Wednesday May 10, 2017

Father John Misty reads all your think pieces but he's not going to address your perception of him

Father John Misty in the q studios in Toronto, Ont. (Cathy Irving/CBC)

"I'm not going to wage war on the media, in the media," says Josh Tillman, better known as Father John Misty. The musician is well aware of all the think pieces that have been written about him over the past few years, speculating on his authenticity, his sincerity and generally whether or not he's a good person. To that, he says: "That's just goofy."

Just like his persona, Father John Misty's latest album, Pure Comedy (out now), has also become subject to dissection with many zeroing in on its statements on social media and its influence on us. But for Tillman, that wasn't the point.

"The point is catharsis, the point is to provide atmosphere wherein people can address these emotions, these feelings of loneliness and these feelings of confusion," he clarifies. It's highly reflective of the lonely state he was in when he wrote those songs, where he described his state as "robotic." He adds that, ultimately, this album "illustrates my own sadness."