Josh Tillman of Fleet Foxes will play John Misty in Kerry

As Josh Tillman gets ready to play in Kerry, he tells Ed Power about Fleet Foxes, his painful childhood and an album that’s been one of the sensations of the year.

CAN a person be polite and acerbic? Such is the face Josh Tillman, aka critically lauded troubadour Father John Misty, presents to the world. On record, the Los Angeles-based singer proceeds from melancholy to mocking; in person, he is softly-spoken, yet with the faintly withering disposition of someone who gave up suffering fools a long time ago.

“It’s cool that people like my record,” says the singer-songwriter, referring to his acclaimed LP, I Love You, Honeybear. “But I’m not sure how I can articulate that feeling. You’re not going to get very far with me on that line of thinking. I mean, how many times have you got a cogent, interesting answer to that question? It’s not as if my life has changed in any meaningful way.”