Former Cul de Sac guitarist Glenn Jones talks about the good, the bad and the ugly parts of John Fahey’s legacy
Fahey box set co-producer reflects on a 25-year friendship, and a musical obsession
- Photo by Tim Bugbee
This week’s CL’s cover story, “Soul Searchers,” traces Atlanta-based archival label Dust-to-Digital Records’ journey from its beginnings to it’s latest offering, Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You, a five-disc collection that unearths folk-blues innovator John Fahey’s earliest recordings.
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Co-producer and former Cul de Sac guitarist Glenn Jones took some time out from touring behind his latest solo album, The Wanting (Thrill Jockey), to talk about his 25-year friendship with Fahey, and the making of this monumental release.
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Chad Radford: Tell me about your role in creating Your Past Comes Back to Haunt You.
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Glenn Jones: I basically chose the various experts who appear throughout the book, oversaw everyone’s contributions and tried to assemble it all as a coherent whole.
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John and I were friends for about 25 years, and the band that I was in, Cul de Sac, collaborated on an album with John in 1996. It was recorded two weeks after Womb Life, called The Epiphany of Glenn Jones. It’s certainly one of our best, and I think it’s one of John’s best as well. It’s best to read the liner notes to get a sense of just how much blood was spilled over that record, which is a story in itself. The end result is something that I’m really proud of, and I think it’s a much better record than Womb Life.
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Also, I should say that it was titled by John, not by me! (laughs)