"Maginot Joe" Puts that MFA to Good Use

Joe Pernice would like to explain something about the song "Black Smoke (No Pope)" and his new novel It Feels So Good When I Stop:

The story behind this tune is something akin to an Escher print. The Young Accuser is a band I made up for my book. That fictitious band gets a scathing rejection letter from the very real Sub Pop Records. The real Jon Poneman of the real Sub Pop wrote a real blurb for my real book, then suggested that the fictitious Young Accuser record a real single for his real label. (Exhale.) So, a few real Canadians and I recorded a 1990s lo-fi period piece. I, the real Joe Pernice, went on to record a Pernicean, mellow cover of, er, my own tune. Really.

The nerdy story behind the nickname "Maginot Joe" available here.