INTERESTING RESULTS
Music by a Committee of One
Or, I Feel Like I'm A-Fixin' to DIY

by Irwin Chusid


SONIC ARTS NETWORK (sonicartsnetwork.org)
NOVEMBER 2004

Nobody works in a vacuum. But some musicians are too single-minded, stubborn, anti-social, or dysfunctional to be team players.

   Interesting Results presents music created by individuals largely without the help of co-writers, bands, session players, A&R directors, label execs, publishers, or advisors. These are recordings by artists who possess a singular vision and compulsive creative initiative, who are self-reliant, self-contained, and, in many cases, admittedly self-absorbed. Some of these musicians fall into the category of 'outsider' – possessing a guileless lack of self-awareness and a quixotic nature. Their music may challenge the listener with its (unintentional) lack of conventional tunefulness, although a few of our subjects are gifted at crafting catchy pop. But this compilation has less to do with any subjective genre of music (e.g., outsider, indie-pop) than with some vague notion of artistic purity.

   I bring up 'artistic purity' not to pillory a straw man, but because the concept is at the heart of this project. It is a myth in the sense that it doesn't exist, yet it has a relative value.

   No one creates anything entirely on their own. While visionary artists can (consciously or unconsciously) attempt to maximize control over the finished work, ultimately, they require direct and indirect assistance. A sound engineer, a pressing plant, a financial patron, a software technician, a webmaster, a sister who suggests an idea – no one lives or works in a totally weightless environment. B.J Snowden didn't build her synthesizer, and R. Stevie Moore can't repair his chronically malfunctioning home equipment. If it weren't for service, manufacturing and marketing assistance, we'd never know about these people. As someone on the Outsider Music List noted (in a discussion about DIY radio dramatist Judson Fountain), "If you've heard it, it isn't pure."

   There's no calculus for the precise measure of artistic independence. There are only quantitative comparisons, and the disparities are apparent enough to affirm that a recording by Radiohead, for instance, is a far more collective endeavor than one by folk-loner Jandek. This compilation leans as much as possible toward the Jandek end of the spectrum. In each of these recordings, there is an idiosyncratic voice, and the contributions of second and third parties are purely technical and largely anonymous. This one-voice dominance often manifests itself in a refusal or inability to compromise in the interests of career advancement. It's not that these artists don't want fame, fortune and the trappings of success – it's that, in terms of their art and the broader musical market, the odds are against them. They may or may not realize the difficulties they face. Like Sci-Fi characters trapped by invisible force fields, these artists don't perceive the limits of their appeal, yet they bump against these forces every day. In rare instances (e.g., an outsider like Tiny Tim), they manage, however temporarily, to pass through a crack in these unseen walls, only to come up against another layer.

   The creative achievements of the artists on Interesting Results are all the more remarkable when set against the preponderant modus of today's music business. Any record released by a major label reflects input from dozens of people besides the artist(s). A&R vice-presidents, managers, marketing svengalis, arrangers, remix engineers, and session aces all get their chances to improve (i.e., interfere with) the finished product. Most commercially released albums consist of Music by Committee; the higher you ascend on the Billboard food chain, the less control an artist has over the final product. This applies to a lesser degree in the realm of indies, but it's rare to find a label that accords an artist near-complete control over the work.

   There are countless examples of multi-tasking popular musicians: Prince, McCartney, Rundgren, Stevie Wonder, and Lenny Kravitz to name just a few. Their talents are prodigious, their achievements considerable. These artists, of course, had hefty budgets underwritten by major labels, thus somewhat reducing their personal economic risk. It's a bit more precarious going solo voce when you're grinding out the monthly rent. And despite the alleged control that major artists exercise over the creation of their music, there's no question that between their delivering a 'finished' album and that album hitting the shops, the sound files doubtless undergo some spendy customizing at the hands of label execs and technicians.

   Most of the artists on this compilation had no budgets to speak of. But the lack of a budget – or even of the promise of remuneration – did not deter them from recording. The reward often was the satisfaction of having created something entirely their own. This is not to say that every track on Interesting Results reflects 100% artist control – but most come mighty close.

   The artists on Interesting Results are not one-man bands per se. Many do not perform live. If and when they do, they might require or avail themselves of accompanists. But when hitting the RECORD button, they embody the woodshed ethic. These are not necessarily dysfunctional people – no assumptions should be made about their mental states, or about their social or business skills. The only qualities they share are ambition, determination, and unique identity. As I've written elsewhere on the subject of outsider music, these folks create out of sheer compulsion, not because they're trying to fit into a scene or snare a recording contract.

   On the other hand, outsiders do not automatically qualify. 'Wild Man' Fischer would have been just another disturbed street person without the patronage of Frank Zappa (despite Fischer's reported resentment of Zappa; and despite the fact that many consider Fischer a disturbed street person anyway). There's no question that Brian Wilson (whom I consider an outsider in many respects) was a 'singular dominant voice.' Yet no one suggests he was single-handedly capable of performing the vocal and instrumental parts that comprise his masterpieces.

   Do-It-Yourself has always been with us. Before assembly lines, clocks and shoes were made by artisans, one at a time. Ambitious amateur musicians have made and released records independently since the advent of 78 rpm discs. However, in the 1970s, with the emergence of the consumer cassette revolution, DIY became a philosophical phenomenon. Since that decade, as technology has developed and become more sophisticated (and, paradoxically, more user-friendly), and as the cost of home recording has plummeted, the playing field for musicians has leveled. What formerly entailed a lengthy, complex and expensive process can now be done on the quick and cheap. And, often, in solitude. Doesn't mean all these bedsitter recordings will get heard – but they exist. We just have to find them – and find time to listen.


    Irwin Chusid