Damião Experiença

Damião Ferreira da Cruz (September 27, 1935 – December 10, 2016), better known by his stage name Damião Experiença, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and compulsive hoarder. Considered a major icon of the Brazilian countercultural scene and one of the country's most famous and prolific outsider musicians, he was praised by figures such as Tony Bellotto, , and Rogério Skylab, and also regularly compared to the likes of Arthur Bispo do Rosário, Frank Zappa, Moondog, Captain Beefheart, Sun Ra, Jandek, and Father Yod. His albums, usually sold in the streets or handed out for free, became much-sought collector's items, and his reclusive, eccentric, and unpretentious personality attained him a passionate cult following.

Biography Damião Ferreira da Cruz was reportedly born on September 27, 1935, in Santo Amaro de Ipitanga (present-day Lauro de Freitas), Bahia, although this has never been independently verified. He experienced an unhappy childhood and was constantly mistreated by his parents, which led him to run away from home to Rio de Janeiro when he was between 10 and 13 years old. As a youth he served as a radar operator for the Brazilian Navy; while in the Navy he allegedly fell off a ship's crow's nest, hitting his head on the floor, which could have provoked his erratic mental state. ) that once he was sentenced to solitary confinement for many years due to desertion. After his precocious retirement from the Navy in 1963 (probably because of his accident), he went on to live with a prostitute in a stilt house in the vicinity of the bairro of Estácio, became a pimp and was able to produce his records thanks to money obtained via procuring. Damião's first known recording was a guest appearance on Luiz Melodia's 1973 debut Pérola Negra – he provided backing vocals for the track "Forró de Janeiro" –, and subsequently came to adopt the stage name "Experiença" (a corruption of the Portuguese-language word for "experience", "experiência") as an homage to his favorite band and major influence, The Jimi Hendrix Experience. and many others followed throughout the 1970s to the early 1990s. Damião also claimed that, during this period, he toured through many countries, such as Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Trinidad and Tobago, but the authenticity of this story is dubious.

Well known for his unsociable personality, he always avoided interviews and attention from the media, even refusing to give autographs or sign any documents. in 2012 he tried to interview Damião for his talk show Matador de Passarinho, but he vehemently declined the invitation. Jô Soares also tried many times to interview the musician, to no avail.) In 1994 he was invited for a guest appearance on the debut album by experimental rock band Professor Antena, to which he agreed; however, he refused to sign the record label's contract, and never received any money or credit on the album for his part.

He resurfaced in 2007, releasing two albums: Sarafina 1937 and Amorzinho 1914, the supposed names of his mother and father, respectively. His final known release was the 2013 compilation Cemitério Nazista II; it was his only album not to come out through his usual label, Gravadora Planeta Lamma, founded by himself. and was buried two days later at the Saint John the Baptist Cemetery. Only two people (a fan of his who happened to be around and a neighbor) attended his funeral.

Musical style Damião's musical style is impossible to categorize accurately, since he experiments with numerous genres, more prominently freak folk, psychedelic rock, reggae and experimental rock. His songs have no logical sense at first sight, and mostly of them are sung in a dialect created by him, the "Planet Lamma dialect" (spoken in his eponymous "home planet"), with improvised lyrics. It is one of the very few interviews to which Damião agreed to partake in. The film was originally shot in 2007, and a trailer was uploaded to the duo's YouTube channel the following year. Around 2015, Movits and Figueiredo announced they were working on two other films about Damião: Marinheiro Só (a documentary in which they interview artists who knew and/or were influenced by Damião) and O Mendigo do Planeta Lamma (a biographical film based on Damião's autobiography). No further news regarding any of the two projects emerged since then.

Another short documentary, entitled ADEUSDAMIÃO2016FIM and directed by Liebert Rodrigues and Flor Castilhos, premiered on YouTube on August 13, 2020; it was originally shot shortly before his death in 2016.

Partial discography Dated albums 1974: Planeta Lamma 1974: 69 1978: Damião Experiença no Planeta Lavoura 1992: Comando Planeta Lamma 1992: Guerrilheiro do Planeta Lamma 1992: Boca Fechada Não Entra Mosquito, Só Felicidade 2007: Amorzinho 1914 2007: Sarafina 1937 2013: Cemitério Nazista II (compilation album)

Albums with unknown release date 4C/308 Damião Experiença no Planeta Roça Damião Experiença Chupando Cana Verde no Planeta Lamma / Damião Experiença Cheirando Alho no Planeta Lamma Damião Experiença no Planeta Mendigo Planeta Quentão Planeta Cachaça Planeta Cabelo Daimião Daimião Experiença Quinteto Planeta Lamma or Alta Fidelidade Planeta Galinha / Bocagi Planeta Guerrilha Planeta Guerra 1914 AdeusAdolfHitler1945fim Ezabelitaperonsim A Morte É a Dor, a Dor É a Morte, Eu Amo a Morte Cemitério Nazismo Praça Vermelha M19 Bomba Atômica Fim do Mundo

As a guest musician Luiz Melodia 1973: Pérola Negra (backing vocals in "Forró de Janeiro")

Professor Antena 1994: Professor Antena (additional vocals; uncredited)