Songwriter Stephin Merritt is known as “the Cole Porter of his generation” for his unusual melodies, lovelorn lyrics and dry wit. But he’s also notoriously known as the most miserable man in rock music.
Today we’re talking to our good friend, filmmaker Kerthy Fix on her new documentary- “Strange Powers: Stephen Merit and the Magnetic Fields.”
The film primarily explores the long term friendship between Stephin Merrit and his band mate Claudia Gonson and gives us a never before seen look at the songwriter’s complex personal life. We’re also given an intimate look at the song making process for the band which has one of the most dedicated followings in popular music.
Listen as we chat with Kerthy on the ten years spent making the film, the overblown zip-a-dee-doo-dah controversy and what love song she thinks best represents the eccentric musician.
And we go even further back to Kerthy’s own early years as a performance artist, using the power of theater to cope with grief and the incredible origins of Pussilla, her superhero alter ego with the really strong you-know-what.
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Comments
I can get behind the designation of Stephin Merritt as the “Cole Porter of his generation”, but only if, like Cole Porter, he never or rarely sings his own songs. Seriously the only vocalist more unpleasant to listen to is Tom Waits. I find Stephin’s song structure, lyrics, and melodies to be truly wonderful, but his singing and the arrangements and instrumentation are just such a drag. It has long frustrated me. I do really admire him but only as a songwriter.
I would love for his songs to really be turned over singers with only minimal participation from Merritt. I find even the versions sung by the Sixths to retain too much of his own vocal/instrumental style. I think it would be amazing to hear these songs delivered in completely different vocal deliveries from singers with beautiful voices.