Paul Grimstad

Last updated
Paul Grimstad at Sear Sound in New York Paul Grimstad.jpg
Paul Grimstad at Sear Sound in New York

Paul Grimstad is an American writer, musician, academic and actor.

Contents

Early life and education

Grimstad earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin–Madison. [1] He later earned a Ph.D at New York University.

Career

Academia

Grimstad joined the faculty at Yale University in 2007, initially in the Department of English, and later moved to the Humanities Program. [1] In 2013 he published the book Experience and Experimental Writing with Oxford University Press. He currently serves as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for the Humanities major. In 2014, he received the Sarai Ribicoff ’79 Award for Teaching Excellence. [2] He has also taught at Columbia University and New York University.

Music and film composition

Grimstad composed the original scores for several independent films.

The Sweet East's opening credits sequence features actress Talia Ryder singing Grimstad's original song "Evening Mirror," composed specifically for the film. [3]

Outside of film, Grimstad composes and produces original songs in the avant-pop genre. [4] On September 30, 2025, Grimstad will simultaneously release SONGS, a new avant-pop record, Music For Film, a compilation of his film score work, and Live at Baby's All Right, a live EP. [5]

Acting

In addition to composing the film's score, Grimstad played a supporting role in Ronald Bronstein’s 2007 independent film Frownland . The film was later added to the Criterion Collection. [6]

Grimstad appears in director Paul Thomas Anderson’s film One Battle After Another as the character Howard Sommerville. [7] He also has a role in the Josh Safdie film Marty Supreme .

Writing and cultural criticism

Grimstad is also a literary and cultural critic whose essays have appeared in numerous prominent publications. His work covers topics such as jazz, contemporary music, literary aesthetics, and audiobook culture. Select contributions include:

Discography

Film scores

For Thirst Street, Grimstad composed a synth-heavy score inspired by Gabriel Yared, and contributed an original song performed in the film by actress Lindsay Burdge. [15]

Albums

Podcasts and Radio

Grimstad has appeared on various podcasts discussing music, audio engineering, and the U.S. Constitution including:

Under the alias "Pryme Ryb" Grimstad did five DJ sets for Elara Radio--https://elara.world/listen/pryme-ryb

References

  1. 1 2 "Paul Grimstad – Humanities Faculty Profile". Humanities Program, Yale University. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  2. ↑ "Teaching Awards". Yale College. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  3. ↑ "Fluxblog » Blog Archive » A Cat That Lost Its Black" . Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  4. ↑ "A Cat That Lost Its Black". Fluxblog. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Paul Grimstad Bandcamp". Bandcamp . September 2, 2025. Retrieved September 4, 2025.
  6. ↑ "Frownland". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  7. 1 2 "Paul Grimstad | Composer, Music Department, Actor". IMDb. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  8. ↑ "Jazz Is Freedom". The Baffler. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  9. ↑ "Leave Alexa Alone". The Paris Review. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  10. ↑ "Confessions of an Audiobook Addict". The New Yorker. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  11. 1 2 "On Frank Zappa". n+1. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  12. ↑ "On Tom Verlaine". n+1. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  13. ↑ "On Robert Ashley". n+1. 2014-04-10. Retrieved 2025-06-20.
  14. ↑ Zacharek, Stephanie (August 11, 2017). "'Thirst Street' Is a Wild, Dreamy Ride". Time. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
  15. ↑ "Paul Grimstad on Thirst Street". HeadStuff. Retrieved 20 June 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.