Damião Ferreira da Cruz (September 27, 1935 – December 10, 2016), better known by his stage name Damião Experiença,Alternate spellings of his name, as they appear on his albums, include Dam nhão Experiênça/Esperiênça, Damião Experiência, or Daimeão/Daimião Experyênça, among other combinations. was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and

compulsive hoarder Compulsive behavior is defined as performing an action persistently and repetitively. Compulsive behaviors could be an attempt to make obsessions go away. The act is usually a small, restricted and repetitive behavior, yet not disturbing in a pa ...

. Considered to be a major icon of the Brazilian

countercultural A counterculture is a culture whose values and norms of behavior differ substantially from those of mainstream society, sometimes diametrically opposed to mainstream cultural mores.Eric Donald Hirsch. ''The Dictionary of Cultural Literacy''. Hou ...

scene and one of the country's most famous and prolific

outsider music Outsider music (from "outsider art") is music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The term is usually applied to musicians who have little or no traditional musical experience, who exhibit childlike qualities in their music, or who suffe ...

ians, he was praised by figures such as

Tony Bellotto Antonio Carlos Liberalli Bellotto (; born June 30, 1960) is a Brazilian musician and writer, best known as the lead guitarist of Brazilian rock band Titãs. He has also written and released several books. Childhood Bellotto spent his childhood ...

George Israel George M. Israel, III (born 1948) is the current president and CEO of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce and is a former mayor of Macon, Georgia (1979–1987), the sixth largest city in the state. He is also on the board of directors of YKK Grou ...

and

Rogério Skylab Rogério Tolomei Teixeira (born September 2, 1956), better known by his stage name Rogério Skylab, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, classical guitarist, poet, essayist, record producer, actor and former television presenter. His uni ...

, and also constantly compared to

schizophrenic Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social withdra ...

outsider art Outsider art is art made by self-taught or supposedly naïve artists with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. In many cases, their work is discovered only after their deaths. Often, outsider art illustrates e ...

ist Arthur Bispo do Rosário and musicians

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

Moondog Louis Thomas Hardin (May 26, 1916 – September 8, 1999), known professionally as Moondog, was an American composer, musician, performer, music theoretician, poet and inventor of musical instruments. Largely self-taught as a composer, his ...

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific out ...

Jandek Jandek is the musical alias of Houston, Texas based lo-fi folk singer Sterling Smith. Since 1978, Jandek has independently released over 45 albums without granting interviews or providing any biographical information, releasing on a self-made lab ...

and

Father Yod Father Yod (pronounced ''Yōde''), or YaHoWha, born James Edward Baker (July 4, 1922 – August 25, 1975), was the American owner of one of the country's first health food restaurants, on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. He founded a spiritu ...

. His albums, usually sold by him in the streets or even handed out for free when he felt like it, became much-sought collector's items, and his reclusive, eccentric and unpretentious personality has attained him a passionate

cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...

Biography

Damião Ferreira da Cruz was reportedly born on September 27, 1935, in Santo Amaro de Ipitanga (present-day

Lauro de Freitas Lauro de Freitas is a municipality in Bahia, Brazil. It covers and a population of 201,635 (2020 est.). Lauro de Freitas has a population density of 3,376 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is located from the state capital of Bahia, Salvador ...

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (sta ...

, 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 Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

when he was between 10 and 13 years old. As a youth he served as a radar operator for the

Brazilian Navy ) , colors= Blue and white , colors_label= Colors , march= "Cisne Branco" ( en, "White Swan") (same name as training ship ''Cisne Branco'' , mascot= , equipment= 1 multipurpose aircraft carrier7 submarines6 frigates2 corvettes4 amphibious warf ...

; while in the Navy he allegedly fell off a ship's

crow's nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land by ...

, hitting his head on the floor, which could have provoked his erratic mental state. It is also said (in his autobiography which comes as a bonus booklet on some of his albums) that once he was sentenced to

solitary confinement Solitary confinement is a form of imprisonment in which the inmate lives in a single cell with little or no meaningful contact with other people. A prison may enforce stricter measures to control contraband on a solitary prisoner and use additi ...

for many years due to

desertion Desertion is the abandonment of a military duty or post without permission (a pass, liberty or leave) and is done with the intention of not returning. This contrasts with unauthorized absence (UA) or absence without leave (AWOL ), which ar ...

