Piano-playing singer-songwriter Tobias Jesso Jr. has seen his fortunes in the music business improve dramatically. The singer-songwriter recently put out his first album, Goon, which has received rave reviews and even been tweeted by Adele. But his career didn't take off until after he'd given up: In 2012, while recovering from a breakup in L.A., he was hit by a car, which impaled his hand on its hood ornament. While lying there, he saw a thief abscond with his bike. The next morning, he learned that his mother had been diagnosed with cancer.
At that point, Jesso quit the L.A. life, packed it in and moved back home to Vancouver. All the good stuff leading to his debut has happened since his return. On this episode of World Cafe, Jesso tells the story in a delightfully self-effacing manner and performs a handful of songs from Goon.
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