Cursive Frontman Is Indie Rock’s Eminem

Tim Kashner laughed when Chris Parker of Orlando Weekly suggested that he’s effectively used his personal life for lyrical grist, having peppered his albums with enough self-referential deconstructions of his small-scale stardom to make him an indie-rock Slim Shady. “I think it’s great what [Eminem] writes about. I can’t believe someone is being that self-analytical in Top 40 pop music. Most people don’t even recognize it. There’s so much more going on with him,” Kashner suggests. “[U2 singer] Bono tried to do it, and he just failed miserably. Nobody really understood it, because it seemed too much like he was trying to be, ‘Oh look at my silly character, aren’t I silly? I’m a silly rock star.’ But he seemed way too engrossed in himself.”