Examining “So Bad It’s Good” Music (The Shaggs, Corey Feldman, Metallica, & Farrah Abraham)
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In this month’s case study, I examine the phenomenon of ironically watching terrible movies like The Room and Birdemic, and see if the same principles can apply to music (and why they do/don’t). The albums discussed included Corey Feldman’s Angelic 2 The Core, Lou Reed & Metallica’s Lulu, Farrah Abraham’s My Teenage Dream Ended, and the Shaggs’ Philosophy of the World.
Do you agree? Disagree? Should I just leave my stupid comments in my pocket? Let me know in the comments below!
The Shaggs Backing Band Videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9raaJxWIjTw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4hsnecqnh4 (My favorite)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoRE6TjfVBk
Sources:
Beaumont-Thomas, Ben. “David Bowie: Lou Reed’s Masterpiece Is Metallica Collaboration Lulu.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Apr. 2015, www.theguardian.com/music/2015/apr/20/david-bowie-lou-reed-masterpiece-metallica-lulu.
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. “Bills Corpse.” Trout Mask Replica, 1969.
Cooper, Duncan. “Farrah Abraham’s Pop Music Should Make Her an Avant-Garde Icon.” The FADER, 21 Nov. 2017, www.thefader.com/2017/11/21/farrah-abraham-album-producer-interview.
“Corey Feldman & the Angels – Go 4 It – Today Show.” YouTube, uploaded by Brittany Paige, 19 September, 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZX7UJSXCiU
Corey Feldman. “Angelic 2 The Core.” Angelic 2 The Core: Angelic Funkadelic/Angelic Rockadelic. CiFi Records. 2016
“COREY FELDMAN – ASCENSION MILLENNIUM *OFFICIAL VIDEO RELEASE* (Presented by CiFi Records).” YouTube, uploaded by Corey Feldman, 26 December, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZ67H9JHAHM
Corey Feldman. “We Wanted Change.” Angelic 2 The Core: Angelic Funkadelic/Angelic Rockadelic. CiFi Records. 2016
“Did The Shaggs know what they were doing?” YouTube, uploaded by Dot Wiggin Band, 15 September, 2013. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9raaJxWIjTw
Dukes, Billy. “Metallica Drummer Lars Ulrich Recalls Lou Reed Challenging Him to a Street Fight.” Ultimate Classic Rock, 3 May 2012, ultimateclassicrock.com/metallica-drummer-lars-ulrich-recalls-lou-reed-challenging-him-to-a-street-fight/.
Farrah Abraham. “After Prom.” My Teenage Dream Ended, 2011.
Farrah Abraham. “On My Own.” My Teenage Dream Ended, 2011.
Fricke, David. “When Metallica Met Lou Reed.” Rolling Stone, Rolling Stone, 30 Sept. 2011, www.rollingstone.com/music/news/when-metallica-met-lou-reed-20110930.
Handler, Daniel. “Interview with John Darnielle.” The Believer, 1 July 2004, www.believermag.com/issues/200407/?read=interview_darnielle.
Laroche, Sophie. “Discover Kurt Cobain’s 50 Favorite Albums from His Handwritten Note.”Konbini United States, 20 Feb. 2017, www.konbini.com/us/entertainment/kurt-cobain-50-favorite-albums-handwritten-note/.
Lou Reed & Metallica. “Brandenburg Gate.” Lulu, Warner Bros. & Vertigo, 2011.
“Lou Reed & Metallica The View (Official Video).” YouTube, uploaded by Pablus Tallica, 3 December 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C25L4P79wY8
Nguyen, James, director. Birdemic: Shock & Terror. Moviehead Pictures, 2011.
Orlean, Susan. “Meet the Shaggs.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 19 June 2017, www.newyorker.com/magazine/1999/09/27/meet-the-shaggs.
“The Shaggs at Solid Sound Festival 2017.” YouTube, uploaded by Ringo Zingg, 6 September 2017. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uecAAN6E6yY
The Shaggs. “My Pal Foot Foot.” Philosophy of the World, 1969.
The Shaggs. “Philosophy of the World.” Philosophy of the World, 1969.
van den Tol, Annemieke and Giner-Sorolla, Roger (2016) Listening to ironically-enjoyed music: A self-regulatory perspective. Psychology of Music, 45 (3). pp. 321-337. ISSN 0305-7356.
Wiseau, Tommy, director. The Room. Wiseau Films, 2006.
