058: Sacred String Theory: A Conversation with Jim Wright
from The Rest is Commentary with Shep Rosenman Hosted by srosenman
Composer and touch-guitar innovator Jim Wright joins Shep Rosenman for a wide-ranging conversation inspired by “Come Out and Play,” Shep’s song drawn from Psalm 34. Jim follows the song's invitation into questions of creativity, character, faith, and the surprising places meaning can emerge. Jim started exploring touch-guitar in 1978, developing tunings and techniques that allow him to tap electric bass and guitar parts simultaneously—an approach that has made him a distinctive voice among devotees of the instrument. His work spans popular music, alternative rock, and jazz, and can be found at on Bandcamp and Youtube.com. In this episode of The Rest Is Commentary, Shep and Jim discuss the origins of the podcast; what it means to become the best person you can be; whether we can “educate” God; and why disagreement matters most when it is pursued with the right intentions. Along the way, they explore animism, perception and reality, happy accidents, musical discovery, and much more. Start by listening to “Come Out and Play”—then come along for a conversation that moves from a psalm into the strange, searching, and playful work of being human.
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What this episode covers
In this episode, composer and touch-guitar innovator Jim Wright joins Shep Rosenman to reflect on “Come Out and Play,” a song inspired by Psalm 34. Their conversation travels through music, spiritual argument, animism, perception, happy mistakes, and the ongoing challenge of becoming the best version of ourselves—while drawing on Wright’s decades-long work expanding the possibilities of touch-guitar.
Chapters
- 0:07 Faith and Science Opening
- 3:08 Come Out and Play (this week’s song)
- 6:57 Meeting on the Boardwalk
- 10:02 First Recordings Together
- 10:56 Ashira and Kumzitzes
- 12:30 Collaboration and Happy Accidents
- 15:12 Psalm Inspiration Deepens
- 16:45 First Jewish Encounters
- 18:36 Animism and Consciousness
- 20:50 Graves and Original Texts
- 22:17 Perception Shapes Reality
- 23:42 Myth, Moon, and Women
- 25:17 Solo Work Versus Ensemble
- 27:44 Guitars That Speak
- 30:05 Appalachia and New Sounds
- 32:17 Channeling Creative Energy
- 34:20 Religion, Science, and Seth
- 36:27 Teaching God Through Music
- 36:55 Students, Teachers, and Psalm 34
- 41:57 Brokenhearted and the Moon
- 44:30 God Coming Out to Play
- 45:46 Taste and See Goodness
- 47:23 Dogma and Divine Perception
- 48:52 Names and Facets of God
- 52:51 Moses Teaches God
- 56:08 Closing Reflections
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