83-629: The Shaggs were an American rock band formed in Fremont, New Hampshire , in 1965. They comprised the sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin (vocals and lead guitar), Betty Wiggin (vocals and rhythm guitar), Helen Wiggin (drums) and, later, Rachel Wiggin (bass guitar). Their music has been described as both among the worst of all time and a work of unintentional brilliance. The Shaggs composed seemingly simple and bizarre songs using untuned guitars, erratic time signatures , disconnected rhythms, wandering melodies and rudimentary lyrics. According to Rolling Stone ,
166-628: A "sort of intuitive, spooky closeness" similar to sibling acts such as the Delmore Brothers and the Blue Sky Boys . The Rolling Stone critic Debra Ray Cohen wrote that they sang like "lobotomized Trapp Family Singers ". Their songs move unintentionally between different unconventional time signatures . Helen, the drummer, was often detached from her sisters' playing, and instead played rudiments she recalled from school drum lessons. Dot wrote lyrics based on her experiences, such as
249-459: A Beachmont school teacher, sang "The Sword of Bunker Hill," and George Arthur Sackett recited "The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere." This poem was previously recited when North Chelsea changed her name to Revere and then again, in 1899, at the dedication of the town hall. In the evening from 8.30 to 9, a reception to the Mayor was held, and then followed a grand ball and banquet. The grand march, headed by
332-514: A female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.41. The age distribution of the population had 20.1% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 31.6% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age
415-528: A firefighting exercise. The Wiggin sisters had never profited from their music and took blue-collar jobs to support their families. By the 1980s, copies of Philosophy of the World had circulated among musicians. It developed a cult following , with fans including Frank Zappa , Bonnie Raitt , Jonathan Richman and Carla Bley . Zappa played two songs from the album when he appeared on the Dr. Demento radio show. He
498-516: A group, the Dot Wiggin Band , to record them with her. They released an album, Ready! Get! Go! , on Alternative Tentacles Records on October 29, 2013, and toured in support of Neutral Milk Hotel in April 2015. Dot said she had not been interested in recording and "just wanted to get the music out there and get the royalties". Philosophy of the World was reissued again in 2016 by Light in
581-460: A high Italian American population where they make up 22.7% of the population. The population density was 9,420 inhabitants per square mile (3,640/km ). There were 20,181 housing units at an average density of 3,372 units per square mile (1,302 units/km ). There were 19,223 households and 12,196 families living in the city. Of the households, 43.8% had children under the age of 18, 42.0% were headed by married couples living together, 14.6% had
664-592: A household in the town was $ 62,171, and the median income for a family was $ 63,808. Males had a median income of $ 45,560 versus $ 27,964 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 24,082. About 3.8% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line , including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 5.0% of those age 65 or over. Two New Hampshire state routes cross Fremont. Revere, Massachusetts Juan Pablo Jaramillo Michelle Kelley Marc Silvestri Anthony Zambuto Joanne McKenna Ira Novoselsky Anthony Cogliandro Paul Argenzio Revere
747-471: A humorless man who rarely smiled. He was strict and did not allow the girls to have social lives, friends or boyfriends, or attend concerts. Betty said the girls "missed everything", and she fantasized about getting a car and leaving home. Some accounts indicated that the girls suffered parental abuse, and Helen said her father was once "inappropriately intimate" with her. When Austin was young, his mother read his palm and made three predictions: he would marry
830-468: A little afraid of having the Shaggs in their record collections". That year, The New Yorker ran a profile of the Shaggs by the staff writer Susan Orlean . Dot said she did not listen to their music or feel sentimental about it, and Betty was surprised that Orlean enjoyed it, saying, "God, it's horrible." The sisters did not like Orlean's article, and Dot objected that Orlean had written that Betty's hair
913-531: A local nursing home, Austin arranged for the Shaggs to play at the Fremont town hall every weekend, joined sometimes by their brothers Austin III and Robert on percussion and drums. The shows attracted up to a hundred adolescents, who would heckle and throw junk. Rumors spread about the girls' controlling father, and Dot said Rachel, who attended high school, was bullied. The sisters felt they were poor musicians and found
