It’s D-Day for Father John Misty’s much-anticipated new album Pure Comedy. The musician has been working hard the last few months to drum up excitement for the project. His publicity engine got started in January with the announcement of the album and release of a short film and music videos for album tracks “Pure Comedy” and “Two Wildly Different”. Momentum continued to build after his appearance on Saturday Night Live on March 4, boosted by scores of interviews and other appearances. For fans of the good father (aka Josh Tillman), we have gone through all the press he’s done for the new record and laid it out below. Some of the interviews we feel are more worthwhile than others, you’ll find those on the top, but diehards might feel compelled to read and watch everything from front to back. (If we’ve missed anything, please let us know.)

Of course, the blitz does not stop here. In fact, today Josh will be discussing Pure Comedy on Seattle’s KEXP. Tune into The Midday Show with Cheryl Waters starting at noon PST for an exclusive conversation with Josh about his creative process. The station will also be playing the album in full. KEXP has a special connection to the artist, as Seattle is his former home and the station championed him back in the days when he released music as J Tillman. Plus, his label, Sub Pop, is located in Seattle. You can listen to the show here. (Update: Josh is also appearing live today on KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic at 10am PT/1pm ET. Watch here.)

Josh will also be hitting the road in support of Pure Comedy. You can find the dates if you scroll down. If you’re in New York, he has two shows scheduled. He’ll playing Kings Theatre in Brooklyn on May 10, and Brooklyn Steel on May 11. The Kings Theatre show is sold out, but tickets for the Brooklyn Steel show go on sale to the general public on Friday, April 14, with a presale taking place on Monday, April 10 at 10am ET at fatherjohnmisty.com, passcode: COMEDY.

Pure Comedy is available now and we recommend getting your ears on it. You can purchase your copy at Sub Pop, iTunes, Amazon or at Father John Misty’s online store. It’s also streaming over at Spotify.

**RECOMMENDED READING, LISTENING & VIEWING**
Father John Misty Hemma hos Strage – March 22, 2017
This is a great interview. Josh visits with Swedish journalist Fredrik Strage and they chat over tequila and cookies, using songs as conversation starters. Josh’s selects include “Let My People Go” by Diamanda Galás, “When He Returns” by Bob Dylan, “My Eyes Are Dry” by Keith Green, “El Shaddai” by Amy Grant and “Prayer Changes” by R. Kelly. Fredrik brings in songs that Josh has covered including “Closer” by Nine Inch Nails, “Sunday Morning” by Velvet Underground, and Rihanna’s “Kiss it Better”. They also discuss Lana Del Rey, who Josh calls a genius, Dennis Wilson, and Gavin Bryars, who collaborated on the new record. The interview runs an hour and covers topics that Josh hasn’t been speaking on, like his mustache, which is meant to be unsettling, whether he believes in god, and how he thinks singing non-verbally is psychedelic.

Interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1
Zane Lowe goes in depth with Josh on the new album, song by song. We recommend watching if you have the time. This conversation took place a few weeks ago, but has now been posted in its entirety.

“Here Is the Scandalous Father John Misty Interview You’ve Been Waiting For” – Pitchfork, March 16, 2017
This interview took place prior to his SNL appearance but is published after and immediately launches into the Taylor Swift lyric. Josh then compares himself to a critical theorist, describes his songs as being bait and switch, and talks about his family life, liberal morality, his love of Michael Bolton, women and the pop music industry, and his decision to stay at Sub Pop rather than going to a major label.

“The World According to Father John Misty” – Paste Magazine, March 15, 2017
This is one of Josh’s more wackier interviews. It takes place at the musician’s home in the Hollywood Hills in mid-January, days before Trump’s inauguration. It begins with a discussion of Josh’s rant over the summer at the XPoNential Music Festival. From there, he talks about how he wants to turn Pure Comedy into a musical, why he deleted his Instagram and Twitter accounts, his first day of Sunday School, the story behind the song “Leaving LA”, and working with Gavin Bryars.

Father John Misty performs “Total Entertainment Forever” & “Pure Comedy” for NEO MAGAZIN ROYALE in Concert – ZDFneo – April 4, 2017
Josh performs a rousing renditions of songs off the new album for German television.

“At home with Father John Misty: ‘I’m basically a meme at this point’” – Los Angeles Times, March 30, 2017
This interview takes place in Josh’s home in the Hollywood Hills and opens with the musician offering the interviewer LSD. Josh then covers such topics as his religious upbringing, why he cleaned up his act, Lena Dunham, licensing songs to commercials, writing songs for other people, and Ed Sheeran.

