Depending on who you talk to, The Shaggs were either one of the best bands from the ’60s, or one of the worst bands of all time.

Helen, Betty and Dot Wiggin grew up in Fremont, New Hampshire. They had no interest in music, no natural talent for music, and in the late ’60s, their father forced them to drop out of school and start a rock band. In their living room. And then he forced them to record an album.

Decades later, The Shaggs became a cult classic….beloved by the likes of Frank Zappa, Sonic Youth and Kurt Cobain. And the sisters were suddenly in a spotlight they never expected, or desired.

In this show, The New Yorker’s Susan Orlean talks about her reporting on the origins of The Shaggs.

This show was produced for a FANTASTIC series out of KCRW, called Lost Notes. I highly recommend checking it out.

I produced this show with:

Susan Orlean of The New Yorker

Nick White of KCRW

Myke Dodge Weiskopf of KCRW

The present day interview with The Shaggs was by Avishay Artsy