Shaggs

Just read about the Shaggs in This Is What It Sounds Like. I'm listening to them. I'm reading the New Yorker about their 2017 concert (Archive).

Wikipedia: The Shaggs composed seemingly simple and bizarre songs using untuned guitars, erratic time signatures, disconnected rhythms, wandering melodies and rudimentary lyrics. According to Rolling Stone, the sisters sang like "lobotomized Trapp Family Singers", while the musician Terry Adams compared their music to the free jazz compositions of Ornette Coleman. 

The Shaggs formed at the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother had predicted their rise to fame. For several years, he made them practice every day and perform weekly at the Fremont town hall. The girls had no interest in becoming musicians and never became proficient in songwriting or performing. In 1969, Austin paid for them to record an album, Philosophy of the World, which was distributed in limited quantities in 1969 by a local record label. The Shaggs disbanded in 1975 after Austin's death.

Over the decades, Philosophy of the World circulated among musicians and found fans such as Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain. Following a 1980 reissue on Rounder Records, it received enthusiastic reviews for its uniqueness in Rolling Stone and The Village Voice. A compilation of unreleased material, Shaggs' Own Thing, was released in 1982. The Shaggs became the subject of fascination in the 1990s, when interest grew in outsider music, and they are credited with influencing twee pop. Dot and Betty reunited for shows in 1999 and 2017; Helen died in 2006. As the Dot Wiggin Band, Dot released an album in 2013 containing previously unrecorded Shaggs songs.

There's an outsider music playlist on spotify two, three. Blowing my mind.

I listened to the second album, but they seemed to get better, and that sort of disturbed me. 

When I first moved to NYC in the 90's I had a friend who knew art and took us around to the galleries in Soho. One was outsider art. I didn't know about it. Since then I've been to the museum and held it as a concept in my head.

Guess there's outside art in every genre, but I didn't learn about it in music until today. I'm blown away, I shall be listening to these playlists. 

Emailed all my friends, but they didn't comment yet. I guess I should have explained more. 

Played Philosophy of the World for my 9 year old daughter. She didn't like it, she walked out of the room, she wouldn't let me explain outsider art. Think it's so telling that they stopped playing when their father died. Except for 1999, and 2017. Feel like there's a lot of imaginary space to write a novel about the Shaggs. I really like it that there's an outsider music playlist. Makes the world a better place.

Listened to the first outsider music playlist, and there are some amazing cats. I also doubt the sincerity of those who are more accomplished. I could see doing a tribute album, but then it would have to be with accomplished musicians and it wouldn't feel authentic. Their bios are interesting: Daniel Johnston, B. J. Snowden, Shooby Taylor, Gary Wilson.