David Duchovny is one of those rare entertainment birds who has managed to craft a career in show business utilizing his many passions. Everyone is familiar with his portrayal of Agent Fox Mulder in The X-Files and his successful run with Californication, both of which afforded Duchovny Golden Globe awards. But there are other artistic outlets that he continues to explore.
An English major and graduate from Princeton University, it’s natural for Duchovny to express himself with a word processor. He’s written four books which have received strong reviews. His latest is titled, Truly Like Lightning: A Novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux). But he’s also a songwriter and musician. Music serves to fuse together the literary Duchovny with the on-screen actor. With music, he is able to both write and play a part, even if the part he’s playing is himself.
His newest album, Gestureland is his third record. Duchovny explains in our interview that it focuses on signs and signifiers of our modern culture, and the mysterious interest humans have by trying to find meaning in things that may not mean what we think they mean. Sounds like something Agent Mulder might focus on if he played in a band on his off nights from the FBI.
Join Mr. Duchovny and me as we talk about the creative process, his new record, the fabled Princeton eating halls, and much more. If you’re hoping that he’s as intensely conspiratorial as Fox Mulder, well, you might be a little let down, but the fact of the matter is that—like all of us—Duchovny is grappling with what the last few years of our lives mean. We may not be able to quite discern what that is yet, but like Agent Mulder, we all want to believe.
Evan Toth is a songwriter, professional musician, educator, radio host, avid record collector, and hi-fi aficionado. Toth hosts and produces The Evan Toth Show and TVD Radar on WFDU, 89.1 FM. Follow him at the usual social media places and visit his website.
