Wesley Stace grew up in a home where excellence seems to have been par for the course. Stace’s parents were both intelligent and talented educators that instilled a love of academia and the arts into all of their children. Wes, for his part, would find his path to excellence through words. After attending a series of noted boarding schools throughout England, Stace entered university at Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in English Literature before enrolling again to complete a Ph.D. in Social and Political Science.
After leaving Cambridge, Stace began to perform his own compositions under the stage name, John Wesley Harding, named after a famed outlaw and the lead character of a Bob Dylan album. Eventually, Wes landed a recording deal that resulted in It Happened One Night, a live solo album released in 1988 on the small imprint, Demon Records.
That first live album was enough to grab the attention of famed record executive Seymour Stein at Sire Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Stein offered the up and coming singer a record deal, and hooked him up with a producer who managed to score the rhythm section for Elvis Costello’s backing band the Attractions to play on the album. The resultant record, Here Comes The Groom, was a critical and college rock hit that opened Wes to a brand new audience in America.
In the intervening 35 years, We has released more than two dozen albums as John Wesley Harding, or under his own name. In addition to those impressive sonic accomplishments, Stace has also penned a quartet of novels, as well as a series of essays and articles for a variety of well known publications including the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
In 2009, Stace began staging The Cabinet Of Wonders, a live variety style show that features musicians, authors, comedians, and storytellers. These shows have featured luminaries from the worlds of indie rock and publishing including Rosanne Cash, Graham Parker, Josh Ritter, Rick Moody, Colson Whitehead, Jonathan Ames, A.C. Newman, Rhett Miller, Steven Page, Eugene Mirman, and Kristin Hersh.
In recent years, Stace obtained his US citizenship. During our conversation, he talks openly about the process of becoming an American at a difficult time in the country’s history, and what the choice has meant to both him and to his family. Wes and I discuss the lonely pursuit of writing and the joyous powers of collaboration. This is a fascinating chat with a thoughtful and whip smart artist, who despite being wildly prolific, still feels like he could be doing more.
Let’s get into it.
Cheers,
Matty C
