Stephin Merritt Goes Backstage With Other Music

These days live video is all the rage (well, that and nostalgia, repetitious festivals, and getting too excited about things that don't deserve it because you want to be "first"). But yeah, from Take-Aways to Black Cabs to P4K.tv, we have a variety of ways to see the people we like (or couldn't give two shits about) doing their thing(s) on screens of various sizes. It's often not worth the cheap digital video (or VHS or Super 8) it's recorded on, but from time to time it can offer new entryways into a well-worn composition. For instance, in a performance of Distortion standout "The Nun's Litany" backstage at Town Hall from this past winter, we see Stephin Merritt's handwritten lyrics for the "list song" -- it offers an archival feeling, in turn making the song feel like some sort of personal manuscript/notation. Fittingly, the spare recording allows us to listen to those words more closely than on the original. Merritt also talks about his bouzouki, which is more the kind of thing you'd expect to happen backstage.

"The Nun's Litany"

"This Little Ukulele"

"This Little Ukulele" is from his soundtrack for Eban And Charley. You can read more about the performance at Other Music's site.

Posted at 5:55 PM by brandon in Video
Tags: Stephin Merritt | The Magnetic Fields

7 Comments

one time i pooped in stephin merritt's mouth

Posted by: phil at 07/29/08 6:54 PM  | Reply
Score = -5

so, brando: speaking of the "live videos" (and, tangentially, portland-- from our jaguar love fact-checking), you should check out lost gospel. it's pretty much like a take-away-show meets an actual live show. white fang and starfucker (both of whom i believe were in the now-infamous MTV/portland love-fest) have both done them. you know, we should find a way to exchange e-mail addresses so i don't have to do this so publicly. haha.

and before i go off the subject at hand too much: this version of "the nun's litany" is pretty incredible.

Posted by: douglas martin at 07/29/08 7:43 PM  | Reply
Score = 0

I'll check this out, Douglas -- thanks. Pass me your email address in code.

Posted by: brandon  in reply to douglas martin's comment at 07/30/08 1:32 PM  | Reply
Score = 0

(i tried this earlier, but i'm not sure if it posted: douglas martin 49 (no underscores, or [duh] spaces) [at] "gee-mail" dot com.

cool.

Posted by: douglas martin  in reply to brandon's comment at 07/31/08 5:22 AM  | Reply
Score = 0

other music is racist for recording a live performance by stephin merritt.

Posted by: wsl maxima at 07/29/08 10:53 PM  | Reply
Score = -3

Hell, Stereogum is racist for even reporting Stephin Merritt news.

Posted by: chase at 07/30/08 12:05 AM  | Reply
Score = -3

Serious props for getting a good interview from Stephin. Almost all the interviewers this year have seriously blown it.

Posted by: Grand at 07/30/08 3:19 AM  | Reply
Score = 0