08 - A Better Love with John Van Deusen

John Van Deusen was a great songwriter before he could drive. One of the first time's I saw him play was to a packed Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon, WA singing about God not being dead. He had been reading serious philosophy (Nietzsche?) and somehow was turning that into songs that not only kept people's attention, but made them want more. He was barely in high school. He then went on to form The Lonely Forest, followed by his prolific stack of solo work, and now has a new project called Telephone Friends. John's super power is singing honestly about life as a Christian. Most people who do this get sucked into the Christian Music world™ or just get plain ignored. Not John. His authenticity and sincerity are disarming. His curiosity is engaging. His empathy for others otherness is attractive. And on top of that he's just a damn fine songwriter. We chat about the love of God and the existence (or not) of Hell, the need (or not) to have that figured out, and how to have these conversations with our kids. Go pick up John's records on Bandcamp and follow him on Instagram.