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. Considered 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''. Ho ...

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 have ...

ians, he was praised by figures such as

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

, George Israel and

Rogério Skylab Rogério Tolomei Teixeira (born September 2, 1956), known professionally as Rogério Skylab, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, classical guitarist, author, blogger, record producer, actor and short-lived television presenter. Describi ...

, and also regularly compared to the likes of Arthur Bispo do Rosário,

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

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 known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as the M ...

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 ou ...

Jandek Jandek is the musical project of Sterling Smith (born October 26, 1945), a Houston, Texas-based American Lo-fi music, lo-fi Folk music, folk singer. Since 1978, Jandek has independently released over 120 albums while granting an interview extreme ...

and

Father Yod Father Yod ( ), or YaHoWha, born James Edward Baker (July 4, 1922 – August 25, 1975), was an American new religious movement founder and owner of one of the country's first health food restaurants, on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles. He foun ...

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

Biography

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

Bahia Bahia () 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 (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

, 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

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

Brazilian Navy The Brazilian Navy () is the navy, naval service branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces, responsible for conducting naval warfare, naval operations. The navy was involved in War of Independence of Brazil#Naval action, Brazil's war of independence ...

; 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 b ...

, 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 (also shortened to solitary) is a form of imprisonment in which an incarcerated person lives in a single Prison cell, cell with little or no contact with other people. It is a punitive tool used within the prison system to ...

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 ...

. 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 (architecture), 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 als ...

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'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 that is undertaken by a person or an organization that is entrusted in a position of authority to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's gain. Corruption may involve activities ...

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 singer-songwriter and musician. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time. Inducted ...

. 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, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, 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 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 s ...

) 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 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

in a series of shows, alongside avant-garde bands Zumbi do Mato and Supersimetria, and musicians Rogério Skylab, Walter Franco 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 impoverished neighborhoods in Brazil. The term, which means slum or ghetto, was first used in the Slum of Providência in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was b ...

'' 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 Pen ...

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

Ipanema Ipanema () is a neighbourhood located in the South Zone (Rio de Janeiro), South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between Leblon, Rio de Janeiro, Leblon and Arpoador. The beach at Ipanema became known internationally with the populari ...

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 psychedelic music that originated in the 1960s. It retains the largely acoustic instrumentation of folk, but adds musical elements common to psychedelic music. ...

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 during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

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, wit ...

. 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 ...

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 régimes (particularly

Nazism Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During Hitler's rise to power, it was fre ...

and

communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

), the

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

and the

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

movement, opposition to abortion,

feminism Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideology, ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social gender equality, equality of the sexes. Feminism holds the position that modern soci ...

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 ...

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, typically by an official doctrine (or dogma), a hierarchical or bureaucratic leadership ...

, drugs,

sex Sex is the biological trait that determines whether a sexually reproducing organism produces male or female gametes. During sexual reproduction, a male and a female gamete fuse to form a zygote, which develops into an offspring that inheri ...

, homosexuality,

semiotics Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter. Semiosis is a ...

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

Isabel Isabel is a female name of Iberian origin. Isabelle is a name that is similar, but it is of French origin. It originates as the medieval Spanish form of ''Elizabeth (given name), Elisabeth'' (ultimately Hebrew ''Elisheba''). Arising in the 12th c ...

and

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 1946 until ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

Pieter Willem Botha Pieter Willem Botha, ( , ; 12 January 1916 – 31 October 2006) was a South African politician who served as the last Prime Minister of South Africa from 1978 to 1984 and as the first executive State President of South Africa from 1984 until ...

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

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

, 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 until his suicide in 1954. Due to his long and contr ...

. His albums' covers are

collage Collage (, from the , "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 assembly of different forms, thus creating a new whole. (Compare with pasti ...

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 Kútì (born Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti; 15 October 1938 – 2 August 1997) was a Nigerians, Nigerian musician and political activist. He is regarded as the principal innovator of Afrobeat, a Nigerian music genre t ...

. 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 (, , ) 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 highlight subje ...

''-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.

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. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Experienca, Damiao 1935 births 2016 deaths Brazilian autobiographers 20th-century Brazilian male singers 20th-century Brazilian singer-songwriters 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 People from Lauro de Freitas Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city) Outsider musicians Brazilian album-cover and concert-poster artists Afro-Brazilian musicians Brazilian male singer-songwriters People with hoarding disorder Burials at Cemitério de São João Batista