I wish some junebug would have brought Mark Linkous some luck on some March afternoon with the sun and moon. But as it was, "some sorry Captain Howdy, scattered his bones for the lambs" and we are a little more softer in the soul, quite devasted by his early exit in life. Linkous aka Sparklehorse was one of the most influential and truly gifted storytellers of the low-fi indie rock movement of the late 1990s. His ability to paint a crippled Southern landscape into a twisted yet undeniably beautiful world is beyond words. Linkous spoke to me on his second album, "Good Morning Spider," which echoes a bit of his own trouble mind and tortured soul after touring with Radiohead on his record, "Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot." On the upbeat rocker, Chaos of the Galaxy/Happy Man, he screams "All I Want is to be a Happy Man" and we certainly do to. Beneath the crackling effects and acoustical guitars on the sad song, "Hey, Joe," Linkous professes "There's a Heaven, And There's A Star for You." Yes there is, and we thank you so much for your special gift and we celebrate your wonderful life. By the way, Mark, we are "Sick of Goodbyes" and we feel the "Painbirds," but we can't forget the ghost of your smile. Please feel free to share your most intimate Sparklehorse moments, as we would love to hear your thoughts on one of our most treasured artists.
I was a huge Radiohead fan and bought a Sparklehorse album because of the tour they shared previously. That album was , and it was arguably the one album I had been preparing for my whole life. It inspired me to become a songwriter. Now, after more than 100 of my own songs and 6 records and countless hours listening to all of Linkous's records and how he recorded, I feel like I have lost my mentor. Andrew Apple, the Appleseeds
Posted by: Anrew Apple | 03/12/2010 at 04:39 PM