Lawrence Wayne "Wild Man" Fischer (November 6, 1944 – June 16, 2011) was an American

street performer Street performance or busking is the act of performing in public places for gratuities. In many countries, the rewards are generally in the form of money but other gratuities such as food, drink or gifts may be given. Street performance is pr ...

known for offering erratic,

a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...

performances of "new kinds of songs" for a dime on the beaches and the

Sunset Strip The Sunset Strip is the stretch of Sunset Boulevard that passes through the city of West Hollywood, California. It extends from West Hollywood's eastern border with the city of Los Angeles near Marmont Lane to its western border with Beverl ...

West Hollywood West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. It is considered one of the most prominent gay villages ...

. Most of his life was spent homeless or institutionalized, and he later became regarded as "the godfather of

outsider music Outsider music (from "outsider art") is music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The term is usually applied to musicians who have little or no traditional musical experience, who exhibit childlike qualities in their music, or who suffe ...

". Born in Los Angeles, Fischer was repeatedly sent to mental institutions as a teenager, where he was diagnosed with

paranoid schizophrenia Schizophrenia is a mental disorder characterized by continuous or relapsing episodes of psychosis. Major symptoms include hallucinations (typically hearing voices), delusions, and disorganized thinking. Other symptoms include social w ...

and

bipolar disorder Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of Depression (mood), depression and periods of abnormally elevated Mood (psychology), mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevat ...

. In 1968, he recorded a double album, ''

An Evening with Wild Man Fischer ''An Evening with Wild Man Fischer'' is a 1969 double LP album by Wild Man Fischer. It was produced by Frank Zappa and released on his Bizarre record label. The album is split into four different areas on each record side for the type of song ...

'', that was produced by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by nonconformity, free-form improvisation, sound experiments, musical virtuosity and satire of ...

for the Bizarre label. At one point, Fischer was the opening act for

the Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole con ...

Iron Butterfly Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal musi ...

Solomon Burke Solomon Vincent McDonald Burke (born James Solomon McDonald, March 21, 1936 or 1940 – October 10, 2010) was an American singer who shaped the sound of rhythm and blues as one of the founding fathers of soul music in the 1960s. He has been ...

, and

Bo Diddley Ellas McDaniel (born Ellas Otha Bates; December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008), known professionally as Bo Diddley, was an American guitarist who played a key role in the transition from the blues to rock and roll. He influenced many artists, inc ...

. His relationship with Zappa came to an abrupt end after Fischer threw a bottle that nearly hit Zappa's daughter

Moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

. In 1975, Fischer helped jumpstart

Rhino Records A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species (or numerous extinct species) of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. (It can also refer to a member of any of the extinct species ...

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 Barnes & Barnes are an American musical duo, formed in Los Angeles in 1970. Though commonly associated with novelty music and comedy rock, their music has also incorporated elements of new wave, synth-pop, and folk rock. The duo formed in ...

. A documentary about Fischer's life, '' Derailroaded: Inside the Mind of Wild Man Fischer'', premiered at the

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, ...

festival in 2005.

Biography

Early life

Larry Fischer was born on November 6, 1944, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. From an early age, he experienced major

mood swing A mood swing is an extreme or sudden change of mood. Such changes can play a positive part in promoting problem solving and in producing flexible forward planning, or be disruptive. When mood swings are severe, they may be categorized as par ...

s typical of bipolar disorder, and developed a habit of singing

Paul Anka Paul Albert Anka (born July 30, 1941) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter and actor. He is best known for his signature hit songs including " Diana", " Lonely Boy", " Put Your Head on My Shoulder", and "(You're) Having My Baby". Anka also ...

songs at the top of his voice, which he called having "the pep". When his mood worsened, he experienced

auditory hallucination An auditory hallucination, or paracusia, is a form of hallucination that involves perceiving sounds without auditory stimulus. While experiencing an auditory hallucination, the affected person would hear a sound or sounds which did not come from ...

s and acted violently toward his family. He attended Fairfax High School but was expelled in 1962 for singing in class. In 1963, he was committed to

Camarillo State Hospital Camarillo State Mental Hospital, also known as Camarillo State Hospital, was a public psychiatric hospital for patients with both developmental disabilities and mental illness in Camarillo, California. The hospital was in operation from 1936 to ...

for threatening his mother with a knife, and he was diagnosed with

and

manic depression Bipolar disorder, previously known as manic depression, is a mental disorder characterized by periods of depression and periods of abnormally elevated mood that last from days to weeks each. If the elevated mood is severe or associated with ...

