Fan is short for "fanatic"

The Oxford English Dictionary says specifically--

fanatic: adj- Of an action or speech: Such as might result from possession by a deity or demon; frantic, furious. Of a person: Frenzied, mad. noun- 1) A mad person. In later use: A religious maniac. 2) A fanatic person; a visionary; an unreasoning enthusiast.

These are artists of which I am particularly fond. These are artists that will have me waiting for the CD store to open to get the new disc the day it is released. These are artists who get online pre-orders from me so I can get the new disc before it hits the store. These are artists that could record an entire song cycle about bacon and other processed pork snacks, performed on cigar box banjo and bagpipes, and I'd still buy it. Fan.

Many of them have really excellent homepages with lots of info (Julian Cope) while others don't have so much bandwidth (The 'Mums). For those artist in the latter category, hopefully these pages will go a little way toward filling the void. There is no particular order to the listings and frankly, I suspect over time my obsessions will shift so things will get added. I suppose I'll just leave up anything I become "unobsessed" with - I doubt I'll ever become bored with any of these so "unobsessed" is probably a better word... if it even is a word. Corrections or additional info are welcomed but these primers are pretty subjective so don't bother telling me I'm insane because I recommend DELIVERANCE over MY ARMS YOUR HEARSE.

In no particular alphabetical order...

10cc - Their first four albums are genius, as are the albums of Lol Creme and Kevin Godley after they left the band. Really twisted pop trying not-to-hard to sound like regular pop.

Barry Adamson - It's difficult to put a spin on Adamson's discography and do it any justice. Funky/jazz/soul soundtracks for imaginary Film Noir movies? If Shaft had been written by Raymond Chandler, Adamson would have written the soundtrack.

Atom^TM - Uwe Schmidt operates under more pseudonyms than anyone I can think of: Aerial Service Area, Almost Digital, Atom Heart, BASS, The Bitniks, Datacide, Flanger, Lassigue Bendthaus, Semiacoustic Nature, lb, Senior Coconut, Geeez 'N' Gosh, Jet Chamber, Midisport, +N, The Stereonerds, etc, etc, etc. He's released 62 discs on his Rather Interesting label since 1994-- probably an equal number on other labels. Techno, glitch, ambient, industrial - he does all forms of electronica and better than just about anyone else.

The Bevis Frond - If I could be any musician I think I would be Nick Saloman, aka The Bevis Frond. Like many on this list, it is criminal that he's not as famous as musical celebrities with 1/4 of his talent. Solid catchy rock infused with psychedelica.

Peter Blegvad - Smarty-pants song writing at its best. Few have his gift at turning a phrase.

The Bulldaggers - The greatest, hardest-to-pin-down band in this or any other reality. Their releases are difficult to find but well worth the selling of your grandparent's souls to obtain.

Butthole Surfers - Some of the most brilliant, terrifying and hilarious music ever made; a sludgy acid-infused punk lovingly known among true believers as pig f***ing psychelidelica.

Sheila Chandra - Probably my favorite singer. Her voice is absolutely beautiful.

Cheer-Accident - One of the only bands I would call "alternative" as they truly offer up music that is a welcome alternative to crappy, major-label dreck. Avant-progressive-rock-pop-metal.

The Chrysanthemums - The best pop band since the Beatles. Period.

Julian Cope - Pop, psychedelia, space rock, krautrock, dumb metal: it's all here and it's mighty fine.

The Flaming Lips - They've been around since the mid-80s and since 1989 they've been the most consistently interesting pop band in the US. Hidden in the sheets of guitar, psychedelica, noise and general weirdness are catchy songs, lovely melodies, and a rare sense of just plain fun.

John Foxx and Ultravox! - Recent reissues of Foxx-related music made me realize how important they were to not only my musical tastes but to my sonic esthetic as a designer.

The Funk Mob - The generic term for any of the music that comes out of the George Clinton/Parliament/Funkadelic Universe. Free your mind indeed....

Gentle Giant - The best progressive rock band of all time. Complex song structures, virtuoso playing, a sense of humor. The great disappointment of my life is missing them playing live in my hometown mere months before I first heard them.

Kevin Gilbert - The late great. While his albums are among the absolute best pop albums ever made and exploding with terrific songs, I am always saddened when listening to his music, knowing there will never be anything else.

Yoko Kanno - If she had done nothing other than the soundtrack to Cowboy Bebop she would deserve to be remebered as the greatest Japanese anime film composer. - she's written many more scores almost as good which makes her possibly the greatest living film composer. Her band The Seatbelts doesn't suck either.

King Crimson - I've been a fan for the better part of their 40 year career. Always pushing forward musically.

Magazine - The first great post-punk band, they drew on the atmospheric work of Eno and Bowie and mixed it with the drive and attitude of punk. Vocalist Howard Devoto and bass player Barry Adamson continue to be among my favorite musicians.

The Mars Volta - Furious progressive punk-metal. Cryptic, psychedelic songs and lyrics. What more could a boy want?

Meshuggah - The best technical metal band on Earth. Swedish death metal with bone-shattering riffs and hairpin time changes. Yowza, where's my slide rule?

Neal Morse - Neal's making the finest traditional progressive rock around.

Nine Inch Nails - Trent Reznor consistently produces the finest sounding albums on the market. Brilliant studio work which he manages to translate to the stage in fascinating ways. Too easilly written off as "angry metal" I think.

Nurse With Wound - Steven Stapleton is the mastermind behind some of the most compelling and original audio creations that exist. Not for the faint of heart.

Opeth - Swedish death metal band that just may be the best rock band in the world. No, I'm wrong - they are absolutely the best rock band in the world.

Mike Patton - Mr. Patton has his hands in more interesting soups than anyone.

P.M. Dawn - The Cordes Brothers made four albums between 1991-1998 that are an otherworldly blend of soul, hip-hop, Beatlesque pop hooks and psychedelic rock.

This Heat - The great post-punk experimental band.

Steve Wilson - Wilson's main project Porcupine Tree is easily my favorite band. His Blackfield, Bass Communion, solo and I.E.M. projects are nearly as brilliant.

Robert Wyatt - His plaintive tenor is the most evocative voice in music. His fans include Elvis Costello, Paul Weller, Brian Eno, Bjork, Peter Gabriel and Pink Floyd.

The Zombies - Probably my favorite 60's pop band after those other guys. An amazing string of great singles, both A and B sides from 1964-1968.