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#1732791621719996-406: A mistake? If accidental art is recreated on purpose, what is it?" In 2018, it was reported that a film musical based on the Shaggs would be directed by Ken Kwapis and that Elsie Fisher had been cast. Though the Shaggs attempted to write traditional pop songs, they instead created unconventional music that many found unpleasant. They were unaware that their music was unusual and did not understand
1079-602: A population of 62,186 inhabitants. Revere borders the towns of Winthrop and Chelsea , and the Boston neighborhood of East Boston to the south, Everett and Malden to the west, Saugus and Lynn to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of 10 square miles (26 km ), of which 5.9 square miles (15 km )
1162-445: A shotgun. After the police intervened, Helen left the family home to be with her husband, but rejoined the band later. In 1975, Austin took the Shaggs to Fleetwood Studios for another recording session. Though they had become more proficient through hundreds of hours of practice, the engineer wrote of their poor performances and felt sorry for them. He said they did not notice their out-of-tune guitars or disjointed rhythms when he played
1245-507: A strawberry-blonde woman, he would have two sons after she had died, and his daughters would form a popular band. When the first two predictions proved accurate, Austin set about fulfilling the third. According to Dot, he occasionally had the family hold seances in an attempt to communicate with his mother. Dot later said the sisters thought their father was "nuts", but they did not want to do anything to insult their grandmother in his eyes. She said Austin had no interest in music and only created
1328-431: A vice president of marketing at RCA Victor, said: "It's so basic and innocent, the way the music business used to be ... It is kind of a bad record — that's so obvious, it's a given. But it absolutely intrigued me, the idea that people would make a record playing the way they do." Despite the increasing interest in outsider music and airplay on college radio stations, the reissue sold poorly. Mozian speculated that "people are
1411-514: Is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts , located approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) from downtown Boston . Founded as North Chelsea in 1846, it was renamed in 1871 after Revolutionary War patriot Paul Revere . In 1914, the Town of Revere voted to become a city and was incorporated as a city with the inauguration of its first mayor on January 4, 1915. At the 2020 census , the city had
1494-486: Is considered muggy, oppressive, or miserable at least 10% of the time. July sees the most muggy days, with around 10.2 days fitting this description. "In 1637 the Massachusetts General Court adopted an order that no person or town should receive or entertain a newcomer for more than three weeks without permission. In addition to the desire to keep their colony Puritan, they were also concerned with
1577-497: Is home to a variety of small businesses, residences, and public buildings like Revere City Hall . It is accessible from all sides of the city and is a popular route for those traveling to neighboring municipalities like Saugus , Lynn , and Chelsea . Oak Island is located near the Point of Pines and the end of Revere Beach. It is primarily home to single and multi-family homes and neighbors Revere's marsh and wetlands. Point of Pines
1660-454: Is land and 4.1 square miles (11 km ) (40.98%) is water. Revere is home to several distinct neighborhoods and districts: Beachmont is Revere's most easterly neighborhood, situated between Revere Beach Boulevard and East Boston 's Orient Heights . It is home to a diverse ethnic population and a mixture of single and multi-family homes, apartments, and local businesses. Broadway is Revere's central civic, commercial, and travel artery. It
1743-455: Is located at the end of Revere Beach and is primarily home to single and multi-family homes. Residents of the Point of Pines neighborhood have access to their own private portion of Revere Beach . Revere Beach Boulevard runs directly along Revere Beach . It is home to a mixture of apartment complexes, restaurants, and single-family homes. New development along the beach has also brought the rise of luxury apartments and fine-dining restaurants to
