A year and a half ago, singer Sufjan Stevens was having trouble coming up with a Christmas song. He wrote one, but wasn’t sure about it, or sure what to do with it. So Sufjan invited his fans to participate in a contest, stating that whoever wrote the Christmas classic he wanted would get the exclusive rights to his song, in exchange for him getting the exclusive rights to theirs.
I like this because it creates a feeling of community within the arts. It’s like Sufjan saying “You’ve listened to me; let me listen to you. I don’t think that just because I’m famous, my music is more important than yours.” That kind of genuine intention is probably why he’s famous in the first place. As I think his fans would agree, Sufjan Stevens’ music has a lot of heart.
Anyway, this honor/award/rights exchange was won by Alec Duffy, artistic director of Hoi Polloi, a theater company in New York. Duffy’s song is called “Every Day is Christmas” — though I’m not certain I have the right to tell you that. Anyway, Duffy now has sole possession of the rights to Sufjan Stevens’ song “Lonely Man of Winter.” Alec Duffy and Hoi Polloi had just one challenge: What would they do with the Stevens song? Duffy was immediately approached by websites wanting to cash in on his success, but he made a bold choice. He vowed never to upload the song or release it online. That’s right.
In a world where the internet gives us whatever we want, Duffy missed the old days of a B-side, a rare track that few had heard. Duffy felt excited when he knew that only he and Sufjan’s closest friends had heard “Lonely Man of Winter,” so he decided to keep it special. In an effort to put a little magic back into the world, Duffy and Hoi Polloi’s musical director Dave Malloy are currently hosting Wednesday night listening sessions at Duffy’s Brooklyn home. They set up appointments for just a few people at a time to come and drink tea, eat cookies, and discuss how they got into Sufjan Stevens’ music, and then everyone dons headphones and listens. Then there is more talk, a group photo, and everyone goes on their merry way, but with a new song in their heads and hearts, and maybe a new friend, too.
If Sufjan’s original intention was to create a sense of community with this project, Hoi Polloi is certainly carrying it on. So, that’s me in the picture, of course, in the middle with the earrings. On the left is Dave Malloy (who blogged about the project here right when it started), and in the center, above and to the right of me, is Alec Duffy. I don’t remember the names of the other guests last Wednesday, but I do remember their stories about getting into Sufjan through college radio stations, chatting about Sufjan’s style, and more. I heard the song. It is lovely.
Duffy has had the rights to “Lonely Man of Winter” for over a year and not made a dime off it. We at Tonic News want to thank Alec Duffy for keeping the song special, and using it to bring people together. If you want to get in on the experience and are in Brooklyn, contact sufjansong[at]yahoo.com.
Photo by Denny Renshaw courtesy of Asthmatic Kitty Records.