With me on this episode of Writers at Work is Kristin Hersh, songwriter, musician, and author. You may know Kristin from her band Throwing Muses that released its debut EP in 1986 and its most recent album last year, or from 50 Foot Wave, her trio that's released albums and EPs periodically since 2005.
She's also released about a dozen solo albums, including the new Sugar on Blackstone. It's one of the best recordings I've heard this year, and it serves as a reminder that Kristin writes distinctive songs in a voice unlike any other contemporary composer.
As I mentioned, Kristin is also an author. Her 2010 RAT GIRL is considered one of rock's finest memoirs. Her 2015 book, DON'T SUCK, DON'T DIE: GIVING UP VIC CHESNUTT, explores her friendship with the singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt, who died in 2011. On several occasions, Kristin has written prose pieces to accompany her recordings, and she wrote and illustrated TOBY SNAX, a book for young kids.
Born in Atlanta, raised in Newport, Rhode Island, Kristin formed Throwing Muses in high school. When she was 16, she was struck by a car, suffering a brain injury that altered her relationship with sound and influenced her earliest compositions. She's been frank in discussing in song and prose her mental condition, having been diagnosed with a number of disorders over the years.
Following a Throwing Muses tour this spring, Kristin just began a lengthy tour of the UK, Europe, and Australia in support of Sugar and Blackstone. I'm grateful she could find the time to speak with me.
