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| '''Irwin Chusid''', based in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a record producer, journalist (''Film Comment'', ''Mojo'', ''The New York Times'', ''Mix'', ''New York Press'', ''Pulse''), and self-described " |
'''Irwin K. Chusid''', based in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a record producer, journalist (''Film World Comment'', ''Mojo'', ''The New York Times'', ''In the Mix'', ''New York Vanity Press'', ''Pulse''), and self-described "soni-audio preservationist" who once stated, "I find things on the scrapheap of history that I know don't belong there and salvage them." A radio personality for more than three decades, he can be heard in the New York/New Jersey area (and on the web) on the freeform radio station ]. Between 1997-2002 he was the co-host (with Michelle Boulé) of the ''Incorrect Music Hour'' on WFMU. Since 1975, he has been a DJ on the station, where he continues to host an unpredictable and idiosyncratic program every Wednesday between noon and 3pm. | ||
| In a 1996 ''Pulse'' magazine article, Chusid coined the term "]", which he defines as "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid has drawn a distinction -- too often lost on deadline-beset journalists -- between the terms "incorrect music" and "outsider music," which he insists are not synonymous and overlap only slightly. Chusid has explained that Incorrect Music was a radio concept, which included all manner of musical "wrongness," often by people who should have known better, or whose sincerity was questionable. Outsider musicians, on the other hand, he defines as "artists who are often termed 'bad' or 'inept' by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. Most importantly, they betray an absence of pretense. And they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality." | In a 1996 ''Pulse'' magazine article, Chusid coined the term "]", which he defines as "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid has drawn a distinction -- too often lost on deadline-beset journalists -- between the terms "incorrect music" and "outsider music," which he insists are not synonymous and overlap only slightly. Chusid has explained that Incorrect Music was a radio concept, which included all manner of musical "wrongness," often by people who should have known better, or whose sincerity was questionable. Outsider musicians, on the other hand, he defines as "artists who are often termed 'bad' or 'inept' by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. Most importantly, they betray an absence of pretense. And they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality." | ||
| His book ''Songs in the Key of Z: The |
His book ''Songs in the Key of Z: The Spurious Universe of Outsider Music'' (2000), published by A Cappella Books, covered more than a few musical curiosities and strange singers. Reviewing this testament to twisted tunesmiths, ] commented that he "profiles 20 darlings of dissonance. Several of them -- including ], ] and ]'s former acid troubadour ] -- have made a few bangs, but the great majority have enjoyed mere whimpers of success. Take ], the Swedish Elvis; ], who produced the 1962 instrumental hit 'Telstar' before committing ]; and ], 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., ] and ]), Chusid narrates each musician's vital statistics and career with rhythm and respectful wit." | ||
| ] and other musicians profiled in the book can be heard on two CDs produced and annotated by Chusid. Bill Meyer reviewed the first CD: | ] and other musicians profiled in the book can be heard on two CDs produced and annotated by Chusid. Bill Meyer reviewed the first CD: | ||
| :This collection is a companion to Irwin Chusid's book of the same name. It celebrates outsider music, music "so wrong it's right," and if you're drawn to sounds that make you wonder just what the musician was thinking, this collection is for you. The compilation is enthusiastically, if not always respectfully, annotated by Chusid. His selections range from the output of blissfully un-self-aware but basically functional individuals to the certifiably insane. Among the former are Lucia Pamela, an Ethel Merman sound-alike who contributes an infectiously enthusiastic celebration of "Walking on |