. 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 Stilt houses (also called pile dwellings or lake dwellings) are houses raised on stilts (or piles) over the surface of the soil or a body of water. Stilt houses are built primarily as a protection against flooding; they also keep out vermin. The ...

in the vicinity of the ''

bairro A ''bairro'' () is a Portuguese language, Portuguese word for a Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter or a neighborhood or, sometimes, a district which is within a city or town. It is commonly used in Portugal, Brazil, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, ...

'' 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 Luiz Carlos dos Santos (7 January 1951 – 4 August 2017), widely known by his stage name Luiz Melodia, was a Brazilian singer-songwriter whose music was a characteristic crossover of multiple Music genres including Música popular brasileira (M ...

'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 Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

of the Portuguese-language word for "experience", "experiência") as an homage to his favorite band and major influence,

The Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. In 1974 he self-released his first album, ''Planeta Lamma'', 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 Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

, 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. (

, one of Damião's most enthusiastic fans, has dedicated his 2002 album '' Skylab III'' to him; in 2012 he tried to interview Damião for his talk show ''Matador de Passarinho'', but he vehemently declined the invitation.

Jô Soares José Eugênio Soares (16 January 1938 – 5 August 2022), known professionally as Jô Soares (Portuguese: /ˈʒo soˈaɾis, ˈswa-, -ɾiʃ/), or Jô, was a Brazilian comedian, talk show host, author, musician, actor and writer. Early life ...

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. Soon after he began a long hiatus, in which he only appeared throughout sporadic shows (one of them famously alongside

Lulu Santos Lulu Santos, stage name of Luiz Maurício Pragana dos Santos (born May 4, 1953), is a Brazilian singer and guitarist. Career Lulu was born in Rio de Janeiro. Beginning in the progressive rock band Vímana, he left the band and embarked on a ...

) and did not release any further albums, and at a certain point of the early 2000s was even presumed dead. He resurfaced in 2007, releasing two albums: ''Sarafina 1937'' and ''Amorzinho 1914'', the names of his mother and father, respectively. In 2009 he toured around

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...

in a series of shows, alongside avant-garde bands Zumbi do Mato and Supersimetria, and musicians Rogério Skylab,

Walter Franco Walter Franco (6 January 1945 – 24 October 2019) was a Brazilian singer and composer. In 1998 he contributed to the Rosa Passos album '' Especial Tom Jobim''. His 1975 album ''Revolver'' was No. 50 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the Top 100 Bra ...

and his son, Diogo Franco. After these performances he began yet another hiatus, alleging that he could no longer perform because of his advanced age and failing health, and that he was running short of money to put up with more albums as often as before. 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. Damião never married and, as far as it is known, had no children. Until the final days of his life, he lived alone in a run-down and rubbish-filled apartment next to the Cantagalo–Pavão–Pavãozinho ''

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

'' complex, receiving a monthly

disability pension A disability pension is a form of pension given to those people who are permanently or temporarily unable to work due to a disability. North America An example of a disability pension is from a private or Public Pension Plan, or the Canada Pens ...

from the Navy. Sometimes he could be spotted wandering aimlessly through the streets of

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the popularity of the bossa nova jazz song, "The Girl from Ipane ...

and the General Osório Square, mistaken for a beggar by passersby unaware of his musical career. He died on December 10, 2016, aged 81, 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 folk (sometimes acid folk or freak folk) is a loosely defined form of psychedelia that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. Charac ...

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

and

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

. 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. His discography is vast, with numbers varying between 24 and over 38 albums depending on the source, all of them in

vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl m ...

format (Damião has stated that he never planned to re-release his catalogue in CD) and recorded at a small studio inside his apartment. Among his lyrical themes are support for authoritarian and

dictatorial A dictator is a political leader who possesses absolute power. A dictatorship is a state ruled by one dictator or by a small clique. The word originated as the title of a Roman dictator elected by the Roman Senate to rule the republic in times ...

régimes (particularly

Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...

and

communism Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...

