Songs in the Key of Z
Encyclopedia
Songs in the Key of Z is the title of a book
and two compilation albums written and compiled by Irwin Chusid
. The book and albums explore the field of what Chusid coined as "outsider music
". Chusid defines outsider music as; "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid's work has brought the music of several leading performers in the outsider genre to wider attention. These include Daniel Johnston
, Joe Meek
, Jandek
and Wesley Willis
. In addition, his CDs feature some recordings by artists who produced very little work but placed their recordings firmly in the outsider area. Notable amongst these are nursing home resident Jack Mudurian
who sings snatches of several dozen songs in a garbled collection known as Downloading the Repertoire and the obscure and extreme scat
singer Shooby Tayler AKA 'The Human Horn.'
. The collections, compiled by Irwin Chusid, include performances by gay country
singer Peter Grudzien, African-American schoolteacher B. J. Snowden
, and Swedish Elvis-impersonator Eilert Pilarm
, along with better-known artists such as Daniel Johnston
, The Shaggs
, Joe Meek
, and Captain Beefheart
. The collections have drawn criticism from some quarters, with Alvin Dahn's
wife unhappy with his inclusion in an 'outsider music' compilation, and B. J. Snowden also unhappy with the categorization.
2. Walking the Cow - Daniel Johnston
3. Walking On The Moon - Lucia Pamela
4. Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere - Peter Grudzien
5. Downloading the Repertoire (Excerpt) - Jack Mudurian
6. Stout-Hearted Men - Shooby Taylor
, The Human Horn
7. In Canada - B.J. Snowden
8. Jailhouse Rock - Eilert Pilarm
9. Virgin Child of the Universe - Song Poem
10. Rock N' Roll McDonalds - Wesley Willis
11. Telstar (Rough Demo) - Joe Meek
12. At the Grass Roots - Sri Darwin Gross
13. Cousin Mosquito #1 - Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker
14. El Touchy - Luie Luie
15. Standing in a Trash Can (Thinking About You) - Legendary Stardust Cowboy
16. Vampire Suite - Captain Beefheart
& His Magic Band
17. Butterfly Mind - Arcesia
18. They Told Me I Was a Fool - Jandek
19. Baby, Your Love's in Town - Dusty Roads Rowe
20. True Love - Tiny Tim
With Miss Sue
22. You're Out of the Computer - Bingo Gazingo
& My Robot Friend
23. America - B.J. Snowden
24. You're Driving Me Mad - Alvin Dahn
25. Cousin Mosquito # 2 - Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker
26. I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night - The Space Lady
27. Touch of Light - Luie Luie
28. Curly Toes - Unknown
29. Stepping High Dance - Eddie Murray
30. 5 Ft. 9 1/12 Inches Tall - Dick Kent
31. Recitation About Roy Acuff - Gary Mullis
32. Deep Bosom Woman - Wayne
33. High Speed - Bob Vido
34. Herma, Scene 5; Recitation/An - Thoth
35. Jet Lady - Tangela Tricoli
36. Birthmark Story - Buddy Max
37. Heart of the Heartland - Mark Kenneth
Book
A book is a set or collection of written, printed, illustrated, or blank sheets, made of hot lava, paper, parchment, or other materials, usually fastened together to hinge at one side. A single sheet within a book is called a leaf or leaflet, and each side of a leaf is called a page...
and two compilation albums written and compiled by Irwin Chusid
Irwin Chusid
Irwin Chusid is a journalist, music historian, radio personality and self-described "landmark preservationist." His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history that I know don't belong there and salvage them." Those "things" have included such previously overlooked but...
. The book and albums explore the field of what Chusid coined as "outsider music
Outsider music
Outsider music, a term coined by Irwin Chusid in the mid-1990s, are songs and compositions by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry who write songs that ignore standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with...
". Chusid defines outsider music as; "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid's work has brought the music of several leading performers in the outsider genre to wider attention. These include Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, Jandek
Jandek
Jandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...
and Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis was a musician and artist from Chicago. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics...
