "jazz" style solo, including use of the bicyle horn on his drum kit! they went back into wipe-out for a bar or two, then Frank cocked his Gibson as a signal to the band, and when he brought it down, they launched seamlessly into Uncle Meat, and jammed it until 2AM when the lights flew on, and the show was over! Art's solo was hillarious, rising to the spontanaety of the moment, and a lasting memory! I later heard The Mothers incorporated "wipeout" into their tour show, but I like to think it was never done before that night! more fun facts; Lowell George, who would soon found Little Feat with his buddy, bassist Roy Estrada, was playing rythm guitar in the Mothers for this show; and this was also the infamous S&M "skippy" show. whew! as to the Winston, my friend Daniel didn't smoke it that evenig, but squirreled it away, and it was placed in a little padded plastic case where it remaind for years, until he smoked it and then preseved the butt, push-pinned to the wall of a closet in his mothers home.... all true!
@Gerry Berry You mention Martin Luther King but not Malcolm X. Separatism was very strong back then as an idea, and not only in the civil rights movement but also in feminism and gay rights. I have no idea whether Sun Ra was a racist because I can't look into his mind, but I do know that not everyone was into the 'melting pot' idea in the third quarter of the last century because I was alive at the time. The argument was (to simplify) that the idea of let's-all-just-be-nice-to-each-other did nothing to change the structural inequalities of society but simply denied that they existed. Yes, jazz could not have emerged anywhere except America, but equally it could not have emerged in WASP America either. Jazz, blues, gospel and soul were black music and lie at the roots of most western popular music since.
Samuel, best TV I ever saw. Both you and Art look awsome on my 65” screen. Your interviews with the Beefheart guys should be on Netflix. I’ll fix the ratings.
Jesus Christ THANK YOU for this interview Samuel. Art Tripp is one of my favorites from the Zappa - Beefheart days. I am so going to enjoy all of the nearly 2 hours here.
what a really great interview .. I meet Art at the Cincinnati Conservatory , he was visiting and said he was joining Zappa the rest is history. Conservatory established a Jazz major many years later, and even had a class on the Beatles.
Delighted to see you making another video Andreyev and most especially with Art Tripp who I last saw with Don and the rest of the band playing in Manchester back during their Clear Spot\Spotlight Kid tour in around 1972. I found the band much easier to appreciate live than I ever did on vinyl, cassette or CD and I was blown away by how tight and disciplined their playing actually was. Art Trip especially literally blew my mind when he played Golden Birdies . I had never seen a drummer like him before or since as each arm and leg was playing to an apparently different rhythm at the same time yet it all made perfect sense the parts and the whole creating a moving audio dynamic that delighted the brain as it unrolled in time. All the band were brilliant and seeing Don live belting out the vocals like a fat buddah made an experience no other gig in my life could touch before or since.
yeah that was a great band, i saw the shows in Birmingham. Like you say until you experience the magic band play live in full flow i don't think you can fully get the music (and the humour too)
This is great. Art has been involved with playing some of the 20th century's greatest music as it unfolded, and it's interesting to hear him talk freely about his experiences, and to hear him join the dots and connect these experiences in a way that really paints a vivid picture of the geography of the avant-garde scene at the time. Art's input is especially valuable considering his involvement "between-worlds", in terms of the contrast between his orchestral and "band" experience. It was good to see his interest in that same repertoire is ongoing (and his writing down "The King of Denmark" is the first time I've seen someone make a physical note for a while!), and his frank and straightforward appraisal of the Beefheart "talks" is nice - particularly funny to hear about Ingber's response to Vliet's behaviour in rehearsal! Excellent interview.
Thank you for this, Samuel! I find Art the most interesting member of the avant-garde Rock troupe of that time because of his background. This is a great back story and I appreciate your time and effort to reach Art so he could tell it personally. Best Wishes to you!
Being a huge early MOI fan it is so great to hear and see interviews like this. There was no UA-cam or such back then so you never had any insight into what went on in bands like The Mothers, Captain Beefheart, etc. All you had were fluff mags like Tiger Beat and the like which were good for telling you things like Jim Morrison's favorite color. Yipes! Thanks so much Samuel for stuff like this. Keep it coming . So many of these 1960's musicians (Mothers, Airplane, etc.) look so much healthier in their 60's than they did in their 20's. God Bless em'
This is a great and unique interview. I've been a Zappa and Beefheart fan for decades and its wonderful to hear these insider accounts of what it was like to work with these Men.
Thank you Samuel for another great, extensive interview with another Beefheart/Zappa alumni, there is so much great content and revealing details in this interview I wouldn't no where to begin. I haven't seen Art since the early 70's and would have never recognized him now, but his memory sure stayed strong! I love his comment about the notorious Trout House that was muffled not to disturb the neighbors, ha.
The more I listen to captain beef heart especially on songs like click clack where art is doing all these mind blowing drum licks- the more I realize how under appreciated this guy is in the drumming world!!! What a great interview and art looks great for his age! Chiropractor huh? That’s so awesome! I would have loved to have been older in the 70s and to experience all the great music and bands of the time!
Many thanks to you for this interview with 'Ed Marimba', plus all your output concerning the Captain's crew. Your fascination with this music is shared by me and many people I know and to hear about the times and processes of how it was created is very satisfying.
