The Outsider Odyssey bids a fair farewell

We now reach the end of our joyful trek through Outsider Country. It's been a long and rough journey, but boy was it worth it.

Researching and pimping all these people I've been listening to for the last few years has easily been one of the most rewarding things I have done on any of my blogs.

I hope I enlightened at least a couple of you and introduced you to something new and interesting. The best thing I can imagine would be if I've managed to perhaps change your views on music and what "real" music is, the same way Jandek changed my views when I first heard his records almost ten years ago.

But remember my little odyssey was by no means exhaustive (it was merely the tip of the iceberg), so go ahead and do your own investigating. Start with Irwin Chusid's book Songs In The Key Of Z and take it from there. The internet has many dark little corners and there's countless songs out there waiting for someone to discover them, and that someone could be you.

Here's a fine interview with the outsider guru himself, Irwin Chusid (highly recommended viewing):


I'm gonna leave all the mp3s from this exposé online, as opposed to deleting them after a while as I usually do. So click the "Outsider Music" tag and go nuts if you haven't already.

I might do another post or two regarding outsider music in the future but as a recurring theme on this blog, this is where I'm stepping off. In April there will be a completely different theme with daily updates. Perhaps not as enticing as this one, but it's something I'm looking forward to.

I'd like to finish this off with a bunch of leftover tracks that I either didn't have room for or just never got around to for whatever reason. Don't miss Edwards Is Simply Not The Man, George Harrison's passionate beyond the grave plea to not have John Edwards elected president of the U.S., brilliantly channeled by psychic Linda Polley.

And of course I'm giving the last word to the man who was the inspiration for this whole thing in the first place: The lovable representative of Corwood Industries. Thanks for everything, Jandy ol' boy. I owe you one.

(mp3) The Legendary Stardust Cowboy - Rockit to stardom

(mp3) David Peel - The pope smokes dope

(mp3) Linda Polley - Edwards is simply not the man

(mp3) Sexton Ming - The cows are strong (recommended!)
(mp3) Sexton Ming - She's a big girl now

(mp3) Eden Ahbez - Market place
(mp3) Eden Ahbez - Island girl

(mp3) B.J. Snowden - Daisuke Matzusaka (deleted by request from the artist)
(mp3) B.J. Snowden - In Canada
(mp3) B.J. Snowden - School teacher

(mp3) Wesley Willis - My mother smokes crack rocks
(mp3) Wesley Willis - I whipper Spiderman's ass
(mp3) Wesley Willis - Suck my dog's dick (recommended!)

(mp3) Hasil Adkins - Let me come in (recommended!)
(mp3) Hasil Adkins - No more hot dogs
(mp3) Hasil Adkins - Ha ha cat walk baby
Available on Out To Hunch (1955)

(mp3) Hasil Adkins - Shake that thing (recommended!)
(mp3) Hasil Adkins - Lonely love

(mp3) Maher Shalal Hash Baz - Open field

(mp3) Larry "Wild Man" Fischer - Cops and Robbers

(mp3) Joe Meek - On the bridge of Avignon there must be

(mp3) R. Stevie Moore - Stratford On Guy

(mp3) The Clouds - No you can't take them

(mp3) Daniel Johnston - Devinare (recommended!)
(mp3) Daniel Johnston - Rock this town

(mp3) The Space Lady - Street level superstar

(mp3) Jandek - Kick
Available on Interstellar Discussion (1984)

(mp3) Jandek - Wrong time
Available on Nine-Thirty (1985)