Joanne Cole interviews bassist and composer Eric Thorin about The Pugilist, an experimental theatrical production debuting at the Dairy Center for the Arts on November 1st. Thorin, a longtime Colorado musician known for his work in bluegrass and Celtic music, reads an excerpt from the script, giving listeners a glimpse into the show’s dramatic tone. The conversation ends with a discussion about the importance of supporting independent media and KGNU following funding cuts, encouraging listeners to contribute to the station. (Interview: 10/28/25)
Joanne Cole: So now let me introduce someone who needs no introduction to the music scene here—Eric Thorin. Eric, tell us who you are, your role here along the Front Range, and how you got involved in all this.
Eric Thorin: Right. Eric Thorin. I’ll play with anybody—luckily, they ask me back often, which is great. I’m a Colorado native and have been living up in Lyons since about 2001. But even before then, I’d been familiar with KGNU.
I guess I’m mostly known around here as a bluegrass bass player. I also get to play with some fun bands like Hamster Theater. My wife is a fantastic Celtic fiddler, so I’ve recently been hitting all the Irish scenes with a band called The Bow Tides, and we tour around.
Joanne Cole: So how did you get involved in this endeavor?
Eric Thorin: Gem and S.S.A. were my neighbors at one point. It was a co-housing unit, so we were familiar with the workings of HOAs. A lot of my best friends are people who have survived and moved out of co-housing—and we’re still together to this day.
If you’re ever lucky enough to get asked to do a project with S.S.A., you just drop everything and go. I’ve got another project with her—she’s doing a tango thing up north—but it’s just amazing what she accomplishes. They would move the whole family to Taiwan for half the year or more, and she’d begin an amazing festival there or some other remarkable production.
There’s a Benjamin Britten one I can’t wait to see—I hope I get to see the whole thing. So there’s tango, and then there’s this, which is just off the map. I don’t think there’s a category for this.
Joanne Cole: We’re speaking with Eric and Gem. They’re involved in the November 1st production—the day after Halloween.
Eric Thorin: That’s it.
Joanne Cole: What day is that? It’s a Saturday. So be there or be square! Tickets are still available at the Dairy Center for the Arts. You can find that online at dairyartscenter.org. Eric, are you going to play a song for us?
Eric Thorin: Well, I think we’re just going to play a little bit. The only thing I do by myself, really, is—well, I mostly play bass in the show. But there’s this particular scene that takes place in a pub, where there’s just a bunch of hubbub before the big fight. So yeah, we’re going to do a quick little excerpt from the show so you can get a feel for what it might sound like.
Joanne Cole: I’m going to turn my mic off—
Eric Thorin: And—
Joanne Cole: —just let you gentlemen go. You want me to take a picture of you, or no?
Eric Thorin: You’re reading the words?
Joanne Cole: I’m reading the words. Never mind, I got it.
Eric Thorin: So this is Chapter Seven. They find a patron two weeks before the fight. Karen corrals a patron—a Corinthian named Cavendish. The rest of the fee is put up by the Athletic Club.
Cavendish meets Burke and Karen at Ned Landon’s public house. He’s a dandy—curls, perfume, fancy words. Wants to be called “Cav,” but Burke calls him “Mr. Cavendish,” and he smiles. He made his blunt during the Regency and flaunts it—burns a bill before their eyes. Recites a fight poem he had published in Bell’s Life, full of lofty words Burke has trouble wrapping his ears around.
He tells a story about a fighter—laughing, says “Poor Tom had his eyes knocked from his head just like that. Plop, plop. Couldn’t find work. Suicide. Drink. Poor flop.” Burke hates him immediately—feels his whole body tense up when he hears him jawing. He knows Cavendish is trying to look big by making him look small, but he can’t think of fast words to answer.
Any other man, and he’d hit him so hard he’d lose more than his eyes. He looks to his trainer, and Karen tilts his head just a little—as if to say, “Easy, son.” Cavendish begins to slur, calls a wagtail over and throws an arm around her waist.
Tells Burke to remove his shirt—says, “Look at the symmetry, look at the strength.” Says, “Your mum’s Irish,” calls him “my little boy,” touches his arms and says, “My, this is pretty.” Drinks his blue ruin until it runs down his chin. Says he was a boxer—but holds his fists with his thumbs inside.
Joanne Cole: Guess again—Gem Moore, Eric Thorin, The Pugilist.
Eric Thorin: Yeah. If you can make it through that little bit, then you get to hear Joy Adams sing—and it’s an all-star cast.
Joanne Cole: It just sounds fabulous. That’s Saturday night, November 1st. Tickets are available at the Dairy Center for the Arts—you can find that online. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming in.
Eric Thorin: Our pleasure. Thank you. It was hard!
Joanne Cole: It’s hard to represent theater over the radio, but I think we did a good job.
Eric Thorin: Thank you for letting us do it. It was awesome.
Joanne Cole: It’s a pleasure to see you. You have such a great—
Eric Thorin: —show here too, man. I love hearing it.
Joanne Cole: It’s a cool thing, right? You do a great alternative. All right, so give me a pitch here, Eric, because we need to make up $155,000 because of the demise of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Why don’t you give a pitch for KGNU and independent media?
Eric Thorin: Okay. This is Eric Thorin—
Joanne Cole: No, just the importance.
Eric Thorin: Okay, yeah, yeah. We must take this in under our own wings here, because we need this kind of message still hanging around. The No Kings Day is just a demonstration of how many people are behind this kind of organization.
Joanne Cole: I always bring up the disaster because I live in Gold Hill, and we had our share of fire and flood.
Eric Thorin: Yeah.
Joanne Cole: The takeaway for me was—when the poop hits the fan, you are on your own. And for me, what’s becoming evident—especially with the rescinding of funds that Congress already allotted—is that you’re right, we are on our own here as far as independent media goes.
And it’s an opportunity to get stronger, absolutely. But we can’t do it without your support. So if you heard that whole membership drive and you weren’t moved to phone in, let Eric’s words move you to become a member—at any amount. But those are funds that have to be made up. Absolutely.
And we’re counting on you. The way we’re doing it here is we’re just folding it into the budget. Thank you. Thank you. Keep up the good work. We’re going to hear a little announcement, then we’ll hear some more music. Again, The Pugilist—Saturday at the Dairy Center for the Arts.
Eric Thorin: Thanks.
