Peter's music has been heard on hundreds of radio stations and has been on SiriusXM rotation for over a decade. As a multi-award winning artist, Peter's music has also topped Billboard's Classical and Crossover charts.
For Captain Beefheart, a maverick-artist-musician, who was not just a complicated man but highly demanding and by most accounts very difficult to deal with. It was appropriate that Beefheart's Magic Band was to prominently feature a bassist as accomplished, bold and adventurous as Mark Boston, a.k.a Rockette Morton.
Born on July 14, 1949, Mark began life in the small town of Salem, Illinois before his family moved out to Lancaster, California when he was 13. With a bassist and steel player for a father, Mark gained a great appreciation for country and bluegrass along with the R&B and rock’n’roll that was on the rise. Within a year of the Boston clan moving out to Lancaster, Mark befriended a young guitarist by the name of Bill Harkleroad.
At a time when the bass guitar was seen as the dummy’s instrument, Mark left quite an impression on Bill with his talent and equipment, leading to the two joining forces to form BC And The Cavemen. With Mark’s mother sewing some outfits for them, the band developed a decent reputation, and the two would also play in a band with Jeff Cotton and John French known as Blues In A Bottle. And then a local hero came calling. Or perhaps screaming and howling!
In that same Lancaster scene, Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band were making a big splash as a top flight blues rock outfit, with 'Safe As Milk' having made a strong impression and 'Strictly Personal' being a strong record as well. But even with a sound that was speaking to people, one that perhaps would have been a more pragmatic one as far as a career goes, Don Van Vliet just wasn’t meant for conventional norms.
The Captain had all these ideas, ideas far too out for many, including early members. He needed new musicians, younger and more impressionable ones that wouldn’t object to his ideas. Already having John and Jeff in the band, now 'Drumbo' and Antennae Jimmy Semens, he then recruited Bill, dubbed Zoot Horn Rollo. And on bass, he found Mark Boston, who took the name Rockette Morton due to his love of outer space. And the classic Magic Band was born.
Trout Mask Replica (TMR) wasn’t an easy album to make. Yet even with all the bizarre ideas and the difficulty in preparing those ideas into music, Mark was a total champ through it all. The Beefheart sound is one of great dichotomy, and Mark can capture all of it. He’s so tight and precise, and yet there’s this raw grit and dirt. He’s highly intelligent and sophisticated in his playing, and yet there remains this childlike sense of wonder and curiosity.
He takes after all the great traditional American music, yet out into a whole other realm of time and space. The bass traditionally serves the role of grounding the harmony while locking in with the drums to provide a foundation, yet Mark’s playing often serves as another melody line in the music. In a lot of ways, he’s like a third guitarist that just happens to be playing bass.
The TMR on its own is a legacy few can compete with, and yet Mark contributed to more classic records like "Lick My Decals Off, Baby", "The Spotlight Kid", and "Clear Spot". There on Decals, you get the equivalent of Godfather II. With Mother Art Tripp on marimba and drums rather Jeff on guitar, you get an album that captures a great deal of TMR's brilliance while being brilliant in its own unique way.
Then you get to 'The Spotlight Kid', with bass godliness on cuts like “When It Blows Its Stack”, resulting in a bass solo that often opened shows, yet Mark proves himself just as talented on traditional in-the-pocket styles as demonstrated on cuts like “I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby”. And that thing about bassists being failed guitarists? In the 'Clear Spot', with Mark taking guitar and the rhythm section now being a mini Mothers reunion of Art and Roy Estrada, yet nobody missed a beat. Throughout the record, Bill and Mark’s kinship really shines, their weaving right there with what Bill and Jeff had done, or what was done with Alex St Clair early on.
Of course, dealing with Don was quite a task of its own, so it’s inevitable that Mark and the others would all end up departing by 1974. He and Bill soon formed a group of their own called Mallard. For two albums, the first with Art and having some writing help from John French 'Drumbo', Mallard showed itself a pretty decent blues rock outfit. And giving that it was Mark who finally had a chance to create something that was truly his own rather than helping some achieve their vision, it’s understandably the work that he takes pride in. And over time, he’d end up making a solo record and create some cool artwork of his own, as well as performing with 'Drumbo' in the reformed Magic Band, allowing the music to live and breathe on stage again.
If you’re a Beefheart fan, how can you not love Rockette Morton? Not only a uniquely talented bass player but such a great stage presence full of joy, along with a lovably quirky personality and such a sweet guy. Easily one of my favorites from Magic Band members, you can’t help but smile when thinking about Mark. He’s been through some rough weather, including his health scares, and yet he’s still the same Mark we’ve known and loved all the years.
Happy birthday Mark! Thank you for all you have given us and look forward to more.
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Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
By Subhash K Jha BOLLYWOOD: In a rare interview with Subhash K Jha, Pooja Bhatt opens up about her life, priorities, pets and her peeves: Q: Pooja, how come we don’t see you on screen any more? I am not offered anything. No one wants to cast me! Earlier they though I was a producer-director’s daughter, hence difficult. Now I am a producer-director myself. So you can imagine how intimidated they are. The last person who was brave enough to cast me was Rahul Bose in Everybody Says I’m Fine. He gave me no choice. He is my dearest friend. I confided in him about how disillusioned I was by the business of cinema and stardom. He offered me a role. I was aghast. ‘What kind of a friend are you? I just told you I’m sick of the industry and you’re offering me a role!’ He insisted that only I could play Tanya. But I am so glad he insisted.I am indebted to him. Though I haven’t met Rahul since Everybody Says I’m Fine he reiterated his friendship for me by insisting I do the role. When a friend insists the least you can do is succumb. Q: We haven’t seen you on screen since then? After Rahul no one offered me any role except Padam Kumar. I was too petrified to respond to his offer. Filmmakers think I am Mahesh Bhatt’s daughter, so I’d ask too many questions. They thought the same way about the great Tanuja. She had the balls and the gall to be a thinking actress and they never allowed her to succeed to the extent that she deserved. I remember meeting her during the year of Zakham after a popular awards function. She told me she had seen me in Zakham and had connected with my performance like never before. Then Tanujaji said something to me that broke my heart. ‘Don’t think this industry is only for the men . Claim and inherit your space because you have it in you.’ Years later when I met her again she had forgotten her advice. But I remembered and cherished it. But you know that? I enjoy just being a producer and a home maker. I love being in-charge. I love being the tortured and tormented soul . I am a Piscean. I enjoy the real-life drama fully.
