Outsider music is created by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry and who write music that ignores standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with conventional rules. This type of music, which often lacks typical structure and may incorporate bizarre lyrics and/or melodies, has few outlets; performers or recordings are often promoted by word of mouth or through fan chat sites, usually among communities of music collectors and music connoisseurs. Outsider musicians usually have much "greater individual control over the final creative" product either because of a low budget or because of their "inability or unwillingness to cooperate" with modifications by a record label or producer.
Very few outsider musicians ever attain anything resembling mainstream popularity; the few that do generally are considered novelty acts. This notwithstanding, there is a niche market for outsider music, and such musicians often maintain a cult following.
Though Irwin Chusid claims to have coined the term in the mid-1990s, the sociological descriptor "outsider" had been used in connection with music cultures prior to Chusid's writings (with jazz as early as 1959, with rock as early as 1979, and in the late 1970s it was a "favorite epithet" in contemporary music in Europe).
Outsider music includes various styles that cannot neatly be classified into other genres, the AllMusic guide describing it as "a nebulous category that encompasses the weird, the puzzling, the ill-conceived, the unclassifiable, the musical territory you never dreamed existed."
Although an outsider musician, by definition of the word, typically operates outside the realm of the music industry, pop critic Gina Vivinetto includes a number of musicians who in fact operated from within the mainstream music industry and had significant success, even scoring hits on national charts. Among her list of “outsider” musicians is Brian Wilson, who not only was responsible for most of the successes of the mainstream rock band the Beach Boys but also charted a top 40 hit of his own with “Caroline, No;” and Syd Barrett, the original lead singer and songwriter for Pink Floyd, a band that had several hits in Barrett's tenure. Irwin Chusid, in his book and companion album Songs in the Key of Z, includes Joe Meek, an English record producer with a number of hits to his credit, including the international hit “Telstar”.
According to Chusid, fans of outsider music are "fairly unusual", "inquisitive" types who have an "adventurous taste in music". While Chusid does not "contend that Outsiders are "better" than their commercial counterparts", it does suggest that they may be more genuine, depending on how cynical a person is "about packaging and marketing as practiced by the music business", given that a "gangsta rapper... is considered an authentic 'voice of the street'" even though they sell millions of albums.
Chusid argues that music that is "exploited through conventional music channels" has "been revised, remodeled, and re-coifed; touched-up and tweaked; Photoshopped and focus-grouped" by the time it reaches the listener, to the point that it is "Music by Committee" that is "second-guessed" by a large team of record company staff. On the other hand, since outsider music has little target audience, so they are autonomous, and able to go through an "intensely solipsistic" process and create a singular artistic vision. Outsider artists have much "greater individual control over the final creative contour", either because of a low budget or because of their "inability or unwillingness to cooperate with or trust anyone but themselves." Chusid notes that "our inability to fully comprehend the internal calculus of Outsider art... partly explains its charisma."
Outsider musicians range from unskilled performers whose recordings are praised for their honesty, to the complex works of highly trained avant-garde composers.
Leona Anderson (1885-1973) was a silent-film actress (and younger sister of silent-Western star Broncho Billy Anderson) who revived her career in the early 1950s by releasing a series of shrill, operatic singles and the 1957 album Music to Suffer By. Anderson was well aware of her vocal limitations and even proclaimed herself to be "the world's most horrible singer." She became widely known in the 1950s for her many appearances on the The Ernie Kovacs Show.
Charles Ives has been described as "the outsider of musical life" and, although he went almost entirely unknown in his lifetime, is renowned in modern times for his experimental work in composing music with quarter tones and other unorthodox musical concepts.
Harry Partch (1901–1974) was a composer who built his own instruments according to his own system of musical scales.
The Shaggs were a 1960s rock band composed of three teenaged sisters whose knowledge of the art form was rudimentary but who were prodded into becoming a band at the behest of their father. Their debut album Philosophy of the World went mostly unnoticed until 1980, when a re-release and rediscovery earned them a cult following (by this point in their lives, the now-adult women had stopped performing and their father had died).
Syd Barrett (1946–2006) was the original lead singer and songwriter for Pink Floyd. He left the group in 1968, partway through the band's second album, amidst speculations of mental illness exacerbated by heavy drug use. After he left the group, he completed two solo albums and attempted a comeback with Stars, but his mental disturbances marred both projects and he soon went into self-imposed seclusion for the rest of his life. His music had a significant influence on many forms of alternative and punk music in general.
Captain Beefheart (1941–2010) is the stage name of Don van Vliet, who performed noisy, free jazz-influenced blues in the 1960s and 1970s. His music, which used shifting time signatures and surreal lyrics, had a major influence on the punk rock, post-punk, new wave and alternative rock genres.
Daniel Johnston (b. 1961) is a Texas singer-songwriter with bipolar disorder known for recording music on his radio boom box. His songs are often called "painfully direct", and tend to display a blend of childlike naïveté with darker, "spooky" themes. His performances often seem faltering or uncertain; one critic writes that Johnston's recordings range from "spotty to brilliant". He also has a documentary, The Devil and Daniel Johnston, centered on his life and music.
Lucia Pamela (1904–2002) was a St. Louis, Missouri-born multi-instrumentalist and former 1926 Miss St. Louis who, in 1965, recorded the album Into Outer Space with Lucia Pamela. The self-funded album (released in 1969) consisted largely of Pamela breathlessly telling listeners of her adventures in outer space where she meets intergalactic roosters, Native Americans and travels upon blue winds. Pamela (playing the accordion, drums, clarinet and piano) was nearly forgotten as a performer until 1992, when Irwin Chusid revived her legacy by producing a reissued version of the album. She is perhaps slightly better known as the mother of Georgia Frontiere, the former owner of the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams.
