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Damaged, shut-in cult musicians


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Henry Grimes. Free jazz bassist, disappeared for 30+ years and was presumed to be dead, resurfaced a few years ago. Nels Cline played with him on some of the first gigs after he resurfaced.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Grimes

I have seen Henry play several times of late at the Velvet Lounge. I knew he was out of jazz for awhile, but had no idea he had totally disappeared.

 

LouieB

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Here's my mix lineup:

Artists whom at least part of their mystique came from either their reclusiveness or damaged psyche or both.

 

Syd Barrett - Here I Go

Nick Drake - Things Behind the Sun

Roky Erickson - Two-Headed Dog

Daniel Johnston - Speeding Motorcycle (live)

Emmitt Rhodes - Fresh As a Daisy

Jim Ford - Harlan County

Peter Laughner - Baudelaire

R. Stevie Moore - I Wish I Could Sing

Robert Wyatt - Born-Again Cretin

Beach Boys - Cabin Essence

Wesley Willis - Steve Albini

Jeff Mangum - I Love How You Love Me (Phil Spector cover)

 

I'll upload sometime soon. Link to come.

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That dude is a lot of fun to see live. But yeah, he basically disappeared, along with his bass until pretty recently.

 

I haven't had the pleasure of seeing him, but I remember reading some articles when he resurfaced. William Parker sent him one of his extra basses because Grimes no longer owned one and didn't have any way to buy one.

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Arthur Russell? Famous for his disco and cello work but developed an whole swathe of home recordings which started off decidedly more conventional (think Cat Stevens, James Taylor and Jackson Browne) and then got a little bit more upbeat. They were unreleased until last year with the compilation Love Is Overtaking Me. Have a listen to the samples over on Amazon here.

 

Also, you don't get much more damaged and shut-in than dead.

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Don't know that Jeff Mangum is damaged--just reclusive. But he definitely has a cult following and vaguely fits the criteria.

 

Jeff Mangum definitely does not fit this list. He did not have a nervous breakdown or other mental collapse, he has not been in hiding, and from all accounts he is enjoying the life he is leading.

 

Check out this interview of Robert Schneider (friend of Mangum, engineer and studio guru for NMN, and now leader of Apples in Stereo) on the Sound Opinions radio show. You meant no harm I am sure, but if people who love your work have some need for you to be a basketcase then I can see why Mangum chose the path he did.

 

By the way

is an amazing clip of Mangum at a recent Elephant 6 stop on their holiday tour. Seems fine to me....

 

.

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Jeff Mangum definitely does not fit this list. He did not have a nervous breakdown or other mental collapse, he has not been in hiding, and from all accounts he is enjoying the life he is leading.

 

Check out this interview of Robert Schneider (friend of Mangum, engineer and studio guru for NMN, and now leader of Apples in Stereo) on the Sound Opinions radio show. You meant no harm I am sure, but if people who love your work have some need for you to be a basketcase then I can see why Mangum chose the path he did.

 

By the way

is an amazing clip of Mangum at a recent Elephant 6 stop on their holiday tour. Seems fine to me....

 

.

 

I onec met Mangum (Very briefly) and he seemed like a pretty good, fairly normal (is somewhat shy) guy to me. I incuded him on myu mix just because of his apparent dissappearance from "the scene" and the subsequent mystique that surrounded him.

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I incuded him on myu mix just because of his apparent dissappearance from "the scene" and the subsequent mystique that surrounded him.

 

Vashti Bunyan can be described similarly. Not damaged, nor shut in, but she walked away, oblivious to the growing cult status of her music.

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Jeff Mangum definitely does not fit this list. He did not have a nervous breakdown or other mental collapse, he has not been in hiding, and from all accounts he is enjoying the life he is leading.

 

Check out this interview of Robert Schneider (friend of Mangum, engineer and studio guru for NMN, and now leader of Apples in Stereo) on the Sound Opinions radio show. You meant no harm I am sure, but if people who love your work have some need for you to be a basketcase then I can see why Mangum chose the path he did.

 

By the way

is an amazing clip of Mangum at a recent Elephant 6 stop on their holiday tour. Seems fine to me....

 

.

Thus why I said "don't know that he is damaged, just reclusive."

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