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#17327916217191826-644: Is often quoted as having called the Shaggs "better than the Beatles ", but this may be apocryphal. Tracks were also played by the Boston radio station WBCN-FM . The Shaggs also attracted fans in Terry Adams and Tom Ardolino of the American band NRBQ . Adams said he saw beauty and originality in the music and that it was "outside of the normal thinking process for songwriting at the time". He felt it "needed to be heard" and that people would like it. He traced
1909-502: Is the most ethnically diverse part of the city and is home to various ethnic grocery stores, restaurants, and community services. West Revere primarily consists of single and multi-family homes. Aside from residential development, West Revere is also home to the Squire Road business district which contains a mixture of large shopping plazas, restaurants, and hotels. Revere's first inhabitants were Native Americans who belonged to
1992-615: Is thought to have sometimes lived near the Rumney Marsh. One branch of his family took "Rumney Marsh" as their surname. In 1616, an epidemic, probably smallpox , swept the region, killing thousands in its wake. Nanepashemet retired to the Mystic River, in what is now Medford , but was found murdered in 1619 at his fort on the brow of Rock Hill overlooking the river. Three sons succeeded him in his reign. One of them, Wonohaquaham , also called "Sagamore John," had jurisdiction over
2075-580: The Bowery Ballroom in New York, with the NRBQ drummer Tom Ardolino filling in for Helen. The performance was attended by fans from around the world. Dot said later it was the first time she realized the following the Shaggs had amassed. Reviewing the performance for The Village Voice , Eric Weisbard wrote that Dot seemed comfortable in front of the audience but that Betty appeared nervous. In 2001,
2158-654: The National Register of Historic Places since 1993. The town was once home to the largest brickyard in the state, producing five million bricks a year, and to the downtown Spaulding & Frost Cooperage, established in 1874, one of the oldest operating wooden barrel manufacturers in the country. On August 10, 1959, a Boeing B-52 Stratofortress crashed in Fremont. The aircraft, serial number 54-2682, had departed Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts . During flight at 34,000 feet (10,000 m),
2241-756: The Pawtucket tribe and were known to colonists as the Rumney Marsh Indians. The Rumney Marsh marshlands within the present day city of Revere was originally named as such by the English after Romney Marsh in Kent , England . Nanepashemet , known to colonists as "Sagamore George," was the leader, or Great Sachem of the Pawtucket Confederation of Abenaki People of Lynn (which at that time included present day Revere). Nanepashemet
2324-544: The Royal Navy . But residents began to use the wood for home construction. When in 1734 David Dunbar, surveyor-general, visited the Copyhold Mill to inspect fallen lumber , local citizens assembled, discharged firearms, and convinced Dunbar to leave. Dunbar returned emboldened with 10 men, but was forced to flee to a local tavern after citizens disguised as Indians attacked them. This insurrection became known as
2407-493: The 2019 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates , there were 53,692 people living in the city. The racial makeup of the city was 78.1% White , 5.5% Black , 4.9% Asian , 0.3% Native American , 0% Pacific Islander , 6.0% some other race , and 5.3% multiracial . Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 33.6% of the population (9.4% Salvadoran , 8.3% Colombian , 3.8% Puerto Rican , 2.3% Guatemalan , 2.0% Dominican , 1.9% Honduran , and 1.3% Mexican ). Revere also has
2490-615: The Attic Records . By this point, original copies were selling for up to $ 10,000. In 2017, Dot and Betty performed a reunion show at the Solid Sound Festival at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art , curated by the band Wilco . Their band comprised Krakow, Brittany Anjou and the drummer Laura Cromwell, who spent hours studying Helen's rhythms. Dot was disappointed that Krakow did not correct
2573-685: The Jerks as "one of the landmarks of rock 'n' roll history". In 2004, Pitchfork observed that the Shaggs had been "embraced by the exact opposite audience Austin desired: the longhaired avant-garde intellectuals". Adams and Ardolino curated a new release, the 1982 compilation Shaggs' Own Thing , comprising unreleased recordings made between 1969 and 1975. The title track is a duet between Austin and his eldest son, Robert. Pitchfork described it as "particularly disturbing" and unintentionally Oedipal , noting that Austin sings of catching another man, his son, "doin' it" with "his girl". In 1988, Philosophy of
The Shaggs - Misplaced Pages Continue
