One of my favourite records at the moment is Howling Willie Cunt’s ‘World of Filth‘.
A few years ago I discovered that I have a slightly embarrassing love of songs with unashamedly crude lyrics. While Judge Dread was my rude lyricist of choice for some time, he’s since been replaced by Howling Willie – actually an alias of this rock genius, although he’s never officially admitted it.
‘World of Filth’ contains such inappropriately-named tracks as ‘Say It With Herpes’, ‘Homosexual Punchbag In A Wheelchair’ and ‘Cunts on Roads’. Although I’ve never found myself laughing out loud while listening to the record, the combination of offensive lyrics and jangly country music normally succeeds in bringing a smile to my face.
Not knowing much about country music, it took me a while to realise that the tracks on ‘World of Filth’ are not original. Most (if not all) are re-tellings of existing standards:
e.g.
Then there’s ‘Caffeine Bomb‘, a vast improvement on the Wildhearts original, while ‘Country Boy‘ is a glorious pastiche with echoes of everything from The Magnificent Seven to Guns N’ Roses.
The genius of this record, then, lies not in the music. I don’t really think it lies in the words, either, which are silly but not clever. The brilliance of ‘World of Filth’ is the delivery, the way things are done.