I’d heard through the grapevine that Whiskerman frontman Graham Patzner wrote “Otis” about his infant son, and thus I hoped our interview would be an opportunity to discover what Patzner’s vivid and peculiar lyrics have to do with fatherhood; namely, lines about having a vulture in one’s mouth, and giving some king a ring on the phone.
What I discovered upon chatting with Patzner is that “Otis” — the leadoff track to the band’s new album Nomad — is much more than an ode to fatherhood; it’s an account of self-empowerment and self-realization, seen through the eyes of someone who may have lost sight of himself along the way.
Listen in as Patzner discusses the inspirational landscapes of Lake County, his connection to Berkeley’s Medicine Path Native American church, and why he perceives “Otis” as a prayer for inner peace in this episode of the podcast — recorded at Farley’s on 65th Street in Emeryville, over a bowl of beef and barley soup.
