31-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Every Morning, Will Oldham Reads for the Length of Two LPs
In an email interview, the singer-songwriter, who often records as Bonnie 'Prince' Billy, shared his affection for Barbara Kingsolver and books about Hawaii. SCOTT HELLER
Are there any classic novels that you recently read for the first time?
'Cassandra at the Wedding,' by Dorothy Baker. Unbelievable.
Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What book did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn't?
Who's got time to hate?
Describe your ideal reading experience.
I like to read first thing every morning in the attic, on a built-in daybed, so that the book's words are the first things to replace the night's dreams. There's a stackable turntable a few feet away, and I usually read for the length of two LPs, one side each. Music without words. Coffee is part of this ritual.
What books are on your night stand?
On the for-real night stand we find 'Volcano Manifesto,' by Cauleen Smith (found at Basket Books in Houston, Texas); 'Transcendent Waves,' by Lavender Suarez (discovered on the shelves of End of an Ear recording studio in Louisville, Ky.); 'A Woman Is a School,' by Céline Semaan; and our daughter's first favorite book, 'Mexican Art II: Teotihuacan — Tajin — Monte Alban.' Each of these is a dense wonderworld, and even a few pages can send the mind reeling for hours or days. Ultimately, though, bed is for sleeping and the rest of the world is for reading.
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