The Mystery Man from The Magic Band

Captain Beefheart's Writing Partner Revealed

De: Herb Bermann, Derek Laskie

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

— ABRIDGED EDITION —
The ebook leaves out the Lyric Sheets

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"Described by some as [Captain Beefheart's] 'dope connection,' I would have to say that, though I did sense 'herbs in the air' at times during their meetings, what I saw was a serious, committed writer submitting typewritten lyrics to [Beefheart] at a time when [Beefheart's] best lyrics were written on coffee shop placemats, bar napkins, and matchbook covers."
—John "Drumbo" French, drummer for the Magic Band, author of Beefheart: Through the Eyes of Magic

"For Bermann, there is delight in the recent attention around his resurrected artistic achievements of the past. There is reverence for the opportunity to write in any form.... 'We weren't recreational writers,' he said. 'We were politically involved in a difficult time. We were in an unjust war in Vietnam and we wanted to comment on it. We wanted to make a difference—we did.'"
—Susan Bunn, The Malibu Times

"...a fascinating mix of personal history, songs and poems, topped by an in-depth interview that not only fills in colorful career details but paints a masterful portrait of adventurous artists doing their unique things in the California of the ‘60s."
—Vic Tripp, Topanga Messenger

Herb Bermann was credited as co-writing eight of the songs on Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s debut album Safe As Milk (1967); it would have been a completely different record without him. According to one observer:

"[Captain Beefheart] called the guy 'The Poet.' For a while he was positively gagging us all out with it! 'The Poet said…' or 'The Poet is HEAVY, man!' I mean none of us could believe it…. You’d have thought Salvador Dali had walked in!"

Yet Bermann kept silent about Captain Beefheart for almost 50 years—so silent that some people said that Captain Beefheart had invented him. Now Bermann shares his story! Fans will be charmed by Bermann’s descriptions of how his songs came to be written. They may also be surprised to learn just which songs he says he wrote. Included is a facsimile reproduction of his original lyric sheets, with dozens more songs that were never produced. Bermann’s story reveals previously unpublished information about the early work of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band, Neil Young and Steven Spielberg. It also introduces us to an artist whose work and influence have been generally overlooked.