I love music documentaries and this little gem, “The Beautifully Strange World of Outsider Music”, popped up on my Youtube a few months ago and I just wanted to share it. I really appreciate the thoughts and attitude of the narrator: he’s not making fun of any of the music or musicians and he does such a great job of articulating both the idea of outsider music and the ideas and issues involved.
I really like exploring music and music history, but I’m not cool enough to have even heard the concept of “outsider music” before 🙂 And I’m loving it. Not because it’s fringe… but because it showcases some of my favorite aspects to find in art, which are earnestness and innocence and passion. There is something so much rarer and more beautiful about those things that offer something in music which skill and talent and practice alone never can. That’s so wild to me.
Indeed, I am finding outsider music to be fascinating and this documentary actually illustrates an artistic opinion of “outsider music” which also lies behind Girl and Guitar, which is that art and self-expression has inherent value outside of whether or not it is “good” (Though, because of that, I would say I personally have a pretty expansive idea of what music is “good”– it all depends on what you are valuing in it I guess?). Another idea behind Girl and Guitar which I feel like also validates “outsider music” is that the heart and the passion behind music has inherent value as well. Outsider music also seems to be simple for the most part, which is also where Girl and Guitar is coming from: it’s ok for music to be simple. Of course in some ways, being outside of mainstream influence, some outsider music has it’s own complexity. Which is also cool.
Anyhow, just some quick thoughts to introduce you to this short documentary:
And just… yes:
Anyhow, love music. Play music. Share music.
GIRL