January 9, 2012

Captain Beefheart’s Ten Commandments of Guitar Playing

4. Walk with the devil

Old Delta blues players referred to guitar amplifiers as the “devil box.” And they were right. You have to be an equal opportunity employer in terms of who you’re bringing over from the other side. Electricity attracts devils and demons. Other instruments attract other spirits. An acoustic guitar attracts Casper. A mandolin attracts Wendy. But an electric guitar attracts Beelzebub.

(From WFMU’s Beware of the Blog. Via Brian Beatty.)

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comments

  1. Sheila Ryan on January 9th, 2012 at 1:25 pm

    I like it that the Captain mentions the late Hubert Sumlin (in his Commandment 7).

  2. Casey Cichowicz on January 9th, 2012 at 3:18 pm

    Hm. Captain Beefheart. This explains a few film suggestions of yours.

  3. Sheila Ryan on January 9th, 2012 at 3:31 pm

    Casey, I was (and still am) madly in love with Don Van Vliet.

  4. Sheila Ryan on January 9th, 2012 at 3:37 pm

    Also, he is my spiritual father. Which makes it kind of weird.