Photo by Ben Kaye
Father John Misty is cool to a fault. Josh Tillman’s stage persona is the walking embodiment of detachment, which has always been a shortcut to seeming sophisticated and chic. And that’s before we get to the fact that his beard game is stupid strong. But he wasn’t always this way.
Case in point: this awesome recently unearthed video of Tillman in college. Sent in to Stereogum — who promptly spread it to the world via their Instagram — the clip shows the future troubadour in a Nyack College dorm proudly rocking Banana Republic like a Central Perk extra.
While some folks might see this as a chance to point and laugh at young Misty, I think the short clip is a little capsule of hope. If Josh Tillman can go from the guy in that video to the drummer of a critically acclaimed folk band and then on to launch his unbelievably cool (and successful) solo persona, there’s hope for all of us.
