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Jeff Tweedy discusses ‘The Whole Love,’ rock criticism, ‘dad rock,’ seeing your heroes in shorts and more at ‘Overheard’ taping
Answering questions from Texas Tribune honcho Evan Smith just hours before Wilco tapes its fourth episode of “Austin City Limits,” a funny and forthcoming Tweedy, dressed in black pants and t-shirt emblazoned with the visage of Mark Twain (on the day of what would be the writer’s 176th birthday), talked about the band’s latest album, “The Whole Love,” his touring regimen, rock critics and the disappointment of seeing your heroes in shorts.
Below are a few highlights of the taping that will air on KLRU on January 19.
“The Whole Love”: The new album begins with the sound of hard drives whirring as they warm up, “the sound of data dying,” Tweedy said. The album’s general theme, he said, is about “working towards transcending communication without affect.” The arch of the album represents reaching a level of open communication, a place about which Tweedy said “I struggle to get to and I want to spend more time there.”
Making records and releasing them: Tweedy said he is not very critical of the band’s work in the studio and joked that he likes to delude himself into thinking that the albums are ‘undeniable.’ While he loves making the albums, he said he does have a sense of mourning when they release an album into the world.
Classifying Wilco’s music: Tweedy said he has always been happy simply thinking of Wilco as a rock or pop band. To him, rock simply means following your inspiration and creating something new. By trying to classify the band’s music into sub-genres takes away the freedom inherent in rock. “You could just say we’re a music band,” Tweedy said, “but that sounds really silly.”
The price of rock: With a father who worked for decades on the railroads, Tweedy said he is always hesitant to complain or characterize being a musician as ‘work,’ but that doesn’t mean it’s not hard. “Rock-and-roll’s a contact sport,” he said, and an average of 80-100 shows a year for 17 years has taken a toll on Tweedy’s body. He admitted that he can not currently feel the thumb, index or middle finger on his left hand and that sometimes during shows his left arm goes numb, about which he self-effacingly joked that guitar players would say, “Oh, that explains it.”
Criticize this: “Rock criticism is not what it used to be,” Tweedy said. “People who read it and believe it are rock critics.”
Opening the floodgates: Wilco has long been at the forefront of bands who offer audiences a chance to listen to their entire albums without paying for them. And while he admittedly wants people to buy the band’s albums, he says that it would be antithetical to spend any energy trying to keep people from hearing their music.
Just Jeff: “I don’t wrestle with it that much,” Tweedy said of trying to manage his public image. Some days he admits to wanting to be a showman on stage, while other days he feels “painfully self-conscious.” Primarily, Tweedy seems to be focused on simply being honest about who he is and how he is feeling. A lot of people spend a lot of time shaping their public persona, Tweedy says, but he has simply never had that skill or energy.
‘Dad rock’: Tweedy thinks the label some have ascribed to his band of late ‘sucks’ and is ‘dumb,’ and said he has not heard the dismissive moniker slapped on any other band. It is simply “based on a misconception of the band,” he said. Wilco has never been an “experimental band,” he said, always a pop band.
Texas legend: Tweedy’s previous band Uncle Tupelo recorded “Give Back the Key to My Heart” with Texas musician Doug Sahm at Cedar Creek studios in Austin. He joked that Sahm came in with an unswerving confidence, nailed his vocal part and spent a good amount of time talking baseball. But the thing that stuck most with Tweedy was that Sahm showed up wearing shorts. “You never wanna see your heroes wearing shorts,” he deadpanned. He knows from experience. Occasionally Tweedy will take a jog (in shorts) while on tour and return to the bus mortified to find a group of fans gathered. “My legs are the last private thing I have.”
Local love: At the beginning of the conversation, when Smith mentioned the numerous times Tweedy has visited the city, the Wilco frontman responded that he ‘feels like an Austin guy’ and said the Texas capital was the most likely North American city to which his wife would agree to move. Further promoting the city, when asked about up-and-coming bands he’d recommend, Tweedy named Austin’s White Denim, who have opened for Wilco, in a group that included Battles and Tune-Yards.
Photo: Jeff Tweedy performs with Wilco at Stubb’s in 2008. (Deborah Cannon AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
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