. In addition, his CDs feature some recordings by artists who produced very little work but placed their recordings firmly in the outsider area. Notable amongst these are nursing home resident Jack Mudurian
Jack Mudurian
Jack Mudurian was an American novelty singer.Mudurian was a resident of Duplex Nursing Home in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1981, an employee named David Greenberg overheard Mudurian singing at a home talent show, and when Greenberg spoke to him about it, Mudurian boasted that he could sing as many...
who sings snatches of several dozen songs in a garbled collection known as Downloading the Repertoire and the obscure and extreme scat
Scat
-Education:* School and College Ability Test* Somerset College of Arts and Technology, a community college in Somerset, England* Shrewsbury College of Arts & Technology, a community college in Shropshire, England-Games:* Thirty-one , a card game...
singer Shooby Tayler AKA 'The Human Horn.'
The compilation albums
Songs in the Key of Z - the Curious Universe of Outsider Music, the companion compilation albums to Chusid's book were released on Which? Records, the first volume originally in 2000, with the two volumes later combined together and released by Cherry RedCherry Red
Cherry Red is a London-based independent record label formed in 1978.-History:Cherry Red grew from the rock promotion company founded in 1971 to promote rock concerts at the Malvern Winter Gardens...
. The collections, compiled by Irwin Chusid, include performances by gay country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Peter Grudzien, African-American schoolteacher B. J. Snowden
B. J. Snowden
B.J. Snowden is a singer, songwriter and performer based out of Massachusetts. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, she earns her living as a school teacher, teaching music in schools from Boston to Philadelphia...
, and Swedish Elvis-impersonator Eilert Pilarm
Eilert Pilarm
Eilert Dahlberg , who uses the stage name Eilert Pilarm is a Swedish Elvis impersonator.He gained fame when he performed on Morgonpasset in 1992....
, along with better-known artists such as Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
, The Shaggs
The Shaggs
The Shaggs were an American all-female rock group formed in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1968. The band was composed of sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin , Betty Wiggin , Helen Wiggin , and later Rachel Wiggin ....
, Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
, and Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
. The collections have drawn criticism from some quarters, with Alvin Dahn's
Alvin Dahn
Alvin Schuyler Dahn is an outsider musician who gained fame within the growing outsider music community after his singular work was featured frequently on the Incorrect Music Hour. One of his most popular songs, the apocalyptic "You're Driving Me Mad," has been described as sounding like "a metal...
wife unhappy with his inclusion in an 'outsider music' compilation, and B. J. Snowden also unhappy with the categorization.
Vol. 1
1. Philosophy of the World - The ShaggsThe Shaggs
The Shaggs were an American all-female rock group formed in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1968. The band was composed of sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin , Betty Wiggin , Helen Wiggin , and later Rachel Wiggin ....
2. Walking the Cow - Daniel Johnston
Daniel Johnston
Daniel Dale Johnston is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and artist. Johnston was the subject of the 2006 documentary The Devil and Daniel Johnston. He currently lives in Waller, Texas....
3. Walking On The Moon - Lucia Pamela
Lucia Pamela
Lucia Pamela was an American musician, bandleader, and eccentric. She is remembered today largely for an album and coloring book concerning an imaginary trip to the moon....
4. Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere - Peter Grudzien
5. Downloading the Repertoire (Excerpt) - Jack Mudurian
Jack Mudurian
Jack Mudurian was an American novelty singer.Mudurian was a resident of Duplex Nursing Home in Boston, Massachusetts. In 1981, an employee named David Greenberg overheard Mudurian singing at a home talent show, and when Greenberg spoke to him about it, Mudurian boasted that he could sing as many...
6. Stout-Hearted Men - Shooby Taylor
Shooby Taylor
William "Shooby" Taylor is famous for scat singing over various records, including the Ink Spots, the Harmonicats and Cristy Lane in a baritone voice...