@MicTheSnare
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Just made a follow-up to this video, featuring Florence Foster Jenkins, Wesley Willis, Viper, William Shatner, and IceJJFish! Check it out here! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2jkzows5jU
@donttouchmysilver8202
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
There’s the Shaggs then Mozart, Beethoven, and everyone else 😂
@paulflur4519
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
The safety dance falls in this category.
@ThatsViews
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
After listening to The Shaggs several times I'm starting to discern depths to the works.
@AAKlavier
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
12:19 As a music teacher I want to point out how insanely difficult this is to do. PS–excellent video essay
@UnderCurrentAtlanta
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
You should check out H. Jon Benjamin's "Well, I Should Have" album.
@kazmiller7195
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Nothing beats Richie Santini's band on sopranos
@g_cracker7745
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
One of the reasons why Philosophy Of The World sounds so bad is because Austin didn't allow them to listen to music, and so they didn't really know what music played by a band sounded like.
@kit.e6864
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
so does this mean even if someone practices music for a really long time, years and days like these girls did, some just never get good at it?
@athanagames
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
after watching you for years going back to the video that got me into your channel made me realize that you're just a less jokey music version of Scott the woz
@Lockw1e
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Art is subjective I got a physical copy of LULU and I sincerely love it 😅 I understand the things people dislike, but I like how the music feels in my chest when I listen to it.
Also I think some "so bad they're good" things can be enjoyed for other reasons than mockery. Artistically, breaking the codes, even unintentionally, is very interesting. There's a certain candor and authenticity to it. I think in that way it embodies something most artist crave. Something unique. Something done without self-consciousness. Something more free in a way.
@ליליקלמנוביץ
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
I love all of these, unironically
@kaedmon4406
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
You missed Carl Lewis trying a song career with break it up lol
@podfruwajk4
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
I realized I keep coming back to sticker by NCT and accelerate by Christina Aguilera quite often and it made me think of that video.
@BrianGon89
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
urm is it just me or does that cut to the corey feldman clip actually sound pretty good now.
@jlouis4407
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Love that you compared Metallica to the Shaggs lol
@MasonDumont2ndAccount
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Ummagumma
@MooglePower
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
I think you got it all right here. The Shaggs have endured for over 50 years because they are memorable. In a way, the third prediction came true; The Shaggs succeeded in creating something that is still listened to over half a century later.
@pandaeyes42
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
The Shaggs.
BETTER THAN THE BEATLES!
@JanNowak-c9c
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Towards "the Shaggs" – Their dad was kind of a lunatic and has pushed them towards this without actually bothering to hire a music teacher or help them in any way. So I don't think it's mature to say anything negative about them – we wouldn't do better if forced suddenly to do some skill we never had (nobody teaching us in any way how to do it).
@Dwarkle
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
So wrong about Lulu. You either trust Metallica and Lou Reed, two musical entities that have sorta proved themselves to be top tier in their fields, or you don't.
At least listen to Junior Dad. It's not representative of the album, but it's one hell of a long song worth hearing at least once. I've done a lot of writing to this song at a volume barely perceptible for hours on end.
@DavidRiske-b8v
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
I just heard about the Shaggs and have been watching videos and reading about them. i don't know what to think. At first I thought they were terrible. But learning the back story makes me wonder. I confess I have grown to like Foot Foot, but I don't know why.
@masterparkin
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
5:00 How did I manage to predict that correctly?
@hesgabe
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
I know this vid is 6 years old but I just have to show my support for Lulu. It seems completely ridiculous and kinda sounds silly at first but it sneakily grows on you and now I genuinely think it's one of the greatest music projects of all time.
@TerryWaits-l7t
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
bad for bad's sake, a bad concept.
@davidwinkle5080
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
maybe the shaggs did there music bad to get back at there father who treated them badly
@rousefire
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Philosophy of the World is like the drawing your three year old makes. Its not good but you hang it on your fridge .
@tomascrosson7111
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
In an alternate universe, there would be a prophecy that 4 young guys from Liverpool were going to be a very successful band, and end up developing Philosophy of the World
@goblin_gurl
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Just listened to “My Teenage Dream Ended” last night. As a hyperpop fan who sees how it’s somehow “proto-hyperpop” and outsider music, this album horrifies me.
@gabormuller9850
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Their father prophesied that they would become a famous band – and here we are, mentioning them alongside Metallica. Amazing.
@4evaavfc
November 17, 2025 at 11:08 am
Cory's stuff is contrived, not original. I agree about Metallica, silly stuff. Farah's stuff is too autotune. The Shaggs are great, so bad it's good.
Comments are closed.