“Father John Misty on Bears, Beyoncé, and ‘Pure Comedy'” – Vulture, April 7, 2017
This interview was executed by comedy writer Halle Kiefer. In it, Josh talks about love, how Pure Comedy is not the album he wanted to make, that there is no such thing as cynical music, how Trump’s presidency was inevitable, and more.

**OTHER STORIES & APPEARANCES**
Father John Misty – ‘Pure Comedy’ – Song Stories – February 8, 2017
Josh dissects the song “Pure Comedy” for NME.

Father John Misty on Saturday Night Live – March 4, 2017

Father John Misty – Soundtrack Of My Life – March 8, 2017
NME invited Josh to discuss the songs that were influential in his life.

“How Father John Misty Made an Ideal Album for the Era of Outrage” – New York Times, March 14, 2017
This interview takes place in New York two days after his SNL appearance. It opens with Josh talking about his adopted stage name, Father John Misty, and then proceeds to explore Josh’s religious upbringing, use of LSD, thoughts on the pop music industry, and the new album. It also features a quote from Pure Comedy collaborator Nico Muhly.

“Father John Misty: Are We Not Entertained?” – exclaim, March 17, 2017
This interviewed is conducted over the phone with Josh, who is in Los Angeles. He reflects on hearing the news that Donald Trump was going to be the Republican presidential nominee. He then goes on to describe the lead up to Pure Comedy, and what the album means to him, explaining that it is a love letter to humanity.

Rocket Hour with Elton John, Episode 89
Elton John speaks with Josh on the phone. The call runs approximately 4 minutes and comes in the middle of the show (around the 23-minute mark). They debate protools vs analog and discuss how Josh recorded the new album. During the conversation they also talk about authenticity and Elton gets bleeped for swearing, “There’s some people around that have a lot of authenticity but they don’t get played on the ‘bleep’ radio, unfortunately.”

“Father John Misty’s war on social media, entertainment and ‘fake critical thinking jargon’” – Faster Louder, March 22, 2017
In this interview with Aussie music pub Faster Louder, Josh talks about how I Love You, Honeybear and Pure Comedy are intertwined, his controversial Taylor Swift lyric, his views on Twitter and Instagram, his rant this summer, and why he didn’t include “Real Love, Baby” on the new album.

“Father John Misty Was on LSD During This Interview” – Rolling Stone, March 23, 2017
This conversation takes place in New York a few days after his SNL appearance, and starts off with Josh sharing that he has taken LSD before the interview. Josh is then asked about his infamous Taylor Swift lyric, Trump, what a bummer his new record is, sexism in the music industry, leaving Fleet Foxes, erasing his Twitter and Instagram accounts, and Neil Young. Josh also shares that he turned down an audition for Stranger Things season 2.

Father John Misty on BBC Breakfast 2017
In this morning show appearance, which takes place in advance of his appearance at the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival, he talks about Jools Holland, jokes about his music, and discusses what he sees as being the difference between entertainment and art.

Father John Misty at BBC 6 Music Festival 2017

“Father John Misty: ‘I get sick pleasure out of reading about how much people hate me’” – The Guardian, March 30, 2017
This interview starts off with Josh talking about wanting love from his mother, and then finds him discussing how he is frequently misunderstood. He is then probed about the uncomfortable interview he had with 6 Music last year, his decision to stay with Sub Pop despite being courted by major labels, and Donald Trump.

“Interview: Father John Misty and his alter ego” – Financial Times, March 31, 2017
The interview, which takes place in London, kicks off talking about how Josh was born with both of his hips dislocated. It then goes on with Josh commenting on Kanye West, writing songs for other people, religion, and relationships.

Father John Misty Bedtime Mix for Phil Taggart’s show on BBC Radio 1 – April 3, 2017
Josh calls in to chat with Phil Taggart about his Sunday night routine, his favorite songwriters, and more. He also introduces a bedtime mix he’s curated for the show that features Brian Eno, Ólafur Arnalds and Gillian Welch. This show is only available for listening for a limited time. It comes down on May 3.

“When Father John Misty Met Patton Oswalt” – New York Times, April 5, 2017
The New York Times features Josh in the pub’s Perfect Strangers series. Of course, he got along famously with comedian Patton Oswalt.

“All The World’s a Stage: Father John Misty” – DIY Magazine, April 5, 2017
In the interview Josh talks about how self-conscious he is now and the direction he went with the new record.

Father John Misty Performs “Ballad Of The Dying Man” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert

“Father John Misty: World at the edge, irony over?” – Süddeutsche Zeitung, April 6, 2017
This interview starts off a bit contentious but then settles in and finds Josh talking about the notion of “progress”, irony, the real threats to the human race, and his feelings on pop music and Beyoncé.

