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John Roderick (musician)

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John Roderick
Roderick in 2012
Roderick in 2012
Background information
Born (1968-09-13) September 13, 1968 (age 56)
Seattle, United States
GenresIndie rock, alternative rock
Occupations
Instrument(s)Vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards
Years active1997–present
LabelsBarsuk Records
Websitewww.johnroderick.com Edit this at Wikidata

John Roderick is an American musician, writer, podcaster, and politician. He is currently the lead singer and guitarist in the band The Long Winters, was formerly a touring member of the band Harvey Danger, and co-hosts the podcasts Roderick On The Line, Road Work, Omnibus, and Friendly Fire.

Early life

Roderick was born in Seattle, Washington to David Roderick,[1] a former Washington State Representative, and Marcia. The family moved to Anchorage, Alaska in 1971.[2] In 1973, David and Marcia divorced, and Marcia took the kids back to Washington, but moved back to Anchorage shortly after.[2] Roderick graduated from East Anchorage High, and moved to Seattle shortly after graduation.

Career

Western State Hurricanes (1997–1999)

Main article: The Western State Hurricanes

Roderick's first major band was The Western State Hurricanes, which he started while attending the University of Washington. The band enjoyed quick success, playing their first show at Seattle venue the Breakroom in May, 1998.[2] The band split after failing to sign a deal with Sub Pop Records.[3] Having recorded an unreleased album in the late 1990s, Roderick was prompted by Pete Greenberg to remaster their debut album, Through With Love, which was announced in late 2019 by Latent Print Records. In February 2020, the band regrouped to perform shows, including a recorded performance on KEXP.[4]

Harvey Danger (1999–2001)

Main article: Harvey Danger

After the disbanding of The Western State Hurricanes, Roderick was offered a spot to play keyboard in popular Seattle band Harvey Danger. Roderick played with the band until they went on hiatus in April 2001.

The Long Winters (2001–present)

Main article: The Long Winters

Along with former Harvey Danger singer/songwriter Sean Nelson, Roderick founded the indie rock band The Long Winters in the wake of Harvey Danger's breakup. Roderick penned the band's first album, The Worst You Can Do Is Harm, in 2001 and released the album on Barsuk Records. The band since released two more albums, When I Pretend to Fall (2003) and Putting the Days to Bed (2006), and one EP titled Ultimatum (2005). The band still plays shows, playing at the inaugural Upstream Festival in 2017.[5]

Podcasts

Merlin Mann and John Roderick

In September 2011, Roderick began co-hosting Roderick on the Line, a podcast with Merlin Mann.[6] On August 13, 2015, Roderick released the first episode of his second podcast called Road Work, with co-host Dan Benjamin.[7] On September 7, 2017, HowStuffWorks announced a new show entitled Omnibus, co-hosted by Roderick and former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings. They pick topics they fear might be lost to history and discuss them. The first episode was posted on December 7, 2017.[8] On January 12, 2018, Roderick, Adam Pranica, and Benjamin Ahr Harrison started the Friendly Fire podcast, a weekly podcast about war films.[9]

The song 'It's A Departure' from the Long Winters record Putting The Days To Bed acts as the theme song for the podcast My Brother, My Brother, and Me. Roderick himself has appeared on the program.

Musical collaborations

Roderick frequently collaborates with other musicians. Roderick, along with collaborator Sean Nelson, provided vocals on Death Cab For Cutie's album Transatlanticism. He collaborated with Jonathan Coulton for Coulton's album, Artificial Heart, released in September 2011,[10] as well as the duo’s Christmas Album, One Christmas at a Time. Roderick also co-wrote some songs on Aimee Mann's 2017 album Mental Illness.[11]

Political career

Roderick became a founding member of the Seattle Music Commission in 2010, appointed to the position by former Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn.[12] Encouraged by the former mayor, in 2015 Roderick announced his candidacy for Seattle City Council Position 8, one of two city council positions that represent the entire city.[13] Roderick came in 3rd place in the city-wide primary, winning 15.90% of the vote.[14] Roderick still sits on the Seattle Music Commission, advising city officials on policies affecting Seattle's music community.

Personal life

Roderick currently lives in Seattle with his daughter. In 2017, Roderick was honored with the position of King Neptune for the 2017 Seattle Seafair.[15] Roderick graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Washington after three decades of undergraduate study.[16]

In 2021, Roderick attracted controversy after a Twitter thread about his daughter learning to use a can opener went viral. He received widespread criticism, with some users describing his actions as abusive, and many dubbing him as "Bean Dad".[17][18] The incident prompted other social media users to resurface controversial past tweets in which Roderick used antisemitic language, the n-word, rape jokes, as well as statements saying that "Hitler was entertaining".[19]

References

  1. ^ "Former legislator David Roderick dead at 86". The Seattle Times. December 26, 2007. Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  2. ^ a b c DeRoche, Jeff. "Harm's Way". The Stranger. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  3. ^ "Silencing the Knuckleheads". City Arts. May 27, 2015. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
  4. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUKy4J6gqvs
  5. ^ "Check Out The Lineup | Upstream Music Fest + Summit". upstreammusicfest.com. Archived from the original on October 20, 2017. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  6. ^ "Roderick on the Line". Merlin Mann. Retrieved September 10, 2013.
  7. ^ "Road Work". 5by5. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  8. ^ https://www.omnibusproject.com/podcasts. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ "Friendly Fire Podcast". Maximum Fun. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  10. ^ "First Track from Artificial Heart - Jonathan Coulton". www.jonathancoulton.com. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  11. ^ "Aimee Mann - Mental Illness". Discogs. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
  12. ^ The Seattle Music Commission Archived April 16, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ Groover, Heidi (April 6, 2015). "Musician John Roderick to Run for Citywide Council Seat". The Stranger. Retrieved April 6, 2015.
  14. ^ "King County 2015 Primary Election Results".
  15. ^ "Seafair Royalty". Retrieved August 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "John Roderick on Twitter". www.twitter.com. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  17. ^ Welk, Brian; Rossi, Rosemary. "Bean Dad Makes His 9-Year Old Struggle to Open Can of Beans for 6 Hours, Infuriates Twitter: 'Self-Absorbed A–Hat'". The Wrap. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  18. ^ Rettig, James. "Long Winters' John Roderick Dubbed "Bean Dad" After Viral Tweet About His Daughter". Stereogum. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  19. ^ Laviola, Erin. "John Roderick, 'Bean Dad': 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know". Heavy. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
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