Friday, June 29, 2007

Fox on the Radio

In my quest to discover the whereabouts of the long-lost Ohio bard Bill Fox -- documented in the June/July music issue of THE BELIEVER magazine -- I happened upon a wonderful interview with Fox by Nic Harcourt on Santa Monica's KCRW. Fox was on tour in 1998 supporting his second album on spinART Records, Transit Byzantium, which is the title of my essay in the magazine. The interview is interspersed with some magical performances and it's a rare window into this mysterious artist, a genuine object of fascination if you happen to be a Fox obsessive.

Click here and listen to it on KCRW's website.

A side note: Fox's CDs from the 1990's are now going for extraordinary sums on Amazon (up to $150 for his first album), but you can still download them on iTunes for a mere $9.99.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Marfa Calling

I'll be giving an interview on public radio station 93.5 FM in Marfa, Texas, on Tuesday, June 26, at 11 a.m. It's about my quest to find the lost singer-songwriter Bill Fox of Cleveland, Ohio, documented in the latest issue of THE BELIEVER magazine. The host is Tom Michael, the program "Talk at Ten."

You can tune in online!

For some beautiful images of the blindingly hip locale of Marfa, Texas, check out the photo stream by my friend Whitney Joiner. Take special note of the David Byrne party pics.

[The interview went swimmingly, so I'll have an mp3 of it up later on this week. Stay tuned.)

Monday, June 18, 2007

John Edwards, Man or Myth



My profile of John Edwards in MEN'S VOGUE magazine is hitting newsstands now and also available on the magazine's website. Here's an excerpt:

When I ask Edwards if there's a side of him the public can't see, he says, mindful of the $400 haircut and the massive estate, "I think less and less so. I think three or four years ago that wouldn't have been true, but I think there's not much of me they don't see now." In other words, that was the real Edwards in Adel, stripped of artifice. It's the point he's continually trying to hammer home in 2007: There is no difference between the message and the man. I ask whether he's overcome the perception of him as a Ken doll. "Probably not 100 percent," he says.


PLUS! Check out my Q&A with Edwards' so-called "rural liason," David "Mudcat" Saunders. There are some amusing expletive-filled audio clips included.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Breaking News


Rosa Yvonne Hagan. Born Saturday, June 9.

Friday, June 01, 2007

Transit Byzantium

I urge you to go out and buy the very special 2007 Music Issue of THE BELIEVER today, which includes a wonderful CD compilation of music plus my story on the singer-songwriter Bill Fox of Cleveland, Ohio. I refer you to the editor's copy:

Why is Bill Fox — one of America’s greatest contemporary songwriters — working in self-imposed exile as a telemarketer in Cleveland?


The article begins on page 7 and is entitled "Transit Byzantium," after Fox's 1998 album on spinART. A beautiful and haunting song by Fox, called "My Baby Crying," is included on the CD, track 14. Often my stories are available on the Web, but as the aforementioned BELIEVER editor notes: "Out of respect for Fox's wishes, this piece will not appear on our website." Very mysterious!

Pick up the June/July issue of THE BELIEVER today. (They've sold out of this issue; if you're desperate for a copy of the story, email me.)

(Meanwhile, Listen to Bill Fox's legendary late 80s band The Mice.)