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GUEST EDITOR

Grandaddy Clause: Charles Simic

jasonlogoeAfter the dissolution of beloved sci-fi pop outfit Grandaddy in 2006, frontman Jason Lytle left behind California’s blue suburban skies for the peace, quiet and sobriety of Montana. This week, Lytle re-emerges with news of a solo debut and a part-time seasonal job as guest editor for magnetmagazine.com.

Read our new Q&A with Lytle about his forthcoming album, Yours Truly, The Commuter (Anti-), here.

simic350bLytle: For all those years I was self-conscious of the fact I had a hard time “getting” poetry, Charles Simic was my entry into the world of poetry. I was always concerned that it didn’t resonate with me. A big part of it is that he’s still somewhat modern—he’s probably in his 70s [born 1938]—and talks about current things. I like a lot of his shorter bits (thanks, ADD), such as “Factory,” “Late September” and especially “Talking To Ceiling.” It’s not written in some other language to where I’m alienated from it. Like me, he has a hard time sleeping and just wanders around. And I just get it.

Simic reads “White Room,” “Mirrors At 4 A.M.” and “The Friends Of Heraclitus” at 2003’s Key West Literary Seminar:

For an in-depth piece on Lytle circa the end of Grandaddy, read our 2006 cover story here.

This concludes “Jason Lytle Week” here at magnetmagazine.com. Thanks to Jason for turning our readers on to some really cool stuff. Go to the store and buy all his Grandaddy records and his solo debut when it comes out May 19.