Literally Fantastic I was so effortless engaged in listening, with such a complete natural interest, I wondered why and how I am not a musician, even though I know so little in a formal way of the musical forms. However I once attended a free concert at the U. Of Penn. , in the campus church ( which was there before the University, as I remember) given by SUN RA! There was a small hand made sign posted knee-high in the grass announcing the concert that prompted me to walk in at that moment. The story is to underscore the happenstance of my exposure to such music. It was the most fantastic aural experience of musical instrumentation of my life. And the life costumed dancers who moved over and around the pews (sp?). I had an English teacher who talked of people in society like John Cage. So , these references doesn't explain in the least my interest being compelled into this interview. And the interviewini style brings out Art's easy access and expression of his history with these people. Blah blah from me , all just to say really great interview which enlivened my memories so vividly. Thank you so very much. Music is such a world as part of us as humans.
this made my morning THANK YOU !!! i was born in the late 50's in so cal. all this music meant a great deal to me. too young for the clubs but i had vinyl. i got to see shows from the 70's on. playing soprano sax and screaming lyrics to marimba scared my wife and pet cat. i wouldn't call it music, but i sure found it soothing.....rockettebob in reno
Fantastic. Saw Tripp play with C.B. at Ebberts Field Club in Denver... it was great. Yes he played Veterans Day Poppy... exactly like Drumbo. It was super great. 1972 or 3. Thanks Art Tripp.!
Fascinating. This is what Zappa was talking about when he mentioned that Art understood and considered things that Jimmy Carl Black never could or would.
Fascinating interview. I remember when the first Mallard LP came out I couldn't find a copy, wound up going directly to Virgin records office in the Village and got a copy from them. The two LP's from Mallard are still my favorite records.
These are fascinating and important interviews, Samuel. I so appreciate hearing directly from the musicians. It shifts the common narrative a bit especially the mythology around the recording of "Trout Mask Replica." I love Captain Beefheart's and his band(s) music SO much! I'm not an experienced musician (I've dabbled here and there), but I'm an eager student and I'd love to hear your thoughts and perceptions as a composer as you listen to any one of your favorite Beefheart songs. Is that something you might consider making a video on? I'd love to hear what you hear when you listen. Thank you again for taking the time to interview these musicians.
The Magic Band, reinvigorated and joined, right here to tell their collective stories. I think the good Captain & Mr. Zappa, would totally love it. Having their stories shared. 😊
I would like to request that you interview Robert Williams- the drummer on “Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller”; also Ira Ingber, AKA- “Winged Eel Fingerling” (whatever happened to him?!!!); and, if possible, Gary Lucas or Jeff Morris Tepper. These guys are consummate musicians of the highest skill. I believe that during the current pandemic most of these guys are probably sitting at home with nothing to do, and most would probably be willing to do an interview. Thank you so much for your work, and good luck!
Second that - note that Ira Ingber is the brother of Elliot Ingber, aka Winged Eel Fingerling. You can find interviews with Lucas & Ira in the documentary on Beefheart. On the other hand I think there's less mystery to uncover about the days of Ice Cream for Crow. He was an established artist, they admired him, no need to bully them into submission, the material was there, a substantial following too, so much of the insecurity got out of the way and then Beefheart was older and already showing signs of the disease. What I'd like to know most is how much of the post-di-Martino material had already been conceived by the original MB and how much of what's on Ice Cream for Crow (or Doc, or Beast) was done by either CB or the new MB. In general I'd like to see the full repertoire annotated with the date of conception. It would explain why e.g. Doc at the Radar Station sounds similar to Lick my decals off baby, in a certain respect.
Thanks for making the video Samuel! I have loved Frank's music for years and was pretty familiar with Trout Mask Replica, but have never heard Lick My Decals Off Baby. Really enjoyed hearing some 'inside stories' about this music/era and looking forward to checking out more of it now...
This was fantastic! Often wondered about how all those great records came together- the who , what and when of it all. The series on the magic band was a revelation to me. Art Tripp another illuminating piece of the grand puzzle. Would love to hear you interview Don Preston and Underwood, and maybe if the Gardner brothers are still around to talk to. Great interview! Loved it! Thank you for all your great work!
What an incredible trajectory Art Tripp has had! Classical training, into the avante garde, Zappa, Beefheart, Mallard - then chiropractice. I had no idea that Ian Anderson was briefly connected to Art et al. Jethro Tull were a great band in a completely different way from The Magic Band.
excellent interviewer. As long as interviewee still has his train of thought, just let him go. He is who we want to hear from. Wait until the train of thought is exhausted, then prod him a little. great technique.
Grazie, thanks for these interviews to such a great players who played with such a great composers in a beautiful ,or special, time for music. This is an intelligent speech of what is really interesting and I would never expected that somebody have been done this work, so grazie again
How did you finally dig him up?!!!! This is awesome, totally unexpected! I love the fact that you have relentlessly tracked down all the Beefheart Magic Band guys and interviewed them. Honestly, if you don’t finish this project, no one else will ever be able to interview them all (they aren’t going to live forever). Thank you Samuel!
Thank you very much for this interview. So intellectually and musically satisfying. I'm from Cincinnati and CCM is well known, and the town itself has quite a history that is not well-known.