2656-545: The Mast Tree Riot. The town was granted in 1764 by colonial governor Benning Wentworth as "Poplin". In 1853, Poplin petitioned the state legislature to change the name. In 1854, it became "Fremont" after General John C. Frémont , the first candidate of the Republican Party in the presidential election of 1856. The town is noted for the unspoiled Fremont Meeting House , built in 1800 and listed on
2739-580: The Mayor, started at nine o'clock; and it was long toward two on Tuesday morning before the party broke up." On the morning of July 28, 2014, an EF2 tornado touched down in nearby Chelsea and intensified as it entered the city of Revere, causing major damage to many buildings, including the Revere City Hall. It was the first tornado to hit Suffolk County since the National Weather Service began keeping records in 1950. As of
2822-614: The Native Americans at Winnisemmit (later Chelsea ) and Rumney Marsh. In 1624, Samuel Maverick became the first colonist to settle in the area. He built his house at the site of the former Chelsea Naval Hospital (or Admiral's Hill). On June 17, 1630, John Winthrop , the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company in New England joined him there for dinner. On September 25, 1634, Rumney Marsh
2905-497: The Shaggs had "laid the groundwork" for the "faux-naivete" of twee pop . According to the journalist and musician Bob Stanley , they inspired "a wave of faux-naive groups", such as Beat Happening . Reviewing the Shaggs' 1999 reunion for The Village Voice , Eric Weisbard wrote that they now seemed less unusual, likening their out-of-tune guitars to Sonic Youth and their "mixture of repression and cutesiness" to Shonen Knife . He concluded that their music provided "rough sketches for
2988-426: The Shaggs resumed performing locally. Palmer, who had been given several copies of Philosophy of the World by Dreyer, was intrigued and wondered if he could find the Shaggs an audience. In 1970 or 1971, he attended one of their Fremont performances and was amazed to see locals dancing awkwardly to the music. Palmer approached Austin about promoting the Shaggs, but stressed that people laughed at them and asked if this
3071-583: The Town of Chelsea. The largest of the three settlements, Rumney Marsh (later to become North Chelsea) was selected as the Town Center. In 1775, the area played a small role in the American Revolution during the Battle of Chelsea Creek , one of the first naval battles of the revolution. In 1846, the town of North Chelsea was established. In 1852, Pullen Point seceded from North Chelsea and
3154-687: The Town of Revere held its final town meeting, as voters had chosen to become the City of Revere. Revere became a city with the inauguration of its first mayor, Arthur B. Curtis, on January 4, 1915. A detailed account of the occasion is given in The History of the Town of Revere as Compiled by Benjamin Shurtleff, 1937 : "Selections were rendered by the Shubert Male Quartet. Mr. Theodore W. Gillette read an historical essay. Miss Anna George,
3237-577: The Wiggin sisters and convinced them to reissue Philosophy of the World in 1980 under NRBQ's record label, Rounder Records . According to Adams, the sisters were hesitant to reissue the album and initially assumed they would have to pay for it themselves. Reviewing the reissue for Rolling Stone , Debra Ray Cohen described Philosophy of the World as "the sickest, most stunningly awful wonderful record I've heard in ages". In another Rolling Stone review that year, Chris Connelly suggested that it could be
3320-518: The Winnisemmet Ferry to Olde Salem in 1641. During King Philip's War (also known as Metacomet 's War), which lasted from 1675 to 1678, the local Native Americans were forcibly removed to what is now Deer Island , where half of those imprisoned died of starvation or exposure. Some were enlisted to help the colonists defeat other native tribes. In 1739, Rumney Marsh, Winnisemmet and Pullen Point were set off from Boston and established as
3403-537: The World , which was distributed in limited quantities in 1969 by a local record label. The Shaggs disbanded in 1975 after Austin's death. Over the decades, Philosophy of the World circulated among musicians and found fans such as Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain . Following a 1980 reissue on Rounder Records , it received enthusiastic reviews for its uniqueness in Rolling Stone and The Village Voice . A compilation of unreleased material, Shaggs' Own Thing ,
The Shaggs - Misplaced Pages Continue
3486-408: The World and Shaggs' Own Thing were remastered and rereleased by Rounder Records as the compilation The Shaggs . In the 1990s, interest grew in outsider music — music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain named the Shaggs as a favorite band. In 1999, RCA Victor reissued Philosophy of the World with the original cover and track listing. Joe Mozian,
