Songs in the key of Z : the curious universe of outsider music

306 Pages·2000·11.366 MB·English

by  Chusid, Irwin

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MUSIC
The first book ever about a mutant strain
S
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of twisted pop that’s so wrong, it’s right!
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“Iconoclast/upstart Irwin Chusid has written a meticulously K
researched and passionate cry shedding long-overdue light e
y
upon some of the guiltiest musical innocents of the twentieth

century. An indispensable classic that defines the indefinable.” o
f
–John Zorn
Z
“Chusid takes us through the musical looking glass to the
other side of the bizarro universe, where pop spelled back-
wards is . . . pop? A fascinating collection of wilder cards
and beyond-avant talents.”
–Lenny Kaye
“This book is filled with memorable characters and their I
r
preposterous-but-true stories. As a musicologist, essayist, w
and humorist, Irwin Chusid gives good value for your enter- in
tainment dollar.”
C
–Marshall Crenshaw h
u
s
i
d
Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction,
drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. But, believe
it or not, they’re worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders
for inventiveness and originality. This book profiles dozens of outsider
musicians, both prominent and obscure, and presents their strange life
stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies.
Irwin Chusid is a record producer, radio personality, journalist, and music
historian. He hosts the Incorrect Music Hour on WFMU; he has produced dozens
of records and concerts; and he has written for The New York Times, Pulse,
New York Press, and many other publications.
$18.95 (CAN $20.95)
ISBN 978-1-55652-372-4
51895
9 781556 523724
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S O N G S I N T H E K E Y O F Z
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Songs in the Key of Z
T H E C U R I O U S
U N I V E R S E O F
O U T S I D E R
M U S I C
¥
Irwin Chusid

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chusid, Irwin.
Songs in the key of Z : the curious world of outsider music / Irwin Chusid.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references, discography, and index.
ISBN 1-55652-372-6
1. Musicians—Biography. 2. Popular music—History and criticism. I. Title.
ML394.C56 2000
781.64'09—dc21 99-057640
Interior design: Lindgren/Fuller Design
Cover design: Greg Carter
© 2000 by Irwin Chusid
All rights reserved
First edition
Published by A Cappella Books,
an imprint of Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN 1-55652-372-6
Printed in the United States
5 4 3 2 1
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Dedicated to
Mencken, Mary,
and Mr. Mack
KEY OF Z pt 01-3-L+F_ KEY OF Z pt 01/3/L+F 3/14/13 10:48 AM Page vi
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C O N T E N T S
Introduction • ix
Prologue:TransistorunderMyPillow:AMemoir • xxiii
1 The Shaggs 12 Eilert Pilarm
Groove Is in the Heart • 1 The King of Sweden • 114
2 Tiny Tim 13 Lucia Pamela
I Get a Kick Out of Uke • 13 Interstellar Overdrive • 119
3 Jack Mudurian 14 Captain Beefheart
Chatterbox Jukebox • 22 Inscrutable Dreamer • 129
4 Joe Meek 15 Shooby Taylor,
Blast from the Past • 26 the Human Horn
Scat Man Do • 141
5 Song Poems
Bus Fare to the Grammys • 37 16 Florence Foster Jenkins
Widow’s Peak • 147
6 The Cherry Sisters
The Fruits of Clean Living • 46 17 The Legendary
Stardust Cowboy
7 Jandek
Wide Open Space Cadet • 154
The Great Disconnect • 56
18 Robert Graettinger
8 Daniel Johnston
Sleep in the Grave • 166
Casper 1, Satan 0 • 67
9 Harry Partch 19 B. J. Snowden
Hallelujah! He’s a Bum • 79 Mission to Venus • 178
10 Wesley Willis 20 Wild Man Fischer
Hell Ride • 93 Ritual of the Savage • 189
11 Syd Barrett 21 Snapshots in Sound
Guitars and Dust • 101 Elsewhere in the Curious Universe • 199
Afterword • 233 An Incomprehensive Discography • 237
An Incomprehensive Bibliography • 249 Permissions • 255
Acknowledgments • 257 Index • 259 About the Author • 271
KEY OF Z pt 01-3-L+F_ KEY OF Z pt 01/3/L+F 3/14/13 10:48 AM Page viii
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I N T R O D U C T I O N
“Folklore is the arts of the people before they find out there is
any such thing as art.”
—ZORA NEALE HURSTON
g
enius?Forgetit.Talent?Besidethepoint.
Welcometothecuriousuniverseof“outsidermusic,”amutantstrainof
twistedsonicartthat’ssowrong—it’sright.
DukeEllingtononcesaid,“Ifitsoundsgood,itisgood.”
Well,sometimesifitsoundsbad,it’sevenbetter.
Most people recognize “good” music when they hear it. Music that suc-
ceedsinthebroadermarket—callit“popular”—adherestocommonlyaccepted
standards of melody, harmony, and tonal logic. Rhythm is fairly consistent,
and lyrics tend to address—profoundly or vapidly—our shared culture and
experiences.
Occasionally popular music cleverly challenges or plays footloose with
convention.Butforthemostpart,basicformulasremainintact.Thereisright,
and there is wrong, and producers, record execs, and radio programmers are
paidobscenesumstodeterminewhatthemarketwillaccommodate.Inanage
of multitrack overdubbing and digital splicing, any performance miscue can
be repaired. And though producers can work with serendipitous mistakes,
evenmakethemsoundintentional,moststudioprofessionalsprefertore-take
abumnoteorblownchorduntildonecorrectly.
Now,imagineamusicaluniversewheresuchstandardsdonotexist,where
keysbeyondGareexploredwithélan.Thisbookisapan-galacticmapofcrack-
pot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the
edge.PictureamusicalsubclassglimpsedthroughthelensofDianeArbus.
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