The Smiley Smile Message Board

Been listening to "Philosophy of the World" lately. I know this is supposed to be awful, and it is, but for some odd reason I actually like it.

Please tell me I'm not the only one.

Of course, I also am a fan of Daniel Johnston...

I only heard the story of the Shaggs for the first time yesterday.  So bizarre and kind of sad.  I wanted to see if there had already been a tppic on them here.  Yeah, it is horrible music but it is incredibly unique in its badness and the story behind it just makes it even more intriguing.  Susan Orlean of Adaptation fame wrote an excellent piece on them for The New Yorker. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/09/27/meet-the-shaggs

I was actually listening to The Shaggs last night.  ;D They really were terrible. Yet for some reason I like them.  :lol

Great album! And they're serious----this is the way they mean it to be. Someone (Irwin Chusid?) described it as aboriginal music, which puts it rather well. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxPsXPCR5MU

Well I dig the "Outsider" thing but can't say I need repeated listens of the Shaggs.  Daniel Johnston on the other hand does -- for me.

"The Devil and Daniel Johnston" is a wonderful doc.  Is there a Shaggs movie?  Would be pretty fascinating!

I think it takes a strange kind of talent to play that badly.

But this is how they wanted to play. While recording the album, to the evident hilarity of the engineers (who are only remembered because of it, if at all), the Wiggin sisters would occasionally stop in the middle of a take. When asked why, their father Austin simply said, "They made a mistake". The girls knew what they were doing all right.

There's definitely a great movie in their story. I'm sure Ronson figured that out too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lhfKJauQV4

How could we forget this one, today of all days? ;D 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_nsW151tg

Wow! Live footage turned up: http://dangerousminds.net/comments/unbelievable_holy_grail_footage_of_the_shaggs_from_1972_found

What a turn-up for the book! Take a bow, o.p. :=)

According to the elated uploader (Howie): "There is barely any surviving anything of The Shaggs. No one cared, they went nowhere, there was NOTHING. Until now. Yesterday the YouTube channel of another infamous outsider music icon, R. Stevie Moore, quietly uploaded this video with the simple title 'Shaggs live footage, Fremont Town Hall 1972.' Never in my life did I think I would ever see anything like this. It’s just incredible to see them move in their time, to get an idea of the 'scene' as it were. And they did have MOVES! They’re doing KISS-esque choreography (before KISS existed) and the few people that are there are dancing! I’m so happy.
"Below is a small portion of footage, the full thing can be watched on YouTube here but can not be embedded. If this interests you even slightly, I would look NOW as it could be removed at any moment. [UPDATE: It was already removed, but here’s a different version…]"

Unfortunately that version has since been removed too. I did find this (silent) excerpt:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOnlwqDKSF8

 

Hey, I liked this! The female vocalist sounds like mixture of The Roches sisters & Cass Elliott on the lowest notes. Guitar riff is akin to "Holland 1945", starts off the same.  Speaking of guitar, why is it that I hear it as electric balalaika even though there's no such thing as electric balalika? To speak jive/hip, I dig it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-V9ePD6k6Mg

Walking the Cow.

Ye gods, has Hal deleted his account as well?? :thud

I've resurrected this topic for OSD's benefit. First, a little info: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shaggs

Here are all four Shaggs at work. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmyhvEWksvI

Fascinating. And sad.

According to a Wiki, they play "outsider music". (Some of Brian's music has that classification as well)

Am very intrigued with Philosophy of the World. They are very deliberate and consistent with their respective beats.
Sounds like the free form jazz I hear at our local JazzFest.

That car song is particularly sad - must get home, can't roam any more.
Was contrasting that with Fun Fun Fun - so she gets caught, can't drive, so what - friends will bring her places.

Eat your heart out, Gene Krupa...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN9UT2zF8c8

Bad Foot Foot! :drum

The Shaggs are such a unique form of terrible. I can't help but to keep listening even though every ounce of logic tells me not to.

It's that day again...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11_nsW151tg

It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's time for scares
It's time for screams
It's Halloween
It's Halloween

The ghosts will spook
The spooks will scare
Why, even Dracula will be there

It's time for games
It's time for fun
Not for just one
But for everyone

The jack-o-lanterns are all lit up
All the dummies are made and stuffed
By just looking you will see
It's this time of year again

It's Halloween
It's Halloween

All the kids are happy and gay
There doesn't seem to be a cloud in their way
But when it's over and they've had all their fun
They'll wish that Halloween had just begun

Oh, there are witches, goblins, Frankensteins and zombies
And there are tramps, Cinderallas, pirates, angels and gypsies
So let's have lots of fun and give many cheers
For Halloween comes but once a year

It's time for games
It's time for fun
Not for just one
But for everyone

It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's Halloween
It's Halloween

It's Halloween!

Happy Halloween! :lol