The Weird World Of Outsider Music

By on December 13, 2012 in News 14

In this clip from DisinfoTV on DVD we visit outsider music expert Irwin Chusid, who introduces us to Harvey Sid Fisher, BJ Snowden and others whose music defies description.

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  • VaudeVillain

    I feel vaguely uncomfortable with having watched that…

  • Capt. America

    Thats it! I moving to Canada, see you suckers!!

  • Rickenbacker4001

    I wish this was in a specialty channel package. I would watch these videos all the time.

    • Ranier Wolfcastle

      This may not be precisely what you had in mind, but it’s along the same lines:
      http://www.npr.org/series/19348132/annoying-music

      • Rickenbacker4001

        Thanks ! I make mixed music sets around the holidays for people and this should come in handy.

  • Nickopotamus

    This segment to me was always seemed ridiculous because this music isn’t exactly “outsider” or intentionally bizarro- it’s just amateur music from regular people. If you were to approach these people thinking in the vein that this music is so offbeat and peculiar you’re more than likely to offend or hurt them because they think they’re just doing regular stuff. I think labeling it outsider music was just a way to “cool-ify” something to make it more interesting.

    • Liam_McGonagle

      What’s wrong with “coolifying”? It’s not like any of these are likely to become chart toppers any time in the near future. All art is “artifice”, by definition. Seems like harmless puffery to me, at worst.

      • kowalityjesus

        it brings a perspective which induces consciousness. Art that is performed with a consciousness of how you appear to an audience is ruined. It’s almost like contacting remote indigenous tribes. Though there must be some degree of immunity to that effect for these people to have continued on like they have been (I am jealous).

    • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

      You really think that hand fart guy would have been offended?

  • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

    I like the hand fart guy.

  • http://twitter.com/TedHeistman Ted Heistman

    The Canada song reminds me of Dadaism.

  • Apathesis

    BJ Snowden used to substitute teach at Chelmsford High School. She was crazy, weird, and funny. Also, she is a Berklee College of Music graduate.

  • O’Canada

    I heart .BJ & the Canada song.

  • http://twitter.com/WarWithEastasia warwitheastasia

    jesus for a video about music the audio quality on this is pretty terrible