I just read the Wikipedia article about an obscure musician named Jandek. Apparently, Jandek is a reclusive musician whose identity is mostly unknown, although he has given some live performances recently.
His music is described as mostly atonal. I tend to think that it must not be too good, but since he has recorded over fifty albums, I figured that I’d ask: has this weird Jandek guy recorded anything good?
I have only two albums by Jandek, so I’m no expert on the entire catalog, but I gather that apart from the fact that he occasionally switches instruments–or uses no instruments at all; he did three albums in a row of unaccompanied voice–all of his albums are pretty much of a piece, all sharing the same bleak mood and meandering, untuned absence of musical structure.
I like Irwin Chusid’s take in his book Songs in the Key of Z:
"He accompanies himself on acoustic or electric guitar. But for the incoherence of his zombielike strumming, Jandek’s hands might as well be brushing accidentally against the strings. His occasional wheezing harmonica approximates early Dylan having an asthma attack. Sometimes Jandek is backed by a drummer who seems unfamiliar with the kit, and who pounds away relentlessly with no ground beat. It’s purgative.
"OK–let’s shuck the understatement. The above is a too roseate portrait of Jandek’s cave-dweller primitivism. Imagine a microphone cabled down to a month-old tomb, capturing the subterranean munch of maggots nibbling a decaying corpse, counterparted by the agonized howls of a departed soul desperate to escape tortuous decomposition and eternal boredom.
“That’s Burt Bacharach compared to Jandek.”
I suggest renting the DVD Jandek on Corwood for a thorough exploration of the mystique surrounding the guy–although this project was completed before the biggest shocker in the whole Jandek saga, when he started doing live performances.
He came and performed live at my college (Grinnell) a couple of months ago. I can’t say how it was, because I didn’t go, but my boyfriend went and he liked it. But he likes all kinds of weird music anyway.
I think he’s more “hipster homework” than genuinely enjoyable listening experience.
Jandek’s one of those things where the emperor has no clothes; it’s some sort of weird meta-irony that critics pretend to be fans of his work, the need to always find something that has no redeeming qualities and intellectualize it so as to appear superior.
I’d recommend Thanksgiving if you want to hear a weird outsider guy that can’t really play his guitar or sing, releases a few albums a year, but somehow manages to write amazing songs. (mp3 on that page)
I’ve only have one Jandek album, “You Walk Alone” (1988), but it’s an album I keep coming back to. It’s not that atonal, more rootsy than anything else. Actually, sounds a lot like the Velvet Underground if they were from Texas rather than New York, and perhaps a bit more ramshackle.
Anyway, I can’t speak for the rest of his 40-some albums, but I think this one is definitely worth a listen, if just for the song “The Cat That Walked From Shelbyville,” which always makes me feel oddly serene.
Here’s a link to a new All Things Considered story my friend did on Jandek.
ZipperJJ, I heard that story on the way home yesterday. Very well done! Now I want to get some Jandek albums.
I heard that yesterday, too. Good piece.
It would have made me want to get some jandek if they hadn’t actually played any of his music.
I figured we’d see a thread on this today.
Yep, that’s where I ended up. At first I figured “okay, that’s cool - a musician who is fame-averse.” And then they played a snippet of his quote-unquote-music and I thought “Aha! He has figured out the best way to avoid any risk of becoming popular, let alone famous.”
There’s no disputing taste, but I’d love to hear anyone who really enjoys his work (vice appreciates) to chime in with an explanation of what makes it good. If something lacks any resemblance to music, can it be enjoyed as music?
I have never heard of Jandek before this thread but I do like the thanksgiving song VCO3 linked. A few singing lessons couldn’t hurt though.