"I Painted My Teeth!"

(pic by Jonpaul Douglass)

This picture makes me think of country livin', which puts me in mind of two people (at the moment that is [and no, there's really no rhyme or reason to my thinking {as usual}]), the first being Jandek (the second will be in a blog in the near future).

Jandek, despite popular belief (ha, "popular." anyway...), is not a real person. There is a lot of mystery around the Jandek project, and a lot of it can be cleared up by simply going to the "About Jandek" section on his notorious fan site (ha, "notorious." I say these things as though 1 in 100 people have heard of Jandek). The basics one needs to know is that Jandek has recorded 1 or more albums every year since 1978, rarely missing a year, and didn't many any public appearances as Jandek (the performer) until 2004, and has since played about 20 shows, all of which sold out, despite many concerns that it could, each time, be a con (I am referring to Jandek as though he were a real person because it's just easier that way).

What does this Jandek sound like? Glad I asked. Here are a few of my favorite cuts (I put a bunch because there are like a billion Jandek songs):

Jandek - Painted My Teeth (possibly the funniest song known to man)
Jandek - Quinn Boys II (the second funniest)
Jandek - European Jewel (Velvet Underground cover) [Edit (2008/20/08): I didn't do my research on this one, and I falsely labeled this as a Velvet Underground Cover, which is how I got the file (just goes to show you you shouldn't trust everything you download). Thanks Anonymous for pointing that out]
Jandek - Gretchen
Jandek - Point Judith
Jandek - The First End
Jandek - Babe, I Love You
Jandek - Cellar
Jandek - First You Think Your Fortune's Lovely
Jandek - Janitor's Dead
Jandek - In A Hush
Jandek - Moving Slow
Jandek - Nancy Sings
Jandek - The Real You
Jandek - Pending Doom
Jandek - They Told Me I Was A Fool
Jandek - House of the Rising Sun (b/c everyone has to cover it as some point[if this even counts as a cover, that is])

I really don't think I'm a true Jandek enthusiast because, out of all seriousness, I think his stuff is so bad it's hilarious, and that's how it hooks me. I usually end up listening to Painted My Teeth 10 times before I can stop.