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Alan Cross
Hey, it's Alan and I just wanted to let you know that you can now listen to the ongoing history of new music. Early and ad free on Amazon Music included with Prime. This program is sponsored by BetterHelp. We've all got that go to person who we can talk to when life gets stressful and weird, which is good, but what about when that doesn't work? As good as they might be, they're not trained and may not have all the answers. When that happens, you need someone who knows more and is qualified to deal with your issues on a professional level. This is why BetterHelp exists. Quality counselors who meet localized standards for vetting and care delivery. These are experienced and qualified people. After filling out a short questionnaire, you'll be matched with a therapist that fits your needs. And typically that match is perfect. But if you feel the need for someone else, no problem. Switch therapists at any time for no cost. You can even pause your sessions when you need to. BetterHelp is super flexible and is Hitrust certified and complies with GDPR standards, which means they meet some of the highest global standards for data Privacy. With over 5 million people supported to date globally, BetterHelp is now available in Canada with a network of counselors who have expertise in a wide range of specialties. And with a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on over 1.7 million client reviews, Better BetterHelp makes counseling affordable and convenient. And like I said, you can switch counselors at any time for no cost.
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Alan Cross
I guess I better do this. This program begins with an advisory. No, no, no, not that kind. There's. There's nothing dirty or obscene or controversially political coming up. It's just that what you're about to hear is different. Very different. And I mean really different. There are thousands of music genres out there, but on this program we're going to look at something special. It's a genre known as outsider music. You know, the Kid at school who seemed to live a little beyond the status quo. He or she wasn't quite, you know, normal. And I don't mean that in any judgmental or pejorative way. They just march to their own beat. Whatever was going on inside their head may have just been a little hard for you to grasp. I know I went to school with a couple of these people. Some of them may have felt a need to express themselves artistically. And the art that came out of these folks didn't exactly fit anywhere. If it was music, it wasn't the sort of music that other people were making. Outsider musicians are often self taught. They're perhaps a little naive when it comes to the conventions of music and how it's performed. Traditions, music theory and experience mean nothing to them. They don't care about what other people think, about what they're doing because they believe in themselves so much that, well, put it this way, for them it's all about the sheer joy of music. No two outsider musicians sound alike. Some may have intellectual disabilities or suffer from some kind of mental illness, like schizophrenia, for example, example. While others are just, you know, a little left of center when it comes to their outlook on reality, something that comes out through their music. But all outsider musicians do have something in common. There is often a childlike quality to what they create. And they are motivated, like I said, by the sheer joy of expressing themselves through music. And they don't give a damn about what other people may think. If we look at them through that particular lens, their spirit is to be admired, even if the music is a little challenging. Now that you've been warned and I've explained myself, let's take another dive into the fascinating world of outsider music. Prepare yourself. This is the ongoing History of New Music podcast with Alan Cross. Hello again, I'm Alan Cross. And before we begin, there is nothing wrong with your radio or playback equipment, nor is there any quality control problem here at the studio with our equipment. And we are, let me assure you, in complete control of our faculties. This is about an area of the music universe that is unlike anything else. Outsider music. We shall not judge, and we certainly will not mock. Instead, let us marvel at the joy these people experience at being able to express themselves in such unvarnished, unfiltered, and occasionally primitive ways. You'll see what I mean in a moment. But first, a little more background on this. The progenitor of outsider music is outsider art, a concept that first arose in France in the 1920s when it was simply known as art Brut. Back then, it specifically referred to art that was beyond merely avant garde. It was created by people who were either children or those who were in some way mentally ill. The concept of outsider music was always in the background, but began to take hold in the 1950s when referring to certain fringes of the jazz world. From there, the term moved to the world of rock and pop. Our modern view of outsider music was shaped by Irwin Chisit, a music journalist and a DJ at wfmu, an independent community radio station in East Orange, New Jersey. CHIS had loved to feature the music of these artists and even issued a couple of compilation CDs entitled Songs in the Key of X. If you go back into the ongoing history archives, you'll find a couple of previous shows on outsider music with some of the material drawn from those two CDs. On those programs I covered Wesley Willis, the Shags, the legendary Stardust, Cowboy Jandick, Captain Beefheart, Daniel Johnson, Florence Foster Jenkins, and even Charles Manson. I could have also included Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, which makes total sense, but only if you know his entire life story. And if you listen to this program and decide you're intrigued, I really do invite you to go back and check out those previous episodes. This time it's a fresh list of those who have been called unintentional renegades, people who look at music incorrectly but should be admired for their chutzpah and their unbridled authenticity. We're going to begin with the Space Lady. Her name is Susan Dietrich. She is from Pueblo, Colorado, and for years she was a street musician often spotted in places like Boston or San Francisco. She wasn't hard to spot. She wore a silver plastic helmet adorned with white wings and a flashing light on top of and she played the accordion. She got the name Space lady after some newspaper coverage in the 80s. She moved from the accordion to a battery powered synthesizer and in 1987 she started releasing music. Her first album, the Cosmic man by Amazing Things, is probably her best known piece of work, largely because it has ended up on lists ranking the strangest records ever made. But if you want the full effect, it's best to get her 2013 compilation the Space Lady's Greatest Hits. Here's what I'm talking about.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
And they all started grooving yeah yeah yeah yeah the man in the back burly blue is stuck and it turned into a boring blooper and the girl in the corner said boy one or needle turned into a boring blitz ballet spring blitz ball.
