American rock musician Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, was also a visual artist who had his first ever painting exhibition at Bluecoat in 1972. 45 years later, the arts centre worked with curator Kyle Percy and poet Chris McCabe on a weekend that explored his legacy as a 'total artist' straddling music, art, poetry and performance. It included 'Like the Bones in a Watermelon', a panel discussion with three celebrated experimental poets reading and considering Beefheart as poet. Sarah Crewe, Patricia Farrell and Peter Finch focused on his inventive and surreal poetry and how it extends out from his song lyrics. This was chaired by Chris McCabe. Photo: John Johnson.