Joe Sidney

Joe Sidney (born Joseph Sidney Gershon on 29 February 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and activist from Bayside, New York. He is considered an obscure star in the indie rock scene, particularly off of “[The Favourite Game” and “Beautiful Losers” EPs, both named after poet Leonard Cohen’s only forays into fiction.
Sidney’s live performances are sporadic, giving a sense of personal instability that also lends itself to his rotating list of band members and his lo-fi recording quality.

Biography
Early Life: 1984-1998

Joe was born 29 February 1984 in Flushing, New York to a Jewish family of Germanic ancestry that dates back as far as nine generations, before displacement to America and Argentina in 1919.

Raised by his Grandparents as a young child, Joe was enrolled in Jewish nursery school and followed his family into music, as his Grandparents were in the first graduating class of the High School of Music & Art in 1940. This led to his befriending of composer Cy Coleman.

His parents remained out of the picture until 1988, settling down to raise Joe in Port Washington, New York.

In Junior High School, he learned his family’s name Gershon had been rudely changed to Smith at Ellis Island, but was reverted back by the 1950’s. After reading The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Joe was inspired to drop Gershon entirely and revert to his Joe Sidney moniker.

Career
1998-2005

Sidney began self-releasing home recordings of original material after his move to Great Neck, New York in the early nineties.

Noted performances of the era include instances of standing on his head, waving and throwing a 10 foot American flag at an auditorium show, performing in garbage bags, and shaving his face and tongue to Indian music (a performance piece and optical illusion).

Accounts from friends run the gamut on what Sidney did besides release recordings, including practice of mysticism, secret retreats, and psychedelic drugs; perhaps a pre-cursor to Sidney’s speculative schizophrenia.

Things took a turn for the worse upon a return to Great Neck after September 11, 2001 where records indicate various incomplete college semesters around the time, along with Sidney’s own admittance on stage to a rampant alcoholism that began at the same time.

Sidney did however remain sober enough for two months in 2005 to record the album “Preface” with producer Mike Ingber, the first Sidney record to garner press, and a college radio hit in Slovenia, though nothing short of remaining obscure and unreleased in America.

2005-2007

Sidney organized the successful fundraiser “Benefit for Hurricane Katrina Victims” in September 2005 featuring Nikki Blonsky (Hairspray) who headlined the event.

With that momentum, Sidney was invited to perform at the 2nd Annual Athens Popfest alongside Deerhoof and Mountain Goats in 2006, but didn't show up or cancel. This was going to be his biggest show to date.

Before a turn-around in treating his substance abuse problems, he was in a near-fatal car accident in October 2006, and among other things, shattered his left wrist bones.

2007-Present

Sidney moved on and released “The Favourite Game” EP in 2007, another obscure hit overseas, although he has failed to perform in public since July 2006.

He currently has an April release date for his EP “Beautiful Losers” which he is also self-releasing on iTunes in America this year (2008).

Personal Life & Controversy

Specualtion but no clarification led belief that Sidney suffers from symptoms of schizophrenia and manic depression, though obtained hospital records indicate he battles a severe panic disorder. Sidney has even said in show banter that he was drinking to ease a panic condition. This attributes to unknown reasons to why Sidney hasn't performed since 2006.

The Mineola Rehabilitation Clinic has a Joseph Gershon on file, believed to be Sidney seeking treatment since November 2007.

Trivia

• The song “I Am Destined for Greatness” from We Versus The Shark’s debut album (2006) is based on Joe Sidney’s struggle for record distribution. Sidney is good friends with the band.

Albums
*Preface (25 July, 2005) Out-of-Print

EPs
*The Favourite Game (26 June, 2007)
*Beautiful Losers (22 April, 2008)

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See Also

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