50 Skidillion Watts

50 Skidillion Watts was an American independent record-label imprint associated primarily with brothers David Fair and Jad Fair, members of the experimental punk group Half Japanese. The label's name also appeared in an exaggerated long-form variant, “50,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 Watts Records,” reflecting the deliberately comic and nonstandard character of the term “skidillion.” The number of zeroes used in the name varied between releases, reinforcing the label's informal, underground identity rather than expressing a fixed numerical meaning. The imprint was established to issue recordings made by Half Japanese in the late 1970s, when the group operated in an intensely independent and do-it-yourself context. Its catalog was connected to the Fair brothers' early work and helped provide a vehicle for music that sat outside conventional commercial rock distribution. Rather than functioning as a large-scale label with a broad corporate roster, 50 Skidillion Watts served as a personal and experimental publishing platform for the brothers and their immediate musical network. Following an agreement with the British independent label Armageddon, the 50 Skidillion Watts name was reportedly set aside. It was not used again for a period, and the label's original activity came to an end. The imprint later returned after Half Japanese's subsequent Iridescent label collapsed in the mid-1980s. Penn Jillette, a prominent Half Japanese admirer, helped revive the label. Accounts have suggested that money connected with Jillette's appearance on the television series Miami Vice may have supported the relaunch, although that point is presented as a claim rather than a firmly documented financial fact. The revived label appears to have had a short and difficult operating life. Speculation has linked its discontinuation to an unfavorable distribution arrangement with Dutch East India Trading, after which the Fair brothers reportedly stopped issuing new records and reissues under the 50 Skidillion Watts name. The label's historical significance therefore lies less in its scale than in its role within the American underground and experimental music scenes. Its releases are associated with Half Japanese and with a small circle of related artists, including Maureen “Moe” Tucker, Happy Family, Bongos, Bass & Bob, Coo Coo Rocking Time, and the collaboration between Jad Fair and Daniel Johnston. Although the imprint is no longer active, parts of its catalog have remained available through later reissue activity. Drag City and Jagjaguwar have released reissues of material originally associated with 50 Skidillion Watts, allowing the label's recordings to circulate beyond its brief original operating periods. No current standalone website, corporate structure, public listing, or continuing release program is documented in the supplied sources.

50 Skidillion Watts originated as a release imprint for Half Japanese, the experimental punk band formed around brothers David and Jad Fair. The label was used for the group's first albums, recorded in the late 1970s, during a period when independent musicians commonly relied on self-released records, small distribution networks, and personal labels to reach listeners. Its intentionally absurd name, sometimes expanded into an extremely long string of zeroes, suited the band's unconventional aesthetic and did not represent a standardized number. The imprint's first phase ended after the Fairs reached an arrangement with the British independent label Armageddon. Following that deal, the 50 Skidillion Watts name disappeared from use. The label was later revived after the collapse of Iridescent, another label associated with Half Japanese, sometime in the mid-1980s. Penn Jillette, who was known as an enthusiastic Half Japanese fan, assisted the revival. Some accounts connect the relaunch to income from Jillette's television appearance on Miami Vice, but the available account treats this as an unverified claim rather than an established financial record. The second phase of the imprint was also brief. Speculation has attributed its limited lifespan partly to a difficult distribution relationship with Dutch East India Trading. After that experience, the Fair brothers reportedly stopped releasing or reissuing albums under the 50 Skidillion Watts name. The label's associated roster included Half Japanese and several artists or projects from the broader underground music community, among them Maureen “Moe” Tucker, Happy Family, Bongos, Bass & Bob, Coo Coo Rocking Time, and the Jad Fair–Daniel Johnston collaboration. The imprint's catalog subsequently acquired a life beyond the label itself. Reissues of recordings originally released through 50 Skidillion Watts have appeared via Drag City and Jagjaguwar. These later releases helped preserve the label's connection to the American underground, experimental rock, and outsider-music traditions. The label is now inactive and has no documented current operating structure, website, public-market status, or regular release program.

• Formation as a Half Japanese release imprint

  [1]50 Skidillion Wattsen.wikipedia.org

  David and Jad Fair used 50 Skidillion Watts to release Half Japanese's first albums recorded in the late 1970s.

• Armageddon agreement and suspension

  [1]50 Skidillion Wattsen.wikipedia.org

  After an arrangement with the British independent label Armageddon, the imprint was no longer used for a period.

• Revival after the Iridescent collapse

  [1]50 Skidillion Wattsen.wikipedia.org

  The label was revived sometime in the mid-1980s after the collapse of Half Japanese's Iridescent label, with assistance attributed to Penn Jillette.

• Later catalog reissues

  [1]50 Skidillion Wattsen.wikipedia.org

  Drag City and Jagjaguwar later issued reprints of recordings associated with the imprint.

A short-lived, artist-led underground record label imprint focused on experimental punk, outsider music, and recordings connected to Half Japanese.

• Recorded music

  Half Japanese early albums

  The label's central output was the early recorded work of Half Japanese, the experimental punk group associated with brothers David and Jad Fair. These releases established the imprint's identity as a personal, independent platform for unconventional rock music made outside mainstream label structures.

• Recorded music

  Associated underground releases

  The label's documented roster also included projects involving Maureen “Moe” Tucker, Happy Family, Bongos, Bass & Bob, Coo Coo Rocking Time, and Jad Fair with Daniel Johnston. These associations place the imprint within a wider experimental and outsider-music community, although the supplied material does not specify a complete discography or release chronology.

• Revival after the collapse of IridescentStrategy

  Background

  The Fair brothers' other label, Iridescent, had collapsed, leaving a need for an alternative imprint for related releases.

  Action taken

  50 Skidillion Watts was brought back into use, reportedly with assistance from Penn Jillette.

  Aftermath

  The revival was short-lived, and the label later stopped issuing new records or reissues under its name.

  Source

• End of releases under the imprintStrategy

  Background

  The label was reportedly involved in a difficult distribution arrangement with Dutch East India Trading.

  Action taken

  The Fair brothers ceased releasing and reissuing albums under the 50 Skidillion Watts name.

  Aftermath

  Later reissues of associated material were handled by Drag City and Jagjaguwar rather than through an active 50 Skidillion Watts program.

  Source

1. 150 Skidillion Wattsen.wikipedia.org