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zoot horn rollo

In April I went to see the Magic Band play in London. It was great fun and I emphasize the word FUN.
The original plan for the reunion was to get together the band that made the Trout Mask Replica LP. There was never any question of Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart – for a quick glossary of Magic Band pseudonyms click HERE) himself being involved. If you saw the Anton Corbijn film Some Yo Yo Stuff on the BBC a few years back you’ll know that Van Vliet concentrates now on his career as a fine artist and lives as a virtual recluse. His voice is also nearly gone due to an undisclosed long term illness (rumoured to be Multiple Sclerosis) and so even basic speech is slow and painful judging from the film which dates back to 1994.

So John "Drumbo" French on drums became the project leader. Mark "Rockette Morton" Boston was tracked down and resumed his bass role. Jeff "Antennae Jimmy Semens" Cotton declined the invite (he lives a modest life in Hawaii according to internet fan sites) and so Gary "Mantis" Lucas from the late 1980-82 era band was drafted as a replacement. The other guitar role was filled by long time Beefheart associate Denny "Fingers Reebo" Whalley who played on the original, unreleased version of the Bat Chain Puller LP.

Conspicuous by his absence was Bill "Zoot Horn Rollo" Harkleroad.

Zoot at the Royal Albert Hall, 1972

Bill played guitar on Trout Mask Replica (having come in to the band just before rehearsals began as a replacement for Alex Snouffer), Lick My Decals Off Baby, The Spotlight Kid, Clear Spot and Unconditionally Guaranteed. He was the first name on my list of favourite guitar players for a piece I wrote for Diskant in August 02 and I know a lot of people who feel the same.

For someone whose involvement was so central in a music that has often been talked about and analyzed, it seems to me that the opportunity to talk about his view of the time he spent in the Magic Band has not really presented itself to Bill, even when it maybe should have done so.

The BBC documentary The Artist Formerly Known As Captain Beefheart featured many Magic Band members but again Bill was notable only by his lack of involvement and the same could be said for Mark Boston, whereas Jimmy Carl Black whose involvement was miniscule in comparison seemed to get a starring role (Black played percussion for a brief while in the 1970s after Bill had left the band). As an aside, it seems like the BBC is making a second part to the film as they filmed the reunion shows. Let’s hope they take the time to talk to Bill this time round, not to mention Art Tripp or Elliot Ingber or Jeff Cotton.

When I first started doing a fanzine in about 1995 I tried to get an interview with Bill to fill a hole in my own fascination with the Magic Band. I was politely turned down. I tried again in the event of all this Magic Band activity and this time he said yes. In fact he said “sure”.

I caught up with him via email earlier this year while he was in his studio at home working on music in between teaching guitar and improving his golf handicap. I conducted this interview via email so I have written this piece in a mixture of past tense and actual question/answer formats. Sorry if it becomes confusing but the actual email was very long and I wanted to put some kind of chronological order on this, hence the dropping in and out of interview mode and the addition of after thoughts on my part.

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