Editing Stephin Merritt (section)

==Personal life==
Growing up, Merritt used different spellings of his name for different purposes.<ref name="exclaim">{{cite web|url=http://exclaim.ca/music/article/stephin_merritt_magnetic_fields-its_only_time|title=Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields: It's Only Time|first=Vish|last=Khanna|date=January 22, 2010|website=Exclaim!|access-date=November 11, 2015|archive-date=April 19, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160419042019/http://exclaim.ca/music/article/stephin_merritt_magnetic_fields-its_only_time|url-status=live}}</ref> He used "Stephin" to sort his [[Advertising mail|junk mail]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-order-of-merritt-281426.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150922062724/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-order-of-merritt-281426.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 22, 2015|title=The order of Merritt|first=Joseph|last=Gallivan|date=April 14, 2000|work=The Independent}}</ref> and that eventually became the name he used as a musician.<ref name="exclaim" /> He attended Massachusetts high school [[The Cambridge School of Weston]] and briefly attended [[NYU]] before moving back to Boston. He has worked as an editor for ''[[Spin Magazine]]'' and ''[[Time Out New York]]''.

Prior to 2013, he had never met his biological father, [[folk singer]] Scott Fagan,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jcornett.com/swf/conversations.htm |title=Conversations With Scott Fagan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180814165942/http://www.jcornett.com/swf/conversations.htm|archive-date=August 14, 2018}}</ref> who had a brief affair with Merritt's mother. The three met at a screening of the film ''AKA Doc Pomus'' in 2013. Merritt's relationship with his father is described in the song "'99: Fathers in the Clouds", on the Magnetic Fields album ''[[50 Song Memoir]]''.

Merritt has struggled with [[epilepsy]] and depression since his youth, and has a hearing condition known as [[hyperacusis]], which he believes is damage sustained from attending an [[Einstürzende Neubauten]] concert at [[Danceteria]]. Any sound heard louder than normal begins to "[[feedback]]" in his left ear at increasingly louder volumes. This has largely influenced the reserved live setup of the Magnetic Fields, which usually consists of acoustic instruments and little to no percussion. Merritt also wears [[earplug]]s during performances, and typically covers his left ear when the audience applauds.<ref name="MFinConcert">{{cite web |title=The Magnetic Fields in Concert |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4662828 |work=Creators at Carnegie  |publisher= [[NPR]] | date=May 31, 2005 |access-date=August 27, 2005}}</ref> When touring the ''50 Song Memoir'' album live, which required a more expanded line-up and amplified sound, the band were able to address this issue by building an elaborate set around Merritt which doubles as an isolation booth.{{cn|date=November 2024}}

He was the subject of a documentary, ''Strange Powers: Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields'', which premiered in March 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://strangepowersfilm.wordpress.com/previous-screenings/ |title=Past Screenings &#124; Strange Powers – Stephin Merritt and the Magnetic Fields |date=January 23, 2010 |publisher=Strangepowersfilm.wordpress.com |access-date=May 3, 2013 |archive-date=January 21, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130121114624/http://strangepowersfilm.wordpress.com/previous-screenings/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Merritt is gay<ref>{{cite web|last=Broverman |first=Neal |url=http://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/music/2010/02/04/magnetic-fields-stephin-merritt |title=Magnetic Fields Stephin Merritt |publisher=Advocate.com |date=February 4, 2010 |access-date=May 3, 2013}}</ref> and a [[vegan]], saying, "I ain't eaten an animal since 1983."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/10/11/well-la-ti-da-stephin-merritt-s-winning-little-words-of-scrabble.html|title=Well, La Ti Da: Stephin Merritt's Winning Little Words of Scrabble|first=David|last=Bukszpan|date=October 11, 2014|work=[[The Daily Beast]]}}</ref> He has said that he may be on the [[autism]] spectrum.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Farber |first1=Jim |title=Stephin Merritt Finds 50 Ways to Sing His Life Story |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/arts/music/stephin-merritt-magnetic-fields-50-song-memoir.html |website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=November 10, 2020 |date=March 3, 2017 |archive-date=March 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200307173611/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/arts/music/stephin-merritt-magnetic-fields-50-song-memoir.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Needham |first1=Alex |title=Stephin Merritt of the Magnetic Fields: 'I used to live in a commune where music was forbidden' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/may/26/stephin-merritt-magnetic-fields-quickies-interview |website=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=November 10, 2020 |date=May 26, 2020}}</ref>