VLVL Tiny Tim and Wild Man Fischer

[jbor]

There's no accounting for taste I guess, but the general consensus on these
two is that they were novelty acts who achieved fame because they were
extremely strange, and one of their main sources of exposure in the late
'60s was on the satiric (and self-parodying) tv show 'Laugh In'. In their
appearances, recordings and publicity materials at this time both "artists"
projected an image which was self-mocking, and which did serve to ridicule
the (counter-)culture from within which their "talent" had been dredged.
There was undoubtedly an element of exploitation involved, and Pynchon does
address this aspect in the shape of Mucho and the record label as I noted.
It's possible that the two were "serious" about their "music" at some point,
and that they didn't realise it was crap, but I'd say they were also well
aware of why they had become so popular so suddenly, and that they played
opportunistically on the novelty angle to gain as much as they could from
their moment in the spotlight. Latter-day "artists" like William Hung or
Wesley Willis respectively fall into much the same category(/ies).

Turning to Pynchon's text:

    Indolent Records had rapidly become known for its unusual choices
    of artists and repertoires. Mucho was one of the very first to
    audition, but not, he was later to add hastily, to call back,
    fledgling musician Charles Manson. He almost signed Wild Man
    Fischer, and Tiny Tim too, but others got to them first. (309)

The narrator's use of the phrase "unusual choices" in this description
sounds decidedly sardonic to my ears, and I think it is valid to link this
passage to the earlier one describing "the baroque, or ripe, phase of
L.A.'s relationship with rock and roll" when "critical abilities lapsed":

    For one demented season the town lost its ear, and talent was signed
    that in other times would have kept on wandering in the desert, and
    in what oases they found, played toilets. (283-4)

The time and place referred to, and the tone and context of the passage, fit
very neatly. I think there's an analogy to be made with Zoyd's annual drag
act as well.


***

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.
[...]

http://home.new.rr.com/tapelists/wildman/rough.html

Born Herbert Khaury on April 12th, 1933, Tiny Tim began his music career as
"Larry Love" in the early '50s, touring clubs and playing his ukulele to
generally disinterested audiences. It wasn't until the mid-1960's that Tim
became a household name when he first appeared on the TV show, "Rowan and
Martin's Laugh-In", as a gag act. Audience response was so great, that he
soon became a semi-regular on the show. His debut album, "God Bless Tiny
Tim", sold 200,000 copies.
[...]

Tiny Tim will always be remembered singing "Tiptoe Through The Tulips" in
his falsetto voice, strumming his ukulele. With his dyed red hair and
clashing outfits, he embodied all that was goofy about the late '60s.

http://www.classicbands.com/tinytim.html

[...]
He began his career in show business in the early Fifties, first performing
under the name of "Larry Love," and using a variety of names until he
settled on "Tiny Tim" a name he took from Charles Dickens' "A Christmas
Carol." In his early days he played small Greenwich Village clubs, singing
in his warbling falsetto and strumming his ukulele for audiences which
mostly ignored him.  He is credited with making his debut at the Page 3 (now
Woody's on Seventh Avenue), then a lesbian cabaret with a hostess who called
herself "Mr. Rhythm."  He was probably as out of place there as he was when
he later appeared at Gerde's, a folk and neo-rock club, in the middle
Sixties. 

He wore loud plaid jackets, wore his ringletted hair down to his shoulders,
had a nose which dominated his face, usually smiled insincerely (his eyes
remained sunken and sad), and sounded fruity when he spoke - addressing
everyone as "Mister" or "Miss" with a strange deference.  How could he fail
to become a superstar - at least for a few minutes?

Television made him.  It gave him stardom and wide exposure - and then,
tired of him, spat him out into oblivion.  While he was hot, he was on
Johnny Carson's show regularly, and was a feature on Rowan & Martin's
Laugh-In, as well as appearing on Ed Sullivan's Sunday night variety show
and the Jackie Gleason show.   But one could rarely be certain why he was on
TV.  Was is because he was a singer and entertainer?  Or was it because he
was some kind of a freak - a weirdo or loony of some sort?   Did Johnny like
him?  Or was he making fun of him?  When he was on Laugh-In, why was co-host
Dick Martin always rolling his eyes in disbelief?  Were we supposed to be
laughing with or at him?

A lot of people laughed at him, but he didn't care.  They were paying
attention to him and he reveled in it while he could.  His signature song
became 'Tip-Toe Thru' The Tulips With Me' sung in that strangely
unconvincing falsetto, but his first album, God Bless Tiny Tim (Reprise RS
6292), featured a broad base of songs, ranging from 'Welcome To My Dream'
and various songs by Irving Berlin, George M. Cohan and Gordon Jenkins, to
'I Got You, Babe,' the huge contemporary hit for Sonny & Cher.  That album
was recorded and released in 1968, just as Tiny Tim was hitting the big
time.  Indeed, 'Tulips' when released as a single made it into the Top
Forty. 

Cashing in on the first album's success, he immediately recorded Tiny Tim’s
2nd Album (RS 6323), which Reprise released the following year.  Here he
mixed songs like 'When I Walk With You' with Jerry Lee Lewis's 'Great Balls
of Fire.'   The rock 'n' roll songs had a bizarre quality to them when Tiny
Tim performed them.  His admiration of them was sincere, but his
performances were freakish.  His 'Victrola style' singing did not mesh well
with rock.    Still trying to grab the brass ring while it was available, he
released a second album in 1969, For All My Little Friends, an album of
songs for children - and then his recording career was over for two decades.
[...]

http://www.holeintheweb.com/drp/bhd/TinyTim.htm

best