Amazing interview, especially hearing Art's reference of The Fall later on. Mark E. Smith was a huge Beefheart fan and it's nice to see that respect feedback loop. Would love to hear a Samuel analysis of something from The Fall's Hex Enduction Hour or This Nation's Saving Grace!
Fascinating interview, I just had to watch the whole thing. I heard all this music first time round, saw the bands live, loved the music & the musicians - but Art gives a unique perspective as to how it worked - and sometimes didn't work. Thank you for two hours well-spent!
I got to meet Art and Jimmy Carl in June of '69 at the Charlotte Jazz Festival that he mentioned. They were tearing down their drum kits after the show and were very kind to me. In fact, I was given a drum stick from I believe it was Art...maybe Jimmy. I was seventeen at the time; hard to remember exactly.
Outstanding Samuel, Thank you!! These are invaluable as historical content. Thank you for going thru the great effort to document these individuals in a timely fashion!! Too often in our culture we let death come before documentataion and admiration. P.S. Someone needs to talk to Jan and I think you have earned your stripes! Please try. The fact that Mr. Tripp in his years and talent is aware of The Fall and The Residents et al. speaks volumes to his overarching knowledge. Thank you.❤
@@samuel_andreyev I have a question Samuel, have you ever interview or plan on interviewing Ruth Underwood or other band members of Frank Zappa ! You are really brilliant at this ! Greetings from Quebec
I saw At Tripp play with Beefheart at the Town Hall in New York back in the early to mid 70’s. It was around the time when the album Clear Spot came out. Art was great with the band. I would’ve liked to hear his thoughts on working with Wild Man Fisher.
Hi Samuel, great interview. I got a kick at how Art Tripp could talk with detailed authority about working with John Cage, various orchestras, Morton Feldman, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Capt. Beefheart and his almost encounter with Jethro Tull.
When I first joined up with my band, Younglust, in 1980 (as drummer), there was a guy living upstairs of my singer, where we used to rehearse at 313 Pitt St.. This guy's name was, Randy Totten (from what I understand, he died about 15 or 20 years ago). He came over to my neighborhood in Aspinwall a time or two and, one of those times, he took me over to his cousin's house (I THINK she was his cousin!) on 3rd St., about 2 blocks from my house. While there, he told me that Art Tripp was her (or their) cousin. Kinda funny that Art mentioned Mt. Lebo because I have cousins that grew up over there. Some were also drummers that were part of a fairly famous marching band so, I guess it's vaguely possible Art even met a couple of them.
so that must have been people's records in arcata where he played unconditionally guaranteed for the first time. interesting. the owner of the eureka record store at the time lives around the corner from me, and said he knew all those guys in the magic band, and that some of them live a couple of roads down from where we live. i moved to humboldt long after the magic band ended, but am a big fan, and love learning about their history. great interview as always!
A couple of thoughts: 1. Why does no one mention that Golden Birdies is a made up of the intro to The Clouds Are Full of Wine broken into small fragments by Don's poem? 2. What Art says here about how Don became less domineering and abusive over time seems to be a truism that carried over into the post-Bongo Fury albums from Bat Chain Puller through Ice Cream for Crow. Don had been humbled by his Tragic Band period and going on tour with Frank and at the same time had enough clout from his earlier work that he could attract musicians willing to take him seriously as a composer and producer despite his limited musical knowledge. I think Don's lack of ability to read and write notation, understand music theory and so on, combined with the caliber of musicians he worked with and his obvious obsession with competing with Zappa and other very technically skilled musicians, is why he resorted to bullying and intimidation. I think that during the Trout Mask period he was just so afraid that if he was not a dictator and didn't fill these young guys' heads with fear and mythology about his own greatness that they would not take him or his band or his artistic vision seriously. As time went on he no longer felt this type of behavior was beneficial or necessary. The mythology remained but not as much the intimidation. You dont hear those kind of stories about brainwashing and violence from the guys in the late 70s and early 80s Magic Band lineups.
Good interview. Fascinating background information to a fascinating time. Only surprise was Art saying (at the end) something like 'by then Don was doing painting exclusively...which was what he probably should have done from the start''. You're kidding! Don had an incredible voice and wrote wonderful lyrics/songs. Our musical landscape would be missing a legend without him in it.
Art says the Cap'n..... had no idea how anything went together....okay, fair enough....and yet, time after time, regardless of the line up, the end result was a distinctly unique, totally identifiable and utterly idiosyncratic CAPTAIN BEEFHEART BRAND of music. My point is that that body of work, often called "genius" by some very picky individuals, would never have been....indeed, COULD never have been, without Don Van Vliet. *I'm surprised at you Sam* (had to stop at 1:15:00 for now), you above all people should realize if not for the Captain, Trout Mask Replica wouldn't exist. *Sometimes a vision trumps technical prowess and concrete ideas*
Yes, I am a "creature of passion" too.. This is amazing. All your interviews are like a mirror of something I can relate to and they are so unique, too, not just because of the people who actually are in focus. These incredible humans were the ones pushing the boundaries of music and themselves into what it could be, what it was in their time, and onwards- for me an important era and an endless well of inspiration. Thank You!!
Love the precision of Arthur Tripp on snare and Ruth Underwood on Uncle Meat Theme . I like Arthur's comment he doesn't know any lyrics. I'm also that guy . Thought I was alone on that .
