Josh Dies
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Joshua S. Porter | |
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| Born | June 12, 1983 Savannah, Georgia |
| Occupation | Musician, Vocalist, Entertainer, Novelist . |
| Literary movement | Postmodernism |
| Notable work(s) | The Spinal Cord Perception |
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Influences
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Joshua “Dies” Porter (born June 12, 1983) is an American singer, songwriter, musician and author. He is widely known as the vocalist and songwriter for the band Showbread. His debut novel The Spinal Cord Perception which was released December, 2006, features a dark, postmodern style similar to Chuck Palahniuk, Bret Easton Ellis, and other Generation X novelists. Porter and Showbread also started "Raw Rock Missions," an organization designed to provide food and shelter for orphans and children with special needs. [1]
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[edit] Biography
In 1997, Porter began working with brother Patrick Porter creating and evolving the band Showbread, which became a full-time international touring act in 2002. In 2004, following several independent albums, Showbread released No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical, featuring music and lyrics written by Porter, and arranged and completed by he and his band mates. No Sir... expectantly failed to achieve commercial success. However, it was rewarded by Revolver Magazine to be the best Screamo album of the year, and Showbread’s already respectable and rabid fan base was propelled by the thousands.
In 2006, Showbread released Age of Reptiles, a drastic and controversial departure from the spastic, frenetic style of their debut album. The record, featuring straightforward, almost traditional rock songs garnered drastically polarized reviews, heralded by many as an unpredictable work of creative genius and by others as an uninventive sell-out. The seemingly most random song title in the history of love songs, Oh! Emetophobia! is written about and named for Josh's fiancee (now wife), who actually is emetophobic.
Later that year, Porter announced through Showbread's website and his own Official homepage, that he would be releasing his first novel, The Spinal Cord Perception, at the close of 2006. A limited edition version of the book is said to be self-published by Porter and sold via his web-store and on the road with Showbread. He said recently on his Myspace blog that the book will soon be available in-store. He also said that he is currently starting his second novel, which will be written mostly around April 2007.
Porter has also teamed with acclaimed produced Sylvia Massy Shivy to design artwork for her Psycho Empire T-Shirt line. Porter’s designs reminiscent of John Kricfalusi, are sold on tour with Showbread and feature crazed cartoon creatures mutilating each other.
Porter married a girl named Abigail on November 11, 2007. More on the couple can be found at http://www.mywedding.com/joshuaandabigail.
His three favorite bands are Nine Inch Nails, The Flaming Lips, and Genesis.
[edit] As Showbread's Frontman
Showbread’s lyrics are often a focal interest among their fans. Porter uses satire, strange metaphors and pop culture references to convey what some believe to be intensely profound and spiritual ideas. Notably, the lyrics throughout No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical tout connections to Franz Kafka’s The Metamorphosis, and the ultra-thematic lyrics of Age Of Reptiles include countless references to various reptiles and the act of vomiting.
Some fans have found the advanced vocabulary peppered throughout Showbread lyrics difficult to decode, when questioned about this in interviews, Porter claims that his vocabulary comes from reading Calvin and Hobbes. Porter writes all of Showbread’s songs on the same acoustic guitar. The writing process has been described by the band as being started by Porter, who writes the basic music for the song, and completed by the band members who all style in their own handy work. Incidentally, Porter also writes and performs some of the synthesizer parts and acoustic guitars heard on Showbread albums and is also credited as Showbread’s original drummer. He has also released a solo record, Aesthetics of Violence, under the moniker DIES. It is "some rough, noisy industrial . . . maybe a melody here and there . . . Skinny Puppy meets Genesis, I think." Physical copies were sold, and could be purchased via the DIES myspace page. It released on November 27, 2007.
Porter's trademark scream is well known among fans of No Sir, Nihilism is not Practical, as it assumes various tones and notes. He has often stated that he is unimpressed with his own singing abilities and merely tries to recreate Refused front man Dennis Lyxzén's trademark scream. The notable lack of screaming on Showbread’s latest record however leaves him rendering a more guttural, often melodic, throaty wail. Donning strange costumes and theatrical make-up, Porter has become notorious for his outlandish stage persona as Josh Dies. He rants nonsensically suring speeches. It is noted that the only serious discussions made by Porter are those dealing with his faith.
[edit] Criticism
Porter has been involved with several controversies having to do with his work, namely with some Christian groups who feel that some of the subject matter of his writing is contrary to Porter's personal stance of faith as a devout Christian. [2] Some of his lyrics are tinged with dark, violent, and obscure subject matter. Many Showbread fans and fans of Porter’s writing style defend his work avidly and commend him for what they believe to be a deep and powerful way of conveying important spiritual truths. Porter has been open in sharing his ideas about accusations brought against him and his work, and has posted several articles dealing with these topics on Showbread’s website.
[edit] Body of work
[edit] Albums
- The Dissonance of Discontent (1998) guitar, songwriting, background vocals
- Goodbye Is Forever (1999) vocals, songwriting
- Human Beings are too Shallow to Fall in Love (2000) vocals, songwriting
- Goodnight Sweetheart, The Stitches Are Coming Apart (2001) vocals, songwriting
- Promotional EP (2002) vocals, songwriting
- Life, Kisses, and other Wasted Efforts (2003, Steel Roots Records) vocals, synthesizer, songwriting
- No Sir, Nihilism Is Not Practical (2004, Tooth & Nail/Solid State Records) vocals, guitar, synthesizer/programming, songwriting
- Age of Reptiles (August 1, 2006, Tooth & Nail Records) vocals, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, songwriting
- Aesthetics of Violence (November 27, 2007), released as DIES
- Anorexia Nervosa (album) ( May 13, 2008), Tooth & Nail Records) vocals, guitar, songwriting
[edit] Books
- The Spinal Cord Perception
- Nevada (Unfinished, will be released sometime in 2008)
- Be Afraid: The Definitive Opinionated Guide To Horror Nerdiness (with Patrick Porter and Landon D. Mise)
