Over the past few weeks, thanks to eMusic, I’ve uncovered the genius that is The Buff Medways - or, if you’re not into the whole brevity thing Wild Billy Childish and the Friends of the Buff Medway Appreciation Society: http://www.emusic.com/artist/The-Buff-Medways-MP3-Download/11654721.html. I dig the hell out of most of their stuff - they do the best cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Fire” that I’ve ever heard. Seriously, if you haven’t heard their version, just go out and buy it already.
I’d mainly gotten interested in the Buffs via their influence on the Len Price 3, another band from the Medway area, but I also started listening to some of the many other bands Childish has had, some of which I like better than others - I like some of the stuff I’ve heard from Thee Headcoats, Thee Mighty Caesars, and the Singing Loins, but didn’t really like Thee Milkshakes (what’s with all the “Thees”?). I’d heard his first band The Pop Rivets before, but didn’t really feel it - his current band, Musicians of the British Empire seems a bit like the Pop Rivets.
So - how well is he regarded across the pond? Is he seen as a musical genius, or more like an eccentric oddball? Is he more recognized for his art and poetry than his music?