I’ll bet most people watching this don’t know who Don Ellis was, but one of his trademarks was writing songs that used unusual combinations of time signatures. Not to mention the soundtrack for “French Connection.”
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
I saw Art playing drums with Captain Beefheart at Town Hall in the early 1970’s. It was around the time of the Clear a Spot Album. Art was playing a clear plexiglass kit I think it was Zycos drum set. Great playing and great music. The girl I took to the show never went out with me again!😃
I saw that tour in Manchester, UK. We were on the front row< I don't remember the drum kit, but Art Tripp was wearing woman's underwear on his head, as well as sporting an elegant monocle. Unlike your experience the girl who came with us absolutely had the hots for Don.
My long suffering wife went to about ten Zappa concerts with me. When Zappa Plays Zappa started touring I was excited that our kids could hear the FZ’s music live. My wife declined to attend since The kids could go with me.
@@adambarker3130 hots for Don 😆
based
@@adambarker3130 Did the girl you and to the show with have the hots for Don because of the women’s underwear on his head? To think I’ve been doing things all wrong for all these years!!😢
Outstanding interview. So rare to have an interviewer who is at once completely well informed about the subject matter, asks great questions, and actually willing to give the interviewee the space as much space a s/he needs to answer the questions. And of course it helps to have such a fascinating and thoughtful guy to talk to. Zappa would not have got where he did without the massive talents of Artie, Bunk, Don P., and Ian U., who managed to bring his abstruse, eclectic early works to life and establish him as a composer of "complex" music. Thanks so much, Samuel for helping Artie to share such extraordinary first-hand observations.
I truly appreciate your kind words!
@violentauntie Why would you say something like that? Music is a very collaborative endeavour; without the contributions of equally skilled players, any musician will not achieve the potential that is possible within a cohesive ensemble. I do not read Greg's remarks as disrespecting Zappa at all.
The was a fantastic interview. Art Tripp is an incredible musician. Zappa and Beefheart were lucky to have him. Great insight into the 60’s avant-garde.
holy crap -- on top of Cage, Zappa and Beefheart, an encounter with SUN RA?! Did this guy have a homing instinct for musical genius or what? Another killer interview Samuel, thank you!!!
I can't begin to express how thankful I am that you've made this wonderous interview. Art Tripp has always fascinated me as one of the few conservatory, highly skilled musicians taking part of these crazy worlds of Zappa and Beefheart.
That is why my only wish beyond whay you've already fulfilled so greatly, is that you continue with these type of interviews, and if possible, now that Art himself mentions him several times, try to get hold of Ian Underwood - the other very talented and classically trained musician Zappa used - as I believe he would also have fascinating, and educated perspectives on music.
But regardless, thank you again so much. This was the interview that in many ways for me connected all your other interviews with Magic Band members since Art in some ways had a bigger perspective being classically trained. Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it. Ian Underwood would be a good idea for an interview!
Samuel Andreyev don’t forget about Ruth underwood. She gave me full respect for the xylophone. On Ruth! On Ruth! That’s Ruth!
Well, even though so many incredible musicians have been around both Zappa and Beefheart, I don't know of that many who played with both of them and were classically skilled, with a conservatory background to put a perspective on Zappa and Beefheart's music.
And since Samuel is interviewing musicians especially around the Trout Mask period, late sixties and early seventies - that very special period in music history - it's not wrong to say that Zappa at that point hadn't played consistently with many conservatory skilled musicians.
Maybe I wasn't being clear enough, but no need to mock me or my comment with seeing it as a joke or me as "highly unqualified"...
@@businessmonkeyfilms Hello BMF~ Yes, violentauntie is being unnecessarily harsh. But, there are probably many who disagree with your exact description. If you had said "...one of the few at that time who was classically trained..." you would have escaped any criticism, but when you use "skilled," you're gonna get push back. Clearly, musicians can be highly-skilled with NO formal training, and that certainly describes some of the many great players that Zappa utilized.
@@_The_Iconoclast_ Thanks for the correction. I agree with you completely. :)
What a wonderful interview! I grew up with Art on Meridian Drive in Mt. Lebanon, PA. He always was a great guy way back when. I remember well the years I listened to him practicing on his drums in his home across the street.
He also played live gigs with Tim Buckley, which blows my mind. Thanks for this Samuel
Edit: cool, he actually mentioned him
nice interview! Used to go to lots the Zappa shows in LA from '68- mid 70's. Frank and the Mothers was as good as it could get at this time; great playing, runnig the gammut of styles from from rock to freeform jazz to doowop, and Frank's ascerbic commentaries on anything and everything!