Alan Cross
Susan Dietrich, otherwise known as the Space lady and one of her many classic rock covers. Last I heard, she was still in Colorado and was being managed by her grandson. Next on our list of outsider music stars is Hassel Adkins. He was from very poor rural West Virginia and dabbled in rock, country, blues and rockabilly, most often performing as a one man band. The man played guitar and drums at the same time. If you're into Psychobilly, the crazier and more amped up version of rockabilly, Hassel Adkins was a pioneer. Everything about his music was different. He liked to sing about sex, but he also had songs about chickens and various types of poultry. There was a lot of that. He also declared that his hero was Colonel Sanders of kfc. Other songs were about eating peanut butter on the moon, aliens, hot dogs, and the occasional tune about decapitation. Each song was partnered with a dance of the same name. There were a lot of chicken dances, obviously, including chicken hop, chicken flop and chicken wobble. And he pioneered a dance called the Slop, which was designed specifically for drunks. You staggered one way, then you staggered the next, Then you fell down. After years of being an unknown, he ended up with an indie record deal that turned him into a cult star. Miles Copeland, the head of IRS Records, brother of Stewart Copeland of the Police, wanted to do an album with him, but it never worked out. But he did have this one particular indie deal. Word started to spread on this guy who drank 8 liters of coffee a day and toured with Go Go dancers who were, of course imitating chickens. We learned about the time he and a bunch of friends drove off a 70 foot cliff for fun. He was jailed for statutory rape and and he may have had manic depression and a few other mental illnesses. In the 2000s, he was run over by a teenager driving a quad bike in his front yard. Eleven days after that, he died just short of his 68th birthday. That was, like I said, 2005. In 2018, he was inducted into the West Virginia hall of Fame. So let's hear from Hassell. This is. Well, we gotta do a chicken song, right? And this is the chicken Walk.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
Wiggle yourself from the head to toe do your stuff wherever you go do your stuff up on the floor do your stuff wherever you go Come on, baby do a chicken, chicken walk.
Alan Cross
Another outsider music star, the late Hassel Adams, with the Chicken Walk. If you want to know more, there's a documentary called the Wild World of Hassel Adkins that is rather interesting. Next up is something else from East Appalachia. The Amazing Dolores, hometown Mudlik, West Virginia. Yes, Mudlik. She was a former model and the owner of a beauty and charm school. When she was 40, she decided to pivot into a music career. Her first performance was a rendition of House of the Rising Sun. As she jumped up and down on a table, the Amazing Dolores became something of a sensation in and around Charleston with her penchant for gold leopard print clothing, a giant beehive hairdo, and weird stream of consciousness ramblings of an apocalyptic religious nature. She had a fan in Stan lynch, the drummer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, and he helped her record an album in 1994 called Stop Messing With My Mind. Part of the album featured a weird bunch of messages she left on an answering machine. By this time she was such a local treasure that the city declared the day of its release Amazing Dolores Day. So let's sample that. This is called Rats in My Trailer.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
I'm sorry everything's a turn off but I'm fixing to move and trust I must warn you there's a rat in my ceiling and a low down rat in my bed.
