The Merlin Show

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Merlin talks with John Roderick, the singer and songwriter behind “The Long Winters” (and the man behind The Merlin Show’s theme song, “Blue Diamonds”). John curses at on-set hippies, wonders about making money on the web, and demands that indie rockers learn to behave more like building contractors. Roffle, roffle, roffle. (Contains PG-13 language, ribald exchanges, and frank discussion of show business [“it’s not ‘show friend…’”])

Note: This is the first segment of our 4-part interview with John Roderick; don’t miss part two, part three, and part four.

• Web site of The Long Winters (for whose inexcusable lack of updates you may squarely blame Merlin, its lazy designer/maintainer)
• John wrote and performed our theme song, “Blue Diamonds,” which is the first track on 2003’s wonderful When I Pretend to Fall.
• The Long Winters’ latest record, Putting the Days to Bed is out on Barsuk Records and is available for purchase on the Barsuk site.
• You can download high-quality MP3s (including “Blue Diamonds”) from The Long Winters’ web site
• “It’s ‘show business,’ not ‘show friend.’” — Sean Nelson of Harvey Danger (and formerly of The Long Winters)
• Speaking of Harvey Danger, John played keyboards on tour with HD in the early ‘oughts. He also makes a cameo as the lucky man who gets hogtied by Ione Skye in the video for “Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo”
• For John’s many, deep, and possibly intractable flaws, he does give great interviews: Check out The Believer, Mammoth Press, and Ashcan Rantings.
• Merlin’s all-time favorite Roderick interview is this excellent Stranger piece from back in 2002. Great, long, and Roderickerrific.

Video for “Fire Island, AK”

“Pushover,” Live @ Easy Street Records