InTheMirrormaker,songwriterandpoetBrianLaidlawmeldsmythsancientandcontemporaryamongtheraspberries,wolves,andtaconiteminesofMinnesota’sIronRange.AcompanionvolumetoLaidlaw’s2015project,TheStuntman,thiscollectionfusesthestoriesoftwofabledcouples:themythicalNarcissusandEcho,andBobDylanandEchoStarHelstrom,subjectofthesong“GirlfromtheNorthCountry.“ButwhereTheStuntmanfocusedonNarcissus,TheMirrormakertakesitsprimaryinspirationfromEcho,drawingonecocriticalreadingsofAmericanhistoryandinterrogatingthemasculinelogicofresourceextraction.Inthesepoems,Laidlawexploresthemesofhistoryandcelebrity,loveandlonging,mythandmeaning,inalandscapebothravagedandredemptive.Hepitsromanticobsessionagainstself-obsession--“ThefirsttimeIsawthemoon/Ithoughtitwasmyidea“--andaskswhetherameaningfuldistinctioncaneverbedrawnbetweenthetwo.Thesethemesareexploredfurtherinacompanionsongsuite,writtenbyLaidlawandrecordedwithalongtimecollaboratorfromtheIronRange,thataccompaniesthisbookviadownload.Sharp,searching,andecstaticallymusical,TheMirrormakerisagenre-expandingexplorationofboomandbust--inminingeconomiesandinyounglove.
