My favorite singer songwriter, and my biggest creative influences

Welcome to the very fourth Dispatches Weekly Digest. The format might change, the content might change, but here’s one thing that won’t change:

This is only for my coolest friends.

Today’s Schedule of Events

1. The song recommendation by my favorite artist

2. TMI - My brother-in-law asks me who I would carve into my Mount Rushmore of creative influences

3. A recap of everything that got published on the Dispatches this week, including

4. Links to all the Nooners, in a row

Let’s get started!

The Song

Back when people were still using Facebook for something other than political virtue signaling to the four other people who still use Facebook, waaay back in 2010, I posted a request for fresh music, because I’d gotten sick of all my jams. One guy I barely knew said some convincingly complimentary things about an album that had recently come out, and that I should check it out.

I remember this because it was my first introduction to the man who eventually became my hands-down favorite singer-songwriter. I loved every song on the album, and pretty much every song on every album he’s released before or since.

But there was one song, in particular, that I think I listened to about ten times a day for at least two months.

This is that song…

Josh Ritter is a once-in-a-generation talent. His musical range and songwriting ability are unmatched. He’s also written two novels, both of which I’ve read. He not only suffuses his songs with a breathtaking abundance of vivid poetry, he’s also a master of prose and long-form storytelling.

Honestly I would love to hate him, but I can’t. He’s too infectiously joyful and generous. You can’t listen to him without it rubbing off on you.

Over the past 20 years or so, his discography has become a bit daunting, so if you want a good place to start, I’d recommend either Animal Years, So Runs the World Away, or Sermon on the Rocks — all three of which are tied for favorite album in my heart.

TMI

My wife is the youngest of five daughters. Her oldest sister’s husband is the closest thing she’s had to an older brother, and in the last ten years, he’s become something of a surrogate older brother to me, too.

He asked me who I would carve into the Mount Rushmore of my creative influences, which kicked off a conversation about a couple of my favorite authors, and continued on from there. This was the longest TMI segment so far, because I couldn’t bring myself to cut any of it.

The Digest

This week, I republished my post on 2001: A Space Odyssey, and another six Nooners.

Also, yesterday, Nerd Critic released an episode on Deadpool & Wolverine, which (SPOILERS!!!) will be our last official episode. Figured a pre-emptive announcement like that is safe to make behind a paywall. Everyone else will hear about it after we record and release our farewell episode in a couple of weeks, but you get to feel sad early!

Here’s a list of the Nooners:
(Listeners get to hear all of these in a row, one right after the other, without the intros and outros attached to the daily version. Once again, I’ll remind you that this is what you paid for.)

• #71 (July 29) - Can you be grateful without feeling grateful?
  I sure hope so

• #72 (July 30) - Distance doesn’t matter
  Do you know how far a light-year is?

• #73 (July 31) - Potty training myself, part 1
  The three stages of cope awareness

• #74 (August 1) - Potty training myself, part 2
  You really do need a silver bullet

• #75 (August 2) - Potty training myself, part 3

  Slaying the dragon of avoidance

• #76 (August 3) - The prison of utilitarian pursuits

  I’m all out of passion tokens

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In Closing…

Two things, real quick.

1. If you want to help me out with the TMI segment, let me know and I’ll set it up.

2. If you’ve got ideas for other segments, also let me know! I want you to get your money’s worth.

Alright, that’s all. Thanks again, and don’t tell the others, but…

You’re my favorite.