Devan: Jimmy Rigged

Devan is such a remarkable human being! Such a pleasure to spend time with him and help him share his story. You can learn more about Devan and his work on his website. In addition to his appearances on The Moth and NPR as a storyteller, Devan is also the co-founder of Unreeling Storytelling a Brooklyn-based organisation providing a storytelling platform for people of colour, women, and others marginalised folks. You can also follow Devan on Twitter, and Instagram. If you've never made the time to listen to a Volume Knob playlist, this week is the week to do it. This week's playlist (entitled How Much Time?) includes some of my favourite tracks which were inspired by (or made me think of) the death of George Floyd. It's funny how, during the Trump administration, there was a lot of talk about how social strife was "good for art" or "bound to result in a bunch of great punk rock". That hasn't been my experience. On the contrary, the black community's outpouring of anger and frustration has resulted in some vital, important music in the last 18 months. What's sad (and it's something that Devan points out in his story) is how much G-Smoke and Sault in 2020 sound like Syl Johnson in 1969 or Gil Scott-Heron in 1972. How much time, indeed. Make sure you follow The Volume Knob on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or at our website volumeknob.net. And if you have a story about the song that saved your life be sure to send it to me at [email protected].