I was recently watching some Youtube videos about my long-standing fanboy idol, Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. His reviews from today’s YouTubers are as mixed as they always have been over the last 60 years since he became a recording artist. One thing is clear though, Don Van Vliet, aka Captain Beefheart, is a dominant figure of mid century Rock and Roll whose avant garde achievements have never been matched in that genre. You have to look at Jazz or Classical music to find his rivals in composition. This Youtube surfing or rabbit holing lead me to a song I hadn’t heard in a few years from the Magic Band album Clear Spot called Circumstances which I realized was Spinozist to the core.
Baruch Spinoza, a 17th-century philosopher, and Captain Beefheart, a 20th-century avant-garde musician, might seem worlds apart. However, their insights converge on a profound truth: understanding the true causes of our circumstances can lead to genuine liberation. As a lifelong fanboy of both Spinoza and Captain Beefheart—Beefheart since I was fifteen and Spinoza since twenty-two—I've long been captivated by their unique but surprisingly complementary perspectives on freedom. In his song Circumstances, Captain Beefheart sings, 'Once you find out the circumstances, then you can uh go out, whoa yeah,' a sentiment that echoes Spinoza's emphasis on the importance of knowledge for freedom. This post explores the intersection of their ideas and how understanding our circumstances can set us free.
Spinoza believed that true freedom comes from understanding the natural world and our place within it. By comprehending the causes of events and our emotions, we can achieve a state of intellectual and emotional liberation. This process involves recognizing that everything happens according to natural laws and that our emotions are the result of these laws. Such understanding leads to peace of mind and autonomy, as we are no longer enslaved by our passions or misconceptions.
In Captain Beefheart's song Circumstances, the lyrics combined with Beefheart’s unique vocal style convey a powerful message about liberation through understanding. The repeated line, 'Once you find out the circumstances, then you can uh go out, whoa yeah,' suggests that uncovering the true nature of our situation is the key to freedom. This mirrors Spinoza's idea that knowledge of the true causes liberates us from ignorance and emotional turmoil.
The additional lyrics, 'Little girl don’t you know that the stars up above are runnin’ on love / Little girl don’t you know that they’re blinkin’ at you,' introduce a cosmic element, implying that we are part of a greater, interconnected universe. This resonates with Spinoza's view of substance, where God or nature is the fundamental essence of everything. For Spinoza, understanding our place within this vast, loving cosmos leads to a profound sense of liberation.
Furthermore, Beefheart's lines, 'Now the sun can sun burn you but / Not as bad as those old people do,' juxtapose natural forces with societal pressures. This aligns with Spinoza's belief that while natural events are inevitable, human-made constraints often cause more suffering. By recognizing the true causes of our circumstances, whether they are natural or societal, we can navigate life more freely.
Ultimately, the song's refrain, 'Once you once you find out the circumstances / Then you then you then you then yo-u-u-u-u can go out, ah yeah,' emphasizes the transformative power of understanding. Just as Spinoza advocated for intellectual and emotional freedom through knowledge, Captain Beefheart's lyrics encourage us to seek the truth of our circumstances to achieve liberation.
In both Spinoza's philosophy and Captain Beefheart's music, we find a compelling argument for the liberating power of understanding our circumstances. Personally, as a 70 year old someone who has admired Captain Beefheart since I was fifteen and Spinoza since twenty-two, I've found that the more I strive to comprehend the roots of my emotions and situations, the freer I feel to navigate the world with confidence and peace. This journey of understanding is not just an intellectual exercise but a path to true liberation.