In 2020, I interviewed Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker of the indie rock band Low, whose 1999 album Christmas is one of the great indie Christmas albums, and a bold one because rock bands didn't record Christmas music at the time--at least not like that. Maybe they'd contribute a track to a label promo compilation, but they wouldn't tie their financial and artistic futures to such an unlikely project.
Low's music at the time was dubbed "slowcore," and while it wasn't necessarily slow, they did stake out a very individual musical space that was driven by introspection and meditation more than energy.
When I interviewed Alan and Mimi, they were sitting at a table at home in Duluth, Minnesota, and even though we were on opposite ends of a Zoom call, the coziness of their space and the conversation gave the conversation a vibe I'll remember.
I'm re-posting this interview because on the weekend, Mimi Parker died of ovarian cancer. People have been sharing photos and memories of Mimi on social media, so I wanted to add our conversation to the demonstrations of love for her, the band and the way they moved through the world.
The Smithereens and ChristmasUnderground.com
Joss Stone
Steven Drozd of The Flaming Lips - An Encore Presentation
Children’s Music at Christmas with Laurie Berkner
”A Charlie Brown Christmas” with Derrick Bang
Bruce Cockburn
Peter Zaremba of The Fleshtones
José James
Julian Koster and His Singing Saws
Susan Cowsill of The Cowsills
Filmmaker Mitchell Kezin and ”Jingle Bell Rocks!”
Ray Benson of Asleep at the Wheel
A ”Molto Groovy Christmas” with Carlo Poddighe
”Last Christmas” with Annie Zalenski
Highlights of the First 100 Episodes, Pt. 5
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 4
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 3
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 2
Looking Back at the First 100, Pt. 1
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