. Released one year later, he appeared at numerous talent shows and was discovered by R&B singer

, who gave him the nickname "Wild Man" and brought him along on a tour. Fischer was still living at home at this time, and in 1965, was once again institutionalized for his behavior. According to Fischer, the hospital stays only exacerbated his condition.

''An Evening with Wild Man Fischer''

By 1967, Fischer was on medication and acting as a street performer in Hollywood. For a nickel or a dime, he would offer a "new kind of song" to passersby as an a cappella performance. This led him to become an opening act for

, and

. While performing onstage and outside at the Sunset Strip, he was noticed by

, bandleader for

the Mothers of Invention The Mothers of Invention (also known as The Mothers) was an American rock band from California. Formed in 1964, their work is marked by the use of sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Originally an R&B ban ...

. Zappa later said: "I thought from the first day I met him that someone should make an album about Wild Man Fischer." He invited Fischer into a studio and recorded him singing about topics such as his mother, mental hospitals, fame, circles, and how he could move faster than a cat could see him. The Mothers of Invention, record producer

Kim Fowley Kim Vincent Fowley (July 21, 1939 – January 15, 2015) was the American record producer, songwriter and musician who was behind a string of novelty and cult pop rock singles in the 1960s, and managed The Runaways in the 1970s. He has bee ...

, radio DJ

Rodney Bingenheimer Rodney Bingenheimer (born December 15, 1946) is an American radio disc jockey who is best known as the host of ''Rodney on the ROQ'', a radio program that ran on the Los Angeles rock station KROQ from 1976 to 2017. In the early 1970s, he also m ...

, and Zappa's girl group the GTOs made guest appearances on some of the tracks. Released as a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

in 1968, ''

'' was given a positive review in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'' magazine, where it was described as "captur ngthe total being of one strange member of the human community". On September 23, 1968, thanks to his connections with Zappa, Fischer appeared on ''

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In'' (often simply referred to as ''Laugh-In'') is an American sketch comedy television program that ran for 140 episodes from January 22, 1968, to March 12, 1973, on the NBC television network, hosted by comedians Da ...

'', singing "Leaves Are Falling" and "Merry-Go-Round". During this period he also made contributions to the 1968 psychsploitation album "Bedlam" by The Crazy People. In December, Zappa arranged for him to perform at a Christmas show involving the Mothers, the GTOs, Easy Chair, and

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guilloti ...

. Fischer sang "Circles". Fischer was frustrated that the album failed to bring him the fame he expected. One day, he visited Zappa and threw a bottle that nearly hit Zappa's infant daughter

. This ended their relationship. In a song Fischer later wrote ("Frank"), he alleged that Zappa subsequently withheld his recording income ("Frank's got my publishing rights / You could say he's on my mind / I think about him all the time"). After Frank's death in 1993, Gail Zappa inherited her husband's musical copyrights, and refused to reissue the album for as long as she lived feeling that the recording was "a poor example of Frank's work."

Rhino Records albums

In 1974, Larry appeared as a guest vocalist on noise band Smegma's album ''Sing Popular Songs''. In 1975, he recorded

' first release, a novelty single entitled "Go to Rhino Records". At the time, Rhino Records was only a record shop in Los Angeles. According to the ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'': "Demand for he singleproved so great that it catapulted the store's owners into the record-producing business." Two years later he recorded their very first LP, ''Wildmania''. In the 1980s, Fischer worked with the comedy music duo Barnes and Barnes ( Bill Mumy and

Robert Haimer Robert Haimer (born March 2, 1954) is an American musician, singer and songwriter. Haimer performs in the two-man band Barnes & Barnes as his stage persona Artie Barnes, alongside actor and musician Bill Mumy. Barnes & Barnes are best known for ...

) to produce two more albums for Rhino, ''Pronounced Normal'' (1981) and ''Nothing Scary'' (1984). In 1986, Barnes and Barnes also wrote and produced "It's a Hard Business", a duet featuring Fischer and

Rosemary Clooney Rosemary Clooney (May 23, 1928 – June 29, 2002) was an American singer and actress. She came to prominence in the early 1950s with the song " Come On-a My House", which was followed by other pop numbers such as " Botch-a-Me", " Mambo Italiano" ...

. The song was the result of a telephone friendship they began due to mutual acquaintances. In 1988, a judge awarded Fischer royalties on his song "Merry-Go-Round" (from the videocassette release of the movie '' Medium Cool''), but the attorney representing Fischer did not know how to contact him. Fischer was still homeless, living in motels and on the streets while panhandling at places like

Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...

and

Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envisio ...

