John 'Drumbo' French interview
This interview originally appeared on Louder Than War 8.5.18 Don Van Vliet or as he is better known Captain Beefheart was one of, if not, the worlds greatest artists of all time. With the help of those he graduated to his Magic Band, they made some of the most intriguing, engaging, compelling music ever to be produced, which influenced many well known artists from The Fall, Beck and The Kings of Leon. One of those Magic Band members is John ‘Drumbo’ French. In this exclusive interview Matt Mead interviews Drumbo about his fascinating time working with Van. LTW: Can I take you back in time and can you please give some details of where you grew up and some of your first childhood memories? John: I was born in San Bernardino California. My memories go back to about 18 months old. We lived in a small house on 4004 Third Ave. in a place that was referred to as “over Little Mountain.” There is a small mountain north of the city, so we lived on the outskir...