>> AND SPEAKING OF ROCK 'N ROLL
EARLIER TODAY I WENT ONE-ON-ONE
WITH CHICAGO'S MOST NOTABLE
MEMBERS OF THAT CLUB JEFF TWEEDY
OF WILCO.
HERE HE IS PERFORMING IN CHICAGO
JUST BEFORE THE SHUTDOWN.
[♪♪♪]
>> THE BAND HAS A FER MASSPORT
MAPS THIS WEEKEND AT MILLENIUM
PARK TWEEDDY IS A "NEW YORK
TIMES" BEST SELLING AUTHOR AND
JOINED US FROM HIS TOUR BUS IN
BOSTON AND WAS REELING FROM THE
NEWS ABOUT CHARLIE WATTS BUT
STILL KIND ENOUGH TO CONTINUE
WITH OUR INTERVIEW.
I BEGAN BY ASKING WHAT IT'S BEEN
LIKE TO PLAY IN FRONT OF LIVE
AUDIENCES AFTER SO MUCH TIME
OFF.
>> IT'S BEEN GREAT ON JUST BEING
REMINDED HOW POWERFUL IT IS TO
HAVE A COMMUNAL EXPERIENCE
SURROUNDING MUSIC AND GETTING TO
SEE PEOPLE THAT ARE VERY
OBVIOUSLY OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN A YEAR-AND-A-HALF.
AND I ASKED THE AUDIENCE EVERY
NIGHT IF IT IS THEIR FIRST TIME
AND IT'S PRETTY SIZABLE
PERCENTAGE EVERY NIGHT IT'S THE
FIRST TIME THEY HAVE GONE AND
DONE SOMETHING SIMILAR TO A ROCK
CONCERT SINCE EVERYTHING WAS
SHUTDOWN.
AND YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A
BEAUTIFUL THING TO BE A PART OF.
I WILL SAY IT'S A LITTLE BIT
SCARIER THAN WE HAD ANTICIPATED.
WE HAVE TO BE VERY, VERY
CAREFUL.
WE'RE BEING REALLY AS STRICT AS
WE CAN BE WITH OUR PROTOCOLS
AND.
BUT IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL.
IT'S BEEN WONDERFUL TO GET TO DO
WHAT WE LOVE TO DO.
>> HOW DOES THAT MUCH TIME OFF
IMPACT YOUR DIE MAM
UNANIMOUSIC --
DIE UNANIMOUS Mc
>> JOHN SAID IT BEST WHEN WE
STARTED PLAYING.
WE'VE DONE THIS A LOT MORE THAN
WE HAVE NOT DONE THIS.
JUST A YEAR-AND-A-HALF OFF IS
NOT THAT MUCH IN THE GRAND
SCHEME OF THINGS WHEN YOU
CONSIDER WE HAVE BEEN A BAND FOR
30 YEARS.
SO AND THAT IS THE WAY IT FEELS.
IT CAME BACK THE CONNECTION AND
THE BAND CHEMISTRY SEEMS TO BE
BACK FULLY INTACT.
IN A WAY A LOT OF WAYS IT FEELS
BETTER THAN EVER BECAUSE I THINK
THERE IS A DEEP APPRECIATION OF
GETTING TO DO IT AGAIN WHEN WE
WENT THROUGH A PERIOD THAT NOT
THAT LONG, I GUESS, BY GENERAL
STANDARDS BUT THERE WAS
SOMETHING ADDED TO THAT MOMENT
NOT PLAYING.
WE WEREN'T SURE WHEN WE WOULD
PLAY AGAIN.
I THINK THAT BEING TAKEN AWAY,
THIS KNOWLEDGE THAT IT WAS GOING
TO HAPPEN PROBABLY MADE US
APPRECIATE IT MORE.
>> AND YOU DID DO A LOT OF
PLAYING IN QUARANTINE.
YOU HAD THE TWEEDY SHOW ON
INSTAGRAM FILMED BY YOUR WIFE
AND INVOLVING YOUR TWO KIDS.
LET'S TAKE A QUICK LOOK AT THAT.
[♪♪♪]
♪GOING TAKE A SHOWER♪
>> YOU FILMED 200 EPISODES OF
THIS.
