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Five Things: Jim White On Guitars, Bicycles, And Magical Puppets

Alex Wright

This week's guest on Five Things has led a few different lives before he settled on his current one -- but who knows how long that'll last?

Jim White is an artist, a musician, and a writer with a Southern sensibility but a viewpoint all his own. His first record deal was on Luaka Bop -- David Byrne's record label -- and he was the subject of the 2004 documentary film "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus." He won the prestigious Pushcart Prize for short fiction in 2014. And, full disclosure, he's also a friend of my family.

My husband, Alex Wright, is a musician who opened for Jim White here in Louisville a few years back. They hit it off and Jim offered to produce Alex's next record. What followed were several long work sessions at our house, each lasting several days, in which Alex and Jim would work in the basement studio for hours at time. They would only emerge for meals, at which Jim would regale us all with stories. Long stories. Winding, meandering, nearly unbelievable stories that he insists are all true (and I believe him).

Being a dedicated flea market picker, Jim understands the true value of objects better than many people. I knew he'd be a great guest for Five Things, and I was delighted when he agreed to record this conversation with me recently, in the same basement studio he knows so well.

Listen to an excerpt in the player above. You can subscribe to Five Things wherever you get your podcasts.

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