Wild Man Fischer

Wild Man Fischer
Fischer c. 1975
Fischer c. 1975
Background information
Birth nameLawrence Wayne Fischer
Born(1944-11-06)November 6, 1944
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
DiedJune 16, 2011(2011-06-16) (aged 66)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresOutsider music
OccupationSongwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active1968–2006
Labels
Formerly of

Lawrence Wayne "Wild Man" Fischer (November 6, 1944 – June 16, 2011) was an American street performer known for offering erratic, a cappella performances of "new kinds of songs" for a dime on the beaches of Los Angeles county and the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood.[1] Most of his life was spent homeless or institutionalized, and he later became regarded as "the godfather of outsider music".[1][2]

Born in Los Angeles, Fischer was repeatedly sent to mental institutions as a teenager, where he was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In 1968, he recorded a double album, An Evening with Wild Man Fischer, that was produced by Frank Zappa for the Bizarre label. At one point, Fischer was the opening act for the Byrds, Iron Butterfly, Solomon Burke, and Bo Diddley. His relationship with Zappa came to an abrupt end after Fischer threw a bottle that nearly hit Zappa's daughter Moon.

In 1975, Fischer helped jumpstart Rhino Records with the novelty single "Go to Rhino Records". The label put out a trilogy of albums that ultimately became his last: Wildmania (1977), Pronounced Normal (1981), and Nothing Scary (1983); the latter two were produced by the comedy music duo Barnes & Barnes. A documentary about Fischer's life, Derailroaded: Inside the Mind of Wild Man Fischer, premiered at the South by Southwest festival in 2005.

  1. ^ a b Fox, Margalit (June 17, 2011). "Wild Man Fischer, Outsider Musician, Dies at 66". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "I'm crazy for you... but not that crazy". The Observer. March 18, 2006.