Portland, Ore.-based Miles Kurosky is what old-time journalists used to call a “great quote.” He’s one of the few interview subjects you’ll find in the music biz these days who’s totally unafraid to step on a few toes to get his point across. And he’s got the musical chops to back up his shoot-from-the-hip posture. Kurosky’s previous band, Beulah, was a true California original, good enough to catch the ear of pop genius Robert Schneider of Apples In Stereo, who released the first Beulah album under the banner of the Elephant 6 collective. As is the case with other creative one-man shows (Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle, for example) the transition from band to solo career is as simple as painting a new name on the office’s glass door. The Desert Of Shallow Effects (Majordomo) is every bit as exhilarating as anything Kurosky has ever cut. Kurosky will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new Q&A with him and more about Beulah.
Kurosky: Beth Lisick is one of my oldest friends in the world. She dated a buddy of mine in high school, and we all moved up to San Francisco together in 1991. For a good portion of the early ’90s, we were kinda lost, just floating from shit job to shit job and getting drunk in between. They were good times. However, I do remember one year we were celebrating our birthdays (she’s five days older than me), and Beth looked at me after a sip of wine and said, “Oh my God, we’re getting so old. What are we gonna do?” We had just turned 24. In hindsight, of course, it’s laughable, but at the time it seemed we had a serious crisis on our hands: old age. Well, in the years that followed, I learned how to write songs and Beth learned how write really good books. My favorite book of hers is her latest, Helping Me Help Myself. Basically it’s the story of Beth trying to take control of her chaotic life by reading the works of millionaire self-help gurus and then attending their seminars every month for a year. She even goes on a cruise with Richard Simmons. Her writing is honest, relatable and funny as hell. She’s also the author of three other equally kick-ass books, which you should be able to track down at your local bookstore.
Video after the jump.
