Leslie Jordan’s ‘The Agonist’ Is a Redemption Story Decades in the Making

Leslie Jordan’s ‘The Agonist’ Is a Redemption Story Decades in the Making

For Leslie Jordan, the story didn’t start with a song—it started with a cardboard box. Inside were decades of forgotten words, penned by a man she barely knew. Her grandfather, who left her mother as a child and died without much of a legacy, had left behind a trove of journals, poems and scribbled thoughts. It was the kind of thing most families might quietly file away. Jordan turned it into The Agonist, her first solo album since stepping away…

Leslie Jordan Gives Her Late Grandfather’s Words A New Life With Brand New Americana Concept Album, The Agonist

Nearly a decade ago, when sent photocopies of her late, wayfaring grandfather’s poetry and short stories, singer-songwriter Leslie Jordan knew that the treasure trove would eventually make its way into her musical story. He wrote short stanzas of evocative poetry, short stories of provocative men and women, and long journal entries about his love affair with alcohol and his brother's wife, Sylvia.