LD Beghtol (1964 – 2020), also known as "Uncle LD", was an American musician, art director and writer. He was best known for participating in
The Magnetic Fields
The Magnetic Fields (named after the André Breton/Philippe Soupault novel '' Les Champs Magnétiques'') are an American band founded and led by Stephin Merritt. Merritt is the group's primary songwriter, producer, and vocalist, as well as fr ...
' ''
69 Love Songs
''69 Love Songs'' is the sixth studio album by American indie pop band the Magnetic Fields, released on September 7, 1999 by Merge Records. As its title indicates, ''69 Love Songs'' is a three-volume concept album composed of 69 love songs, all w ...
'' and writing the illustrated companion book ''
69 Love Songs, A Field Guide
''69 Love Songs'' is the sixth studio album by American indie pop band the Magnetic Fields, released on September 7, 1999 by Merge Records. As its title indicates, ''69 Love Songs'' is a three-volume concept album composed of 69 love songs, all w ...
'' for the
33 1/3
(Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books, each about a single music album. The series title refers to the rotation speed of a vinyl LP, RPM.
History
Originally published by Continuum, the series was founded by editor David Barker ...
book series.
Beghtol was born in
Fort Campbell, Kentucky
Fort Campbell is a United States Army installation located astride the Kentucky–Tennessee border between Hopkinsville, Kentucky and Clarksville, Tennessee (post address is located in Kentucky). Fort Campbell is home to the 101st Airborne Divi ...
. He was a founding member of the band
Flare
A flare, also sometimes called a fusée, fusee, or bengala in some Latin-speaking countries, is a type of pyrotechnic that produces a bright light or intense heat without an explosion. Flares are used for distress signaling, illumination, ...
—aka
Flare Acoustic Arts League—and the death-pop outfit
LD & the New Criticism, and was also in the collective,
Moth Wranglers Moth Wranglers was a musical collaboration formed in 1998 by Chris Xefos (Drop Quarters, ex- King Missile), and LD Beghtol (Flare, The Magnetic Fields). The duo took their name from the credits for Jonathan Demme's 1991 thriller '' Silence of the L ...
.
In 2012 Beghtol formed LD&CO, with Scott Sosebee (
Little Red Rocket) and others to record and play live; their debut single "Morgantown" was mixed by
Kramer, but remains unreleased. The band's experimental 5-songs-in-5 minutes EP, ''The Just-World Phenomenon'' was released by
Silber
Silber is a surname, originally the German language, German word meaning ''silver''. It may refer to: Notable people named Silber
*Alexandra Silber (born 1983), American actor, singer, writer, and educator
*Christoph Silber (born 1971), German-bor ...
in 2015. A full-length album, ''Mental Health Styling'' is scheduled for a future release, again in collaboration with
Kramer. Additionally, he has partnered with Mark Bishop's San Francisco-based atmospheric synth project Bronze Eye for a series of audio miniatures entitled ''Adventures in Love & Culture''—the first of which was released in May 2016 on
Silber
Silber is a surname, originally the German language, German word meaning ''silver''. It may refer to: Notable people named Silber
*Alexandra Silber (born 1983), American actor, singer, writer, and educator
*Christoph Silber (born 1971), German-bor ...
, as well as many collaborations and guest appearances as vocalist, instrumentalist and arranger/producer.
Beghtol served as designer/art director for ''
The Village Voice
''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'', ''
Travel Holiday'', ''
Outdoor Life
''Outdoor Life'' is an outdoors magazine about camping, fishing, hunting, and survival. It is a sister magazine of ''Field & Stream''. Together with ''Sports Afield'', they are considered the Big Three of American outdoor publishing by Money ...
'' and other publications; since 2010 he worked in pharmaceutical advertising for industry leaders CDM, Area 23 and the BGB Group.
He is also known for his writing about popular culture for ''
Time Out'', ''
The Memphis Flyer
The ''Memphis Flyer'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper serving the greater Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along th ...
'', ''
The Advocate,'' ''
The Oxford American
The ''Oxford American'' is a quarterly magazine that focuses on the American South.
First publication
The magazine was begun in late 1989 in Oxford, Mississippi, by Marc Smirnoff (born July 11, 1963).
The name "Oxford American" is a play on ''T ...
'' and
Gail O'Hara
Gail O'Hara is a U.S. editor, writer, photographer, recording label owner and filmmaker. She has worked at the ''Washington City Paper'', ''SPIN'', ''Time Out New York'', ''ELLEgirl'', ''EW'', Modern Painters, Kinfolk and other publications.
Car ...
's fanzine ''
chickfactor
Gail O'Hara is a U.S. editor, writer, photographer, recording label owner and filmmaker. She has worked at the ''Washington City Paper'', ''SPIN'', ''Time Out New York'', ''ELLEgirl'', ''EW'', Modern Painters, Kinfolk and other publications.
Car ...
''.
References
External links
Test Listen: LD Beghtol's 'AKA Paradise'"Flare: an interview with LD Beghtol by Matt Dornan", ''Comes with a Smile''Book review at gawker.com*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beghtol, Ld
2020 deaths
1964 births
People from Clarksville, Tennessee
American ukulele players
American LGBT musicians
University of Memphis alumni
Musicians from Tennessee
21st-century American musicians
21st-century American male musicians