Kim Fowley (Psych Garage)

Click here to read the revised and corrected version of this article,

published as a tribute to Kim Fowley, who died on January 15, 2015

Kim Fowley, the Dorian Gray of Rock’n’Roll. Kim Fowley has THE most impressive CV in the history of the anachronique articles. Hold on tight. Besides some forty solo albums, Kim Fowley is above all remarkable for having, in one way or another, launched: The Runaways, the Stooges, the Modern Lovers, Kiss, Phil Spector, Them, Cat Stevens, Soft Machine, KISS, Alice Cooper…

He was a college friend of Nancy Sinatra and Bruce Johnston (Beach Boys), he helped the Flamin’ Groovies write Teenage Head, took part in Frank Zappa’s first opus, helped the Byrds’ bassist, worked in the Los Angeles sex industry, contributed to the soundtrack of American Graffiti, directed his own films… He also created the house for junkie musicians, a kind of shelter for penniless musicians. Keith Moon of the Who, Jim Morisson, Jefferson Airplane, the Seeds, Steppenwolf… so many artists passed through it in their early days (see the Interview with Kim Fowley). And despite all that, he still calls himself the Lord of Garbage. My Gosh!

As you will have gathered, Still in Rock would need to devote an entire month to Kim Fowley to cover his influence on the world scene. It is not even certain the task is doable. So, rather than chasing the impossible, let us focus our efforts on one of Kim Fowley’s very first LPs, namely Outrageous, released in 1968 on Imperial Records.

“Animal Man“, the first track on this album, is the ideal introduction to Kim Fowley. Super catchy and barely psychedelic, Kim is still hiding a little, even if he already sums it all up in two sentences: I’m the Devil, I’m a Pig. The long guitar solos and the bluesy sound that comes out of it make this song a small feat on its own. Richard Hell’s Blank Generation was built on these few seconds. “Wildfire” is much more classic rock; you would think you were dealing with an old Clapton from the great era (although every era is great with Clapton). A little faster please, a little lourder, Kim Fowley is already driving you mad. What bothers you about everything? he asks. Reality, he answers. And then he adds: I’m Not Crazy. At this stage, we already have our doubts. Kim Fowley’s true face has just been exposed in broad daylight: he has long teeth and white skin.

“Hide And Seek” is the only instrumental track on the album. It is crazy how you would think you hear Kim’s voice. Maybe this track’s nickname is Jackie Brown. “Nightrider“, in a similar genre, must have given Jon Spencer Blues Explosion some ideas. We particularly love the lyrics, yes, really. This first half of the album is decidedly super explosive, not a second of respite (not in the second half either); every riff seems to be there to push us a little deeper into a Blues Garage groove.

Then comes “Bubble Gum“. One of Kim Fowley’s All Time classics. And this time, the resemblances with Chain and The Gang seem more obvious than ever. The most beautiful solo on the album, “Bubble Gum” already lets you glimpse the love Kim Fowley would later have for Power Pop (he would produce so many great bands of the genre). “Inner Space Discovery” is a more unhinged track than it looks. That says something. On the music side, Inner Space no longer seems to hold any secrets. On the lyrics side… the short hair people of America are truly the aliens of society. All long hair stay together, oh brothers. Rather surprisingly, “Barefoot Country Boy” follows immediately after with fifties rock airs that must have pleased Phil Spector.

“Caught In The Middle” boils down to a trip to hell where Kim Fowley keeps hammering: is there a drummer in hell? The funeral march that makes up the last minute is on a par with Vanilla Fudge’s most psychedelic creations. “Down” brings out his Lord of Garbage. Against a backdrop of chineese oaths and Black people, “Down” is one of the most psych songs on the album. Listen to this track once night has fallen, you won’t forget the experience. And then, with “California Hayride“, there is no doubt that Kim Fowley did work in the X industry and that he is truly CRAZY.

Outrageous is one example among so many of Kim Fowley’s genius, his only LP to have entered the Billboard 200. This man may not be human. By default, we doubt that the greatest names in Rock History are. But Kim gives grounds for very particular suspicions. Influencing the history of music with such brilliance and obviousness surely belongs to what some call… GOD.

Related links:

Anachronique article on Vanilla Fudge

Link to ALL the anachronique articles