3569-493: The World to aboriginal music and music he had heard in China. The Pitchfork critic Quinn Moreland found the songs intriguing and catchy, and said that the "chaos is negated in the same way that after enough contemplation the violent splatters of a Jackson Pollock painting become calming". The musician Cub Koda observed an innocence in the Shaggs' music that he found "both charming and unsettling". After recording Philosophy of
3652-504: The World , the Shaggs' technique improved, though they never mastered their instruments. The Pitchfork critic David Moore characterized their later material, released on the compilation Shaggs' Own Thing , as "amateurish bubblegum country". Moreland felt it was "playful and free of anxiety", and that the covers of songs by acts including the Carpenters were "faithful, even graceful". The Shaggs' music has been described as both among
3735-477: The album. The liner notes , written by Austin, said the Shaggs "loved" making music and described them as "real, pure, unaffected by outside influences". The songs "My Pal Foot Foot" and "Things I Wonder" were released as a 45 rpm single on Fleetwood Records. According to many accounts, Dreyer delivered only 100 copies of the album and disappeared with the remaining 900. Dot said that Dreyer had stolen her father's money and could not be traced. However, according to
3818-401: The artistic operation in its pristine form, something unadulterated, something reinvented from scratch at all stages by its maker, who draws solely upon his private impulses." By contrast, Moreland noted that the Shaggs were forced to make music by their father. She identified a claustrophobia and trauma in their music that she argued was negated by calling them outsiders. Pitchfork wrote that
3901-460: The band to fulfill the prediction. Austin withdrew his daughters from school, bought them instruments and arranged for them to receive music and vocal lessons. He named them the Shaggs after the shag hairstyle, which was popular at the time, and in reference to the 1959 film The Shaggy Dog . He designed their schedule, with several hours of calisthenics and band practice every day. The sisters had no interest in becoming musicians and did not enjoy
3984-460: The crew heard several loud bangs, the radar system became inoperative, and the plane began to vibrate. As the vibrations became more severe, the plane began to lose altitude, and the pilot ordered the crew to bail out at 14,000 feet (4,300 m). The pilot remained with the aircraft for several additional minutes, then ejected . The plane crashed into Spruce Swamp at 2:50 p.m. local time. The pilot and seven crew members all survived. The crash
4067-559: The critical discourse it attracted. The journalist Irwin Chusid described it as "100 percent authentic", free of irony or "self-conscious indie-rock trendiness". The Shaggs used no coherent chord progressions and played cheap Avalon guitars that were unintentionally out of tune . Their melodies, sung in unison , appear random; Terry Adams of the band NRBQ compared them to the free jazz compositions of Ornette Coleman . The musician Howard Fishman wrote that Dot and Betty's vocals had
4150-446: The disappearance of her cat Foot Foot and her longing for straight hair. The Vice writer Jennifer Park likened the lyrics to "dilapidated nursery rhymes, fables with overriding messages, and odd Christian songs". In Rolling Stone , Kory Grow wrote that while some Shaggs songs are happy, others "have an inexplicable sadness about them". Ron Eyre, the head of the international division of United Artists Records , likened Philosophy of
4233-470: The district. Connecting Broadway to Revere Beach, Revere Street is a main travel artery for those commuting across both sides of the city. It is home to a number of local businesses restaurants, barbershops, and convenience stores. The Shirley Avenue neighborhood has a long history of welcoming Revere's immigrant populations. Over time, it has been home to the has been home to the city's Jewish, European, Latin American, African, and Cambodian communities. It
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#17327916217194316-428: The founder of Creation Records , wrote that they were "ground zero in the spurious world of outsider music" and "created possibilities" for unheard acts including Daniel Johnston and Wesley Willis . Moreland argued that the Shaggs were not outsider musicians, as outsider music "is meant to come from an undisturbed place". She quoted the art brut founder Jean Dubuffet , who said: "[In outsider art] we are witness to