saw Art with Zappa a couple of times in LA at the Shrine. One show was a "history of rock and roll" show (as announced by Frank in the first set), and we were right up front, in the middle, and on acid. Some may not know, but in those days the headliner and the second-billed band often played two set; and that was the case this show. Anyway, the mothers played a number of the tunes that would appear on "just another band from LA", and Frank's favored Doo Wop sounds (Doin' the Bacon Fat was my favorite of the night). while they were tuning up before their second set, my buddy was looking for a smoke, and again, if you know Frank, he had a Winston tucked in the tuning pegs of his guitar. So, I asked him if I could bum a smoke. He looked down, shook one out of his pack, handed it ti the guy in front of me, and said, "pass this to him." So now that we've been introduced (LOL), I started talking to Frank, telling him that they hadn't played any surf music, and that they should play "wipeout", the surf classic. Frank just looked down at me, tuning his guitar, and smoking his Winston. a monment or two later, he stepped to the mike and said something like, "ladies and gentlemen, before, we finish the show, we'd like to conclude our history of rock and roll with thesurf classic"wipeout; drum solo to be performed by "artie" tripp". the guys all looked around, Frank counted it down, and off they went, playing a note-for-note "wipeout". Art at the time was wearing his wavy hair just down over his shoulders, and a "carnaby street" style polka dot shirt; and when they broke for art's drum solo, he launched into a percussive, tempo-breaking "jazz" style solo, including use of the bicyle horn on his drum kit! they went back into wipe-out for a bar or two, then Frank cocked his Gibson as a signal to the band, and when he brought it down, they launched seamlessly into Uncle Meat, and jammed it until 2AM when the lights flew on, and the show was over!
Art's solo was hillarious, rising to the spontanaety of the moment, and a lasting memory! I later heard The Mothers incorporated "wipeout" into their tour show, but I like to think it was never done before that night! more fun facts; Lowell George, who would soon found Little Feat with his buddy, bassist Roy Estrada, was playing rythm guitar in the Mothers for this show; and this was also the infamous S&M "skippy" show. whew!
as to the Winston, my friend Daniel didn't smoke it that evenig, but squirreled it away, and it was placed in a little padded plastic case where it remaind for years, until he smoked it and then preseved the butt, push-pinned to the wall of a closet in his mothers home.... all true!
Thanks for that wonderful trip (Ha!) down memory lane - great times!
Love your story ,I wish gigs were more informal and open to the moment than now
I had no idea that Art Tripp almost ended up playing with Sun Ra. Amazing.
sun ra was a racist and Tripp was the wrong color
@Gerry Berry Yes, it's OK for Sun Ra. The dynamic changes when it's an oppressed people celebrating their culture.
Oh calm down, boomers
ua-cam.com/video/9bJA6W9CqvE/v-deo.html
@Gerry Berry You mention Martin Luther King but not Malcolm X. Separatism was very strong back then as an idea, and not only in the civil rights movement but also in feminism and gay rights. I have no idea whether Sun Ra was a racist because I can't look into his mind, but I do know that not everyone was into the 'melting pot' idea in the third quarter of the last century because I was alive at the time. The argument was (to simplify) that the idea of let's-all-just-be-nice-to-each-other did nothing to change the structural inequalities of society but simply denied that they existed.
Yes, jazz could not have emerged anywhere except America, but equally it could not have emerged in WASP America either. Jazz, blues, gospel and soul were black music and lie at the roots of most western popular music since.
Samuel, best TV I ever saw. Both you and Art look awsome on my 65” screen. Your interviews with the Beefheart guys should be on Netflix. I’ll fix the ratings.
The early Mothers were heroes of mine. Thank you.
great job by the interviewer and so fun to hear Aurther so clear minded at his age sharing all of this with us. That was a great 2 hours
Jesus Christ THANK YOU for this interview Samuel. Art Tripp is one of my favorites from the Zappa - Beefheart days. I am so going to enjoy all of the nearly 2 hours here.
My pleasure.
what a really great interview .. I meet Art at the Cincinnati Conservatory , he was visiting and said he was joining Zappa the rest is history. Conservatory established a Jazz major many years later, and even had a class on the Beatles.
Stockhausen passed away in 2007. Excellent interview! Thank you Sam...
The best Zappa/Beefheart related interview i have every seen. Watched and loved every second of it. He should write a book.
This was a real fun listen. It really helps break the dullness of the current situation. Great stuff!
Delighted to see you making another video Andreyev and most especially with Art Tripp who I last saw with Don and the rest of the band playing in Manchester back during their Clear Spot\Spotlight Kid tour in around 1972. I found the band much easier to appreciate live than I ever did on vinyl, cassette or CD and I was blown away by how tight and disciplined their playing actually was. Art Trip especially literally blew my mind when he played Golden Birdies . I had never seen a drummer like him before or since as each arm and leg was playing to an apparently different rhythm at the same time yet it all made perfect sense the parts and the whole creating a moving audio dynamic that delighted the brain as it unrolled in time. All the band were brilliant and seeing Don live belting out the vocals like a fat buddah made an experience no other gig in my life could touch before or since.
Hi Len I was at that gig. You are right in every detail!
@@zazaz44 Truly awesome to hear that - hope you are well :)
yeah that was a great band, i saw the shows in Birmingham. Like you say until you experience the magic band play live in full flow i don't think you can fully get the music (and the humour too)
Thank you , Sam , for yet another exclusive featuring a hero of my youth .
This is great. Art has been involved with playing some of the 20th century's greatest music as it unfolded, and it's interesting to hear him talk freely about his experiences, and to hear him join the dots and connect these experiences in a way that really paints a vivid picture of the geography of the avant-garde scene at the time. Art's input is especially valuable considering his involvement "between-worlds", in terms of the contrast between his orchestral and "band" experience.
It was good to see his interest in that same repertoire is ongoing (and his writing down "The King of Denmark" is the first time I've seen someone make a physical note for a while!), and his frank and straightforward appraisal of the Beefheart "talks" is nice - particularly funny to hear about Ingber's response to Vliet's behaviour in rehearsal! Excellent interview.
