Jim White

And this lovable eccentric has a unique way of making the murkiest topic sound disarmingly simple. And vice-versa. Opening ballad “Static On The Radio,” sung in his trademark whispery quaver, ponders the innate mysteries of AM-radio static. But its roots go deeper. “John Cage did that [4’33’’] thing, where it was just him sitting in a room, silent, and people started listening,” White explains. “So my basic idea was that, beneath what we seem to think is meaningless, there are incredible levels of meaning that you only get glimpses of. And you can’t just get it in the fast-food lane at McDonald’s—you really have to apply yourself in ways that probably aren’t too comfortable for people in this culture. And the whole notion of static itself is anachronistic, because people don’t listen to radio static anymore. Like, I remember nighttimes around midnight when I was a kid, we used to hear this one cool radio station that came outta Little Rock, and you had to get your car in just the right place to hear it. And if a cloud came by, it would disappear—it was beautiful.”

Only one number, according to White, shoots directly from the hip: “Combing My Hair In A Brand-New Style.” Which he actually is these days, now that he’s ditched his signature cowboy hat. Why the sudden switch? “I got tired of that hat,” White murmurs, painting—as usual—a much bigger picture. “That hat was a disguise, and after a while I realized I didn’t need it anymore—I was a disguise unto myself. That’s why I mention buzzards a lot on my album. Things just died and they’re attracting the messengers of the next incarnation of existence.

“And that’s my life right now—I’m moving on, and it’s hard. It’s hard when you’re well-acquainted with sorrow to move on to a realm of happiness, but that’s kinda where I’m going.And I don’t have a vocabulary yet to describe this new world, so I’m kinda walking backwards, looking at where I was, but walking toward a good world.”

A universe of sunshine and smiles? Why not? White’s tried his hand at just about everything else.