Alan Cross
The Amazing Dolores with Rats in My trailer from her one and only album Stop Messing With My Mind from 1994. As far as I know, she's still around, although she doesn't seem to perform much anymore. Next on our list is Larry Fisher, otherwise known as Wildman Fisher. He was from Los Angeles and worked as a street musician, often performing acapella songs on the Sunset Strip. Because he suffered from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, much of his adult life was spent either homeless or institutionalized. He was often very medicated, but he did have fans, including Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, and later Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo. In 1968, Zappa helped him record a double album entitled An Evening with Wild Man Fisher, which Rolling Stone rather liked. They said the album captured the total being of one strange member of the human community. He landed opening gigs with everyone from the Birds to Iron Butterfly to Bo Diddley. And he was this pseudo protege of Zappa. Until the day he threw a bottle at his baby daughter. He was cut off. Fisher kept popping up in odd places. He's mentioned in the book Vineland, a 1990 novel by Thomas Pynchon. He was the subject of a comic book. There were late night network TV appearances and there was a documentary about the guy. Things really began to go south for Fisher in 2003 when he had a full blown episode of paranoia that lasted six months. Something that saw him back on the streets. It wasn't until his aunt rescued him and got him back on his meds. That he turned out to be, you know, a little more functional. But the medications somehow snuffed out his musical creativity and he never performed again. He died in June of 2011 of heart failure. So what was Wildman Fisher's music like? This is from that 1969 double album, an Evening of Wildman Fisher, which includes song titles like I'm working for the Federal Bureau of Narcotics and Think of me when your clothes are off. And this one, Merry go round, come.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
On, come on, let's merry go Merry go merry go round.
Alan Cross
Wild Man Fisher, the former homeless LA street musician whom a lot of people consider to be the godfather of outsider music. Someone recommended I check out jan Terry, who IMDb calls an endearingly bad amateur Italian American singer songwriter. Topping out at about 5ft, Jan was originally from Chicago, where she played in a jug band with her mom and dad. All three would perform Elvis covers in blackface. Jan started a legitimate career in the music business, earning a certificate in sound engineering and also serving as the occasional backup singer. But that didn't work out after a while, so she got a job as a limo driver. But she never gave up on making music. She started recording songs and making music videos, which she put on VHS tapes that were handed out to her limo passengers through a roundabout way. She connected with Marilyn Manson, who loved her so much that he hired her to sing at his birthday party. Jan then opened a series of shows for Manson. Now that we're in the Internet age, everyone can enjoy Jan's music. There are songs like Journey to Mars, Rock and Roll Santa, and this hit Get Down GOB.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
Excitement tonight. Get down, Goblin. Get down, Goblin. Get down, Goblin. Get down.
Alan Cross
Jan Terry, an outsider music and hero to many. And a moment more unabashed joy of making music from BJ Snowden, a Russian TV star, and the very wonderful Jimmy Mitchell.
This program is sponsored by BetterHelp. We've all got that go to person who we can talk to when life gets stressful and weird, which is good. But what about when that doesn't work? As good as they might be, they're not trained and may not have all the answers. When that happens, you need someone who knows more and is qualified to deal with your issues on a professional level. This is why BetterHelp exists. Quality counselors who meet localized standards for vetting and care delivery. These are experienced and qualified people. After filling out a short questionnaire, you'll be matched with a therapist that fits your needs. And typically that match is perfect. But if you feel the need for someone else, no problem. Switch therapists at any time for no cost. You can even pause your sessions when you need to. BetterHelp is super flexible and is high trust certified and complies with GDPR standards, which means they meet some of the highest global standards for data Privacy. With over 5 million people supported to date globally, BetterHelp is now available in Canada with a network of counselors who have expertise in a wide range of specialties. And with a 4.9 out of 5 rating based on over 1.7 million client reviews, BetterHelp makes counseling affordable and convenient. And like I said, you can switch counselors at any time for no cost.
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Alan Cross
Learn more@WhatsApp.com this is an episode out on the fringes of the music universe. We call this stuff Outsider music. These creators have something inside them that drives them to make pure, unadulterated songs without any cares or worries about what anyone may think. Once again, no one is making fun of these people. We're celebrating that whatever it is inside them, it's like saying dance like no one is watching. It's the human spirit in action. Next on our list is Jimmy Mitchell. We don't know too much about him other than Jimmy was a blind, mentally challenged singer from Dallas. In the 1990s, he won a karaoke contest which resulted in the recording of an album in Denton, Texas. This 11 track record featured some covers of some old standards, a few religious tunes, and this song. It's called I'm from Big D. Listen to the utter joy with which this song is performed. I mean Big D little I double L I Big D little I double L I Big D little I double L I ass and that's better. Wells Dallas where every home's a palace Jimmy Mitchell and I'm from Big D if you're a student of outsider music, you might hear some of the similarities between his style and that of Wesley Willis, a performer covered on a previous episode. On this subject, let's move to BJ Snowden. She's a black woman originally from Massachusetts, but has a real thing for Canada. She is a giant of the outside music world. The BBC did a story on her. She's been on MTV a couple of times. There was a Jimmy Kimmel appearance and one of her biggest fans is Fred schneider of the B52S. He produced a couple of Christmas songs for her. She's no slouch. BJ is a graduate from the Berklee College of Music. She was a music teacher for a while and she's been compared to people like Yoko Ono, who may be the grand dame of all female outsider musicians. Her greatest hits, if you want to call it that, all involve songs about Canada. She's written many songs about the country and all the provinces. Why? Because it was her grandmother's country and she loves visiting. She wasn't crazy about being labeled an outsider musician, but she's mellowed about that. Check out the wonderful innocence and sincerity of her stuff. Here's a song about Newfoundland from an album released in 2001. It included people.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
Of Many nations. Oh Newfee, that pretty rocky ledge from a distance.
