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Captain Beefheart (a.k.a. Don Van Vliet) retired from music to concentrate on his painting in 1982. But he left behind a searing musical legacy made up of a bubbling brew of Delta blues, R&B, free jazz and avant garde-infused madness. Beefheart is a musician’s musician. And his catalogue continues to influence the greatest of artists even today.

Unfortunately, even by 1994 it was obvious that Van Vliet never intended to follow his musical muse again. Some say he lives as a recluse in a trailer with his wife in the Mojave Desert. Combined with his unapproachable 4 1/2 octave vocal range that can blow your sub-woofer on one end or break glass like a shrieking animal on the other, this pretty much ensures that works like “Tropical Hot Dog Night” will never be performed again – by anybody.

Yet on 12/31/94 Phish played it at the going away party for the old Boston Garden. Well, they played the recording from the Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) album over the PA, that is. The song was part of the post-”Auld Lang Syne” New Year celebration as the band flew over the audience in the maiden voyage of the giant hot dog complete with headlights.

Unfortunately, The Captain passed away on December 17, 2010. Appropriately the midnight stunt for New Year's 2010-11 featuring the third flight of the hot dog, and “Tropical Hot Dog Night” as the post-show PA music. Long live The Captain!

(Van Vliet)
© Singing Ink Music (BMI)

Tropical Hot Dog Night
Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight
Ev’ry colour of day
Whirlin’ around at night
I’m playin’ this music
So the young girls will come out
To meet the monster tonight
Tropical Hot Dog Night

Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight
I don’t wanna know ‘bout wrong or right
I don’t want to know
- I’m anywhere tonight

Tropical Hot Dog Night
Like two flamingoes in a fruit fight
Like steppin’ out of a triangle
Into striped light
Striped light, striped light
Tropical Hot Dog Night
- Everything’s wrong, at the same time it’s right

The truth has no patterns for me tonight
I’m playing this music so the young girls will come out
To meet the monster tonight
Meet the monster tonight

What do all you women do
When the men get Tropical Hot Dog payday?
What do you do on Tropical Hot Dog day day?
Yay; Yay

Step out of a triangle into striped light
Turn around and step back into striped light
Tropical Hot Dog Night

I’m playin’ this song
For all the young girls to come out to meet the monster tonight
Meet the monster tonight
How would you like to be the lucky girl,
The lucky one?
- To be the monster tonight
Ow, to be the monster tonight
Oh, everything’s wrong, at the same time it’s white!

You get to be - you get to be - with me
And also to be the monster tonight