Dylan, Bazan, Sixpence, Over the Rhine, and Rundman make the New York Times!
I've been keeping a lid on something these past few months, just to be sure it was gonna work out, but now I'm very pleased to go public with some very exciting and affirming news: One of my songs is quoted in an excellent new book, AND the author has been very supportive of my work, giving me some props in a piece he prepared for the New York Times!
First of all, writer Daniel Radosh emailed me today to let me know that he was asked by the Times for a submission for their "Living With Music" playlist (songs offered up by authors or other literary-world folks), AND that he included me (and my song "My Apology") in his list entitled "10 Great Christian Rock Songs. Really." CLICK HERE to read Daniel's list. It sure is nice to get such hefty press along with folks like Over the Rhine, Vigilantes of Love, Pedro the Lion, and pioneers like Larry Norman, and uh, Bob Dylan!
So, who's this Radosh guy anyway? He's a journalist from Brooklyn who writes for The New Yorker magazine, as well as many other publications, and who has just released a new book (published by Simon & Schuster) called Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture.
When he was writing the book,and immersing himself in the deep and weird universe of American Christian media and marketing he came upon my song "Xian Bookstore," which tackles the same issues with a similarly truthful yet snidely tone. Radosh emailed me last Fall to ask permission to quote my song in his book, and I was happy to oblige.
The book came out last Tuesday, and when I was on tour in Milwaukee, I went to Borders to look for it. They had three copies on the shelves, so I giddily bought one, and dug into it a bit in between gigging and driving. I'm only a third of the way through it, but the book is insightful and hysterical and sobering.
Here's a link to Daniel Radosh's blog, detailing his adventures with the new book, and currently offering audio samples of all the songs mentioned in his "10 Great Christian Rock Songs. Really" list.
I guess here's the nerd in me coming through: of course I love an appreciative audience when I perform a concert, and I love to know that normal people enjoy my recorded music in their everyday life, and it's amazing on the rare occasion I get to hear my music on the radio or in other broadcast media, BUT for me there's nothing so thrilling as reading a music review about myself in the press. Maybe 'cause I've enjoyed rock journalism so much ever since high school, and have been enlightened so many great artists thanks to the printed words of music writers. Big thanks to Daniel for the kind words, and for engaging such a strange topic with class and openness and fun.
First of all, writer Daniel Radosh emailed me today to let me know that he was asked by the Times for a submission for their "Living With Music" playlist (songs offered up by authors or other literary-world folks), AND that he included me (and my song "My Apology") in his list entitled "10 Great Christian Rock Songs. Really." CLICK HERE to read Daniel's list. It sure is nice to get such hefty press along with folks like Over the Rhine, Vigilantes of Love, Pedro the Lion, and pioneers like Larry Norman, and uh, Bob Dylan!
So, who's this Radosh guy anyway? He's a journalist from Brooklyn who writes for The New Yorker magazine, as well as many other publications, and who has just released a new book (published by Simon & Schuster) called Rapture Ready: Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture.When he was writing the book,and immersing himself in the deep and weird universe of American Christian media and marketing he came upon my song "Xian Bookstore," which tackles the same issues with a similarly truthful yet snidely tone. Radosh emailed me last Fall to ask permission to quote my song in his book, and I was happy to oblige.
The book came out last Tuesday, and when I was on tour in Milwaukee, I went to Borders to look for it. They had three copies on the shelves, so I giddily bought one, and dug into it a bit in between gigging and driving. I'm only a third of the way through it, but the book is insightful and hysterical and sobering.
Here's a link to Daniel Radosh's blog, detailing his adventures with the new book, and currently offering audio samples of all the songs mentioned in his "10 Great Christian Rock Songs. Really" list.
I guess here's the nerd in me coming through: of course I love an appreciative audience when I perform a concert, and I love to know that normal people enjoy my recorded music in their everyday life, and it's amazing on the rare occasion I get to hear my music on the radio or in other broadcast media, BUT for me there's nothing so thrilling as reading a music review about myself in the press. Maybe 'cause I've enjoyed rock journalism so much ever since high school, and have been enlightened so many great artists thanks to the printed words of music writers. Big thanks to Daniel for the kind words, and for engaging such a strange topic with class and openness and fun.
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