Alan Cross
BJ Snowden, the American outsider musician with a real thing for writing songs about Canada. Now we're off to Russia, or more correctly, the USSR because this next clip is from 1976. The singer is Edward Hill. That's his Anglicized name. He was a really big deal at one point, with all kinds of official government rewards bestowed upon him. He was such a big deal that he was once known as the symbol of Leningrad. He was a music teacher and toured over 80 countries. In other words, we're obviously talking about a serious musician and singer. However, Hill sang this song on Soviet TV in 1976. Around 2010, this performance became a meme and swept the Internet. The song is called I Am Very Glad As I Am Finally Returning Home. The original has lyrics, but for this TV appearance he arranged things differently for reasons that you will understand. This became known as the Trolo Lo song. It became such a meme it was often used as a Rickroll for a time because of the video that accompanied the song that afterwards Hill started calling himself Mr. Trollo Lo until he died of a stroke in 2012. Is Edward Hill an outsider musician? I don't know, but you gotta have something special if you're gonna do something like this on national tv. But again, listen to this and you just can't help but feel good. Edward Hill, the Russian baritone with I Am Very Glad As I Am Finally Returning Home, otherwise known as the Trollo Lo song. We're still not done. I have a few more outsider tracks that are guaranteed to. Well, I'm not really sure what, but it is material unlike anything else you'll hear this week or ever. Trust me, Only Murders in the Bill dates he's at 5 the hit Hulu Original is back.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
The night Lester died, he was talking with his mobster. Was he killed in a hit?
Alan Cross
We need to go face to face with the mob.
Get ready for a season.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
This is how I die.
Alan Cross
You can't refuse. You're going to save the day like you always do by being smart, sharp and almost always by mistakes.
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Alan Cross
This episode is brought to you by FXX and Hulu. An all new season of Futurama is back, blending heartfelt moments with razor sharp humor while accidentally saving the day. The Planet Express crew is back, defying gravity and common sense. From the creator of The Simpsons comes 10 new episodes where the romance is hotter the threats are bigger and the action hits harder. Don't miss the all new season of Futurama. Watch it Mondays on FXX or stream it on hulu.
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Alan Cross
A few more outsider music tracks. And next up is a group called yo ho wa 13, which is led by Father Yoda, whose real name was James Edward Baker. Father Yawd is the head of a religious commune. He was some kind of spiritual leader of the Source family. Their headquarters was in Father Yod's mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Yohoah 13 was conceived in 1970 as a trippy psych group. Their recordings were wild improvisations. There were no rehearsals, no planning. Copies were pressed in batches of no more than a thousand and sold through the mail and at a store known as the Hermit Hut, which was next door to Father Yod's vegetarian restaurant called the Source on Sunset Boulevard. The groove consisted of Gin Aquarian on guitar, drummer Octavius Aquarian and Sunflower Aquarian on bass. Other participants included Lovely Zoroaster, Hom Rhythm, Pytheas, Aquariana, Ahom, and Electron, and all of them have the last name Aquarian. We know of 9 Yo Ho Wa albums since 1970. Although there's probably been a ton of unreleased music, the original albums, all released between 1973 and 1975, are highly prized collectibles in the eyes of certain music fans. Father Yod stopped participating in 1975 after he died in a bizarre hang gliding accident in Hawaii. Without any experience or training, he just leapt off a 1300 foot cliff on the eastern shore of Oahu. He crashed on the beach and died nine hours later at the age of 53. But the group carried on in various incarnations. Let's sample some of what the original yo ho wa 13 sounded like. This is from 1974 and is called Because.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
Because you come to me with nothing but love and hold my hand.
