About this episode
Ben Kweller discusses the tragic loss of his son Dorian and the impact it has had on his music and life.
On February 27th 2023 Ben Kweller received the worst phone call imaginable. His 16 year old son Dorian had died in a car accident. An oncoming truck had veered into Dorian’s lane and a downed tree had gone through his windscreen as he swerved over. Dorian himself was a budding musician, releasing music under the name Zev, and had been due to tour with his father later that year. Ben has been incredibly open about the tragedy, and turned the tour into somewhat of a tribute to his son. Out of the devastation of the past two years has come a new album from Ben entitled “Cover The Mirrors”. It features guests appearances from the likes of Waxahatchee, The Flaming Lips, and MJ Lenderman. You’ll hear some clips from it during our conversation. Ben’s debut album 2002’s “Sha Sha” meant a lot to me, and I was keen to ask about the song “Falling” which I love dearly. That album also features the song “Lizzy”, a song about his girlfriend at the time. Lizzy married Ben in 2003, and it really made me smile that she was handling his PR when we set this up. I’m really grateful to Ben for talking to me at such a sensitive time, and for trusting me with this episode. He joins me from his home in…
People in this episode
Guest: Ben Kweller
Topics covered
- tragedy
- music
- grief
- fatherhood
- tribute
Keywords
- Cover The Mirrors
- Zev
- Sha Sha
- Falling
- Lizzy
Mentioned in this episode
Products: Cover The Mirrors, Sha Sha
Books & works: Cover The Mirrors, Sha Sha, Falling, Lizzy, Sending Signals
Places: Texas
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