[LESTER BANGS SAYS THERE'S] NOTHING BETTER THAN THE SHAGGS

About 10 years ago my buddy Josh Golden turned me onto the brilliance of the late-60s-sisterly-trio-without-a-lick-of-musical-ability band The Shaggs. He was puttin' me and my bandmates up while we were out on one of our many Peanutbutter and Jelly fueled DIY tours. Our van had broken down, we missed a couple shows and were stuck in Boston at Josh's trying to figure out our next move. Were we going to get train tickets home and scrap the van? Would we soldier on? For those out there in rock-band-dude-land you know the kind of dispair of which I speak when it comes down to being stranded out on tour with nothing in yer pocket but lint.

Anyway, The Shaggs provided the perfect soundtrack to our effed up situation. I thought the Shaggs were perfectly appropriate. Doug, our guitar player, thought TheShaggs sounded satanic. Just today I came accross this article by Lester Bangs when the 1969 original Philosophy of the World was re-issued in 1980.

Enjoy.