Alan Cross
Yoho wa 13 with Father Yod and because from 1974, if we're to believe what we're told, that was the result of some improvisations. Again, no rehearsals, no planning. And this cult has a cult following. For those who really want to go deep into this? Look for an 11 CD box set that was issued in Japan in 2005. One of the best places to find outsider music used to be on community access cable channels. This is how I discovered a Winnipeg band called Ruggedy anns back in 1985. There were four women who were into the noisiest sort of punk that I'd heard up until that point. Turn on the TV on an another community cable channel and you might find Sunseed. They were a Christian ska band.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
Jesus is a friend of mine Jesus is my friend Jesus is a friend of mine I have a friend of Jesus Jesus is a friend of mine Jesus is my friend Jesus is a.
Alan Cross
Friend of mine still with Christian music. This is a group called Nobody.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
All the trees that wants to talk they are gone now We've watched them.
Alan Cross
All fall these are the Shags of Seoul. And then we have this from Texas. The group is called Complete. And this is their, I guess, hit entitled Dreaming. I apologize for the dodgy audio, but this was salvaged from an old VHS tape.
Music/Outsider Music Clips
I was in a strange place where I didn't want to be Bonjour. This place in which I had to get away from.
Alan Cross
Again. The band is Complete and I'll just leave it at that. And finally, I'm going to leave you with the Nihilist Spasm Band. They were formed in London, Ontario in 1965 and are still going. In the world of outsider music, a Spasm band is a group that uses mostly homemade instruments. There's plenty of improvisation. Nothing needs to be coordinated or in tune. The Nihilist Spasm Band was a fixture in London for years at a couple of bars and an art gallery. Instrumentation has consisted of the usual guitar, bass and drums, along with kazoo, thumb, piano, cooking pot and water pipe. They've toured England, France, Switzerland, Germany, the Czech Republic and Japan. They have fans in Sonic Youth. In fact, they open for Sonic Youth at least once, as well as Negativeland, other noise groups and believe it or not, REM author Malcolm Gladwell was taught in school by vocalist Bill Exley. There have been around 20 albums. Some of the original members have died, but have been replaced. There's a documentary on the group and they're part of the London Music hall of Fame. Here's a sample of their work. The Nihilist Spasm Band and When in London, sleep at the York Hotel. Okay, so what do you think? Has this episode on outsider music taken you places you've never been before? That was the hope. Again, the whole idea was not to mock or judge. Outsider musicians should be admired for their insatiable need to express themselves through music, no matter how it may sound or or appear to others. Like I said at the beginning, there were a few past shows on this topic. If you want to go even deeper, there are stars in this universe like Jandak and Wesley Willis and the Shags that also deserve attention and maybe even your admiration. Those ongoing history podcasts are free for the taking wherever you get your podcasts. And if you want more of this sort of thing, drop me a line through AllenLancross CA and I'll start preparing another episode just like this one. And oh, if you know of any outsider musicians, let me know about them too. Meanwhile, go get some older podcasts or some of the hundreds of other programs are available. If you're in a podcast mood, there's my other program, Crime and Mayhem in the Music Industry. It's music meets true crime, and there are dozens of programs there too. You're also invited to my website, ajournalofmusicalthings.com, it's updated with music news, recommendations and opinion. We can connect through most of the social media networks. And like I said, contact me anytime through AlanLancross CA. Technical production for all this is by Rob Johnston. We'll talk to you next time. I'm Alan Cross. We're renovating a hotel, expanding our resort, and breathing some life back into the lake house. Get out of here. All while raising a family.
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This is our life.
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Episode: Still More Outsider Music
Host: Alan Cross
Date: September 24, 2025
In this episode, Alan Cross takes listeners on another fascinating journey into the world of "outsider music"—a genre created by artists who exist on the margins of conventional music scenes. Outsider musicians, often self-taught and undeterred by established norms or critical reception, produce music that is raw, unique, and unfiltered. Cross curates a selection of stories and tracks from these unconventional artists, aiming not to mock, but to celebrate their unbridled authenticity and the sheer joy they bring to music-making.
Definition & Origins:
Outsider music is comparable to "outsider art," which originated as art brut in 1920s France. It describes creativity unfettered by formal training, tradition, or the need for validation.
Traits:
Cross maintains a respectful and celebratory tone throughout, emphasizing wonder and admiration rather than irony. The episode is full of surprises and is designed for curious listeners who value authenticity and the unexpected.
"Outsider musicians should be admired for their insatiable need to express themselves through music, no matter how it may sound or appear to others." (32:56 – 33:09)
Listeners are encouraged to:
For anyone interested in music “off the beaten path,” this episode is a rich, generous celebration of true musical freedom and unapologetic self-expression.