Welcome to RedEye’s “Song of the Day,” an ongoing feature where music reporter Josh Terry or another RedEye staff member highlights something they’re listening to. Some days the track will be new, and some days it will be old. No matter what, each offering is something you should check out. Check back every weekday for a new song and subscribe to the Spotify playlist below.
Father John Misty, the hilarious persona of singer-songwriter Josh Tillman, has a rollicking single of his 2012 debut “Fear Fun” called “I’m Writing A Novel.” It opens up with a stanza that’ll make anyone chuckle: ”I ran down the road, pants down to my knees/Screaming ‘please come help me, that Canadian shaman gave a little too much to me!”/And I’m writing a novel because it’s never been done before.’ Knowing that Tillman actually wrote a novel as a companion piece to “Fear Fun” makes those lines so much more funny. As a song, it’s got such an infectious bluesy swagger that it’s tough to pay attention to all the snarky lyrics on first listen.
If the track’s relentless jokey quality comes as a shock to you, it’s good to have some backstory about Tillman himself. Before he assumed his Father John Misty character in 2012, Tillman made intimate and understated folk music under his own name before raising his profile as the drummer for Fleet Foxes. While much of that output is worth a listen, Misty has been the most successful endeavor for Tillman: a gonzo Americana bard, addled by psychedelics, world-weariness and a tongue planted at all times in his cheek. It was a larger than life creation and with his masterful 2015 album “I Love You, Honeybear,” an unflinching and gorgeous look at love and love songs, there haven’t been many eyes on Tillman until now.
Along with that record, Tillman’s been making headlines not just for his music but for his satirical takes on the music industry and celebrity as the self-deprecating “I’m Writing A Novel” suggests. Before “Honeybear” was released this February, he made a fake streaming service to spoof Spotify. At Lollapalooza, he put on an act full of bits about how he’s depressed and lampooning the gaudy condom billboards flying over the festival. Last week, when Ryan Adams released his cover of Taylor Swift’s “1989,” Tillman covered Adams covering Swift in the style of the Velvet Underground. It was as hilarious as it sounds and with him more than sticking to the bit, it was also pitch perfect.
With all his onstage, online and on-record antics, Tillman as Father John Misty has positioned himself as a sort of 2015 Randy Newman. He’s funny, with songs that contain wit that’s somewhere between scathing and biting, and he’s also damn good at making completely accessible music despite its meta lyrical content. Though his 2012 debut “Fear Fun” was goofy, it wasn’t as heady and satirical as its follow-up. However, “I’m Writing A Novel” shows us an early glimpse at what the Father John Misty character would become. Listen below
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