“Father John Misty: Microdosing on acid and melancholy” – The Irish Times, April 7, 2017
This interview takes place in a London bar and strays to Josh commenting on topics such as women, abortion, and drugs.

Father John Misty Tour Dates (Presale information below)
Apr. 12 – San Diego, CA – Humphrey’s [Sold Out] @
Apr. 14 – Indio, CA – Coachella [Sold Out] Apr. 21 – Indio, CA – Coachella [Sold Out] May 05 – Toronto, ON – Royal Alexandra Theatre [Sold Out] %
May 06 – Toronto, ON – Royal Alexandra Theatre [Sold Out] %
May 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Kings Theatre [Sold Out] %
May 11 – Brooklyn, NY – BrooklynSteel !
May 13 – Mayer, Arizona – FORM Arcosanti Festival
May 15 – Chicago, IL – Chicago Theatre [Sold Out] %
May 24 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre #
May 26 – Burnaby, BC – Festival Lawn at Deer Lake Park
Jun. 07 – Mexico City, MX – Teatro Metropolitan***
Jun. 22 – 24 Oslo, NO – Piknik I Parken Festival
Jun. 21 – 25 – Somerset,UK – Glastonbury Festival
Jun. 23 – 25 – Ewijk, NL – Down the Rabbit Hole Festival
Jun. 27 – Lund, SE -Merejet !!
Jun. 28 – Stockholm, SE – Cirkus !!
June 30 – Roskilde, DK – Roskilde Festival
Jul. 21 – 23 – Wooyung, AUS – Splendour in The Grass Festival
Jul. 28 – 30 – Niigata, JP – Fuji Rock Festival
Aug. 04 – 06 – Montreal, QC – Osheaga Festival
Aug. 18 – Winnipeg, MB – Interstellar Rodeo – The Forks
Aug. 19 – Minneapolis, MN – Surly Brewing Festival Field *
Aug. 25 – Morrison, CO – Red Rocks Amphitheatre **
Aug. 26 – Portland, OR – Project Pabst
Aug. 31- Sep. 03 – Dorset, UK – End of the Road Festival
Sep. 01 – Sep. 03 – Stradbally, IE – Electric Picnic
Sep. 13 – Boston, MA – Blue Hills Pavilion $
Sep. 14 – Port Chester, NY – Capitol Theatre $
Sep. 15 – Philadelphia, PA – Skyline Stage at the Mann $
Sep. 18 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall ^
Sep. 19 – Royal Oak, MI – Royal Oak Music Theatre ^
Sep. 20 – Chicago, IL – Auditorium Theatre ^
Sep. 22 – St. Louis, MO – Peabody Opera House ^
Sep. 23 – Columbus, OH – Palace Theatre ^
Sep. 25 – Asheville, NC – Thomas Wolfe Auditorium ^
Sep. 26 – Nashville, TN – Ryman Auditorium ^
Sep. 27 – Atlanta, GA – The Tabernacle ^
Sep. 29 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall ^
Sep. 30 – Dallas, TX – Bomb Factory ^
Oct. 01 – Houston, TX – White Oak Music Hall ^
Oct. 04 – Phoenix, AZ – Orpheum Theatre ^
Oct. 05 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park ^
Oct. 06 – San Diego, CA – The Observatory North Park ^
Oct. 07 – Berkeley, CA – Greek Theatre $
Oct. 11 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre ^
Oct. 12 – Las Vegas, NV – Brooklyn Bowl ^
Oct. 13 – Los Angeles, CA – Greek Theatre ^
Oct. 14 – Pomona, CA – Fox Theater Pomona ^
Nov. 11 – Paris, FR – Le Trianon ^
Nov. 12 – Brussels, BE – Ancienne Belgique ^
Nov. 14 – Berlin, DE – Huxley’s ^
Nov. 16 – Milan, IT – Fabrique
Nov. 18 – Barcelona, ES – Razzmatazz ^
Nov. 19 – Madrid, ES – La Riviera ^
Nov. 20 – Lisbon, PT – Coliseu dos Recreios ^

@ with Tim Heidecker
% w/ Dams of the West
# w/ Entrance
^ w/ Weyes Blood
! w/ Adam Green
!! w/ Hamilton Leithauser
$ w/ Phosphorescent
*w/ Tennis
**w/ Jenny Lewis
*** w/ Adanowsky

Tickets for newly added summer & fall dates (in bold) will have presales on Monday, April 10 at 10am local time, passcode: COMEDY. Go to fatherjohnmisty.com to purchase.

Photo Credit: Guy Lowndes