Amongst a strong batch of dark songs sat the...

Amongst a strong batch of dark songs sat the cumbersome ballad “Prince Alone in the Studio,” a song apparently written about Sir Squiggly himself. Callahan playfully pokes fun at Prince, painting the picture of an anal-retentive artist who passes up sex with groupies to nail a guitar track he’s been working on for hours. The song’s lyrics, which actually refer to Prince by name and at one point mention “raspberry headphones,” offended the recording artist previously of (and now again of) the same name. Legend has it that Prince approached Callahan after a (Smog) performance in Minneapolis and presented him with a slander lawsuit. The two settled out of court, although the details of the settlement are unclear (it’s believed that Callahan can no longer perform the song live). “Part of the settlement was that I was not to discuss [any details] in the press,” says Callahan.

Perfection.