Wesley Willis (1963–2003) was a prolific Chicago-based singer, songwriter and artist who employed stream-of-consciousness rants to sing about musicians who influenced him (such as Alanis Morissette, Tom Petty and Jello Biafra) as well as other contemporary figures. Willis also sang extensively about his struggles with schizophrenia, often utilizing vulgar expressions to address his negative influences, which he called "demons" or "hellrides". Willis typically played a Technics KN-series keyboard and habitually recycled melodies from song to song. He concluded most of his songs with the phrase "Rock over London. Rock on Chicago", followed by a random advertising slogan.
Other notable musicians who are identified with outsider music include:
Abner Jay, an American multi-instrumentalist from Georgia, best known for performing eccentric, blues infused folk music as a one man band.
Alvin Dahn, one-song wonder best known for "You're Driving Me Mad," a heavy metal song with uncharacteristic lyric performance
Ariel Pink, Los Angeles-based avant-garde artist known for his eccentric, hazy, lo-fi psychedelic pop recordings made in the early 2000s, made to sound like 'lost' pop songs from the 1970s and 1980s
Big Joe & The Maniacs, unstable singer-songwriter performs originals with two fictional heteronymns, a midget and a pervert. "Big Joe" is still very active and continues to release new material with the aid of his brother.
Bingo Gazingo, a spoken-word artist known for his often vulgar stream-of-consciousness rants
BJ Snowden, Massachusetts teacher
Bobb Trimble
The Bran Flakes
The Cherry Sisters, an extremely poorly received vaudeville act
Crispin Glover, character actor who extended his eccentric persona into music
Damião Experiença
Dave Cloud
David Cunningham, who founded the Flying Lizards, and could not play musical instruments.
David Liebe Hart, an American outsider musician, street performer, sign and window painter, artist, puppeteer and actor.
Dean Blunt, singer-songwriter, artist and one half of the abstract electronic duo Hype Williams. Also known for his output under the pseudonym Babyfather.
Edie and the Eggs, a punk/celebrity-exploitation band featuring Edith Massey, known for acting in several films by John Waters.
Eilert Pilarm, a notorious Swedish Elvis impersonator.
Farrah Abraham, reality television star (16 & Pregnant, Teen Mom) whose autobiographical album My Teenage Dream Ended was described as "outsider pop music"
Florence Foster Jenkins, early 20th-century off-key soprano.
Gary Wilson, best known for his surreal 1977 album You Think You Really Know Me.
Hasil Adkins, a forerunner to psychobilly known for his morbid choices of lyrics.
Icy Spicy Leoncie
Jack Mudurian, nursing-home resident who recorded a 47-minute marathon of Tin Pan Alley tunes known as Downloading the Repertoire.
Jandek, atonal blues singer-guitarist.
Joe Meek, an eccentric but commercially successful English record producer.
Larry Sievers, Iowa City-based musician whose obsessions with fantasy fiction and heavy metal make it into his compositions. He is known for his bizarre everyday attire and fantasy-themed instrumental keyboard music.
Leslie Hall, a satirical rapper from Ames, Iowa known for her bizarre music videos and intentionally unstylish appearance.
Loufoca Lov, a music software deconstructivist.
Mark Gormley, who achieved fame on YouTube and around the internet for his low-budget music videos.
Michael Hurley, an American outsider Folk Musician known for his surreal lyrics.
Mieskuoro Huutajat, a shouting choir best known for their renditions of patriotic Finnish songs.
MWF, a.k.a. Mark Flake, an experimental guitarist and composer.
Moondog, blind street musician who fashioned his own instruments and dressed as a Viking.
Mrs. Miller, a warbling, self-trained, middle-aged housewife who reluctantly rose to stardom as a novelty act in the 1960s.
Naomi Hall
The Portsmouth Sinfonia, an orchestra whose members were all novices at the instrument they played.
R. Stevie Moore, known for his experimental, home-brewed recordings.
Red Krayola
The Residents, a long-established and mostly anonymous performance art troupe that has performed together since 1969.
Roky Erickson, frontman for the seminal acid rock band The 13th Floor Elevators.
Roy "Chicky" Arad, Israeli singer and multi-instrumentalist.
Shooby Taylor, scat artist who dubbed himself the "Human Horn" and dubbed his unusual scatting over all sorts of music.
Skip Spence, the original drummer for Jefferson Airplane and a guitarist with Moby Grape.
Sondra Prill, late-1980s public access cable star known for her off-key renditions of popular songs, often with incorrect lyrics.
Steve Lieberman also known as the Gangsta Rabbi is a bipolar punk musician who performs Jewish-themed punk rock using only bass guitar and flutes.
Susan “The Space Lady” Schneider, a space music-themed street performer who often performed in outlandish outfits with an accordion as accompaniment.
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, another forerunner to psychobilly whose songs included incomprehensible yelling and random rhythms, he is also known for launching the career.
The Really Terrible Orchestra Of the Triangle, an orchestra open to all musicians, whether trained or not, and equally open to all listeners of music.
Tiny Tim, a singer known for performing Tin Pan Alley tunes with a ukulele in a high falsetto voice; came to fame on Laugh-In.
Weird Paul Petroskey
Wild Man Fischer, best known for his a capella, almost sobbing songs and his brief association with Frank Zappa.
William Hung, Los Angeles crime analyst with no musical training who became infamous for his audition on American Idol.
William Shatner's musical career, consisting almost entirely of spoken-word covers of popular songs.
Wing, Wing Han Tsang (Chinese: 曾咏韓; pinyin: Zēng Yǒnghán; b. 1960), a New Zealand singer of Hong Kong origin.
Lil B
