Did Captain Beefheart's Genius Go Unappreciated by the Masses?

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  • Thread starter Thread starter Chi Meson
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I once worked with a lady whose husband was a distant cousin of his. When we were introduced and I heard her last name, I asked if she was related to Captain Beefheart, and she seemed pretty surprised that anyone would make the connection. I wanted to say "Lick my decals off, baby." but refrained - probably the wisest course of action.
 
I spent five of my four undergraduate years as a DJ at the alternative radio station of UVA. (That's WTJU, 91.3 FM, if you want to know). After going through years of listening to the garbage coming in, from major labels AND do-it-yourself work from indie labels, there was a gravitation to those artists showed true-undeniable genius that could never be appreciated by the masses. Beefheart was one of them (Tom Waits and Mark E. Smith being two more of the same ilk). It took effort to get to a point of appreciation, after which, you wonder why anyone would find it less than magical.