Jandek is American musician Sterling Richard Smith (born 26 October 1945 in… Read Full Bio ↴Jandek is American musician Sterling Richard Smith (born 26 October 1945 in Houston, Texas). Since 1978, he has self-released more than 70 albums of unusual, often emotionally dissolute folk and blues songs.

Jandek plays a very strange and frequently atonal form of folk and blues music, often using an open and unconventional chord structure. Jandek's music is unique, but his lyrics closely mirror the country blues and folk traditions of Eastern Texas.

Barely a handful of people claim to have contacted Jandek, whose steadfastness in anonymity is legendary. Without any conventional attempts at promotion, he releases albums through his own record label Corwood Industries, which is addressed at a Houston post office box. Fans can write to Corwood for a typewritten catalogue and order Jandek’s albums, usually at inexpensive prices. Jandek’s work has been available on vinyl and on compact discs. Many of his albums feature pictures of the same young man (seen above) at various ages; in light of Jandek's live performances it is almost entirely certain that the person featured on the album covers is Jandek himself.

Jandek’s first album, Ready for the House (1978), was first accredited to a band called “The Units” but it was obviously a solo work. Jandek presumably plays acoustic guitar and has recorded much of his work apparently unaccompanied (assuming that the person singing is also the person playing guitar). However many other songs feature female vocals and/or different male vocalists. Others feature bass guitar, electric guitar and/or drums, presumably played by collaborators. No proper credits list has ever appeared on an album, but song titles have included "Nancy Sings" and "John Plays Drums".

Some of Jandek’s allure stems from his small but devoted fan base which has included Sonic Youth frontman Thurston Moore, Kurt Cobain, Indian Jewelry, and K Records founder Calvin Johnson.

The mystery of Jandek's identity was partially resolved in October 2004 when Jandek performed live in Scotland, at the Instal 04 music festival in Glasgow. This was Jandek's first known live appearance and performed with Richard Youngs (bass) and Alex Neilson (drums). The man on stage was obviously the same man who appears on the album covers. Corwood stipulated that the performance was not publicized in advance. Since then, "The Representative of Corwood Industries" (as Jandek sometimes insists on being called) has played a lot of concerts and recorded all of them for future releases. The last years have seen an even higher release frequency, even for Jandek.

For more information, you may go here:
www.tisue.net/jandek
www.jandekoncorwood.com

Work Of Art
Jandek Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

The ain't no doubt about that
It's a work of art
My boy it's a mystery
Turns all around

It moves like a cloudy day
There ain't no doubt about that
It's a work of art

It sorts itself out

It exists
Can wrap around the world
One could look at it
And in the world
It's a mystery

It tries to look
Look at it too

There ain't no doubt about it
It's a work of art

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Jandek's "Work of Art" are somewhat puzzling at first glance, as they appear to be describing an intangible and mysterious concept. The repeated refrain of "There ain't no doubt about that / It's a work of art" serves to emphasize just how significant this concept is, despite its elusiveness.

One interpretation of the song could be that it is about something abstract and complex, like the creative process or the human mind. The reference to something that "sorts itself out" suggests that while this concept may initially seem chaotic or confusing, it eventually falls into place and reveals itself as something meaningful and deliberate.

The line "It exists / Can wrap around the world" is particularly intriguing, as it suggests that whatever this "work of art" is, it has a global impact and may be something that connects people across different cultures and experiences.

Overall, "Work of Art" is a thought-provoking and enigmatic song that invites the listener to consider the many mysteries of life and creativity.

Line by Line Meaning

The ain't no doubt about that
This is a fact that cannot be disputed

It's a work of art
The subject being discussed is a masterpiece

My boy it's a mystery
The subject is enigmatic and difficult to understand

Turns all around
The subject is constantly changing and evolving

It moves like a cloudy day
The subject moves in a fluid and unpredictable manner

There ain't no doubt about that
This is an undeniable truth

It sorts itself out
The subject has a way of resolving itself

It exists
The subject is real and tangible

Can wrap around the world
The subject has a far-reaching impact

One could look at it
The subject can be observed