HITW130 | Touching God's Balls: Memories, Dreams & Refractions | Tim Rutili (Califone)

On this episode I speak with Tim Rutili. Tim is an American musician, filmmaker, and visual artist. He is best known as the founder of the alternative rock bands Red Red Meat and Califone, as well as a diverse range of musical collaborations as a multi instrumentalist and composer of scores for film and television.I’ve been an admirer of Tim’s work since Califone’s 2006 release Roots & Crowns but had lost track of them in recent years. So I was pleasantly surprised when the algorithmic gods alerted me to a new release from them last year. I consider that album, Villagers, one of the musical highlights of last year and a return to form for Califone, who continue to explore the intersections of American roots music, experimental electronics and improvisation.The features that have been central to Califone’s music since the beginning has always been Tim’s surreal and imagistic lyrics and masterful ability to create a captivating mood through an inventive and unconventional use of sound and texture.In our conversation we have an open and honest discussion about the challenges of sustaining a creative life without sacrificing your artistic integrity, the slippery nature of memory and dreams, and the importance of meditative and somatic practice to exorcise the demons and maintain a connection to the creative life force.This episode features selections from Califone's 2023 release Villagers. The outro song is "Wingbone" from Heron King Blues (2004). http://califonemusic.comCover image: Tim Rutili (http://www.rootcrownarts.com)