Chris Bauman

Chris Bauman‘s novel In Hoboken was based on his days as a folk-singer in Greenwich Village and the rough-and-tumble alternative scene across the river in Hoboken (better known as the setting for On the Waterfront) during the 1990s. “I did a lot of split bills, and I opened for a lot of great artists (as one will do when one is less than famous),” he tells Gregory Cowles for the “Living With Music” feature on the New York Times‘ Paper Cuts blog. Among those he opened for, he tells of the time he played a tiny club as the opening act for the legendary folk singer who supposedly inspired Bob Dylan to pick up a guitar, Odetta. “She was a captivating woman, gesturing with long arms and long fingers, singing strong even though she was old and clearly tired,” he says, citing her version of Midnight Special among some others that influenced the book.