Q: Alia says you’re the only one the entire family listens to, and that includes your father Mahesh Bhatt? Is that true?
Pooja Bhatt poses with two hunks.[/caption]
Q: But so many actors have betrayed you?
Actors betray. Technicians don’t. Movies are made by technicians. My DOP, light men, art director…these are the people who have stayed with me over the years. They’d give their lives for me. I safeguard their interests like a communist. My dear friend Randeep Hooda says I am more a unionist than an actor. I reminded him I was a star and not just an actor.Tell me something. How many of today’s stars know their spot boys and light boys by name? For me the guy who holds the thermocol is more important than the guy who stands in front of it. Call me leftist or Maoist . But that’s the way I am. And it’s because of my deep bonding with my technicians that I am able to make my movies economically and they’re much better-looking than my father’s films.
Q: You really think your films are better looking?
Yes. I am only in competition with the people who taught me cinema.I am not in competition with anyone in the industry.Who gives a damn about the industry? What industry? Everything I learnt about production came from my uncle Mukesh Bhatt. Mahesh Bhatt has taught me all that I know about sharing an equation with people.What my father has taught me is that you can lie to anybody but not to yourself.
Q: Do you often come face to face with the truth about yourself?
Recently I went to Ooty after 15 years. My memory was hit by all those films that I shot there like Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin and Sadak. I found Gautam Rajadhyaksha’s book with his pictures of me in a store. I had posed nude long before anyone else had. Gautam had said, ‘The only person Pooja hurts with her candidness is herself.’ You have to be ready for the hurt. I believe when you are given a special life you owe it to the universe to be yourself. I’ve to rage against the wind. I’ve to experience the pitch-dark to relish the dawn. I think in India women with their own mind are still resented. A woman with a vagina, boobs and a brain is considered very intimidating.
How do you deal with Bipasha Basu or Sunny Leone moving away after getting their breakthrough project from you?
I let the film industry deal with them. There is no loyalty in this business, don’t you know that? If people say thank you after being given a break then I am lucky.With Sunny Leone, it was the question of , who would bell the cat? I had the gall to do that. I remember Sanjay Dutt sending a message to Dino Morea,saying they wanted Sunny Leone for an item song in Ram Gopal Varma’s Department. If they wanted her, they should’ve asked me. Instead Dino asked, ‘Baba (Dutt) Bol raha hai ussey Sunny Leone chahiye.’ I replied, ‘Bol do Baby bol rahi hai , nahin.’ Then Ramu sent me a message, saying he would be able to shoot Sunny much better than me as his was the male perspective. I asked Ramu if he had seen my poster of Jism 2. I sent it to him. He asked me to trust him with Sunny. But why should I trust his male perspective when I was the one to bell the cat? You can’t suddenly come and steal my thunder away.
Ms Leone was back then condemned for being a porn star and how dare she, etc etc.
Yes. My father and I got the point. …I am finished with all the ladies that I worked with. For me their stardom isn’t of any interest. Years ago I was offered Rahu Rawail’s Bekhudi the film that launched Kajol. My father wanted to  know whether I wanted to be  a star or an actor. The choice for me was clear. I chose Daddy. I am proud of Daddy, Zakahm and even Prem Deewane and Everybody Says I’m Fine…Even now if someone is willing to cast me I’d be happy to act. It’d be an absolute joy to be on a set and told what to do. Contrary to belief I’m not a control freak. I wish my men realized that. If they told me what to do I’d have done it.
Are you happily married to Manish Makhija?
We’ve been married for almost 11 years. So you can call it ‘happily married’. But I really don’t know what happiness is. And I don’t want to know. Happiness is highly overrated. The truth is, I wouldn’t be in in this marriage if it was untruthful. So far I have not been tempted to look over my shoulder. If I do my husband would be the first to know.
But we don’t see you two together?
But that’s the way we choose to live. Today I see Karan Johar finally attain puberty at 42. Everybody in the film industry is now discovering that turning pointing in their lives at 40-plus. I got there at 17. I’ve been there, done that, bought the teeshirt and sold it. How wonderful that I go to bed at 10 pm and wake up at 5 am instead of going to bed at 5 am. Thanks to Manisha Koirala and me, today’s girls admit to a boyfriend. They even kiss in public. I was very happy kissing on screen. But if you asked me to sing a double-meaning song like Sarkayee lo khatiya I wouldn’t be able to do it. I am proud I made Tammanna at 21 and Jism at 29. I want to ask you if any of my contemporaries are doing what I am? No. End of discussion.
Imtiaz Ali thinks marriage makes an individual a mediocre person. Your take?
It depends on whom you are married to.My happiness has never depended on the men in my life, be it my father, lover or husband.I found my happiness in my own heart.I made my mistakes.And I’m proud of them.
Your heart is that of a gypsy?
Of course it it. And thank God for that. I am great organizer, a great motivator and my unit dotes on me. The reason I make films cheaper than my father and uncle is because I’ve more heart. They can’t be on field during the job. I can.And I am.
