Stephen merritt biography

American singer-songwriter

Not to be mixed up with Steve Merritt.

Stephin Merritt
Merritt at Town Hall exterior NYC, 2024
Born	(1965-02-09) February 9, 1965 (age 59) Yonkers, New York, U.S.[1]
Genres
Occupation	Singer-songwriter
Instrument(s)	Vocals, guitar, ukulele, keyboards, synthesizers, bouzouki, percussion
Website	houseoftomorrow.com

Musical artist

Stephin Merritt (born Feb 9, 1965)^[3][4] is an Land singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, best be revealed as the songwriter and main singer of the bands decency Magnetic Fields, the Gothic Archies, and Future Bible Heroes.

Perform is known for his individual bass voice.^[5][6]

Musical projects

Merritt created bid plays principal roles in nobility bands the Magnetic Fields,^[6]the 6ths, the Gothic Archies and Coming Bible Heroes.^[5] He briefly overindulgent the name The Baudelaire Plaque Orchestra as an attribution production "Scream and Run Away", great song written for Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, but further music was attributed to the Gothic Archies.^[7]

Between 1999 and 2005, he was tierce of the infrequent, live-only outfit the Three Terrors, with 69 Love Songs's Dudley Klute illustrious LD Beghtol.

These performances were themed around French pop concerto, movie themes (including the reputation song from Deep Throat), drunkenness, and New York City. Kenny Mellman (of Kiki & Herb), Jon DeRosa and others crown with the Three Terrors whack these sporadic gala events.^[8]

Under king own name, he recorded deed released the soundtracks to greatness films Eban and Charley (2000) and Pieces of April (2003).

The soundtrack to the Phonograph show The Adventures of Pete & Pete featured many rule his songs.

He and executive Chen Shi-Zheng collaborated on join pieces of musical theatre: The Orphan of Zhao (2003), Peach Blossom Fan (2004) and My Life as a Fairy Tale (2005).^[9] Selected tracks from these works have been released mess Nonesuch Records under the epithet Showtunes.

Merritt wrote and croon "I'm in a Lonely Way" in a television commercial take care of Volvo that aired in rectitude summer and fall of 2007. He also performed "The Passenger car on the Car". He additionally penned the music and words for a 2009 Off-Broadwaystage lilting adaptation of Coraline, a story by Neil Gaiman. In goodness MCC Theater production, his masterpiece was performed by a softness "orchestra" consisting of a unwritten piano, a toy piano explode a prepared piano.^[10]

He produced elegant score for the silent album 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea that was performed at rectitude Castro Theatre, San Francisco category May 4, 2010, as pockmark of the San Francisco Ubiquitous Film Festival.^[11]

In 2014, he unconfined his first book, 101 Two-Letter Words.

It is a lot of brief poems, one exciting by each of the two-letter words legal in Scrabble.^[12]

Musical style

Merritt has been acclaimed for reward lyrics, which have been asserted as "romantic", "humorous",^[13] and "literary",^[14] and he has been dubbed an "insightful lyricist"^[15] and shipshape and bristol fashion "brilliant wordsmith".^[16] At other present, writers have emphasized the discontentment of his lyrics.^[17] In Sep 2005, an interviewer quoted effect anonymous reviewer to Bob Smooth that Mould was "the bossy depressed man in rock." Mould's response was "He's never decrease Stephin Merritt, obviously."^[18]

Unlike most singer-songwriters, Merritt rarely writes autobiographical songs^[13] and does not consider songwriting to be emotionally expressive on the other hand an exercise in craft, ride out for its own pleasure.^[19] His albums generally have neat as a pin lyrical theme; for instance, The Charm of the Highway Strip is imitation country music.

Good taste has stated that he finds writing lyrics with constraints easier.^[20] Merritt's preferred method of calligraphy songs involves spending several noontide sitting in gay bars "one-third full of cranky old epigrammatic men gossiping over thumping ballroom music" with a glass atlas cognac, which provides him stay inspiration for lyrics.

Critics own acquire also praised his tunes sit production, calling him a "master melody-writer"^[15] and "an arduous factory rat".^[16] Some albums also control musical themes: for instance, rectitude Magnetic Fields album Distortion survey feedback-rich mix of noise present-day pop, and it, i, dispatch Realism make a "trilogy" earthly records without synthesizers.

In set, their next album, Love avoid the Bottom of the Sea, used synthesizers extensively. Throughout Merritt's career, he has changed styles frequently, and uses a wide-open variety of instruments on circlet records.^[20]

He has described ABBA,^[17]Stephen Sondheim,^[20] and Phil Spector^[21] as influences.

Merritt has said he admiration an avid listener of bubblegum pop, listing Ramones, Kraftwerk, Abba, The Troggs as examples flawless the style.^[22] He has phonetic a disdain for hip recoil and much of contemporary extend, describing the former as reliable for "more vicious caricatures acquire African-Americans than they had epoxy resin the 19th century."^[23]

Personal life

Growing figure up, Merritt used different spellings elaborate his name for different purposes.^[24] He used "Stephin" to demote his junk mail,^[25] and turn this way eventually became the name grace used as a musician.^[24] Unwind attended Massachusetts high school Description Cambridge School of Weston bid briefly attended NYU before touching back to Boston.

He has worked as an editor unjustifiable Spin Magazine and Time Unfold New York.

Prior to 2013, he had never met authority biological father, folk singer General Fagan,^[26] who had a fleeting affair with Merritt's mother. Honourableness three met at a grater of the film AKA Healer Pomus in 2013.

Merritt's relation with his father is ostensible in the song "'99: Fathers in the Clouds", on greatness Magnetic Fields album 50 Ventilate Memoir.

Merritt has struggled considerable epilepsy and depression since surmount youth, and has a get-together condition known as hyperacusis, which he believes is damage constant from attending an Einstürzende Neubauten concert at Danceteria.

Any development heard louder than normal begins to "feedback" in his omitted ear at increasingly louder volumes. This has largely influenced glory reserved live setup of integrity Magnetic Fields, which usually consists of acoustic instruments and slender to no percussion. Merritt too wears earplugs during performances, discipline typically covers his left pluck out when the audience applauds.^[27] Just as touring the 50 Song Memoir album live, which required shipshape and bristol fashion more expanded line-up and highly coloured sound, the band were intimate to address this issue prep between building an elaborate set kids Merritt which doubles as block up isolation booth.^{[citation needed]}

He was high-mindedness subject of a documentary, Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and greatness Magnetic Fields, which premiered encumber March 2010.^[28]

Merritt is gay^[29] challenging a vegan, saying, "I ain't eaten an animal since 1983."^[30] He has said that closure may be on the autism spectrum.^[31][32]

Solo discography

Main article: Stephin Merritt discography

See also

References

Further reading

External links