Thank you for this, Samuel! I find Art the most interesting member of the avant-garde Rock troupe of that time because of his background. This is a great back story and I appreciate your time and effort to reach Art so he could tell it personally. Best Wishes to you!
Being a huge early MOI fan it is so great to hear and see interviews like this. There was no UA-cam or such back then so you never had any insight into what went on in bands like The Mothers, Captain Beefheart, etc. All you had were fluff mags like Tiger Beat and the like which were good for telling you things like Jim Morrison's favorite color. Yipes! Thanks so much Samuel for stuff like this. Keep it coming . So many of these 1960's musicians (Mothers, Airplane, etc.) look so much healthier in their 60's than they did in their 20's. God Bless em'
Once again, thank you so much for these Magic Band interviews.
Great job on this brother! I've recently done some Zappa shows on my channel. So many great stories!!
This is a great and unique interview. I've been a Zappa and Beefheart fan for decades and its wonderful to hear these insider accounts of what it was like to work with these Men.
OMG I was waiting for this all my life !!!
Thank you Samuel for another great, extensive interview with another Beefheart/Zappa alumni, there is so much great content and revealing details in this interview I wouldn't no where to begin. I haven't seen Art since the early 70's and would have never recognized him now, but his memory sure stayed strong! I love his comment about the notorious Trout House that was muffled not to disturb the neighbors, ha.
The more I listen to captain beef heart especially on songs like click clack where art is doing all these mind blowing drum licks- the more I realize how under appreciated this guy is in the drumming world!!! What a great interview and art looks great for his age! Chiropractor huh? That’s so awesome! I would have loved to have been older in the 70s and to experience all the great music and bands of the time!
Nice to hear Art's reflections. The fates were certainly on his side and we're lucky he made the most of the opportunities. Thanks for posting Sam.
This interview is so Awesome!
Many thanks to you for this interview with 'Ed Marimba', plus all your output concerning the Captain's crew. Your fascination with this music is shared by me and many people I know and to hear about the times and processes of how it was created is very satisfying.
Art seems to have a great memory & likes to talk & the this interviewer asks relevant questions & then gets out of the way. Awesome stuff!
Oooh, quite excited about this interview. So cool these, thanks Samuel!
This guys a legend... played with Zappa and beefheart at the same time! Imagine that.
Literally Fantastic
I was so effortless engaged in listening, with such a complete natural interest, I wondered why and how I am not a musician, even though I know so little in a formal way of the musical forms.
However I once attended a free concert at the U. Of Penn. , in the campus church ( which was there before the University, as I remember) given by SUN RA!
There was a small hand made sign posted knee-high in the grass announcing the concert that prompted me to walk in at that moment.
The story is to underscore the happenstance of my exposure to such music.
It was the most fantastic aural experience of musical instrumentation of my life.
And the life costumed dancers who moved over and around the pews (sp?).
I had an English teacher who talked of people in society like John Cage.
So , these references doesn't explain in the least my interest being compelled into this interview.
And the interviewini style brings
out Art's easy access and expression of his history with these people.
Blah blah from me , all just to say really great interview which enlivened my memories so vividly.
Thank you so very much.
Music is such a world as part of us as humans.
YOU'RE THE BEST!!! Thank you so much Samuel, you did it again. Artie is the man!
this made my morning THANK YOU !!! i was born in the late 50's in so cal. all this music meant a great deal to me. too young for the clubs but i had vinyl. i got to see shows from the 70's on. playing soprano sax and screaming lyrics to marimba scared my wife and pet cat. i wouldn't call it music, but i sure found it soothing.....rockettebob in reno
Really happy to read your kind message. Thank you.
Fantastic. Saw Tripp play with C.B. at Ebberts Field Club in Denver... it was great. Yes he played Veterans Day Poppy... exactly like Drumbo.
It was super great. 1972 or 3.
Thanks Art Tripp.!
Fascinating. This is what Zappa was talking about when he mentioned that Art understood and considered things that Jimmy Carl Black never could or would.
@chrisdiel706 didn't stop Frank from screwing both of these guys out of money.
Thanks Sam thanks Art. Fascinating conversation.
Fascinating interview. I remember when the first Mallard LP came out I couldn't find a copy, wound up going directly to Virgin records office in the Village and got a copy from them. The two LP's from Mallard are still my favorite records.
Some bubble-bursting going on here! “Pick parts out of Don’s piano ramblings...”. I love the albums, but this made me chuckle.
Fascinating conversation. Thanks to you both.
These are fascinating and important interviews, Samuel. I so appreciate hearing directly from the musicians. It shifts the common narrative a bit especially the mythology around the recording of "Trout Mask Replica." I love Captain Beefheart's and his band(s) music SO much! I'm not an experienced musician (I've dabbled here and there), but I'm an eager student and I'd love to hear your thoughts and perceptions as a composer as you listen to any one of your favorite Beefheart songs. Is that something you might consider making a video on? I'd love to hear what you hear when you listen. Thank you again for taking the time to interview these musicians.
The Magic Band, reinvigorated and joined, right here to tell their collective stories. I think the good Captain & Mr. Zappa, would totally love it. Having their stories shared. 😊
Our Man Tripp!!! Thought all these Mothers and Magic Band musicians where forgotten in obscure..thanks for all these amazing interviews.
