Jagjaguwar Shares Unreleased David Berman Poem
Jagjaguwar has shared a previously unreleased piece of writing by David Berman in memory of the singer-songwriter and poet, who died yesterday (August 7) at the age of 52. According to a note on the label’s site, Berman and Jagjaguwar founder Darius Van Arman became friends when they were both living in Charlottesville, Virginia in the mid-1990s.
“So when it came time to pen a longform biography for Jagjaguwar [in 2016], it only made sense to reach out to one of our greatest writers for a sentence or two on those early days,” the note reads. “David said he would be happy to write up a little memory, but then some weeks passed as we would delicately nag for our quotes. Then, one day this arrives, a story/poem gem just for us. It’s been passed around this office again and again. And yesterday, we read it again with tears rolling out our eyes.”
In the piece, which Jagjaguwar calls a “story/poem,” Berman writes about Virginia, college radio, Darius Van Arman, and a 1995 college football game between Florida State and the University of Virginia. The piece ends:
i am not qualified to say, but i theorize that jagjaguwar is a plant and not an animal.
From there we can rule out grasses, flowers, and weeds since they have such short lifespans.
Tonight I believe Jagjaguwar is a tree.
Read Berman’s full piece at the Jagjaguwar website. Watch highlights from the college football game below.
Originally Appeared on Pitchfork
