Flabby Hoffman “Coup De Ta-Ta’s”

(flabbyhoffman.com) Flabby Hoffman, for more years than I can recall, helmed one of the most eccentric, oddball, offensive-to-conservative-sensibilities public access shows in Chicago, and his rock n roll performances involve masks, comedy, and game show prizes. He should qualify as a novelty artist and an outsider musician, but there’s one hitch. His music, presented here in an epic helping of 4 hours on three discs, is sincere, exquisitely produced, catchy, thoughtful classic rock. The only thing outsider about it is that it ignores trends, so it’s more timeless than hip. And also that it’s packaged with Flabby’s signature bizarre, filthy illustrations (as featured in video segments on his access shows). The cover art is him in a bikini with giant boobs giving first aid to a bloody Statue of Liberty, and inner art includes drawings of a fat mermaid eating fast food, a stoned Ronald McDonald, and a poop cartoon titled “Bridget Jones Diarrhea.” Thus, he will remain on “the outside,” due to sensibilities, politics, and weirdo-ness, but as far as making un-self-aware music, this is about as outsider-ish as late Beatles.