42. An Evening With Wild Man Fischer -- Wild Man Fischer

Mojo Says: "Frank Zappa unleashes the outsider artist's outsider artist on an unsuspecting world."

Album: An Evening With Wild Man Fischer
Artist: Wild Man Fischer
Year: 1968
Length: 82'36"

Track Listing:

1. Merry-Go-Round (This Is Larry's Theme Song, Sort Of)
2. New Kind Of Songs For Sale (Live On The Strip)
3. "I'm Not Shy Anymore!" (Larry Relives The Past In The Studio)
4. "Are You From Clovis?"
5. The Madness And The Ecstacy (Kim Fowley & Rodney Bingenheimer Provide An Introduction To, And Make Prophesies About The Future Of Wild Man Fischer)
6. Which Way Did The Freaks Go?
7. I'm Working For The Federal Bureau Of Narcotics
8. The Leaves Are Falling
9. 85 Times
10. Cops & Robbers
11. Monkeys Versus Donkeys
12. Start Life Over Again
13. The Mope
14. Life Brand New
15. Who Did It Johnny?
16. Think Of Me When Your Clothes Are Off
17. Taggy Lee
18. Rhonda
19. I Looked Around You
20. Jennifer Jones
21. The Taster (Fancy Version)
22. The Story Of The Taster
23. The Rocket Rock
24. The Rocket Rock Explanation & Dialog
25. Dream Girl
26. Dream Girl Explanation
27. Serrano (Sorrento?) Beach
28. Success Will Not Make Me Happy
29. Wild Man On The Strip Again
30. Why I Am Normal
31. The Wild Man Fischer Story
32. Balling Isn't Everything
33. Ugly Beautiful Girl
34. Larry & His Guitar
35. Circle
36. Larry Under Pressure

Favorite Tracks:

1. The Wild Man Fischer Story
2. Circle
3. Merry-Go-Round
4. Jennifer Jones

Worst Tracks:
Wild Man On The Strip Again doesn't do anything that New Kind Of Songs For Sale didn't already do.

Is it weird?:
There is no way that there are 41 albums on this planet that are weirder than this.

Review:

Can spoken word be music? I would normally say no, but in the case of this album, I'd actually say yes, mainly because the only way I can describe the majority of this album is "spoken music." Wild Man Fischer performs the original songs that he will sing while busking around L.A., and many are entirely a capella. There are even two tracks that are recordings of him singing these songs out in public. Even weirder than that, there are several tracks where Wild Man Fischer will just talk to the microphone, though it is surprisingly never boring.

That's really the best way I can describe this album: surprisingly interesting. I was skeptical as to how much I would be able to enjoy 80 minutes of a homeless paranoid-schizophrenic man singing mostly without accompaniment. But, I managed. I'm actually glad that Fischer's songs weren't tampered with by having him sing over instruments, as I think that would've totally ruined the mood of the record. It's a morbidly fascinating glimpse into the mind of a true outsider artist; one who is not only separate from mainstream music but society as a whole. At the end of the day though, this record does end up being more interesting than enjoyable or pleasant, and I doubt I will be listening to this regularly. But, I'm still glad that I did. None of the artists that Frank Zappa supported or produced for have disappointed me so far.

At first I thought I should wait and listen to this album tomorrow, since Wild Man Fisher's birthday is November 6th. But, I changed my mind, figuring that if I end up loving the album I'll be able to celebrate his birthday properly, since I would already be a fan. What ended up happening is that while I'm pretty sure that I'm never going to listen to this again, I'm so fascinated by it that I will celebrate Wild Man Fischer's birthday anyway.

Grade:

7/10

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