I've been putting a bunch more music into my iPod and came across my copy of Incredibly Strange Music Vol. 2. This was put out by the people at Re/Search, who put out some stellar books in the 80s on counter culture. I'm particularly fond of the Industrial Culture Handbook, which opened my eyes to a number of weird things in music. The ISM volumes, or course, cover odd music, mostly from the 40s to 60s. Jello Biafra, of Dead Kennedys fame, wrote the liner notes for ISM Vol. 2. It kind of nails down why I search out the music I do, and why I enjoy digging through boxes of old records:
"From early one, I developed a sense of humor about records and music that weren't necessarily 'cool'. Starting in the 9th grade, I got fed up with radio that I began buying records just on the basis of which covers looked the most interesting. Thrift store singles broadened me even more. My tastes continued to widen; I'm always looking for that left-field idea that would help make my own songs different...
I keep expanding and discovering more and more sounds, i blunder into new things. Hybrids and blends are the most intriguing, especially when they're unintentional. Part of the reason I search for weird rock-ethnic-experimental music hybrids is: they inspire me to come up with new material. The more bent and unexpected, the better - you never know what you may find, and what sort of catalyst/inspiration it could be. If you want to get into the weirdest of the weird, you have to take chances. For those who stay curious, there are always new frontiers..."
Here's some music from the compilation. Ken Nordine's experiments in "word-jazz", an odd mix of jazz and free-association poetry
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