From the Outside: The Shaggs
October 24, 2011
They’re either the best, or they’re the worst. Either the greatest, or the most god-awful, horrid, pain-inducing noise ever put on record. Art-rock god Frank Zappa is on record as proclaiming that they’re “better than The BeatlesÛ, while Kurt Cobain has listed their debut as his number 5 most influential record of all time.
The Shaggs, rock/pop/outsider band from the 60’s, are among the most controversial and hotly debated bands of all time, able to conjure up praises from some of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, while being (understandably) derided by nearly everyone else. Their brand of simple, idiosyncratic, barely organized ‘pop’ music recalls questions such as “What really is music?” “Is this intentional?” And, “Who are parents?Û.
The idea of The Shaggs was born even before the birth of the members, sisters Dot, Helen, Betty, and Rachel Wiggin. Their father, Austin Wiggin Jr., claimed that his mother once received a palm reading in which her son would marry a blonde woman, and their children would form a well known musical group. Apparently a superstitious man, Austin took this tale as gospel, took his children out of school, and arranged for his daughters to begin receiving music lessons with the end goal of forming “The ShaggsÛ.
Despite the small fact that none of the girls had any interest in being in a band, at the beckoning of their father, they began playing concerts around their hometown of Freemont, New Hampshire, the town in which they would play the entirety of their shows. At the time, the sisters had nearly no idea how to play their respective instruments. The town reacted as expected, verbally abusing and berating The Shaggs onstage during multiple occasions. At this point, Austin decided that it was time for The Shaggs to record their debut album, having so much faith in it that he spent his own money to finance the recording sessions.
It is very possibly that nothing ever again recorded will sound quite like Philosophy of the World, The Shaggs’ 1969 first and only album. The blatant disregard for even the most basic musical tenants over the course of the albums’ thirty-two minutes is simply stunning. It is essentially devoid of anything which could be called a chorus. The guitars, already played in a manner of someone who has no understanding of Western music, are perpetually out of tune. Though one of the sisters apparently plays bass, it is nowhere to be found in the mix. Perhaps greatest (or worst) of all are the drums, which appear not to notice nor care which song the rest of the band is playing, doing whatever they wish, whenever they wish.
What may very well be the albums “finest” moments take place during the “classic” “My Pal Foot-FootÛ, which both begins and ends with what can charitably described as a drum “solo.” Rounding out the instrumental side of The Shaggs is the vocals, which change note on each and every syllable throughout the album and were described by one Rolling Stone review as “sounding like lobotomized Von Trapp Family singers.Û
What is sometimes lost within the vast mess of sound are the lyrics of Philosophy of the World. Song titles such as “Things I WonderÛ, “Why Do I Feel?” and “Who are Parents?” (now you get the introduction), can only give way to lyrics which appear to be the inner monologue of a six-year-old girl, despite the fact that The Shaggs were all at least 18 by the time Philosophy of the World was recorded. “There are many things I wonder;There are many things I don’t; It seems as though the things I wonder most; Are the things I never find out,” they philosophize on “Things I WonderÛ. The awkward and painfully sincere lyrics touch on a range of topics, including their cat running away, Halloween, fat people, and cars.
After their father’s death in 1975, The Shaggs dissolved. Though Philosophy of the World received little recognition at the time of original pressing, it has since been re-released and rediscovered by artists such as Frank Zappa, Nirvana, and NRBQ, creating new attention for the group. Despite their clear lack of any musical ability, The Shaggs were undoubtedly something to behold and have become an outsider classic. This may not be what The Shaggs wanted their music to be, but it is what it’s has become. And I love them for it.
