Franz Nicolay has maybe the longest and most varied resume of any Left of the Dial guest. You likely know him best from his work with The Hold Steady and World/Inferno Friendship Society, and of course, his own solo work. He’s also a novelist, travel writer, journalist, professor, and just an all around brilliant and thoughtful person. This week, he joins Andrea and our on-call substitute co-host Doug Keller to talk about so many things, including the long and winding process of making an album, writing fake songs for books, the art of the bridge, the necessity of revision, crying over Randy Newman, and, of course, Stephen Sondheim.

He's also here to talk about his beautiful new album, New River, out today, (Nov 11th) on Don Giovanni Records (digital or vinyl).

Catch Franz live this month:

Nov 18 - Bar Freda, Queens NY

Nov 19 - Quarry House Tavern, Silver Spring MD

Nov 30 - Brooklyn Bowl, NYC

Follow Franz Nicolay on Twitter and Instagram

Mentioned in this episode:

"Where Is My Wandering Boy Tonight"

Endless Possibility: A Tribute to Jack Terricloth

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photo: Tim Davis