Illinois

Tonight we kept things firmly in the Midwest and pulled Sufjan Stevens’ Illinois off the shelf. We dug into how this record came out of the famous 50-states concept, why Michigan made the bit feel believable, and how Illinois turned into a full-blown piece of musical world-building instead of just a state-themed indie record. We talked through the homework behind the album, the cheap gear and mostly solo recording process, the over-the-top ambition of a 22-track, 74-minute double LP, and why songs like “Chicago,” “Casimir Pulaski Day,” “John Wayne Gacy, Jr.,” “Jacksonville,” and “The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts” are the pillars that make the whole thing stand up.

We also got into the physical record itself: the AKR014 pressing, the unusual gatefold presentation, Divya Srinivasan’s artwork, and the long-running Superman cover-art story that forced later copies to swap the hero out for balloons. Along the way we touched on the album’s Illinois lore trail—UFOs, ghost towns, Mary Todd Lincoln, Metropolis, and all the rest—and why the project still lands years later, right down to inspiring the stage production Illinoise. For us, this is one of those records that rewards patience: not something we need on all the time, but absolutely a very good record and a seriously committed concept.Hot Wax Club: https://www.hotwax.club/ Sufjan Stevens Official Site: https://xmas.sufjan.com/home Illinois by Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty store page): https://store.asthmatickitty.com/products/illinois Michigan by Sufjan Stevens (Asthmatic Kitty store page): https://store.asthmatickitty.com/products/sufjan-stevens-michigan-cd Asthmatic Kitty Records: https://asthmatickitty.com/info/ Asthmatic Kitty statement on the Illinois/DC Comics cover issue: https://asthmatickitty.com/a-statement-from-asthmatic-kitty-and-dc-comics/ Superman (DC official character page): https://www.dc.com/characters/superman City of Metropolis, Illinois: https://www.metropolisil.gov/ Casimir Pulaski Day in Illinois law: https://www.ilga.gov/Legislation/ILCS/Articles?ActID=134&ChapterID=2 Mary Lincoln biography (White House Historical Association): https://www.whitehousehistory.org/bios/mary-lincoln Divya Srinivasan: https://divyasrinivasan.com/ Illinoise stage production: https://illinoiseonstage.com/ Little Miss Sunshine: https://www.searchlightpictures.com/littlemissunshine/