We Are The Shaggs
They were ordinary teen girls forced to form a band by their dad – and, thanks to one unlistenable (to some!) album, became icons of outsider art.
Austin Wiggin’s mother had prophesied his daughters would become a famous band – so, in 1965, he decided to make it happen. He pulled Dot, Helen and Betty out of school; handed them instruments they couldn’t play; suggested they write songs without the first clue how; and named them The Shaggs. For years, they (occasionally accompanied by younger sister Rachel) endured weekly heckling at local gigs in Fremont, New Hampshire, before recording an album, 1969’s Philosophy of the World. When Austin died in 1975, the sisters could finally live regular lives … until the 90s, when they learned The Shaggs had become a cult band whose tastemaker fans included Frank Zappa, Patti Smith and Kurt Cobain. Their grandmother’s prediction had come true, in the most ironic way possible.
One Shaggs evangelist is veteran comedy director Ken Kwapis (Vibes, MIFF 2019; Malcolm in the Middle). His film explores the strangeness of the sisters’ wildly out-of-tune guitars, eccentric rhythms and unorthodox chords, tracing their path from “the worst band ever” to outsider music stars, while music experts champion their intuitive brilliance. Meanwhile, gentle, bemused surviving Shaggs Dot and Betty muse on the phenomenon they’ve been caught up in.
“Custom-built to satisfy both hardcore cultists and utter newbies … Kwapis’ lovely film is able to capture [The Shaggs] as some of the most improbable icons in rock history.” – Variety
Director Ken Kwapis is a guest of the festival and will be in attendance at the Friday 14 August session of the film.
Tickets
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