Just a thought, would Scoot's music pass for the outsider music tag?
I'll check him out on my completely arbitrary Outsider Music Checklist:
1. Created wholly outside the recording industry, without benefit of any record company involvement? PASS
2. Records all or most of his music outside of a professional studio? PASS
3. Would be considered, upon first listen, to be disturbing, unprofessional, poorly recorded, and/or just plain unlistenable to the typical person? PASS
4. Performer frequently performs solo, or records multiple instruments and overdubs them? PASS
5. Music makes seemingly irrelevant or nonsensical reference to current events, pop culture, celebrities, or corporations? PASS
6. Music sounds anachronistic or does not resemble any current strain of music? PASS
7. Distributes his own music? PASS
8. Has been diagnosed with schizophrenia? UNKNOWN
9. Is in late middle age or old age: PASS
10. Has delusions of grandeur? PASS
11. Relentlessly self promotes? PASS
12. Has listening preferences deeply at odds with present trends? PASS
13. Has received little or no press attention whatsoever? PASS
14. Has developed a substantial underground cult following? NOT IN A GOOD WAY
15. Receives little to no remuneration or income for his music? PASS
16. Possesses little or no self-awareness, ego, or self-consciousness? PASS AND FAIL
17. Music is considered primitive art? FAIL
18. Acid casualty? UNKNOWN, DOES NOT SEEM LIKELY
19. Savant? FAIL
20. Extremely religious? FAIL
I'll give him 13.5/20 which sounds like
it should qualify, but two caveats are the deal-breakers.
While his music is stupid and obsessive and fits most of the criteria above, he lacks in the most important category: there is scant evidence (beyond Scoot himself) that he has any kind of underground cult following outside of Stereo Central. Wesley Wills and Daniel Johnston had acolytes and proselytizers, which Scoot lacks. This alone sinks his ship. However, sometimes outsiders gain a cult posthumously. Since shit stays on the internet forever, maybe some Outsider Music geeks of the 22nd century will discover the trove, think it is hilariously bad, and Scoot achieves immortality (among outsider music geeks only)
I also fail him for being self-aware and having an outsized ego. He is also self-unaware and clueless, but it is the lack of detectable ego that gives outsider music its charm. Scoot's ego intrudes on his music, which makes it impossible to see it as a pure and innocent endeavor, like the best outsider music is.
So no, I don't feel comfortable bestowing that crown upon him, and I also think it would be an affront to Wesley Willis (rip).
I would just call his music "Bullshit Music"
However, the posthumous cult thing can not be ruled out yet.