Homer's "The Odyssey" has been analyzed and adapted hundreds, perhaps thousands of times. And yet something about the epic poem continues to draw readers and scholars and artists near again and again. Joe Goodkin brings "Joe's Odyssey," his 30 minute original music composition for solo acoustic guitar and voice, to the University of South Dakota tonight at 7 p.m. He joins us in the SDPB Vermillion studios for a preview.” - Chris Laughery & Lori Walsh

Interview on South Dakota Public Radio

As Goodkin performed his Odyssey, this living and universal dimension unfolded line by line, chord by tensely beautiful chord. As he strummed and picked out a winding melody, hands gliding across frets and strings like wave-tossed boats on a tempestuous sea, voice harmonizing at times like a tortured sailor, at times a man glad to be finally home, Goodkin’s final preface deepened in meaning: “This is my Odyssey,” Goodkin said. “See you in thirty minutes.”” - Coleman Numbers

The Daily Beacon (UT-Knoxville)

Professional musician Joe Goodkin took a seat on a wooden chair in the large lecture hall in Rawles Hall and took his acoustic guitar in hand.  “As Homer would have said before all of his performances, please silence your cell phones,” Goodkin said. ” - Kathleen Clark-Perez

Indiana Daily Student

In place of Odysseus’s 20 years at sea, Joe Goodkin only needed a guitar to bring a fresh version of the Odyssey back to Ithaca.” - Sam Nolan

Cornell Sun

39 states. 296 performances. Immensely talented musician Joe Goodkin brought his version of The Odyssey to life in 2002, and has since performed his rendition of Homer’s classic all around the United States. ” - Natalie Hon

The Tartan (Carnegie Mellon)

After giving his intro, Goodkin sat down on a stool with his acoustic guitar, closed his eyes, and passionately began to take us on a journey through the “Odyssey.”  Instead of books, he divided his composition into songs, starting with an invocation titled “Who Am I?” which captures the theme of identity with which he chose to interpret the epic. ” - Gabi McCausland

The University News (Dallas)

This week, Rich sits down with traveling performer Joe Goodkin to discuss his musical rendition of Homer’s Odyssey, his early influences and bands, and why he chose to study Greek.” - Richard Paige

Wabash on My Mind Podcast Interview

Chicago-based musician Joe Goodkin considers himself something of a modern-day bard. “I just see myself as another mouthpiece in a long line,” he says. “I guess I’m a little bit more of an outsider than a Homeric bard because epic storytelling does not have the place in our culture, the weight it did back then. They were the rock stars of their time, many of them.”” - Emma Schkloven

News Advance

The performance in Downey House was held in room 113, a small auditorium where the audience was close to Goodkin. He was playing an acoustic guitar while the audience was able to read his lyrics up on a projector. However, this intimate and isolated experience is not what each of his performances is always like. “Because it was in such a closed room, we were really in the element with him,” Hannah Xu ’20 said. “We were so engaged, we could see everything in action, up close, which made for a very dynamic experience.”” - Eve O'Shea

The Wesleyan Argus

Each of Goodkin’s unique songs took on a decidedly bluesy tone as he assumed the identities of figures like Odysseus, Athena, Penelope and Telemachus. In taking this personal approach to the characters, Goodkin aimed to make the story more accessible to a modern audience. ” - Hayley Snowden

The Flat Hat - William and Mary