12 Things You Didn't Know About Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens is one of the most interesting characters in indie music. Instead of following trends, Sufjan operates in his own world so far away that the idea of "normal" becomes foreign. Fascinated by aliens, monsters, religion, history, and literature, Sufjan approaches music with the vision of a classical composer and the imagination of a child. When he's at his best, he delivers masterpieces and even if he's released some projects that have made you scratch your head (like his most recent release featuring dozens of Christmas songs), his decisions are intriguing, and it's clear that Sufjan isn't necessarily concerned with what people want. In this day and age, that's rare for any moderately successful artist, and we applaud him for following his imagination and making some beautiful music along the way.

To get more familiar with Sufjan Stevens, check out these 12 facts about his inspirations, his past, and the surprising meaning of his name.

Many gifted people often cite having had trouble in school. Even Einstein had troubles in some subjects. Sufjan Stevens is no exception to this trend, as he wasn't able to read or write at the age of nine. He explained in his introduction to the 2007 book, The Best American Nonrequired Reading:

"I'm a glutton for exhibitionism, so I’d like to reveal a dirty secret: I didn’t learn to read until third grade. As an elementary school kid at the Detroit Waldorf School, I was encouraged to learn at my own pace....By the time I finished second grade, it was clear something was wrong. I still couldn’t read or write. I had no friends. I had no ambitions. I was a Waldorf flunky. But by then it was too late. My parents’ mmmmmarriage began to crumble, along with the general downward slide of the times: Ronald Reagan, John Lennon, Mount St. Helens, to name a few."

"So in the beginning of third grade, I was transferred to a public school, a cinderblock prison camp with metal lockers and industrial carpeting and fluorescent lights so severe they took all color out of your complexion...The other children — raised on hot dogs and homogenized milk — were pig-nosed, bucktoothed, albino bullies who spent their free time at the arcade downtown playing Dig Dug or Dungeons and Dragons. But at least they could read. I couldn’t even spell my own name, so I was beaten up at recess, tickled and punched behind the swings, left in a rumpled mess in the gravelly residue of the playground."

Sufjan attended a performing arts high school where he was trained in the art of the oboe. He says it's "probably what I’m most trained in," and it gave him an appreciation for baroque and classical musique, which comprises a majority of the instrument's repertoire.

(Dusted Magazine)

"Sufjan" is an Armenian name, meaning "comes with a sword." Said Stevens of his name in an interview with Junk Media: "It's one of those charming militaristic Muslim names. I guess my purpose in life is to kill and avenge."

While Sufjan Stevens and his brother, Marzuki, share that music gene (they've recorded two musical releases together in the past), Marzuki also has another talent hidden up his sleeve. Marzuki Stevens is a professional long distance and marathon runner. He's even qualified for the 2008 Olympic Trials.

Sufjan Steves' music reflects a free-spirited attitude, which he may have have gotten from his parents. According to an interview with The Guardian, Mister and Mrs. Stevens were "eccentrics, hippies, spiritualists," whose ideas for presents included things like home enema kits or toothbrushes made from recycled newspapers.