Guests: Dan Ropek, Author of Tragic Magic: The Life of Traffic’s Chris Wood

Traffic was the most enigmatic British band of their day. Formed in early 1967 by Chris Wood, Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, and Dave Mason, they rejected the bright lights of London in favor of a run-down, supposedly haunted cottage in the country - a place to live communally and write music.

With Chris especially intent on channeling the vibes of England's landscape into their sound, days would be spent getting high, exploring, playing, and working in varying proportions. Against all odds, this eccentric model paid off - songs such as "Dear Mr. Fantasy" and "John Barleycorn Must Die" would lift Traffic into the upper echelons of the rock world.

As they brushed shoulders with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, and the Grateful Dead, and with Dave dropping in and out of the band, Traffic's music evolved from a synthesis of Steve's innate musicality, Jim's atmospheric lyrics, and Chris's special brand of congenial mysticism. Record sales boomed, and tours carried them back and forth across the Atlantic. Everything seemed to be going to plan—a dreamlike fairy tale come true.

But for Chris, a toll would be exacted. Amid the clashing egos, wearing road trips, stressful break ups, and a complex personal life, he vacillated precariously between bursts of exquisite creativity and torrents of self-destruction; a paradoxical dance which continued until he died in 1983. For a man who found artistic expression everything, and for whom suffering for it was an expectation, Chris would stare fully into Medusa's face of the music industry, paying a higher price than perhaps any of his contemporaries.

Author Dan Ropek provides an in-depth look into Wood's life in his book Tragic Magic. Researched and written over ten years, it offers the only definitive account of Traffic's story and Chris Wood's quietly extraordinary life, something Dan shares here in a one-hour interview.

"Reading is Funktamental" is a monthly one-hour show about great books written about music and music-makers. In each episode, host Sal Cataldi speaks to the authors of some of the best reads about rock, jazz, punk, world, experimental music, and much more. From time to time, the host and authors will be joined by notable musicians, writers, and artists who are die-hard fans of the subject matter covered. Expect lively conversation and a playlist of great music to go with it. "Reading Is Funktamental" can be heard the second Wednesday of every month from 10 – 11 AM on Wave Farm: WGXC 90.7 FM and online at wavefarm.org. It can also be found as a podcast on Apple, Spotify and other platforms.

Sal Cataldi is a musician and writer based in Saugerties. He is best known for his work with his genre-leaping solo project, Spaghetti Eastern Music, and is also a member of the ambient guitar duo, Guitars A Go Go, the poetry and music duo, Vapor Vespers, and the quartet, Spaceheater. His writing on music, books and film has been featured in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, PopMatters, Seattle Times, Huffington Post, Inside+Out Upstate NY, and NYSMusic.com, where he is the book reviewer.