), the

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

and the

Rastafari Rastafari, sometimes called Rastafarianism, is a religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by scholars of religion. There is no central authority in control of ...

movement, opposition to abortion,

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

wage labor Wage labour (also wage labor in American English), usually referred to as paid work, paid employment, or paid labour, refers to the socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer in which the worker sells their labour power under a ...

and any forms of

organized religion Organized religion, also known as institutional religion, is religion in which belief systems and rituals are systematically arranged and formally established. Organized religion is typically characterized by an official doctrine (or dogma), a ...

, drugs,

sex Sex is the trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing animal or plant produces male or female gametes. Male plants and animals produce smaller mobile gametes (spermatozoa, sperm, pollen), while females produce larger ones (ova, oft ...

, homosexuality,

semiotics Semiotics (also called semiotic studies) is the systematic study of sign processes ( semiosis) and meaning making. Semiosis is any activity, conduct, or process that involves signs, where a sign is defined as anything that communicates something ...

and planets created by him, while alluding to personalities such as

João Cândido João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * ...

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Spanish origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of '' Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheva''), Arising in the 12th century, it became popul ...

and

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 194 ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

Pieter Willem Botha Pieter Willem Botha, (; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006), commonly known as P. W. and af, Die Groot Krokodil (The Big Crocodile), was a South African politician. He served as the last prime minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Fidel Castro Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz (; ; 13 August 1926 – 25 November 2016) was a Cuban revolutionary and politician who was the leader of Cuba from 1959 to 2008, serving as the prime minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976 and president from 1976 to 200 ...

, Manuel du Bocage and

Getúlio Vargas Getúlio Dornelles Vargas (; 19 April 1882 – 24 August 1954) was a Brazilian lawyer and politician who served as the 14th and 17th president of Brazil, from 1930 to 1945 and from 1951 to 1954. Due to his long and controversial tenure as Brazi ...

. His albums' covers are

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

s made with newspaper and magazine scraps and photographs of himself, in a style similar to the albums by Nigerian musician

Fela Kuti Fela Aníkúlápó Kuti (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997), also known as Abami Eda, was a Nigerian musician, bandleader, composer, political activist, and Pan-Africanist. He is regarded as the p ...

. He usually plays different instruments and sings at the same time. In his earlier releases, Damião used exclusively guitars with different numbers of strings (e.g., his debut ''Planeta Lamma'' was played with a one-string guitar), harmonicas, shakers and occasionally marimbas, mixing Portuguese with his own dialect in his lyrics. This style is prominent in his 1974 debut, ''Planeta Lamma'', continuing in its follow-ups ''69'' (also from 1974) and ''Damião Experiença no Planeta Lavoura'' (1978). His later releases from the 1980s/early 1990s were more elaborate, counting with the presence of a full band; in the vocals, he abandons his characteristic dialect to sing in a broken Portuguese with heavily sexual and political lyrics, often mixing incompatible ideologies. These characteristics are more predominant in the albums ''Planeta Guerrilha'' and ''Ezabelitaperonsim''.

Films

A short ''

cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or high ...

''-style documentary film about Damião, entitled ''Daminhão Experiença: O Filme'' and directed by Ricardo Movits and Jimi Figueiredo, premiered online on December 15, 2016; five days after his death. 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.ADEUSDAMIÃO2016FIM (Documentário, 2020)
/ref>

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)

Bibliography

* ''Planeta Lamma'' (self-published; date unknown)

Filmography

* ''Daminhão Experiença: O Filme'' (2016) – himself (archive footage) * ''ADEUSDAMIÃO2016FIM'' (2020) – himself (archive footage)

Notes

References

External links

Portão do Daminhão – Semi-official website
(not made or managed by Damião, but authorized by him) *
Damião Experiença
on

Discogs Discogs (short for discographies) is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. While the site was originally created with a goal of becoming the la ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Experienca, Damiao 1935 births 2016 deaths Brazilian autobiographers 20th-century Brazilian male singers 20th-century Brazilian singers Brazilian record producers Brazilian harmonica players Brazilian percussionists Brazilian drummers Brazilian multi-instrumentalists Música Popular Brasileira singers Brazilian rock singers Brazilian rock musicians Brazilian classical guitarists Brazilian male guitarists People from Bahia Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) Outsider musicians Album-cover and concert-poster artists Afro-Brazilian musicians Brazilian male singer-songwriters Hoarders Burials at Cemitério de São João Batista