Last Three Months Theme - Entry Two: Prolific NuTTs
3. R Stevie Moore
R Stevie Moore. The (facetiously) self-proclaimed new King of Pop – the incredibly prolific, heart wrenchingly underrated, underappreciated and seemingly not well-known lo-fi legend. His father is Bob Moore – bassist/producer/sidekick of Elvis, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis and the like, and it’s clear from RSM’s work that music and production is the nucleus of every cell in his body. He’s worked with artists spanning from, most notably, Ariel Pink, The Vaccines, MGMT, Dr. Dog, Apples in Stereo and many, many international others. RSM has released hundreds of hundreds of cassettes, albums and compilations, his most widely recognized album being 1976’s
Phonography, which in 1996 Rolling Stone listed as one of the fifty most significant indie records.
I’m not sure what else to say. R Stevie Moore is unclassifiable in his diversity; irreplaceable in his ingenuity. He friended me on Facebook, likes my pictures, has shared some of my youtube covers and proposed marriage (hahaha). I chat with him infrequently and he's just a cool old guy with a blue beard and a terribly awesome sense of fashion. I think he’s one of those artists you either “get” or you don’t – and I don’t say that to suggest that those who “get it” are superior; I just mean that I can understand why one wouldn’t. That said, I could never be your friend if you don’t.
4. Cody ChesnuTT
On the related note of bedroom-recording eccentric legends, I present to you Cody ChesnuTT.
The Headphone Masterpiece, Cody’s 2002 release which was recorded on a 4-track cassette recorder in his bedroom, has substantially dominated my speakers over the past few months. The funky, neo soul, lo-fi debut consists of a multitude of short tracks containing guitar, bass, keyboard and an organ. Cody makes great use of overdubbing, and his lyrics range from ironic encounters with the rock and roll lifestyle to genuine proclamations of love.
Cody gained a small amount of mainstream attention after the album’s release due to the Roots remaking a song from
The Headphone Masterpiece which got heavy airplay on MTV and BET in the early 2000’s. He was mentioned in the film
Me And You And Everyone We Know (one of my personal favorites), and his track “5 on a Joyride” was played in a scene in which a young character gets his first blowjob. Quirky as f
uck, all around.