I would like to request that you interview Robert Williams- the drummer on “Shiny Beast/Bat Chain Puller”; also Ira Ingber, AKA- “Winged Eel Fingerling” (whatever happened to him?!!!); and, if possible, Gary Lucas or Jeff Morris Tepper. These guys are consummate musicians of the highest skill. I believe that during the current pandemic most of these guys are probably sitting at home with nothing to do, and most would probably be willing to do an interview. Thank you so much for your work, and good luck!
Second that - note that Ira Ingber is the brother of Elliot Ingber, aka Winged Eel Fingerling. You can find interviews with Lucas & Ira in the documentary on Beefheart. On the other hand I think there's less mystery to uncover about the days of Ice Cream for Crow. He was an established artist, they admired him, no need to bully them into submission, the material was there, a substantial following too, so much of the insecurity got out of the way and then Beefheart was older and already showing signs of the disease.
What I'd like to know most is how much of the post-di-Martino material had already been conceived by the original MB and how much of what's on Ice Cream for Crow (or Doc, or Beast) was done by either CB or the new MB. In general I'd like to see the full repertoire annotated with the date of conception. It would explain why e.g. Doc at the Radar Station sounds similar to Lick my decals off baby, in a certain respect.
Yes please interview Robert Williams!!
I don't know how I got here, but this is an awesome insight into some of the most influential musicians of C20
Thanks for making the video Samuel! I have loved Frank's music for years and was pretty familiar with Trout Mask Replica, but have never heard Lick My Decals Off Baby. Really enjoyed hearing some 'inside stories' about this music/era and looking forward to checking out more of it now...
This was fantastic! Often wondered about how all those great records came together- the who , what and when of it all. The series on the magic band was a revelation to me. Art Tripp another illuminating piece of the grand puzzle. Would love to hear you interview Don Preston and Underwood, and maybe if the Gardner brothers are still around to talk to. Great interview! Loved it! Thank you for all your great work!
Everything Art touched turned golden!!
It does seem that way!
Great interview! Great job Samuel! Cheers!
What an incredible trajectory Art Tripp has had! Classical training, into the avante garde, Zappa, Beefheart, Mallard - then chiropractice.
I had no idea that Ian Anderson was briefly connected to Art et al. Jethro Tull were a great band in a completely different way from The Magic Band.
excellent interviewer. As long as interviewee still has his train of thought, just let him go. He is who we want to hear from. Wait until the train of thought is exhausted, then prod him a little. great technique.
"3 minutes and 33 seconds or whatever it was" cracked me up. Great interview.
This is pure gold. Thank you
The marimba was such a lovely embellishment to the Magic Band's sound
Grazie, thanks for these interviews to such a great players who played with such a great composers in a beautiful ,or special, time for music. This is an intelligent speech of what is really interesting and I would never expected that somebody have been done this work, so grazie again
How did you finally dig him up?!!!! This is awesome, totally unexpected! I love the fact that you have relentlessly tracked down all the Beefheart Magic Band guys and interviewed them. Honestly, if you don’t finish this project, no one else will ever be able to interview them all (they aren’t going to live forever). Thank you Samuel!
I’m fucking done bro, Art Tripp met sun ra and enjoyed his music wow what a guy. Awesome interview this guy is always full of surprises.
I can’t thank you enough for these in depth interviews
Pure gold, this!
This is gold. Thank you both
Thank you very much for this interview. So intellectually and musically satisfying. I'm from Cincinnati and CCM is well known, and the town itself has quite a history that is not well-known.
A great percussionist and a great guy.
Amazing interview, especially hearing Art's reference of The Fall later on. Mark E. Smith was a huge Beefheart fan and it's nice to see that respect feedback loop. Would love to hear a Samuel analysis of something from The Fall's Hex Enduction Hour or This Nation's Saving Grace!
Fascinating interview, I just had to watch the whole thing.
I heard all this music first time round, saw the bands live, loved the music & the musicians - but Art gives a unique perspective as to how it worked - and sometimes didn't work.
Thank you for two hours well-spent!
I got to meet Art and Jimmy Carl in June of '69 at the Charlotte Jazz Festival that he mentioned. They were tearing down their drum kits after the show and were very kind to me. In fact, I was given a drum stick from I believe it was Art...maybe Jimmy. I was seventeen at the time; hard to remember exactly.
Outstanding Samuel, Thank you!! These are invaluable as historical content. Thank you for going thru the great effort to document these individuals in a timely fashion!! Too often in our culture we let death come before documentataion and admiration. P.S. Someone needs to talk to Jan and I think you have earned your stripes! Please try.
The fact that Mr. Tripp in his years and talent is aware of The Fall and The Residents et al. speaks volumes to his overarching knowledge. Thank you.❤
Thanks Samuel -- great interview...
Jeez I pressed the wrong button so I'm subscribing again ! Happy to be part of your family ! 😊
Welcome 😌
@@samuel_andreyev Thanks ! 😊
@@samuel_andreyev I have a question Samuel, have you ever interview or plan on interviewing Ruth Underwood or other band members of Frank Zappa ! You are really brilliant at this ! Greetings from Quebec
@lousekoya1803 thanks. I tried with Ian Underwood but it didn’t work out.
