Ben Dickey Lives On The 'Outskirts' And Takes A Star-Making Turn

XPN | By Stephen Kallao,

Published June 26, 2019 at 4:36 PM EDT

Meeting Ben Dickey is like running into an old friend you haven't seen in a while, but you're thrilled to see them. He was a joy to speak with the roots singer-songwriter while visiting the World Cafe Studio to play songs from his sophomore solo record, A Glimmer On The Outskirts —not just about the album, but also about his potential star-making turn as Blaze Foley in the Ethan Hawke-directed biopic Blaze. And that's not just my opinion. He picked up a special jury prize at last year's Sundance Film Festival for the performance, too.

In this session, Dickey talks about his latest album, how he ended up starring in a movie, and why Blaze Foley should be remembered. We get started with a performance of "The Bizzy Waltz." Listen in the player.

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Stephen Kallao

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John Myers

Since 2017, John Myers has been the producer of NPR's World Cafe, which is produced by WXPN at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Previously he spent about eight years working on the other side of Philly at WHYY as a producer on the staff of Fresh Air with Terry Gross. John was also a member of the team of public radio veterans recruited to develop original programming for Audible and has worked extensively as a freelance producer. His portfolio includes work for the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, The Association for Public Art and the radio documentary, Going Black: The Legacy of Philly Soul Radio. He's taught radio production to preschoolers and college students and, in the late 90's, spent a couple of years traveling around the country as a roadie for the rock band Huffamoose.

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