4399-653: The future of underground rock". Fremont, New Hampshire Fremont is a town in Rockingham County , New Hampshire , United States. The population was 4,739 at the 2020 census , up from 4,283 at the 2010 census. Fremont is crossed by the Rockingham Recreation Trail (a rail trail ) and NH Route 107 . Settled in the 1720s, Fremont was originally part of Exeter . The area was once famous for its heavy growth of high-quality eastern white pine trees, reserved for use as masts of
4482-627: The girls' lack of talent made clear but the script hesitant to "turn their lives into a loopy joke". Rounder Records reissued the Shaggs compilation in 2004, and Helen died in 2006. In 2012, Dot and Betty attended a Shaggs tribute show in Brooklyn organized by the musician Jesse Krakow . Krakow endeavoured to remain faithful to the recordings, saying, "Everybody says the Shaggs are impossible to play, but we're going to do it as is." After Krakow discovered that Dot had unrecorded Shaggs songs, he assembled
4565-469: The graves of 16 formerly enslaved Black people; a plaque there lists their names, dates of death, and approximate ages. Between 1837 and 1840, the population nearly doubled due to the second major wave of immigration into the area. "During this period of time more than 750,000 Irish, British and German immigrants arrived in America; and another 4.3 million immigrants came from these countries during
4648-493: The immigration of paupers. In subsequent years a law was passed that restricted the immigration of 'lame, impotent, or infirmed persons.' Hardly any immigrants came to Massachusetts during the second half of the 17th century." English immigration came to a near-complete stop in 1642 as a result of the English Civil War, but was replaced with immigration from other European countries. In 1687, only 31 people lived in
4731-546: The label Animal World released Better than the Beatles , a tribute album with covers of Shaggs songs by acts including Ida , Optiganally Yours , R. Stevie Moore , Deerhoof and Danielson Famille . A stage musical about the Shaggs, Philosophy of the World, opened in New York City in 2011 in a co-production between Playwrights Horizons and New York Theatre Workshop . The New York Times described it as "quirky but dreary" and "hamstrung by tonal uncertainty", with
4814-412: The mistakes in the music, but acknowledged that "everybody seems to like it the way it was". She and Betty sang but did not play instruments, and relied on cues from the band on when to come in. Cromwell said that Dot had shown willing in rehearsals, but that Betty was passive and "bewildered". Dot said Betty only performed for the money, and Betty said she had no interest in performing again. According to
4897-438: The music executive Harry Palmer, Dreyer said Austin had refused to distribute the extra copies because he feared someone would copy the Shaggs' music. Palmer said that Dreyer kept boxes of the records in the studio and would give them to anyone who asked. The journalist Irwin Chusid argued that it was unlikely Dreyer had stolen the records, as they were valueless at the time. Philosophy of the World received no media coverage and
4980-509: The musician Howard Fishman , reporting on the 2017 show for The New Yorker , the Wiggin sisters did not seem at ease on stage and did not engage much with the audience. Fishman wrote that "watching the Wiggins being led through a zealous re-creation of music they'd never been particularly proud of was a jarring experience". Though he acknowledged that Krakow and his band clearly respected the Shaggs' music, he asked: "What did it mean to celebrate
5063-528: The next 20 years. Of the total number of immigrants to America during the second wave, 40 percent were from Ireland, escaping poverty and famine in their native country." "By 1905 the Italian population in Revere had grown large enough that the first Italian Catholic Parish of Saint Anthony of Padua was founded in a three-family dwelling on Revere Street. It was clear in 1905 that the Italian population of Revere
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#17327916217195146-692: The performances embarrassing. Footage of one concert emerged in 2015, with the Shaggs playing from handwritten charts and performing rudimentary choreography. In March 1969, Austin took the Shaggs to record an album, Philosophy of the World , at Fleetwood Studios in Revere, Massachusetts . The studio was mainly used to record local rock groups and school marching bands. The sisters did not think they were ready to record, and one engineer recalled that they looked "miserable". Austin dismissed an engineer's opinion that they were not ready, saying: "I want to get them while they're hot." One producer, Bobby Herne, recalled that
