See that man up there? Yeah, he's plotting some chicanery. Recent interviews have Sufjan proclaiming an end to the fifty states project and questioning the value of sharing his music with the wider world. He has stated that he worries "there's a risk of becoming a cliche of myself". Setting aside the fact that becoming a cliche of one's self isn't a bad thing (Pitchfork becoming a cliche of itself gave birth to Mitchfork), we still don't buy it.
Just look in those eyes. Those big, beautiful eyes. Portals into the soul of a benevolent Christian man. Right? Wrong. This is a devious, deceptive individual, and that's why we love him. Jesus himself was a bit of a trickster, with his now legendary "water to wine", "rising from the dead", and "saying I am the son of God" bits, and Sufjan possesses the same masterful command of public perception.
Right now, that public perceives him as a troubled genius who is currently enduring a crisis of self. This belief stems from the angst-ridden interviews he has given and the increasing amount of time since his last LP "Illinois". But we're not buying it--he's manufacturing an image, lulling the indie populace into a false state of calm. Like MJ when he retired the first time from the NBA. Then, when they least expect it, BAM. Double album! "Lone Star Love Songs" (Texas) and "Garden State, But Not the Movie With Zach Braff and Natalie Portman, Which Was Uninspired and Didn't Do Justice to the Diversity and Majesty of the Third State in Our Union" (New Jersey).
Just like that, he's back on top of the world with both middle fingers raised. From that point on he releases an album a year until his 80th birthday when "Puerto Rico, It's About Time! An Ode to Our 51st" hits the charts and wins 12 Grammys. After this, Sufjan will climb into a spaceship and become one of the first colonists on the Moon, an experience that will lead him to compose "Songs From That Ball of Cheese In The Sky".
So yeah, he's just fine. That crafty sonuvabitch.
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