Judson Claiborne is the musical project of Chris Salveter, who we interviewed back in 2021. In that interview, having recently turned 40, our interviewer, Bob Fish, asked what, if anything, he had learned as he entered his fourth decade. Such a question is enough to place any of us on the spot, but in his response, Chris said: “…the older I get, the more I feel I want to be focused with my song writing too, and just making sure that a song really communicates something that’s clear and have an intention behind…”
With Tears in the Pocket (from the album Live Active Culture, Vol. 1), the video for which premieres below, he lives up to that promise, delivering a song that is not only rich in storytelling but musically transports the listener to the protagonist’s carefree past. The accompanying video by Kathleen Judge (more on below) is beautifully executed and perfectly entwines Salveter’s dreamy vision – I found the animation and music for the 80s Chicago sequence especially moving; she really does bring the song to life at the deepest level.
Chris shared the following:
Sometimes, lyrics come out feeling like a 200-word screenplay for a movie that’s being projected only in my mind. When this song was coming together, I was thinking about a protagonist who takes a great risk in the form of self-harm to escape a bad situation.
They consciously taunt a rattlesnake into biting them in order to escape the “intentional community” they’re trapped in. The hospitalized protagonist is reunited with the love of their life, and the two reminisce about the times they spent dancing to House Music in the 80s on the south side of Chicago.
Also, around this time, my mother-in-law introduced me to the Italian phrase, lacrime nella tasca, which translates to having Tears in the Pocket, describing those times in life when you’re so ambiently sad, you could just break down crying at any given moment. I found this phrase to suit the character and the story I was imagining.
I told the story to multimedia artist Kathleen Judge when I was pitching her on the idea of animating a music video for the song. I was completely blown away by how she brought it to life.
Animator / visual artist Kathleen Judge has designed stage sets for Neko Case and animations for a recent documentary about Flannery O’Connor. She’s also created music videos for Freakwater, and Guster.
Live Active Culture Vol. 1 (out now) is described as a witty, witchy, dreamy, experimental, affectionate, and politically astute companion for the times we’re living in.