@@samuel_andreyev Thank you Samuel !
I love these interviews!!!!! Thank you so much
Thanks for the interview! A good listen.
what a great guy - so down to earth … for an avant-gardist
I love how you started out with
“the clouds are full of wine (not whiskey or rye)”
Thanks! This is so captivating!
I saw At Tripp play with Beefheart at the Town Hall in New York back in the early to mid 70’s. It was around the time when the album Clear Spot came out. Art was great with the band. I would’ve liked to hear his thoughts on working with Wild Man Fisher.
Hi Samuel, great interview. I got a kick at how Art Tripp could talk with detailed authority about working with John Cage, various orchestras, Morton Feldman, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Capt. Beefheart and his almost encounter with Jethro Tull.
This man is a legend! Thank you for the great interview (so well researched and as such super informative for the audience). Keep up the great work!
When I first joined up with my band, Younglust, in 1980 (as drummer), there was a guy living upstairs of my singer, where we used to rehearse at 313 Pitt St.. This guy's name was, Randy Totten (from what I understand, he died about 15 or 20 years ago). He came over to my neighborhood in Aspinwall a time or two and, one of those times, he took me over to his cousin's house (I THINK she was his cousin!) on 3rd St., about 2 blocks from my house. While there, he told me that Art Tripp was her (or their) cousin.
Kinda funny that Art mentioned Mt. Lebo because I have cousins that grew up over there. Some were also drummers that were part of a fairly famous marching band so, I guess it's vaguely possible Art even met a couple of them.
I’m only 25 minutes in, but FANTASTIC stuff! Thank you.
so that must have been people's records in arcata where he played unconditionally guaranteed for the first time. interesting. the owner of the eureka record store at the time lives around the corner from me, and said he knew all those guys in the magic band, and that some of them live a couple of roads down from where we live. i moved to humboldt long after the magic band ended, but am a big fan, and love learning about their history. great interview as always!
Great interviewer...great art tripp...awesome to see how down to earth he is...all zappa.beefheart alum seem to be that way.
A couple of thoughts:
1. Why does no one mention that Golden Birdies is a made up of the intro to The Clouds Are Full of Wine broken into small fragments by Don's poem?
2. What Art says here about how Don became less domineering and abusive over time seems to be a truism that carried over into the post-Bongo Fury albums from Bat Chain Puller through Ice Cream for Crow.
Don had been humbled by his Tragic Band period and going on tour with Frank and at the same time had enough clout from his earlier work that he could attract musicians willing to take him seriously as a composer and producer despite his limited musical knowledge.
I think Don's lack of ability to read and write notation, understand music theory and so on, combined with the caliber of musicians he worked with and his obvious obsession with competing with Zappa and other very technically skilled musicians, is why he resorted to bullying and intimidation.
I think that during the Trout Mask period he was just so afraid that if he was not a dictator and didn't fill these young guys' heads with fear and mythology about his own greatness that they would not take him or his band or his artistic vision seriously.
As time went on he no longer felt this type of behavior was beneficial or necessary. The mythology remained but not as much the intimidation.
You dont hear those kind of stories about brainwashing and violence from the guys in the late 70s and early 80s Magic Band lineups.
Wonderful. Thanks.
Good interview. Fascinating background information to a fascinating time. Only surprise was Art saying (at the end) something like 'by then Don was doing painting exclusively...which was what he probably should have done from the start''. You're kidding! Don had an incredible voice and wrote wonderful lyrics/songs. Our musical landscape would be missing a legend without him in it.
Art says the Cap'n.....
had no idea how anything went together....okay, fair enough....and yet, time after time, regardless of the line up, the end result was a distinctly unique, totally identifiable and utterly idiosyncratic CAPTAIN BEEFHEART BRAND of music. My point is that that body of work, often called "genius" by some very picky individuals, would never have been....indeed, COULD never have been, without Don Van Vliet.
*I'm surprised at you Sam* (had to stop at 1:15:00 for now), you above all people should realize if not for the Captain, Trout Mask Replica wouldn't exist. *Sometimes a vision trumps technical prowess and concrete ideas*
Fantastic interview! Great perspective on Beefheart. Great listen.
Hail, hail! What a tripp this interview was ;)
Been listening to this guy's playing for a decade now, big respect forever.
Thanks so much for what is a simply wonderful interview.
Fascinating stuff - many thanks for doing all of these interviews.
brilliant, thank you again for another fascinating in depth interview.
Hats off, Mister Tripp!! 👏👏👏
Yes, I am a "creature of passion" too..
This is amazing. All your interviews are like a mirror of something I can relate to and they are so unique, too, not just because of the people who actually are in focus. These incredible humans were the ones pushing the boundaries of music and themselves into what it could be, what it was in their time, and onwards- for me an important era and an endless well of inspiration. Thank You!!
thanks .held me together for a bit .x
Love the precision of Arthur Tripp on snare and Ruth Underwood on Uncle Meat Theme . I like Arthur's comment he doesn't know any lyrics. I'm also that guy . Thought I was alone on that .
That's gold, pure gold. Thank you!
Well that made my day thanks again sam.
I’ll bet most people watching this don’t know who Don Ellis was, but one of his trademarks was writing songs that used unusual combinations of time signatures.
Not to mention the soundtrack for “French Connection.”
Art absolutely is a rock star.