Born Los Angeles, California 1945
"Will I end up a bum? Will I end up a crumb? Will I end up in Jesus, Will I end up in trees? Will I end up rich rich rich rich? - Wild Man Fischer - "The Wild Man Fischer Story" 1968
Larry 'Wild Man' Fischer was already a certified paranoid schizophrenic when his musical 'Career' started in the mid-60s. Unhinged and out of step with the mainstream, Fischer found a home in the same hippie culture that adopted the likes of Charles Manson and Tiny Tim. His stock-in trade involved hitting on unsuspecting passers by for spare change and then rewarding them with some free form musical rant invented on the spot. With a voice that could go from a full throated bellow to hysterical whoops without ever approaching singing, Fischer soon became a regular fixture on LA's Sunset Strip. His antics attracted Frank Zappa who produced his debut album.
The cover portrait of a grinning Wild Man holding a knife to a cardboard cut-out woman - the woman was labelled 'Larry's mother' - suggested AN EVENING WITH WILD MAN FISCHER (Bizarre 1968) was never going to be easy listening. The varied contents included autobiographical monologues, live busking and experimental pieces in which the Fischer experience was woven into Zappa's avant garde soundscapes. Kim Fowley also put in a cameo appearance. At some points the raw Fischer emerges to confront the listener with a truly unforgettable experience, elsewhere it is hard to escape the feeling that everyone else is partying at Larry's expense.
The Zappa connection ended in acrimony. Fischer would later accuse Frank of exploiting him. Frank would accuse Fischer of going berserk when Mrs Zappa tried to wash his hair and breaking Dweezil and Moon Unit's toys! After Frank's death the bad feeling continues. Zappa's widow, Gail, shows no inclination to sanction a CD reissue of the first album.
Duly launched Fischer's career took in TV’s 'Laugh In' and club appearances at the kind of venues that would use a weirdo act as a break from ear splitting acid rock. By the early seventies with the hippie scene dead in its pixie boots Fischer was back on the street. This, eventually, is where LA indie label Rhino found him. Rhino provided support in place of the smothering he had received at Zappa's hands and were rewarded with albums of a more focused Fischer. WILDMANIA (Rhino 1977) marked Fischer's critical and commercial high point in the UK with John Peel playing the album alongside the emerging punk sounds of 77. With skeletal rock backing, the complete slaughter of a Frank Sinatra classic and Fischer's hoarse foghorn of a voice even more ragged than the debut album, WILDMANIA satisfied old hippies and stunned many punks.
PRONOUNCED NORMAL (Rhino 1981) and NOTHING SCARY (Rhino 1984) teamed Fischer with oddball producer/performers Barnes and Barnes. The duo had already chalked up their own rock atrocities with songs like "Party in my Pants" and "Boogie Woogie Amputee", their marriage with Fischer was a natural act. Wrapping simple electronic instruments and minimal production around Larry's deranged nursery rhymes they fashioned two albums of bizarre sound-bites. Highlights of the 81 album include the inspired rap in the title track and paint peeling destructions of The Beatles' "Yesterday" and Beach Boys' "In My Room". The 84 album boasts a cynical sideswipe at the music industry that had used and abused Fischer in "Music Business Shark" and the hilarious/terrifying "Oh God, Please Send Me A Kid To Love."
Release wise things have been patchy since NOTHING SCARY. No full album has emerged but compilations like WORSE THAN SLIME (1989) have kept the odd track in print. A legendary 70s recording with the band Smegma finally saw a legitimate release. Credited to 'Wild Man Fischer Meets Smegma' SING POPULAR SONGS (1997) featured fleeting glimpses of the great man in full flow.
Fischer's legend has proven a mixed blessing for the man himself. A chance encounter with a Fischer record is akin to being trapped on a broken down tube train with care in the community's worst nightmare. As each new generation of audio thrill seekers tracks down the distinctive Fischer sound the man is assured of his cult hero status. He's also trapped in the role of rock's premier freakshow. In addition, it remains almost impossible to track down vinyl copies of old Fischer albums whilst the CD reissues are long overdue.
The legend continues to grow, one classic example being the least successful promotional campaign in record business history. On the release of NOTHING SCARY Fischer took to hanging round the Rhino Records shop on Westwood Boulevard in LA and ripping albums out of the hands of queueing punters before replacing them with his own new release. Predictably enough, he was banned from the shop owned by his own label no new record contract appeared.
The Internet has provided a meeting place for Larry's die-hard fan base and a handful of sincere tribute sites have emerged. Sadly, these now report a homeless Larry drifting round East Hollywood, cared for by a devoted group of friends but unlikely ever to make music to touch the fleeting genius of his earlier days.
An Evening With Wild Man Fischer [Bizarre 1968]
Wildmania [Rhino 1977]
Pronounced Normal [Rhino 1981]
Nothing Scary [Rhino 1984]
Look, it's bordering on pointless to recommend in the normal sense. Fischer vinyl is scarce as hell and the CD retrospective is criminally overdue. Expect to pay high prices from dealers and record fairs and top whack import prices if you can find a new copy anywhere.
The Fischer magic appeals most to bad record junkies and anyone interested in musical extremes. If that's you then no Fischer album will let you down. The 68 album sports some touches of self conscious psychedelia and a heavy Zappa presence. The Rhino stuff is shorter, punchier and packs more belly laughs to the minute.
Also worth investigating:
Projectile Afterbirth - Hats Off To Larry E.P. [1993 Felattio] - Scots sonic terrorists cover three Fischer classics with heavy samples of the great man himself. Sounds like Sonic Youth trapped in a bear pit but does capture the essence of Fischer.
- Neil Nixon