I've been a fan since I first heard Trampoline. I think Joe's album Civilians is a remarkable achievement. I'm grateful that Joe is still with us, and I'm grateful that he is still sharing his singular gift. Thank you, Joe Henry.
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I had dinner once with Joe after a show he opened in St. Louis, along with a mutual friend. I had long been an ardent admirer of all of his work — the songs, the producing, the lyrics, the musicianship, all of it. Before dinner, I was nervous I'd come off as an embarrassing fanboy but Joe was every bit as interested in my thoughts on artists we both loved, was genuinely interested in my own music, and engaged wholeheartedly with me in the nerdiest conversation about vintage analog recording gear you can imagine. I'd almost completely forgotten I was with one of our most important artists, and simply enjoyed the company of an unpretentious, generous, decent, curious human being. Since then, I've noticed that most of the music I love has a connection back to Joe. As Mr. Pareles has revealed in his very thoughtful and insightful profile, he's the real deal.
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the new record is extremely good. consider me a new fan.
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Joe Henry Is one of the great chroniclers of our 21st century. I don't think there's a better post-9/11 song than "Flag", and "Our Song" beautifully expresses the melancholy so many of us feel about the missed opportunity of the American Experiment. I'm so grateful that we'll have him around for a while longer.
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@Ben Tilghman elvis perkins has a couple of really good songs in that vein too.
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My first intro to Joe Henry was when a local public radio was playing the title track from "Trampoline." I bought that album and have been a fan of his ever since.
Henry has put out a fascinating body of work over the decades since I first heard Trampoline. Each album has gone in a different direction, but that has made the ride all the more thrilling as a listener.
He is one of only a handful of performers I try not to miss when he is on tour. To me, Joe Henry is truly an American treasure. Stay well.
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@Dan88 Agreed, Trampoline - as an album - is criminally underrated. A songwriter that couples gifted lyrics with songwriting. A true treasure. This excellent article provided quite a portrayal.
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I happened hear “Skin and Teeth” from Fuse, so many years ago, the one time it was played on the radio, while driving from nowhere to who knows where. I had to pull over and focus. It was so good. The depth of his artistry then, since and still, is stunning if you are lucky enough to have the ears to hear it. Here’s to Joe’s health, an American treasure, in so many ways.
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Joe is an incredible human being - a real American musical treasure...
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Men must do checkups with a urologist. Read about why, and do it.
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Be careful in calling out the patient as the source of disease through some sort of negligence that is akin to calling out a rape victim for wearing skimpy clothing. Especially since you do not know Mr Henry’s medical appointments history.
You have missed the entire courage of battling cancer while making beautiful art.
Cancer is not his fault. Yet poetry and song is his strongest armor.
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@Bill Tyler My statement has nothing to do with this man's plight.
It's simply obvious advice.
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To put it quite simply . A stunning new album from an incredible artist deserving much more attention than he gets who's music is well worth the time , money ( don't download .. buy the bloody CD's / LP's ) and effort to become more familiar with
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Thank you NY Times. You gave me two inspiring, ephemeral stories in one day--this one and The Mister Rogers No One Saw. Such a relief from the drone of the fill-in-the-blank (upsetting, anxiety-producing, stomach-churning) news of today. There remains so much that is good and heart-centered in the world. We need to hear about these too. More, please.
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Wondferful news about Mr. Henry's remission. Here's hoping it's permanent. I've been a fan of his since I picked up "Scar" on a whim almost twenty years ago. "Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation" is one of the most haunting songs I've ever heard and fully equal to the genius of Dylan or Miles Davis.
Best of luck, Mr. Henry!
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@Kim Messick Agreed on Scar and "Richard Pryor..."!!!
I love the mysteriousness of old song lyrics, songs like the Cuckoo Bird, or Coo Coo Bird, for instance. They seem nonsense in some ways, yet they seem substantial, as if on some deeper level they make perfect sense. Joe Henry succeeds where other contemporary songwriters don't: he invokes that same sense of mystery, that poetic fine line between meaning and nonsense. His lyrics resonate, even as they defy interpretation.
So pleased to see an article about Henry in the NYT, and he is still here to plumb the depths of life and enlighten us with his cryptic insights.
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I had stage 4 endometrial cancer 10 years ago, and the first thing I thought was that I hadn't been drawing and painting as much as I wished in recent years. So I vowed to fill one page of my sketchbook every single day I was in chemo. (Notice that I did the chemo, also the surgery and the radiation.) And now I'm here with no recurrence. Doing your art should be part of all comprehensive cancer treatments. Because...who knows?
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