Sufjan Stevens reminds us that he’s never finishing the 50 states project
Sufjan Stevens broke out with his 2005 album about Illinois, but don't expect to hear Iowa or Indiana—ever
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If any Sufjan Stevens fans were still hoping that he would ever finish his early ’00s mission to write an album dedicated to each of the 50 states, the acclaimed singer/songwriter has issued another reminder that it’s not happening.
“I feel like my whole music career has been an exercise in calling my own bluff,” Stevens says in an interview with Vulture’s Craig Jenkins. “I go on all these excursions and I feel they’re indulgent and slightly megalomaniacal in their approach. At some point, I realize how absurd and unhealthy and unsustainable it is, so I am fine moving on.”
Stevens first released Michigan in 2003. It was followed by 2005's Illinois, which propelled him to indie royalty with the success of songs like “Chicago” and “Casimir Pulaski Day.” He then went on to bring other remarkably specific subjects to his music, like the visual artist Royal Robertson and the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway. Stevens has also released 100 Christmas songs over the span of his career.
“I think it’s the original impulse that generates the work and allows me to bear down in isolation and create as lavishly as I can, but at some point, you have to go,” he continues. “You’re an artist, so you understand. There is a kind of sadomasochism inherent in what we do. It requires that we completely give ourselves over to the work.”
All is not lost, however. Back during the darkest days of 2020, comedy writer Joey Clift crowdsourced musicians to pick up where Stevens left off, going above and beyond to include Puerto Rico and the moon, as well as re-dos of Michigan and Illinois. Stevens also recently returned to Christmas music, releasing the song “We Should Be Together” earlier this month alongside his frequent collaborator Rosie Thomas.
You can check out the full conversation with Stevens over at Vulture, which also features the Oscar-nominated artist’s thoughts on Beyoncé’s Renaissance, Christmas as a reminder of mortality, and “the binary aspect of morality.”
26 Comments
He only has 48 more albums to go. He should hire Robert Pollard or King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard as consultants.
Use a time machine to recruit 2009-era Gucci Mane and Waka Flocka Flame. It’ll be done in a month
Does it have to be albums? Can’t he just write 48 more songs? He better hurry before Washington DC becomes a state…
John Linnell tried that and stopped at 15.
King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard F and Yeah he should!!
Hey Sufjan, eat shit!!
Pfff, that’s nothing.
May I remind him that Stephen Colbert never finished his 435 part series of Better Know a District.
Stevens remains an artist that I know I should like, but holy crap does any and all of his stuff just grate on my ears. And his lyrics remind me of a freshman english lit major, all form but no substance.
I’m still upset about the lack of resolution to The Mole Trilogy
Yeah, and whatever happened to, uh, … the American Composers Series?
And whatever happened to Vileness Fats!?
It got whacked.
Slipknot’s got him covered for Iowa.
I’m just here to say I love the song Tonya Harding. Love it.
He also mentions the Tillamook burn in Fourth of July, so that’s two Oregon adjacent songs.
Pretty sure Tom Petty would wake up every morning and record three songs about [GIRL] from [STATE] before breakfast. Get on his level, Sufjan.
Remember how he called performing at the Oscar’s the worst experience of his life? Poor guy.
Seems like he mostly got Oregon done, too.
(The one I want the most is Going to Georgia Again and Again: A Collaboration with John Darnielle.)
Why don’t we just Goncharov those albums into existence?
This has been the subject of goofy jokes for more than fifteen years now, why on Earth would anyone actually need to be told that he’s not making more states albums?
The Carmen Sandiego series only did Where in North Dakota is Carmen Sandiego before abandoning their plan to do all 50 states. Maybe if we can get at least one abandoned project for each state we’ll be doing ok.
I love this. “I was talking out of my ass. It seemed like a cool idea at the time. It still seems like a cool idea, but we all knew it would never happen and I don’t want to do it and I’m not. I’m an artist and every idea isn’t always gonna pan out.”It’s refreshing honestly. Hear ye, George R.R. Martin.
My college friend who called Sufjan and Kanye West the most important American artists since Walt Whitman now has two things to be wrong about. Three if you count pursuing an English PhD in 2008.
Eh I’ve tried with him, always found him just obnoxious.
His last album had a song called America, so technically he did complete it