5229-481: The poverty line, including 17.9% of those under age 18 and 13.3% of those age 65 or over. Following the 2020 United States Census , Revere became the fastest growing city in Massachusetts. Throughout the year in Revere, temperatures generally range from 23 °F to 82 °F, rarely dipping below 9 °F or exceeding 91 °F. Rainfall is consistent year-round in Revere, with October typically being
5312-442: The recordings back to them. The recordings went unreleased. Shortly after the recording session, Austin died of a heart attack at the age of 47. The Shaggs disbanded and sold most of their equipment. A few years later, Betty and Dot married and moved out, and their mother sold the family house. The new owner became convinced that the house was haunted by Austin's ghost and donated it to the Fremont fire department, who burnt it down in
5395-462: The rehearsals. Dot later said: "[Our father] was stubborn and he could be temperamental. He directed. We obeyed. Or did our best." The girls sometimes went to the lake when their father was out, then arranged their instruments to appear as if they had been practicing. The Shaggs made their first public performance at a talent show in Exeter in 1968, which was met with mockery. Following a performance at
5478-553: The settlements of Winnisimmit, Rumney Marsh, and Pullen Point. In 1739, when these settlements were separated from Boston and formed the Town of Chelsea, there were 10 homes in Winnisimmit (Chelsea), 26 in Rumney Marsh (Revere), and 4 homes in Pullen Point (Winthrop), with 267 inhabitants in total. This number quadrupled by 1837, at which time 1,201 people resided on the land. Rumney Marsh Burying Ground in Revere contains
5561-568: The sisters sang like "lobotomized Trapp Family Singers ", while the musician Terry Adams compared their music to the free jazz compositions of Ornette Coleman . The Shaggs formed at the insistence of their father, Austin Wiggin, who believed that his mother had predicted their rise to fame. For several years, he made them practice every day and perform weekly at the Fremont town hall. The girls had no interest in becoming musicians and never became proficient in songwriting or performing. In 1969, Austin paid for them to record an album, Philosophy of
5644-540: The small town of Fremont, New Hampshire . Dot wrote the songs, played lead guitar and sang; Betty, the youngest, played rhythm guitar and sang; and Helen, the eldest, played drums. Their younger sister, Rachel, sometimes joined them on bass guitar. The Shaggs formed at the behest of their father and manager, Austin Wiggin Jr. Austin worked as a mill hand in Exeter , and the family was poor. A Fremont local described him as
5727-438: The studio staff shut the control room doors and "rolled on the floor laughing" after they performed. Philosophy of the World was recorded in a single day. Herne and another Fleetwood employee, Charlie Dreyer, were enlisted to remix the recordings. They hired session musicians to rerecord parts, but they were unable to follow the Shaggs' erratic timing. Austin paid to have Dreyer's record company, Third World, press 1000 copies of
5810-541: The town was 98.15% White , 0.06% African American , 0.06% Native American , 0.34% Asian , 0.51% from other races , and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.77% of the population. There were 1,165 households, out of which 44.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 74.1% were married couples living together, 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.6% were non-families. 10.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.5% had someone living alone who
5893-721: The town's western border. The town is drained by the Exeter River , except for the northernmost part which is drained by headwaters of the Piscassic River . Fremont lies fully within the Piscataqua River (Coastal) watershed . As of the census of 2000, there were 3,510 people, 1,165 households, and 983 families residing in the town. The population density was 204.6 inhabitants per square mile (79.0/km ). There were 1,201 housing units at an average density of 70.0 per square mile (27.0/km ). The racial makeup of
5976-526: The universe." The critic Lindsay Zoladz said the Shaggs' music was "inscrutable" and challenged listeners to consider what good and bad music is. Koda said it would cause "any listener coming to this music to rearrange any pre-existing notions about the relationships between talent, originality, and ability". The Shaggs are important to the history of outsider music (music created by self-taught or naïve musicians). Chusid described them as "the legendary—if unwitting—godmothers of outsider music". Alan McGee ,
