Thursday, March 5, 2026

freakboy muses music: ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Congo Norvell

Every so often I look back at the crazy films and trashy novels I’ve experienced over the last few years and check to see how readily available they are for others to find.  When I recently did a search for the book ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Stella Gray, I noticed there were a couple of copies floating around out there.  I also noticed an audio CD with the same provocative title and cover. 
The CD of Abnormals anonymous by Congo Norvell shows a man wearing a skirt while knitting and a blond woman wearing a tight sweater, and slacks while smoking a cigar.
My first thought was, “Is it an audiobook?”  Then I noticed “by Congo Norvell” and knew I was wrong.  So, I investigated and discovered the CD is an album of music released in 1997 through the New York City-based Jetset Records.  Further investigation turned up only a few tracks posted on YouTube.  I listened to “Johnny in the Boudoir” and immediately ordered a copy from eBay.
Track listing for Abnormals anonymous by Congo Norvell. 1 she’s like heroin to me. 2 Brother Jack. 3 the blue sky 4 Dark eyes. 5 Johnny in the Boudoir 6 Candy 7 Body and soul 8 warm tonight 9 The Last Word/Jack’s Back 10 Good 11 Zhivago’s Lament
The music thrusts you into a seedy dive-bar on the outskirts of town, populated by the night people, the kind of folk inhabiting the fringes of so-called acceptable society.  They will lead you through a den of lurid sex and sex-drenched violence, where obsession and lust reign hand-in-hand with loneliness and heartache.  In other words, this is the perfect soundtrack to trashy pulp novels.
Back cover of the CD of Abnormals anonymous by Congo Norvell with text that reads… ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS In each of these masterpieces of realistic fiction you'll meet people whose lives were violently wrenched from the conventional pattern: Wives with too much time on their hands... husbands with other men on their minds... sensible women suddenly gone native in the Congo…. young girls growing old too fast. "Don't turn on the light. If she looks this way and sees us sitting in the window, she'll draw the blinds. She's Like Heroin to Me," Prissy said. When pretty Sally found herself stranded in the neon drenched streets of New York City, the reckless Bugsy Brothers took more than a brotherly interest in the lush blonde's predicament. Brother Jack thought Sally was a virgin, as innocent as The Blue Sky. Money-mad Brian saw her as a choice piece of merchandise, to be bought, used and resold. Cynical Mark sensed Sally was as hip as a beatnik, and meant to prove it before his brothers' Dark Eyes. But it was Johnny in the Boudoir, suave operator of "the hottest club west of Paris", who offered Sally the daring proposition that proved how far a "lost" girl could go. "Gosh, Prissy, I think you're enjoying this Candy as much as I am", Queenie remarked. "Naturlich. Remember, I am a lesbian, Body and Soul. The club hasn't changed me enough to keep me from getting Warm Tonight watching a good looking woman taking off her clothes." "Ja, Ja,", said The Count, getting in The Last Word with his last breath, "Das ist sehr gut. Or as you Americans say, Good. ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS. An unforgettable journey through the underworld of human emotions.
The liner notes list a few people as vocals, but this is  Sally Norvell’s show.  Her voice shifts from torch song lounge singer to a sultry, smoky-voiced temptress to an alt-pop diva.  Wherever the music styles take her, Sally is ready to follow.  
Close up of blon woman in a tight sweater holding a cigar with text that reads, Sally Norvell Vocals. Kid Congo Powers Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Vocals. Jim Sclavunos Drums, Percussion, Vocals, Saxophone. Brian Emrich Fretless Bass and Theremin. Paul Wallfisch Piano, Organ, Toy Piano. Liz Corcoran Violin and Viola. Mark Eitzel Vocals.
My 3 favorite tracks, in no particular order… 

“Candy” 
An experienced woman is looking for young fresh meat to “go under, down in the gutter and taste the seawater.”  I enjoy the uncomfortable desires pulsating underneath, just like the tone of a trashy novel. 

“She’s Like Heroin to Me.” 
There’s a woman at the top of the stairs who gets under your skin and “cannot miss a vein,” no matter your gender.  A slow lusty burn of crippling obsession at its pulpy best!  

“Johnny in the Boudoir” 
The title says it all.  A man named Johnny meets up for an illicit tryst, but his lover has other plans.  “She was only playin' a part. Just a step away from the straightjacket today. Angora sweater, naughty-clean. Felt like killing, felt like sixteen.”  Johnny’s dead and the mention of an Angora sweater must be a knowing wink to Edward D. Wood, Jr.  Was Johnny’s lover a cross-dressing assassin right out of one of Wood’s novels?  It’s up for the listener to decide, but I think so. 
In conclusion… 
Moody, intriguing, and slyly amusing, this album isn’t for everyone, but it is for anyone with an open mind.  I think I would’ve enjoyed the songs if I had experienced them back in 1997, but I probably appreciate them more now.  So, if you like a little tawdry in your tunes, then ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Congo Norvell may be the seedy CD for you! 
CD of Abnormals anonymous by Congo Norvell from Jetset records
Freak Out, 
JLH 

P.S.  click the pic for my thoughts on the novel of the same name… 
The book ABNORMALS ANONYMOUS by Stella Gray shows a man wearing a skirt while knitting and a blond woman wearing a tight sweater, and slacks while smoking a cigar.
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My books have been called tawdry…
📚 

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