Search - Wildman Fischer :: Wildmania

Before Wesley Willis, there was the Wild Man

Vinnie Bartilucci | Whitehall, PA USA | 07/22/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Their stories are rather similar-both suffering from mental health issues, both gifted musicians in their own way. While Wesley recorded his own stuff, Larry was discovered by Frank Zappa and given a chance to record on his label.



This album was the very FIRST record put out by Rhino Records (RNLP 001) and it is a perfect example of the Wildman's skills. His half rap, half scat, half rant songs cover all sorts of topics like trucks, Christmas, and even a ditty about his beloved label, beating the rappers to the idea by over 20 years.



Larry is usually relegated to the humor section of the record store, but he's more than that. He's a good example of what are now known as "outsider" musicians, people who will not let their lack of training (or often, talent) stop them from giving their individual muse voice. The resultant music is often horrid, but their overwhelming heart wins you over. Larry was there before such a term existed, but even he follows in the footsteps of people like Moondog and Florence Foster Jenkins, all worth a listen to.



His Name Is Larry, and I'm happy about that."