Frank Sidebottom (WireImage | Shirlaine Forrest)
If you weren't in England during the late 1980s and early '90s, you're probably not familiar with Frank Sidebottom classics like "Christmas Is Really Fantastic" or "Born In Timperley." You may never have watched Frank Sidebottom's Fantastic Shed Show, nor seen performances by Frank Sidebottom's Oh Blimey Band.
And even if you know of Frank Sidebottom, you've probably never heard of Chris Sievey, who died of cancer 21 June 2010 at age 54.
Sievey was the creator of Frank Sidebottom, the comedian and aspiring pop-star with the oversized papier-mâché head who performed surreal, annoying Casio-backed tunes mostly about his home town of Timperley, a humble village in Manchester.
Frank Sidebottom originally appeared on a B-side of an EP by The Freshies, Sievey's short-lived punk rock band who had a minor hit with "I'm In Love With The Girl On The Manchester Virgin Megastore Checkout Desk" in 1980. When that band broke up, Sievey recorded an awful version of "Anarchy in the UK" with what would become his signature Casio accompaniment, and then sent it to major record labels with a cover letter that said, "I'm thinking of getting into showbusiness. Do you have any pamphlets?"
A cult favourite and comedic cousin to so-bad-it's-good acts like Neil Hamburger and Andy Kaufman, Frank Sidebottom appeared on charity albums with the likes of Michelle Shocked, Sonic Youth and Billy Bragg.
At the time of his death, Sievey was all but broke, and fans have launched fundraising efforts via Twitter and Facebook in order to cover his funeral expenses.
Here's a clip of Sievey as Sidebottom performing "Christmas Is Really Fantastic."