*Published by Five Cent Sound on Oct. 20, 2021
Oh yeah, I’m not like other girls…I listen to Outsider Music.
Yup, you read that right, and no, I’m not just being a pretentious jerkwad. “Outsider music” is a term coined by journalist Irwin Chusid in his 2000 book Songs in the Key of Z, describing a genre of music curated by musicians who are generally self-taught and self-produced. Their music is often characterized by off-kilter and idiosyncratic melodies, and thus not generally grouped with “mainstream music.” Many of the songs within the genre are without lyrical structure and instrumental proficiency, but what the artists lack in mastery and quality, they make up for in earnestness and authenticity.
Now, one does not hunker down in the recording studio with the intention of making Outsider music; the whole point is that their music fits into the genre unintentionally. Outsider musicians are wholly unaware that their music does not conform to the conventions of “mainstream music:” They are simply creating music for the sake of artistic expression. You might have heard of various Outsider musicians such as Florence Foster Jenkins, Tiny Tim or Captain Beefheart, but in my humble opinion, the epitome of Outsider music comes via the work of one Daniel Johnston.
Johnston was born in 1961, and like other children of the ’60s, he was raised on the music of Bob Dylan and The Beatles. From an early age, he found passion in creating, whether dreaming up songs or drawing whimsical cartoons. Johnston began his recording career in his parents’ basement in the 1980s, while he was sporadically studying art at Kent State University. He would record his songs on cassettes and hand them out for free in public. People began to love his non-commercial sound, and his artistry was eventually recognized by big names like Kurt Cobain and Frank Zappa. A standout song from Johnston's discography is “True Love Will Find You in the End,” a simple ballad with lyrics that state, “True love will find you in the end / This is a promise with a catch / Only if you’re looking can it find you / ’Cause true love is searching too,” accompanied by Johston peacefully strumming on his guitar. Though the song is of simplistic composition, its implied meaning is straightforward and potent. The majority of Johnston’s song themes involve “unrequited love, cosmic mishaps and existential torment,” as his songwriting and lyricism were very much informed by his struggles with manic depression (though it should be acknowledged that Johnston ought not to be used as inspiration porn because of his mental illness). Even after his death at age 58 in 2019, Johnston is celebrated as a pioneer of Outsider music to this day.
There is something implicitly beautiful about the flaws that are captured in the music of these artists. To me, the genre encapsulates the authentic human experience, with an emphasis on the imperfection of life. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Johnston states, “I forgot to grow up, I guess…I’m a simple kind of guy, just like a child, drawing pictures and making up songs, playing around all the time,” his implication being that music does not need to be perfectly crafted in order to be beautiful—sometimes, it is enough to purely create for the sake of creating. I, too, believe that even the most untrained artist deserves a platform for personal expression. Anyone can create music, no matter who they are and what the scope of their talents may be. Who knows—maybe we all can learn something from being an outsider every now and then.
