Biography
Don't Mess With the Power Child
by Irwin Chusid
The "Amanda" recordings have emerged as an unexpected cult sensation on my
WFMU program over the past two years. The chronicles feature Amanda Whitt, a
growling (think Cookie Monster), defiant pre-pubescent with a Southern twang
spewing mayhem over 1980s breakbeats and disted shards of pop hits. On
some tracks Amanda shrieks while clanging pots & pans. The recordings exude
undeniable charm, but there's nothing cute about it. Any sentient adult
witnessing this behavior would commence punitive action or summon law
enforcement.
Power-child Amanda was recorded between 1986-89 at home in Alabama, between
ages 8 and 11, by her older (by 7 or 8 years) brother Joseph (a.k.a. Jody).
Joseph and Amanda were a couple of hyperactive kids pretending to be,
respectively, a music video director and a child star. Most recordings were
captured on cassette, others on video cam, in the lowest of lo-fi. The duo
sometimes enlisted friends in the frolics, and often drove their parents
crazy (with incidents caught on tape). The most durable performances were
titled (e.g., "The Pickle People," "Horrible Hybrid Tulips," "Indian Hoots
Echo Baby," "Me Swinging in Cookieland") and compiled on "albums," whose
design awkwardly replicated the commercial cassette format. Inserts were
pasted up and xeroxed, and collections assigned titles (e.g., Primitive
Swagger, Monumental Whopper Turmoil Jam, Empires and 5th
Dimension Perspective, and Worship Me). The recordings were not
circulated beyond friends.
At age 11, Amanda began to chafe at Jody's stage-brother puppeteering; she
soon discovered boys, and the recording project was abandoned. The tapes
were stored in shoe boxes in Joseph's closet, where they remained for
decades as forgotten adolescent artifacts.
A longtime fan of WFMU and outré sonics, Joseph began to share recordings
with my longtime buddy and DIY legend R.
Stevie Moore. RSM layered electric guitar on one track ("Squaw
Hootenanny") and slipped it on one of his self-released (but typically
underheard) comps, where I discovered it. RSM provided the backstory and
compiled me two CDs of Amanda madness. I instantly fell under the spell of
her playful chaos and, encouraged by jubilant listener reaction, became the
radio portal for Amanda's wider notoriety. I later connected with Joseph,
who provided additional recordings.
Joseph moved to Brooklyn about four years ago; Amanda still lives in Alabama
and manages a BBQ restaurant (part of a family-owned chain). During Amanda's
trip north in July 2009, she and Jody met RSM and me for dinner in
Williamsburg. On a back street brownstone stoop I taped an impromptu
interview, which aired in two parts:
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/32267
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/32359
Amanda's singular appeal is difficult to explain. There's no artifice, and
nothing remotely arty. At their best, the recordings are compelling in a
car-wreck way. At their worst, they're a couple of obnoxious brats with a
cheap tape deck. Yet Amanda's voice conveys elusive qualities with enormous
appeal. Her delivery is brutal, her growl unearthly; yet there's a
transcendent joy in her lack of inhibition. The gal has a repertoire of
shrieks, howls, swoops and pet phrases. Most of my listeners find the
recordings diverting and entertaining. A few strongly dissent‹one to the
point of suicidal threats. You either get it or you don't.[sample lyrics]"WORSHIP ME"Worship meI am CookieYou must worship meBow before MeMeI am your idolI am the goddess of cookieYou will worship meChant before me butt-slaveCome to me at the temple of MeMeWorship meYou must worship meDon't mess with the power childI control you
by Irwin Chusid
The "Amanda" recordings have emerged as an unexpected cult sensation on my
WFMU program over the past two years. The chronicles feature Amanda Whitt, a
growling (think Cookie Monster), defiant pre-pubescent with a Southern twang
spewing mayhem over 1980s breakbeats and disted shards of pop hits. On
some tracks Amanda shrieks while clanging pots & pans. The recordings exude
undeniable charm, but there's nothing cute about it. Any sentient adult
witnessing this behavior would commence punitive action or summon law
enforcement.
Power-child Amanda was recorded between 1986-89 at home in Alabama, between
ages 8 and 11, by her older (by 7 or 8 years) brother Joseph (a.k.a. Jody).
Joseph and Amanda were a couple of hyperactive kids pretending to be,
respectively, a music video director and a child star. Most recordings were
captured on cassette, others on video cam, in the lowest of lo-fi. The duo
sometimes enlisted friends in the frolics, and often drove their parents
crazy (with incidents caught on tape). The most durable performances were
titled (e.g., "The Pickle People," "Horrible Hybrid Tulips," "Indian Hoots
Echo Baby," "Me Swinging in Cookieland") and compiled on "albums," whose
design awkwardly replicated the commercial cassette format. Inserts were
pasted up and xeroxed, and collections assigned titles (e.g., Primitive
Swagger, Monumental Whopper Turmoil Jam, Empires and 5th
Dimension Perspective, and Worship Me). The recordings were not
circulated beyond friends.
At age 11, Amanda began to chafe at Jody's stage-brother puppeteering; she
soon discovered boys, and the recording project was abandoned. The tapes
were stored in shoe boxes in Joseph's closet, where they remained for
decades as forgotten adolescent artifacts.
A longtime fan of WFMU and outré sonics, Joseph began to share recordings
with my longtime buddy and DIY legend R.
Stevie Moore. RSM layered electric guitar on one track ("Squaw
Hootenanny") and slipped it on one of his self-released (but typically
underheard) comps, where I discovered it. RSM provided the backstory and
compiled me two CDs of Amanda madness. I instantly fell under the spell of
her playful chaos and, encouraged by jubilant listener reaction, became the
radio portal for Amanda's wider notoriety. I later connected with Joseph,
who provided additional recordings.
Joseph moved to Brooklyn about four years ago; Amanda still lives in Alabama
and manages a BBQ restaurant (part of a family-owned chain). During Amanda's
trip north in July 2009, she and Jody met RSM and me for dinner in
Williamsburg. On a back street brownstone stoop I taped an impromptu
interview, which aired in two parts:
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/32267
http://wfmu.org/playlists/shows/32359
Amanda's singular appeal is difficult to explain. There's no artifice, and
nothing remotely arty. At their best, the recordings are compelling in a
car-wreck way. At their worst, they're a couple of obnoxious brats with a
cheap tape deck. Yet Amanda's voice conveys elusive qualities with enormous
appeal. Her delivery is brutal, her growl unearthly; yet there's a
transcendent joy in her lack of inhibition. The gal has a repertoire of
shrieks, howls, swoops and pet phrases. Most of my listeners find the
recordings diverting and entertaining. A few strongly dissent‹one to the
point of suicidal threats. You either get it or you don't.[sample lyrics]"WORSHIP ME"Worship meI am CookieYou must worship meBow before MeMeI am your idolI am the goddess of cookieYou will worship meChant before me butt-slaveCome to me at the temple of MeMeWorship meYou must worship meDon't mess with the power childI control you
