Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music [Anglais] [Broché]

Sincerity and lack of self-awareness rarely earn musicians platinum status or a spot on MTV. Thankfully, for every manufactured boy band and lip-synching pin-up there are 10 "outsiders"--the earnest, often psychotic and not necessarily ingenious stars in Chusid's enchanting universe. For those who've been bemoaning the shortage of ingenuity on the airwaves, Chusid, a radio personality on WFMU in Hoboken, N.J., profiles 20 darlings of dissonance. Several of them--including Tiny Tim, Captain Beefheart and Pink Floyd's former acid troubadour Syd Barrett--have made a few bangs, but the great majority have enjoyed mere whimpers of success. Take Eilert Pilarm, the Swedish Elvis; Joe Meek, who produced the 1962 instrumental hit "Telstar" before committing suicide; and the Shaggs, three sheltered sisters from Fremont, N.H., who recorded the "aboriginal rock" masterpiece Philosophy of the World. Careful not to ridicule his more eccentrically volatile subjects (e.g., Wesley Willis and Daniel Johnston), Chusid narrates each musician's vital statistics and career with rhythm and respectful wit. Even if readers do not rush out to buy Larry "Wild Man" Fischer's recordings, they will remember his musical achievements (he inspired Frank Zappa's record An Evening with Wild Man Fischer), thanks to Chusid's encyclopedic tags. History, as the director Tony Philputt points out in the introduction, is also made by losers; Chusid has given them a microphone and cranked the amp to 11. 60 b&w photos, 15 line drawings, discography.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

If VH1's Behind the Music were as interesting as Chusid's first, and reportedly last, book, this reviewer would never leave his apartment. A record producer, music historian, and host of WFMU's (Hoboken, NJ) Incorrect Music Hour, Chusid has written a valentine to "outsider" artists, musicians whoDunlike frayed pop icons Phil Spector and Brian WilsonDlack total self-awareness but overflow with earnestness. Among others, Chicago-based schizophrenic troubadour Wesley Willis, former Pink Floyd songwriter Syd Barrett, and street musician Larry "Wild Man" FischerDa man even weirdo Frank Zappa found captivatingDare profiled in a voice many rock writers dream about mastering. The "outsider" genre was in desperate need of a biographer, and luckily Chusid was there to tell each musicians's tale as if he were writing about the next "big thing." He possesses a knowledge of music culture that most contemporary rock critics think they have. Guaranteed: this book will take readers to record stores searching for Chusid's list of musical miscreants. Good luck finding all of them. Recommended for all libraries.DRobert Morast, Pro Rodeo Sports News, Colorado Springs
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Chusid defines outsider music as "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." It is created by mavericks, iconoclasts, and borderline nut cases. Such as? Well, the Shaggs and Tiny Tim, who are probably known by adventurous listeners. Fewer may know Syd Barrett, acidhead supreme, who has been "creatively catatonic since around 1972," though they probably know the band he started: Pink Floyd. But who knows the Cherry Sisters of Marion, Iowa? They flourished in the 1890s, creating such locally memorable cacophony that they must be reckoned the godmothers of the Del Rubio Triplets, limned in the catchall last chapter. The two brightest lights Chusid describes must be Captain Beefheart and Wild Man Fischer. Beefheart has garnered considerable critical acclaim, and Chusid carefully explodes many long-standing myths and misconceptions about him, including some spawned by Beefheart himself. Like his music, Wild Man Fischer defies description, but Chusid comes close with the chapter subtitle "Ritual of the Savage." Essential reading about the fringes of popular music. Mike Tribby
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Enjoyable, entertaining, and highly recommended reading.

"This book is filled with memorable characters and their preposterous-but-true stories. As a musicologist, essayist, and humorist, Irwin Chusid gives good value for your entertainment dollar."

In this age of Britney, it's a tonic to hear Liberian Congres-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker's "Cousin Mosquito #1.

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... read more

Irwin Chusid is a record producer, radio personality, journalist, and music historian. He hosts the Incorrect Music Hour on WFMU; has produced dozens of records and concerts; and has written for The New York Times, Pulse, and New York Press. He lives in Hoboken, New Jersey.