DID YOU IMAGINE WHEN YOU STARTED
THIS THAT IT WOULD GO ON AND
BECOME WHAT IT BECAME?
>> NO.
WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA THAT IT
WAS GOING TO BE SOMETHING THAT
WE WOULD CONTINUE TO DO
FREQUENTLY.
IT JUST YOU KNOW THE INITIAL
RESPONSE WAS KIND OF
HEARTWARMING FROM THE FIRST
TIME.
WE DID IT ON MY WIFE'S ACCOUNT
TO KEEP IT A LITTLE BIT LOWER
PROFILE THAN IF WE HAD DONE IT
ON THE WILCO ACCOUNT.
AND PEOPLE FOUND US AND IT JUST
SEEMED LIKE A GOOD WAY TO SPEND
THE EVENING FOR US AND OTHER
PEOPLE SEEMED TO ENJOY HANGING
OUT WITH US IS WHAT IT FELT
LIKE.
AND IT FELT LIKE THAT REALLY
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.
SO WE JUST KEPT DOING IT AND THE
NEXT THING THAT IS HOW THINGS GO
THE NEXT THING YOU KNOW WE'VE
DONE 100 SHOWS AND WE HAVE A
THEME SONG AND JUST KEPT ADDING
TO IT WE WERE HAVING FUN AND IT
WAS A COPING STRATEGY AND IT WAS
REALLY FEELING LIKE A SUPPORTIVE
THING TO DO FOR THE COMMUNITY
AND THERE WAS A COMMUNITY THAT
WAS RESPONDING TO IT.
>> YOU'RE CONTINUING THAT WITH A
NEW SUBSTACK NEWSLETTER THAT YOU
ARE UPDATING ON A DAILY BASIS
CALLED STARSHIP CASUAL.
TELL US ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS
YOU ARE POSTING?
>> ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I'VE
LEARNED I ENJOY WRITING
PRESIDENT AND C.E.O.S AND I
LIKE --
PROSE AND I LIKE GETTING TO
SHARE THAT AND THERE IS AN
OUTLET TO DO THAT OTHER THAN
WRITING BOOKS AND THAT IS WHAT
THE SUBSTACK HAS BECOME.
AND I CREATE SO MANY MORE
SPONGES THAN --
SONGS THAN I AM ABLE TO FINISH
OR GET TO TO RECORD OR TO SHARE
OR RELEASE.
AND IT'S JUST ANOTHER OUTLET FOR
ME TO KIND OF FEEL SOME
CONNECTION TO THESE SONGS BY
SHARING THEM.
GETTING REACTION AND ALLOWING
THERE TO BE AN AUDIENCE FOR SOME
OF THE STUFF THAT A LOT OF
THINGS WILL PROBABLY END UP ON
RECORD SOME DAY.
BUT THINGS I'VE HAD AROUND FOR A
LONGTIME.
AND I LIKE THEM AND I WANT TO
SHARE THEM WITH PEOPLE AND THIS
IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO THAT.
>> AND ONE OF THE THINGS YOU'VE
SHARED IS YOUR TIPS FOR SONG
WRITING.
YOU MENTIONED YOU LIKE TO WRITE
PROSE YOU ARE THE AUTHOR OF TWO
BOOKS.
IT IS A WONDERFUL READ.
WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO YOU TO
LET THE GENERAL PUBLIC IN ON
SOME OF YOUR TRICKS OF THE TRADE
IN WRITING SONGS?
>> WELL, I GENUINELY BELIEVE IT
IS A REALLY GOOD THING FOR
PEOPLE TO DO TO SPEND TIME WITH
THEM WITH THE CREATIVE SIDE OF
THEIR BRAIN TO SPEND TIME WITH
THEMSELVES IN A PRODUCTIVE WAY.
NOT THAT THEY HAVE TO PRODUCE
SOMETHING OF VALUE OR ANYTHING.
JUST TO MAKE SOMETHING THAT
WASN'T THERE WHEN THEY WOKE UP.
I THINK THAT IS A REALLY
BEAUTIFUL THING TO PARTICIPATE
IN.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DENY
THEMSELVES THAT.
AND I'M NOT SURE WHY.
THE ARGUMENT NOT EVERYBODY IS
GOOD AT WRITING SONGS NOT
EVERYBODY IS GOOD AT PAINTING OR
CREATING.
