Ron Sexsmith

My guest on this episode is Ron Sexsmith. Ron is an award-winning singer songwriter who has earned praised from people like Elvis Costello, Elton John, Ray Davies of the Kinks, John Prine, Gordon Lightfoot, Leonard Cohen, and Paul McCartney. His songs have been covered by Rod Stewart, Nick Lowe, Emmy Lou Harris, Feist, and Michael Bublé, among many others. His most recent album is The Vivian Line.

Ron’s first book, Deer Life: A Fairy Tale, was published in 2017 by Dundurn Press. In its review of the book, Publishers Weekly said that “Sexsmith’s novel has much the same effect as his music, conveying uncertainty with fearlessness and heart.”

Ron and I talk about the odd start of his artistic career, about the intense feeling of imposter syndrome he had when Deer Life first came out, his aborted attempt to write a prequel to the book, and about his plans to write and record songs to accompany the book, which he hopes will one day form the basis of a musical or even a film.

 

Ron Sexsmith: ronsexsmith.com

Music: "simple-hearted thing" by Alex Lukashevsky. Used with permission.

Contact Nathan Whitlock at nathanwhitlock.ca/contact