Some artists make music. Some make art. Jon Langford makes history — and then records it and paints it.
Born in Newport, Wales, Langford studied Fine Art at Leeds University alongside future members of Gang of Four — and has spent nearly five decades proving that punk, country, folk as a founding member of the legendary Leeds punk band the Mekons.
Founded in 1977, the Mekons became one of the last original punk bands to remain continuously active, producing a string of critically acclaimed albums including Fear and Whiskey (1985), The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (1989), Curse of the Mekons (1991), and I Love Mekons (1993) — records soaked in leftist politics, whiskey-stained wit, and an egalitarian chaos that made them one of the most fiercely beloved cult bands on the planet. Their relentless experimentation brought them a devoted following, as their extensive discography ranges across punk, folk, country, reggae and artful pastiches that combine all of the above.
After relocating to Chicago in the early 1990s, Langford co-founded the country-punk Waco Brothers, became a cornerstone of the Bloodshot Records scene, and launched the Pine Valley Cosmonauts — a revolving cast of Chicago musicians who backed Langford and others — cementing his reputation as the godfather of Chicago's alt-country underground.
But Jon Langford's story doesn't stop at the edge of the stage. Since moving to Chicago, he has become increasingly celebrated as a visual artist, exhibiting regularly at Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery and in galleries around the world. His paintings — eerie, accomplished works featuring blindfolded cowboys, skeletal country singers, and haunting depictions of Hank Williams as a Saint Sebastian-like martyr — have shown across the city, the country, and internationally, earning him recognition in both the fine art and music worlds that few artists in either sphere can claim. His artwork appears on album covers, book covers, and even Dogfish Head Brewery beer bottle labels. Using the pen name Chuck Death, Jon has also drawn the long-running syndicated comic strip Great Pop Things, a wickedly sharp satire of rock and roll history. Most recently, his collaboration with the Bright Shiners — a project with John Szymanski, Tamineh Gueramy, and Alice Spencer — has produced Where It Really Starts, widely regarded as some of his finest songwriting to date. In this episode, the Welsh rabble-rouser, punk pioneer, and painter extraordinaire pulls back the curtain on a career that has never once played it safe. It's a delightful catching up from one of punk rock's most mindful thinkers.
* * * *
PLEASE FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
Website:
https://www.TheCApod.com
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TheCApod/
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/CreativeAsylumCA/
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