AND I FIND THAT STRANGE BECAUSE
WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO DO THINGS
WE ARE NOT GOOD AT.
WE PLAY BEER LEAGUE SOFTBALL AND
NOBODY DOESN'T WANT TO THROW A
FRISBEE BUT THEY GIVE IT A SHOT.
AND I THINK THAT CREATING IS THE
SAME THING.
IT IS JUST A HEALTHY ACTIVITY
THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SHARE MY
BELIEF IN IT.
AND AS FAR ASTERISKS OF THE
TRADE, THAT IS THE POINT OF THE
BOOK IN A WAY.
LIKE YOU CAN DO ALL OF THE SAME
TRICKS I USE IN TERMS OF
GENERATING LANGUAGE OR IDEAS.
BUT YOU ARE YOU.
AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE
WHAT I MAKE.
AND EVEN IF YOU SET OUT TO MAKE
SOMETHING THAT YOU THINK SOUNDS
LIKE SOMETHING I WOULD MAKE, IT
WON'T LAND IN THAT SPOT.
I THINK THAT THAT'S THE BEAUTY
OF IT.
I THINK IT'S --
THAT'S THE POINT OF IT IS TO
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOURSELF AND
TO FIND OUT WHO THAT IS THAT YOU
REALLY ARE.
>> JEFF, YOU HAVE A SHOW COMING
UP AT MILLENIUM PARK SATURDAY
AND YOU PLAY GREAT VENUES.
DO YOU GET SPECIAL KICK ABOUT
PLAYING A HOMETOWN SHOW AT A
VENUE LIKE THAT IN THE HEART OF
THE CITY?
>> HOMETOWN SHOWS ARE EXCITING
AND ELECTRIC.
AND THEY ARE ALWAYS A LOT OF
FUN.
THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH HOMETOWN
SHOWS IS THAT I KNOW MY
NEIGHBORS MIGHT BE THERE AND
THAT CREATES A LITTLE BIT OF
INHIBITIONS IT'S A LOT MORE
STRESSFUL FOR MY WIFE WHO HAS TO
MANAGE ALL OF THE TICKET
REQUESTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT
THAT COME ALONG WITH PLAYING IN
A TOWN WHERE WE KNOW A LOT MORE
PEOPLE.
>> YOU'VE STUCK IN CHICAGO FOR
YOUR ENTIRE CAREER AND YOU TALK
ABOUT THAT SPACE THAT LOFT YOU
HAVE IN IRVING PARK THAT IS
ESSENTIAL TO YOUR CREATIVITY.
HOW IMPORTANT HAS IT BEEN TO BE
BASED HERE TO YOU AS AN ARTIST
AND TO YOU AS A PERSON?
>> I LOVE CHICAGO.
IT'S --
I TRAVEL ALL OVER THE WORLD AND
I WALK AROUND A LOT OF CITIES
MARVELING HOW BEAUTIFUL THEY ARE
AND THEN I COME HOME TO CHICAGO
AND I REALIZE IF I DIDN'T LIVE
THERE I WOULD BE BLOWN AWAY BY
THINGS THAT I HAVE TAKEN FOR
GRANTED SOMETIMES.
I LOVE CHICAGO.
MY FAMILY LOVES CHICAGO.
JUST THE PACE OF IT, THE SPACE
THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO CREATE
AND OLD WAREHOUSE FOR 20 YEARS
OR SO NOW WE'VE HAD TIME TO
ALLOW IT TO GROW UP AROUND US AS
AN INSPIRING SPACE TO BE IN.
YEAH, IT'S HARD TO PICTURE BEING
ABLE TO DO WHAT I DO WITHOUT THE
BACKDROP OF CHICAGO.
>> ALL RIGHT JEFF YOU WILL BE
BACK HERE NEXT WEEKEND FOR THE
SHOW AT MILLENIUM PARK YOU ARE
IN BOSTON SAFE TRAVELS AND THANK
YOU FOR JOINING US.
>> WONDERFUL TALKING TO YOU,
THANK YOU THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> YOU AS WELL.
THANKS.
>> OUR CONVERSATION TODAY WITH
JEFF TWEEDY HE SPOKE WITH US
ABOUT EVERYTHING FROM THE BAND'S