. He performed at the 1988 San Diego Comic Con with Bill Mumy's group as his backing band. In 1998, ''Date with the Devils Daughter'', an album by Robert Williams (a drummer formerly with

Captain Beefheart Don Van Vliet (; born Don Glen Vliet; January 15, 1941 – December 17, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and visual artist best known by the stage name Captain Beefheart. Conducting a rotating ensemble known as Th ...

) includes "Hello Robert", which consists of messages that Fischer left on Williams's phone. In 1999, Rhino released ''The Fischer King'', a two-CD package comprising 100 tracks and a 20-page booklet, which sold out within weeks. The limited-edition album comprises his entire Rhino catalog, including all three of the Rhino albums plus singles, unreleased material, interviews done for this release, and his duet with Clooney. It releases almost everything Fischer ever recorded, except ''

'', for which the Zappa family still held the rights.

Final years and death

In the early 2000s, Fischer was filmed as the subject of a full-length documentary, '' Derailroaded: Inside the Mind of Wild Man Fischer'', which premiered at

in March 2005. Co-director Josh Rubin called the four years making the film "the most arduous, trying time of my life" due to Fischer's erratic behavior. It included an appearance from

Devo Devo (, originally ) is an American Rock music, rock band from Akron, Ohio, formed in 1973. Their classic line-up consisted of two sets of brothers, the Mothersbaughs (Mark Mothersbaugh, Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Bob) and the Casales (Gerald ...

Mark Mothersbaugh Mark Allen Mothersbaugh (; born May 18, 1950) is an American composer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He came to prominence in the late 1970s as co-founder, lead singer and keyboardist of the new wave band Devo, whose " Whip It" was a top 20 ...

who called him: "as pure a rock and roll icon as you can find. He's mainlined into the creative subconscious." In 2004, Fischer was the subject of a

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

(''The Legend of Wild Man Fischer'' by Dennis Eichhorn), and in October, appeared on ABC-TV's late-night talk/comedy show, ''

Jimmy Kimmel Live! ''Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, broadcast on ABC. The nightly hour-long show debuted on January 26, 2003, at Hollywood Masonic Temple in Hollywood, California, as part of ABC's ...

''. In 2003, Fischer had a six-month-long paranoid episode, convinced somebody was trying to kill him, and he started living on the streets again. He called Bill Mumy up to 20 times a day, hanging up each time, until Mumy finally had to change his phone number. Fischer eventually moved in with his aunt Josephine, but three weeks later she was diagnosed with terminal cancer (this happened during the filming of ''Derailroaded''). Fischer and his family consented to move him into an assisted-living mental institution in

Van Nuys Van Nuys () is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...

. The medications he was prescribed helped him control his behavior, but it also eliminated his creative drive, or "pep". Fischer made his final performance on August 16, 2006, at the

Trunk Space The Trunk Space is an all-ages music venue in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. It is located at 1124 N 3rd Street. Background Originally a coffee cart called ''The Paper Cup'' in the now defunct Paper Heart Gallery, in its original location on ...

in Phoenix, Arizona. The last seven years of Fischer's life were spent peacefully but uneventfully. On June 16, 2011, he died of heart failure at the

Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center (also commonly referred to as ''UCLA Medical Center'', "RRMC" or "Ronald Reagan") is a hospital located on the campus of the University of California, Los Angeles, in Westwood, Los Angeles, California, Unit ...

in Los Angeles, at the age of 66.

Discography

Studio albums * 1968: ''

'' (

Bizarre Records Bizarre Records, self-identified simply as Bizarre, was a production company and record label formed for artists discovered by rock musician Frank Zappa and his business partner/manager Herb Cohen. History Bizarre was originally formed as a produ ...

) * 1977: ''Wildmania'' (Rhino Records) * 1981: ''Pronounced Normal'' (Rhino Records) * 1983: ''Nothing Scary'' (Rhino Records) * 2018: ''Deep State'' (CDBaby) EP * May 1968: ''Laminas'' Compilations * 1981: ''The First One ...(First-1)'' (A.T.C. Records) * 1999: ''The Fischer King'' (Rhino Records) Singles * 1975: "Go To Rhino Records" (

) * 1981: "Don't Be A Singer" / "I Got A Camera" /" Do The Salvo" (Rhino Records) * 1981: "Larry Comes Alive" (A.T.C. Records)

Filmography

* 2005: '' Derailroaded: Inside the Mind of Wild Man Fischer''

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Fischer, Wild Man 1944 births 2011 deaths American street performers Outsider musicians People with bipolar disorder People with schizophrenia American rock musicians Freak scene musicians Freak scene American rock guitarists American acoustic guitarists Guitarists from Los Angeles Singers from Los Angeles Homeless people American male singer-songwriters Singer-songwriters from California