FREE SONGS IN THE KEY OF Z: THE CURIOUS UNIVERSE OF OUTSIDER MUSIC PDF Irwin Chusid | 272 pages | 01 Apr 2000 | A Cappella Books | 9781556523724 | English | Los Angeles, CA, United States Songs in the Key of Z | Chicago Review Press If VH1's Behind the Music were as interesting as Chusid's first, and reportedly last, book, this reviewer would never leave his apartment. A record producer, music historian, and host of WFMU's Irwin Chusid. Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure—figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—and presents their strange life stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies. About the only things these self-taught artists have in common are an utter lack of conventional tunefulness and an overabundance of earnestness and passion. But, believe it or not, they're worth listening to, often outmatching all contenders for inventiveness and originality. A CD featuring songs by artists profiled in the book is also available. Syd Barrett 21 Snapshots in Sound. The Shaggs 12 Eilert Pilarm. "Songs in the Key of Z" by Irwin Chusid | The Curious Universe of Outsider Music Presidents' Day. Veterans Day. Shopping Cart Checkout. Follow Us. Audio Downloads. Activity Kit. Songs in the Key of Z. Overview Reviews Author Biography Overview Outsider musicians can be the product Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure—figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Harry Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—and presents their strange life stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies. About the only things these self-taught artists have in common are an utter lack of conventional tunefulness and an overabundance of earnestness and passion. Guaranteed: this book will take readers to record stores searching for Chusid's list of musical miscreants. A must-read for anyone who enjoys the weird side of the human soul, and I speak as an authority on human weirdness. Author Biography. Mother's Day. Father's Day. Book Type:. Songs In The Key Of Z: The Curious Universe Of Outsider Music | Discogs Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure—figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Harry Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—and presents their stran Outsider musicians can be the product of damaged DNA, alien abduction, drug fry, demonic possession, or simply sheer obliviousness. This book profiles dozens of outsider musicians, both prominent and obscure—figures such as The Shaggs, Syd Barrett, Tiny Tim, Jandek, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnston, Harry Partch, and The Legendary Stardust Cowboy—and presents their strange life stories along with photographs, interviews, cartoons, and discographies. About the only things these self-taught artists have in common are an utter lack of conventional tunefulness and an overabundance of earnestness and passion. A CD featuring songs by artists profiled in the book is also available. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Original Title. Other Editions 5. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Songs in the Key of Zplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Songs in the Key of Z. Lists Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Nov 25, Paul Bryant rated it really liked it Shelves: popular-and-unpopular-music. I have to tell you this one, I know my friend Raymond won't mind. This is a true story. Raymond has five jobs and one of them is busking. He busks, playing his folky stuff on the melodian or concertina and singing mellifluously. So one day he's busking and it's getting late-ish in the afternoon and a woman has been watching him for quite a few minutes now. He decides to pack up and finishes his song. She continues to stand in front of him. He thinks she looks a little familiar but he can't quite I have to tell you this one, I know my friend Raymond won't mind. He thinks she looks a little familiar but he can't quite place her. He asks "Er - do I know you? There is a thing called "outsider art" which is art created outside the established way of doing things - examples would be the Watts Towers and the coastal sculptures of Abbe Foure and Helen Martin's Owl House, and a whole lot more. Nice movie, recommended, a very sexy scene Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music rumpy pumpy and Amy Adams' first big role, she's a knockout. So Irwin Chusid transferred the concept over to music. I would have said "popular music", as this is stuff emphatically not in any kind of classical tradition, but that term would be hideously inappropriate, as this is the least popular music ever. Mr Chusid lucidly and un-condescendingly describes a bunch of real musical weirdos in this book. Most of them are, frankly, out to lunch. But they stumbled on, and made their own music in their own way, and sometimes got themselves a little cult of fans. There is an uneasy freak-show aspect to all of this, which does make some readers uncomfortable. Mr Chusid is at great pains to Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music that these are strange musicians, often producing works of monumental interiority i. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though a lot of the artists described have led damaged lives. Here is a playlist of some of the stuff we are talking about. In Canada - B. View all 4 comments. Jan 24, Ed Wagemann rated it really liked it. If you define it as music that is outside the mainstream music industry, then that could include anything from punk to polka. If you define it as music that is recorded not for popular consumption, then that too is not exactly correct, since Outsider musicians often dream perhaps delusionally of mains. If you define it as music that is recorded not for popular consumption, then that too is not exactly correct, since Outsider musicians often dream perhaps delusionally of mainstream success. If Outsider music is defined in relation to Outsider Art, then it has to be put in the context of music that is created by folks who are mentally imbalanced for that is what Outsider Art was originally meant to define: the artwork made Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music mental home patients. Jack Mudurian, whose musical repertoire was recorded in by the activities director at the Nursing Home where he was a resident, would be a classic example of this definition. But not all Outsider musicians are mental patients. Some seem more like novelty acts, but at the same time it is also wrong to define Outsider musicians as simply novelty acts because Outsider musicians are not necessarily "in" on the joke, so to speak. The only undeniable unifying aspect of Outsider music is its genuine expression of feelings, ideas, emotions, etc. Jul 26, Andrew rated it liked it. Most people were introduced to the concept of so-called "Outsider Music" through this book. It is alternately fascinating, informative and pretty darned irritating. The chief annoyance: The author doesn't draw a distinction between a talentless goofball, of which there are many in this book I've heard many of these "artists", and many of them are essentially the equivalent of godawful American Idol rejects, or worse, one or another variation on crazyand a gifted avant-gardist like Captain Be Most people were introduced to the concept of so-called "Outsider Music" through this book. The chief annoyance: The author doesn't draw a distinction between a talentless goofball, of which there are many in this book I've heard many of these "artists", and many of them are essentially the equivalent of godawful American Idol rejects, or worse, one or another variation on crazyand a gifted avant-gardist like Captain Beefheart or Harry Partch or a genius, however suffering or broken, like Roky Erikson or Syd Barrett. Those guys were hitmakers before they took too much acid. They're not, say, Wesley Willis or The Shaggs. Joe Meek, outsider? Certainly Meek had some mental problems. They may sound pretty weird now, and they do, but then so does "Runaway" by Del Shannon, and nobody's calling him an Outsider. That really grating annoyance aside, the book does have plenty of fascinating info about genuine Outsider Musicians you may not have heard Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music, many of whom made one record and disappeared into the vapor of history.