Stranger than Folk: Devendra Banhart

IN A HOUSE on a hill, in a canyon near L.A., Devendra Banhart scatters popcorn on the earth like seed. "This is for the hairs," he says. He sprinkles a line of tortilla chips along the rail and turns with a flounce to scatter them over the dirt-stained wooden boards of the deck. As he does this Banhart is barefoot and naked from the waist up, wearing only hip-hugging denim jeans.