Songs in the key of Z : the curious universe of outsider music / Irwin Chusid.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Chusid, Irwin.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Musicians--Biography.

Musicians.

Popular music--History and criticism.

Popular music.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (306 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Chicago, Ill. : A Cappella, 2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure—figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Harry Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—and presents their strange life stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies. About the only things these self-taught artists have in common are an utter lack of conventional tunefulness and an overabundance of earnestness and passion. But, believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality.A CD featuring songs by artists profiled in the book is also available.

Contents:

Front Cover ; Copyright ; Dedication ; Contents ; Introduction ; Prologue: Transistor under My Pillow: A Memoir ; 1 The Shaggs: Groove Is in the Heart ; 2 Tiny Tim: I Get a Kick Out of Uke ; 3 Jack Mudurian: Chatterbox Jukebox ; 4 Joe Meek: Blast from the Past ; 5 Song Poems: Bus Fare to the Grammys ; 6 The Cherry Sisters: The Fruits of Clean Living ; 7 Jandek: The Great Disconnect ; 8 Daniel Johnston: Casper 1, Satan 0 ; 9 Harry Partch: Hallelujah! He's a Bum ; 10 Wesley Willis: Hell Ride ; 11 Syd Barrett: Guitars and Dust ; 12 Eilert Pilarm: The King of Sweden

13 Lucia Pamela: Interstellar Overdrive 14 Captain Beefheart: Inscrutable Dreamer ; 15 Shooby Taylor, the Human Horn: Scat Man Do ; 16 Florence Foster Jenkins: Widow's Peak ; 17 The Legendary Stardust Cowboy: Wide Open Space Cadet ; 18 Robert Graettinger: Sleep in the Grave ; 19 B. J. Snowden: Mission to Venus ; 20 Wild Man Fischer: Ritual of the Savage ; 21 Snapshots in Sound: Elsewhere in the Curious Universe ; Afterword ; An Incomprehensive Discography ; An Incomprehensive Bibliography ; Permissions ; Acknowledgments ; Index ; About the Author

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-254), discography (p. 237-248), and index.

ISBN:

1-56976-493-X

1-56976-492-1

OCLC:

836408328