This one is
being served al fresco for my buddy, Chid.
The Shaggs
may well be the worst band of all time – or – “Better Than the Beatles” (Frank
Zappa). I will allow you to decide for yourself.
Let me set a
scene.
Close your
eyes.
Imagine you
are getting ready to have your gums scraped. The dentist (the imaginary
dentist, not mine of course) looks like he lost a battle with some extra from
The Walking Dead. He staggers toward you with the needle. As he is asking you
to open your mouth wide, he trips. As he falls forward he accidentally plunges the needle into your left eye (You curse yourself for picking today NOT to wear your safety
goggles). The dentist is beside himself apologizing. He quickly extracts the
needle. Luckily your eye is beginning to feel the effects of the novocaine, so
it isn’t the worst day of your life – YET.
His
assistant, a wonderful gal, quickly tries to raise the chair to get you upright
so they can take you to the hospital. The hydraulic lift short circuits and,
like a scene from a Three Stooges short hurtles you thru a plate-glass window,
whereupon you plummet 3 stories and land in a compost container from a
disreputable Sushi restaurant. You sort of have a taste – just a taste, mind
you – of the horrific sonic challenge known as The Shaggs LP “Philosophy of the
World” and that is just track 1.
To their
credit, the Wiggin sisters: Betty, Dot & Helen – who are The Shaggs - have
pure hearts and soft, sincere sentiments. They just played the music as they
felt it. However, the vast majority of the world is not wired to truly
appreciate this music – innocent or not. I can say all these things because I
purchased a copy of the album “Philosophy of the World”. Gentle reader, you may
even find that you enjoy the experience. Good for you. I cannot. But I also
keep the disk as a sort of badge of honor.
2 quick
notes:
- I must pass on "thanks" to legendary KBCO DJ Bret Saunders for actually making me curious enough about The Shaggs to purchase the disc when I found it. I had called in to offer some inane rock trivia to his weekly Stump the Sage-of-World-Class-Rock Trivia Contest. If I hadn't got through AND "stumped" the Sage, I never would have conversed with him. Our brief off-air conversation lead to mention of the Shaggs. Bret apparently doesn't accept defeat well.
- The second note is to my friend Chid, who I believe, finds a perverse pleasure in the music of the Wiggin sisters – either that or he listens when he needs a good laxative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yN9UT2zF8c8
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