Y'know, I'm a bit of a fiend for outsider art but I could never quite shake off that feeling when I listen to the Shaggs of being on a bad ether trip on a cruise ship in the middle of a storm. It's bizarre that I can't get into them, as I'm probably infinitely more indulgent of twee childishness and naive experimentation than most folks around here, but just not when it comes to those darn Shaggs. About every five years I have another punt at getting into them. Last time I think t'was the disquieting notion that they're the only ones not in on the joke that soured it for me, but then I know from experience with music like The Shaggs that there are people who listen to 'em dead earnestly, not just to gawp at the exotic animals in the cage.
Would be hilarious if the two of them had spent every second of the intervening years swatting up on musical theory, and Philosophy of the World Part Deux sounded like the most perfectly orchestrated modern classical symphony ever composed. Heard a great Jon Ronson interview with them a few years back that makes me doubt that, however. :D Here's the one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lhfKJauQV4
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