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.
___________________
Patrick Moore is a freehand drawing artist and freelance music writer.
By Gurmukh Singh
RISHIKESH (India): Welcome to Rishikesh – the yoga capital of the world – in the foothills of lower Himalayas in Uttarakhand state of India.
When you think of Rishikesh, you think of its iconic Ram Jhula (jhula means suspension bridge), Laxman Jhula, yoga, meditation, temples, ashrams (centres for spiritual studies), the holy river Ganga and its evening aarti.
And the Beatles!
Yes, it was the British rock band Beatles which put this town on the world map when they stayed with transcendental meditation guru Mahesh Yogi here in the 1960s.
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The author with the famous Ram Jhula on the river Ganga in the background in Rishikesh.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96613" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The river Ganga and the iconic Ram Jhula in Rishikesh.[/caption]
A visit to Rishikesh had been on my wish list for a long time. I had visited this region on journalistic assignments, but I could never get past Dehradun because of various reasons.
But this March I decided to sacrifice my Assam visit in favour a quick pilgrimage to this small town scenically nestled on the banks of India’s holiest river Ganga.
Taking a Uttarakhand State Transport Vovlo bus from Delhi’s Kashmere Gate inter-state bus terminus, I landed in Dehradun in the evening to spend a night with my long-term friend Saurabh Malhotra who lives in the posh Indira Nagar Colony of the city. I met Saurabh first in Guwahati during my first trip to the North East in 1996. He had just returned from Berlin after finishing his studies and was helping the poor Assamese people with clothing that had been donated to him by people in Germany.
It was great to reconnect with Saurabh who has now settled in Dehradun where his mother – a retired principal from Delhi – built her home in the city’s posh area.
Since Saurabh was not well, I left alone for Rishikesh the next morning. Once there, I was mesmerized by the serenity of the flowing Ganga, the beauty of forested hills on its banks, and its suspension bridges or jhulas.
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Crowds around yoga ashrams in Rishikesh.[/caption]
So I jumped on to the busy Ram Jhula (suspension bridge) to get across the Ganga to reach its eastern bank where all yoga ashrams, temples, and the Beatles’ meditation caves are.
One could see adventure seekers having fun while rafting in the river as it wended its way past Rishikesh.
Having had my fill of photo shots from the bridge while walking to the eastern bank, I right away waded into the crowds. Most were locals, many were from other states of India and many others were from foreign countries.
I was in the spiritual district of Rishikesh - which means the place of sages. It is traffic-free, alcohol-free and meat-free.
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Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh is the most famous place known for yoga training.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96616" align="alignnone" width="800"]
A International Yoga Week is held at Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh every March.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96617" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Inside Parmarth Niketan in Rishikesh.[/caption]
Here ancient ashrams and temples came up ages ago on a stretch of the river bank. Many survive to this day. Many more new yoga ashrams and temples have come up alongside them, with forested Himalayas providing a stunning background to this place.
As I started walking on the crowded street along the river bank, the chants of mantras and the tolling of temple bells filled the air.
As I walked a few steps, I saw a signboard which read: Union of East and West. Indeed, inside that make-shift building, some foreigners were taking meditation classes from their Indian master. Behind that building sat a huge idol of Lord Shiva in the flowing river. During the monsoon flooding, this idol makes a stunning view.
A few steps ahead on my left stood the famous Parmarth Niketan Ashram which is known to yoga seekers all over the world for its International Yoga Week in March. In fact, when I ambled up its entrance, I found out that they were in the middle of International Yoga Week as I could see scores of foreigners with yoga mats hurrying to the back of the ashram for their yoga session.
Also a magnet for spiritual seekers, Parmarth Niketan Ashram is full of touches of ancient Hindu heritage and wisdom.
An Australian follower of this ashram, who works for its Divine Shakti Foundation, filled me in on the year-round activities at this world-famous ashram and how they raise money to run their affairs.
Walking out of Parmarth Niketan Ashram, I made a dash for the other end of the long and dusty street to reach the Beatles’ ashram –which actually is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram.
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The Beatles are everywhere in Rishikesh.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96619" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The Beatles Street in Rishikesh.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96620" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The Beatles on the main walk in the yoga area of Rishikesh.[/caption]
Along the street as I passed Gita Bhawan and other temples, I found the Beatles’ name popping up here and there. A jeweller had named his business Beatles Choice! Someone ran a Beatles Cottage!
Then there was the Beatles Street! Big Beatles banners adored a stretch of the river bank. And there was something akin to a Beatles Walk of Fame!
And when I walked up the hill into Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram – a cluster of meditation caves dotting the hilly terrain – the Beatles were all over the place. Since the British rock band came to stay here with Mahesh Yogi in the 1960s, the place is now more famous as the Beatles’ ashram.
A notice board at the entrance says: “Maharishi Mahesh Yogi established this Ashram in 1961 on 7.5 hectares of forest land. Many famous people, including the Beatles, came here to practise Transcendental Meditation.”
A little ahead, another signboard pointed the location and number of the so-called bungalows of the Beatles and their guru Mahesh Yogi. While Mahesh Yogi occupied bungalow number 9, the Beatles meditated in the nearby bungalow number 11.
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The Beatles and Mahesh Yogi on the walls of the main yoga hall of Mahesh Yogi's yoga ashram called Chaurasi Kutiya in Rishikesh.Chaurasi Kutiya (meaning 84 caves) is famously known as the Beatles Ashram.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96622" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The entrance to the Beatles Ashram – also called Chaurasi Kutiya.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96623" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The signboard at the entrance to the Beatles Ashram.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96625" align="alignnone" width="800"]
Caves overlooking the river Ganga in Beatles' Ashram.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96624" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The Beatles's cave in the ashram.[/caption]
It felt surreal to walk into these abandoned bungalows and wonder how Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Beatles and others meditated in these bungalows – which are actually very small concrete huts with attached toilets and a flight of stairs.
Streams of visitors, mostly Beatles’ fans, walked around this abandoned place, taking pictures and reminiscing about its heyday.
As I walked up and down its cobbled lanes overrun by dense foliage, I felt how this ashram must have been a thriving place 60 years ago.
A big hall – now called Beatles Hall because of the huge drawings of The Fab Four on the walls – where Maharishi Mahesh Yogi must have must met with his large following, reminded the visitors of those times. It is almost in ruins.
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The buildings and caves inside the Beatles Aashram are in a state of ruin today.[/caption]
Then there ruins are of a printing press which once churned out reams of literature on Transcendental Meditation (TM). A signboard in front of the ruins reads: “Constructed in the early 1960s, this press was used for printing literature on TM. ‘The Science of Being and the Art of Living’ and ‘Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s commentary on the first 6 chapters of Shrimad Bhagavad Gita’ were printed in this building.”
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What would have been a thriving printing press in the 1960s lies in ruins today.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_96628" align="alignnone" width="800"]
The post office of the 1960s.[/caption]
Not far from the ruins of this printing press lies an abandoned post office. A signboard at its gate also says, “Constructed in the early 1960s, this building was used for official mails by Maharishi ji and by guests staying for residential courses.”
Looking across and down the slopes of this ruined place at the mighty Ganga river flowing away from Rishikesh, I felt a twinge of sadness as I walked out of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Ashram. Time spares no one!
Walking back to the western bank of the river via the crowded Janki Jhula, I stepped past dozens of langurs to take my final pictures – of Triveni Ghat where nightly aarti is performed in praise of the holy river. Time to leave.
Bye-bye Rishikesh.
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