Sunday 16 June marks 50 years to the day since the US release of Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band’s seminal album, Trout Mask Replica.
In this informal afternoon discussion event at Bluecoat, Beefheart biographer Mike Barnes (Captain Beefheart, 2000) will talk about the significance of the record, which has divided opinion over the decades: a work of genius or a self-indulgent din, and its enduring legacy.
Artist Derek Tyman has researched the circumstances in which the record was developed, with the band holed up in a wooden house in Los Angeles for a long period. He will give an illustrated talk on Trout Mask House, his proposal to recreate the rehearsal room and a scale model of the house in Liverpool.
Bluecoat Artistic Director Bryan Biggs chairs the event, which continues Bluecoat’s relationship to Beefheart, from his first ever exhibition of paintings at the venue in 1972 to a special weekend in 2017 that explored him as a ‘total artist’ who embraced music, art, writing and performance. Further details and booking: thebluecoat.org.uk