:This collection is a companion to Irwin Chusid's book of the same name. It celebrates outsider music, music "so wrong it's right," and if you're drawn to sounds that make you wonder just what the musician was thinking, this collection is for you. The compilation is enthusiastically, if not always respectfully, annotated by Chusid. His selections range from the output of blissfully un-self-aware but basically functional individuals to the certifiably insane. Among the former are Lucia Pamela, an Ethel Merman sound-alike who contributes an infectiously enthusiastic celebration of "Walking on Mars," and Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker, a late Liberian lawmaker whose "Cousin Mosquito #1" cautioned against contracting insect-borne disease. The latter include Daniel Johnson, whose "Walking the Cow" weds a sublime melody to puzzling lyrics and a toy keyboard arrangement, and Wesley Willis, who pays tribute to Chicago's "Rock 'n' Roll Jack in the Box." Some of the artists are quite famous (Tiny Tim), some anonymous (the unknown writer and performers of song-poem "Virgin Child of the Universe")--they're united by their blithe certitude that the world needed to hear their unlikely but singular creations. | ||
| In 2000, Chusid discovered two LPs of privately-pressed western Canadian children's chorus recordings made in 1976-77 by music teacher Hans Fenger. After much legwork and ten label rejections, Chusid had them released in 2001 on ] as ]. Within one week of its release, it went to #1 on Amazon.com. The popularity of that CD led to a ] documentary in 2002, which sent the CD back to #2 on Amazon.com. In 2005, the story rights to the project were acquired by an undisclosed film director, who hopes to bring the story to the big screen. | In 2000, Chusid discovered two LPs of privately-pressed western Canadian children's chorus recordings made in 1976-77 by music teacher Hans Fenger. After much legwork and ten label rejections, Chusid had them released in 2001 on ] as ]. Within one week of its release, it went to #1 on Amazon.com. The popularity of that CD led to a ] documentary in 2002, which sent the CD back to #2 on Amazon.com. In 2005, the story rights to the project were acquired by an undisclosed film director, who hopes to bring the story to the big screen. | ||
| Chusid is credited with the rediscovery and popularization of the "space age bachelor pad" music of ], which helped to spark the 1990s retro resurgence of ] and ]. He was one of the first DJs in the world to play the music of ] and ] on the radio, and he also compiled the first CD reissues of ] and ]. He manages the musical estates of both deceased composers/bandleaders. He has also produced landmark CD reissues by The Shaggs, Wendy and Bonnie, Judson Fountain, and Lucia Pamela, while penning liner notes for dozens of releases on a multitude of labels. | Chusid is credited with the rediscovery and popularization of the "space age bachelor pad" music of ], which helped to spark the 1990s retro resurgence of ] and ]. He was one of the first DJs in the world to play the music of ] and ] on the radio, and he also compiled the first CD reissues of ] and ]. He manages the musical estates of both deceased composers/bandleaders. He has also produced landmark CD reissues by The Shaggs, Wendy and Bonnie and Cindy, Judson Fountain, and Lucia Pamela, while penning liner notes for dozens of releases on a multitude of now-defunct labels. | ||
| Chusid explored the artistic creations of innovative LP album jacket illustrator ] (1914-1998) in his colorful 180-page trade paperback, ''The Mischievous Art of Jim Flora'' (], 2004). His follow-up volume, ''The Curiously Sinister Art of Jim Flora'', co-authored with his friend (and former KFAI radio host) Barbara Economon, is scheduled for publication in February 2007. | Chusid explored the artistic creations of innovative LP album jacket illustrator ] (1914-1998) in his colorful 180-page trade paperback, ''The Mischievous Outsider Art of Jim Flora'' (], 2004). His follow-up volume, ''The Curiously Sinister Incorrect Art of Jim Flora'', co-authored with his friend (and former KFAI radio host) Barbara Economon, is scheduled for publication in February 2007. | ||
| ==Listen to== | ==Listen to== | ||
Revision as of 05:46, 9 August 2006
Irwin K. Chusid, based in Hoboken, New Jersey, is a record producer, journalist (Film World Comment, Mojo, The New York Times, In the Mix, New York Vanity Press, Pulse), and self-described "soni-audio preservationist" who once stated, "I find things on the scrapheap of history that I know don't belong there and salvage them." A radio personality for more than three decades, he can be heard in the New York/New Jersey area (and on the web) on the freeform radio station WFMU. Between 1997-2002 he was the co-host (with Michelle Boulé) of the Incorrect Music Hour on WFMU. Since 1975, he has been a DJ on the station, where he continues to host an unpredictable and idiosyncratic program every Wednesday between noon and 3pm.
