My chat with musician Walter Martin

Hey y’all,

I’ve been listening to

Walter Martin

’s music for over half my life. I first saw him play with his band The Walkmen at the Southgate House in Newport, KY in 2002. Here’s what Walter looked like on stage back then and what I looked like back then (I was 19) wearing my Walkmen t-shirt:

We first connected back in 2010 when Walter was building a website for the band and wanted to know if he could use some of the photos I had taken. (On film!) Here’s a little stitch-together of what the whole group looked like on stage back then:

We then joined a mutual appreciation society: Walter has been reading this newsletter for years and I’m a huge fan of his solo work and his wonderful radio show. (I literally don’t miss an episode.) So it was a real pleasure to finally get to have a real chat with him.

I’ve collected some notes with links to some of the things we talked about:

• The Walkmen, Black and White EPs

• Walter Martin, “We Like the Zoo (‘Cause We’re Animals Too’)”

• A tour of Walter’s studio

• High Fidelity

• Arthur Russell, Calling Out of Context

• Björk, Post

• Walter Martin, The Bear

• The paintings of Hollis Heichemer and her husband, Alex Kanevsky

• The Thanksgiving “Fireside Feelingz” episode that I was listening to when I came up with the ending of Don’t Call It Art

• Walter Martin, “The Soldier”

• The Name of This Band is R.E.M.

• “What you respond to in any work of art is the artist’s struggle against his or her limitations.” —Saul Steinberg

• McSweeney’s Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (edited by Michael Chabon)

• Walter’s radio show about how he became a music fanatic

• The Congos, Heart of the Congos

• Bob Marley and The Wailers, The Capitol Session ‘73

• King Tubby & Soul Syndicate, Freedom Sounds In Dub

• Footage of Lee Perry in the Black Ark Studios