It can be argued that, regardless of the medium, Don Van Vliet has always been a painter. Whether on canvas or on records (in his guise as Captain Beefheart), Van Vliet has evolved in public from the status of a minor rock ‘n roll eccentric to being hailed by the art world as one of the few truly visionary artists that America has produced. Regardless of the medium, the single unifying factor of Van Vliet’s art has remained unchanged throughout his lengthy career – the rejection of all formal limits to get to the pure essence of an idea…
Don in front of one of his paintings which he so perfectly fits in. I photographed him this way during the making of the ‘ Some YOYO Stuff ’ film. Loved the tie. Anton Corbijn