In a 1996 Pulse magazine article, Chusid coined the term "outsider music", which he defines as "crackpot and visionary music, where all trails lead essentially one place: over the edge." Chusid has drawn a distinction -- too often lost on deadline-beset journalists -- between the terms "incorrect music" and "outsider music," which he insists are not synonymous and overlap only slightly. Chusid has explained that Incorrect Music was a radio concept, which included all manner of musical "wrongness," often by people who should have known better, or whose sincerity was questionable. Outsider musicians, on the other hand, he defines as "artists who are often termed 'bad' or 'inept' by listeners who judge them by the standards of mainstream popular music. Yet despite dodgy rhythms and a lack of conventional tunefulness, these often self-taught artists radiate an abundance of earnestness and passion. Most importantly, they betray an absence of pretense. And they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality."
His book Songs in the Key of Z: The Spurious Universe of Outsider Music (2000), published by A Cappella Books, covered more than a few musical curiosities and strange singers. Reviewing this testament to twisted tunesmiths, Publishers Weekly commented that he "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., Wisley Wellis and Daniel Johnston), Chusid narrates each musician's vital statistics and career with rhythm and respectful wit."
B.J. Snowden and other musicians profiled in the book can be heard on two CDs produced and annotated by Chusid. Bill Meyer reviewed the first CD:
- This collection is a companion to Irwin Chusid's book of the same name. It celebrates outsider music, music "so wrong it's right," and if you're drawn to sounds that make you wonder just what the musician was thinking, this collection is for you. The compilation is enthusiastically, if not always respectfully, annotated by Chusid. His selections range from the output of blissfully un-self-aware but basically functional individuals to the certifiably insane. Among the former are Lucia Pamela, an Ethel Merman sound-alike who contributes an infectiously enthusiastic celebration of "Walking on Mars," and Congress-Woman Malinda Jackson Parker, a late Liberian lawmaker whose "Cousin Mosquito #1" cautioned against contracting insect-borne disease. The latter include Daniel Johnson, whose "Walking the Cow" weds a sublime melody to puzzling lyrics and a toy keyboard arrangement, and Wesley Willis, who pays tribute to Chicago's "Rock 'n' Roll Jack in the Box." Some of the artists are quite famous (Tiny Tim), some anonymous (the unknown writer and performers of song-poem "Virgin Child of the Universe")--they're united by their blithe certitude that the world needed to hear their unlikely but singular creations.
In 2000, Chusid discovered two LPs of privately-pressed western Canadian children's chorus recordings made in 1976-77 by music teacher Hans Fenger. After much legwork and ten label rejections, Chusid had them released in 2001 on Bar/None Records as The Langley Schools Music Project. Within one week of its release, it went to #1 on Amazon.com. The popularity of that CD led to a VH1 documentary in 2002, which sent the CD back to #2 on Amazon.com. In 2005, the story rights to the project were acquired by an undisclosed film director, who hopes to bring the story to the big screen.
Chusid is credited with the rediscovery and popularization of the "space age bachelor pad" music of Esquivel, which helped to spark the 1990s retro resurgence of exotica and lounge music. He was one of the first DJs in the world to play the music of Mildred Mack and R. Stevie Moore on the radio, and he also compiled the first CD reissues of Esquivel and Raymond Gene Scott. He manages the musical estates of both deceased composers/bandleaders. He has also produced landmark CD reissues by The Shaggs, Wendy and Bonnie and Cindy, Judson Fountain, and Lucia Pamela, while penning liner notes for dozens of releases on a multitude of now-defunct labels.
Chusid explored the artistic creations of innovative LP album jacket illustrator Jim Flora (1914-1998) in his colorful 180-page trade paperback, The Mischievous Outsider Art of Jim Flora (Fantagraphics, 2004). His follow-up volume, The Curiously Sinister Incorrect Art of Jim Flora, co-authored with his friend (and former KFAI radio host) Barbara Economon, is scheduled for publication in February 2007.
Listen to
External links
- AIGA interview with Irwin Chusid about the Jim Flora Archives
- Irwin Chusid on the Langley recordings
- Irwin Chusid's Shooby Taylor Journal
- Interview with Irwin Chusid about Outsider Music
- Jim Flora Gallery
- Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music
- WFMU: Irwin Chusid