6059-439: The wettest month, averaging 3.9 inches, and January being the driest, with an average of 2.3 inches. Snowfall spans about 5.0 months, from November 12 to April 10, with at least 1.0 inch of snow over a 31-day period. January tends to see the most snow, averaging 8.3 inches. The perceived humidity in Revere varies significantly by season. Muggy conditions persist for about 3.3 months, from June 11 to September 21, where comfort level
6142-470: The worst album ever recorded . Rolling Stone awarded it their "Comeback of the Year" honor. Writing for The Village Voice , Lester Bangs asked: "How do they sound? Perfect! They can't play a lick! But mainly they got the right attitude, which is all rock 'n' roll's ever been about from day one." He wrote that Philosophy of the World could stand with albums by the Beatles, Bob Dylan and Teenage Jesus and
6225-408: The worst of all time and a work of unintentional brilliance. Chusid noted that many people, upon hearing Philosophy of the World , wondered if it was the worst album ever recorded. The LA Weekly critic Bruce D. Rhodewalt wrote: "If we can judge music on the basis of its honesty, originality and impact, then the Shaggs' Philosophy of the World is the greatest record ever recorded in the history of
6308-583: Was annexed to Boston , which had received its name only four years earlier. Winnisemmet (current Chelsea ) and Pullen Point (current Winthrop ) were also annexed to Boston. Rumney Marsh was originally divided and allotted to twenty-one of Boston's most prominent citizens. By 1639, the original allotments had been consolidated into seven great farms. Farming was the principal industry of Winnisemmet, and Rumney Marsh in particular. The first county road in North America stretched across Rumney Marsh from
6391-404: Was 39.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For adults 18 and over, for every 100 females there were 95.9 males. The median household income in the city was $ 62,568, and the median family income was $ 72,656. Males had a median income of $ 36,881 versus $ 31,300 for females. The per capita income for the city was $ 30,587. About 10.2% of families and 12.7% of the population were below
6474-451: Was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.20. In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 38.0% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.4 males. The median income for
6557-425: Was a problem. Austin responded with resignation. Palmer decided he was in danger of exploiting the Shaggs as a freak show and did not pursue them. In 1973, the Shaggs' weekly town hall shows were halted by the Fremont town supervisors. The sisters were relieved, as they were now adults and had tired of their father's control. When Austin discovered that Helen, then 28, had secretly married, he chased her husband with
6640-434: Was attributed to a failure of the radome on the nose of the aircraft. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 17.4 square miles (45.1 km ), of which 17.2 square miles (44.5 km ) are land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km ) are water, comprising 1.30% of the town. The highest point in Fremont is an unnamed summit, with an elevation of 322 feet (98 m) above sea level , near
6723-530: Was established as the town of Winthrop . That same year, Chelsea became its own city. On March 24, 1871, a petition went into effect, changing the name of North Chelsea to the Town of Revere in honor of Paul Revere (1735–1818), the son of an immigrant who took part in the American Revolutionary War . Revere had gained popularity after the publication of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 's 1860 poem " Paul Revere's Ride ". On November 2, 1914,
6806-500: Was not in place. Soon after it was published, the actor Tom Cruise and his producing partner Paula Wagner optioned Orlean's article for a film. As of 1999, Dot was working as a cleaner, Betty was a school janitor and a warehouse employee and Helen was living on disability benefits with severe depression. Only Dot remained musically active, playing handbells in a church choir and writing lyrics. That November, Dot and Betty performed four songs at NRBQ's 30th-anniversary celebration at
6889-444: Was released in 1982. The Shaggs became the subject of fascination in the 1990s, when interest grew in outsider music , and they are credited with influencing twee pop . Dot and Betty reunited for shows in 1999 and 2017; Helen died in 2006. As the Dot Wiggin Band , Dot released an album in 2013 containing previously unrecorded Shaggs songs. The Shaggs were formed in 1965 by the teenage sisters Dorothy ("Dot"), Betty and Helen Wiggin in
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