Paperback Rider: Kevin Morby
with a Rachel Kushner lyrical reference reveal
Hello readers,
Friend & contributor KEVIN MORBY is my guest for Paperback Rider, a series about musicians reading on the road.
I asked Morby to pick three book & tour questions each from the long list, but he overachieved and answered a bunch more. It’s a deluxe edition of the series today.
I’ve bitten off a lot to chew for Little Engines in 2025—there are now spreadsheets involved! I’ll have updates soon on Issue Ten in print, Morning, Fuckers events, and the first Little Engines book 👀
-AV
BOOK QUESTIONS:
WHAT ARE YOU READING?
KEVIN MORBY: String Theory by David Foster Wallace
WHERE DID YOU GET IT?
MORBS: It was a gift!
LAST BOOK YOU GAVE AS A GIFT?
MORBS: Agostino by Alberto Moravia
A BOOK CONNECTED TO A LYRIC?
MORBS: I reference one of my favorite Rachel Kushner lines from her book of essays The Hard Crowd on my album This Is A Photograph. Rachel’s quote reads: "Sometimes I am boggled by the gallery of souls I know.”
In my song "It's Over," I sing, "We used to sing Cassie, even dream, for the poor souls passing through our gallery."
WHAT DID YOU READ FROM A RELATIVE’S BOOKSHELF WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG?
MORBS: I remember my uncle, who lived in Western Nebraska, always had a lot of dime-store western novels around. I would flip through them at Christmas time. I don't remember much of what was inside but I do remember the feeling of the books, like they had a presence, peaking my interest in cowboy culture and the Wild West.
AN EMBARRASSING BOOK YOU LIKE?
MORBS: I can't think of any one book that would make me embarrassed! Though I do love Catcher In The Rye, and feel if I was caught reading it on the subway I may be a little embarrassed. Also, I read Where The Crawdads Sing when it came out and it made me cry harder than most books ever have. I was maybe a little embarrassed while that was happening.
A FAVORITE BOOKSTORE IN A SMALL TOWN?
MORBS: Dickson Street Bookshop in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
WHO DO YOU TRUST FOR BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS?
MORBS: My heroes! Whenever I'm stumped on what to read next I research my favorite authors’ or artists' most influential books. Recently I was looking up Nick Cave's favorite books. He loves the Bible, of course.
LAST BOOK YOU WERE GIFTED WHICH YOU LOVED?
MORBS: Once by Wim Wenders. It's more of a photobook, but it tells its own story, and is perfect.
A BOOK YOU’VE READ MORE THAN ONCE?
MORBS: Tell Me How Long The Train's Been Gone by James Baldwin. One of my favorites and an amazing and relatable book for anyone who performs.
A FAVORITE MUSIC BIOGRAPHY?
MORBS: Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil. It's a perfect oral history of the late ‘70s punk scene in New York, but it plays out like a novel. The final lines of the book are my favorite last lines of any book, ever.
WHAT DO YOU USE FOR A BOOKMARK?
MORBS: Usually a receipt from whatever shop I bought the book from, but often I have to improvise. I've used napkins.
DO YOU READ LITERARY JOURNALS? OH YEAH? NAME TWO.
MORBS: No.
WHAT BOOK IS ON DECK?
MORBS: I'm not sure! You tell me! Though I have been contemplating doing a reread of Lonesome Dove. One of my all time favorite books, but a massive undertaking.
TOUR QUESTIONS:
WHERE ARE YOU NOW?
MORBS: Home in Kansas City.
WHERE DO YOU GO NEXT?
MORBS: Los Angeles, California
MOST EMBARRASSING RIDER ITEM?
MORBS: Peanut Butter & Jelly
PERFECT MIX-N-MATCH FAST FOOD MEAL?
MORBS: My bandmate Cassie used to get a Fish Filet at McDonalds and use the hot sauce from Taco Bell which I always respected. But for me I think I would get a cheeseburger at McDonald’s and a chocolate Frosty from Wendy’s.
A NICE PERSON YOU MET ON THE ROAD WHO WAS NOT A FAN, NOT AT THE SHOW, AND NOT PART OF THE MUSIC INDUSTRY?
MORBS: One time I played to a handful of people at the Neurolux in Boise, Idaho. There was this fancy business man there in a long trench coat who was very handsome. I think he had just wandered into the bar and ended up seeing this ramshackle band play while trying to have a drink. Afterwards he came up to me and handed me a check for $300 dollars and told me we looked like we could use it, and then disappeared into the night. But I guess he was technically at the show, so to better answer your question:
Recently I sat next to a doctor on an airplane while on tour. He was coming from a conference in Toronto, where I had just played a festival. We talked the whole flight. He told me all about his kids and his life as a doctor and we went deep about baseball and music. He was a good guy. Don't remember his name.
GNARLIEST GREEN ROOM IN AMERICA?
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