Often completely out of tune and rarely in time, the Shaggs—three sisters forced into a band by their father—have become one of rock's most divisive cult acts, admired by Frank Zappa and Kurt Cobain. A new documentary, 'We Are the Shaggs,' explores their bizarre journey from isolation to accidental avant-garde fame.
Austin Wiggin Jr, driven by a palm reading prophecy that his daughters would form a popular band, pulled Dorothy, Betty and Helen Wiggin from school in 1965. He imposed a strict regime of mail-order homework, calisthenics and constant band practice, rarely allowing them to leave home except for church, shopping and weekly gigs at Fremont town hall. 'We missed out on a lot,' says Betty Wiggin, now 75. 'I grieve that a little bit.'
The Shaggs' sole studio album, 1969's 'Philosophy of the World,' is notorious for its perplexing beats and out-of-tune guitars. 'We thought our guitars were in tune,' says Dorothy 'Dot' Wiggin, 77. 'I guess that shows how much we didn't know.' Yet the album has been praised for its accidental complexity, with musician Jesse Krakow noting elements like hemiola and decrescendos reminiscent of Zappa and Stravinsky.
The band disbanded immediately after Austin's death in 1975, with the sisters feeling free for the first time. 'We could do whatever we wanted, then,' says Betty. They sold their gear and took on cleaning and caretaker jobs. The album remained obscure until NRBQ reissued it in 1980, sparking a cult following. Kurt Cobain later named it one of his five favourite albums.
Despite their father's controlling methods, the sisters express a complicated respect for him. 'He did what he did for our music,' says Betty, but adds that his death brought liberation. The documentary, directed by Stephen Kijak, delves into their story, including the loss of 900 of the original 1,000 album copies and the sisters' eventual reconciliation with their unusual legacy.