, The Human Horn
7. In Canada - B.J. Snowden
8. Jailhouse Rock - Eilert Pilarm
Eilert Pilarm
Eilert Dahlberg , who uses the stage name Eilert Pilarm is a Swedish Elvis impersonator.He gained fame when he performed on Morgonpasset in 1992....
9. Virgin Child of the Universe - Song Poem
Song poem
Song poem usually refers to song lyrics that have been set to music for a fee. This practice, which has long been disparaged in the music industry, was also known as song sharking and was conducted by several businesses throughout the 20th century in North America.- Production and promotion :The...
10. Rock N' Roll McDonalds - Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis
Wesley Willis was a musician and artist from Chicago. A diagnosed chronic schizophrenic, he gained an enormous cult following in the 1990s after releasing several hundred songs of simple but unique music, with emphasis on his humorous, bizarre, and frequently obscene lyrics...
11. Telstar (Rough Demo) - Joe Meek
Joe Meek
Robert George "Joe" Meek was a pioneering English record producer and songwriter....
12. At the Grass Roots - Sri Darwin Gross
13. Cousin Mosquito #1 - Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker
14. El Touchy - Luie Luie
15. Standing in a Trash Can (Thinking About You) - Legendary Stardust Cowboy
16. Vampire Suite - Captain Beefheart
Captain Beefheart
Don Van Vliet January 15, 1941 December 17, 2010) was an American musician, singer-songwriter and artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. His musical work was conducted with a rotating ensemble of musicians called The Magic Band, active between 1965 and 1982, with whom he recorded 12...
& His Magic Band
17. Butterfly Mind - Arcesia
18. They Told Me I Was a Fool - Jandek
Jandek
Jandek is the musical project of an anonymous outsider musician who operates out of Houston, Texas. Since 1978, Jandek has self-released over 60 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs without ever granting more than the occasional interview or providing any biographical...
19. Baby, Your Love's in Town - Dusty Roads Rowe
20. True Love - Tiny Tim
Tiny Tim (musician)
Tiny Tim , , born in Manhattan, was an American singer and ukulele player. He was most famous for his rendition of "Tiptoe Through the Tulips" sung in a distinctive high falsetto/vibrato voice.-Rise to fame:Born to Lebanese parents in 1932, Khaury displayed musical talent at a very young age...
With Miss Sue
Vol. 2
21. Lift Every Voice & Sing - Shooby Taylor22. You're Out of the Computer - Bingo Gazingo
Bingo Gazingo
Murray Wachs, better known as Bingo Gazingo , was an elderly poet and former postal worker from New York City. Two versions, each also titled Bingo Gazingo, have been released of the only single-artist album ever released by WFMU -- the first on cassette, the second on CD...
& My Robot Friend
23. America - B.J. Snowden
24. You're Driving Me Mad - Alvin Dahn
25. Cousin Mosquito # 2 - Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker
26. I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night - The Space Lady
27. Touch of Light - Luie Luie
28. Curly Toes - Unknown
29. Stepping High Dance - Eddie Murray
30. 5 Ft. 9 1/12 Inches Tall - Dick Kent
31. Recitation About Roy Acuff - Gary Mullis
32. Deep Bosom Woman - Wayne
Wayne
- People with the surname Wayne :* Anthony Wayne, a general in the American colonial and United States armies* David Wayne , a musician* Elsie Wayne, a Canadian politician* Gary Wayne an American Major League baseball player* Jeff Wayne, a musician...
33. High Speed - Bob Vido
34. Herma, Scene 5; Recitation/An - Thoth
35. Jet Lady - Tangela Tricoli
36. Birthmark Story - Buddy Max
37. Heart of the Heartland - Mark Kenneth
Further reading
- Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music by Irwin ChusidIrwin ChusidIrwin Chusid is a journalist, music historian, radio personality and self-described "landmark preservationist." His stated mission has been to "find things on the scrapheap of history that I know don't belong there and salvage them." Those "things" have included such previously overlooked but...
ISBN 1-55652-372-6