>> Stephen: THERE YOU GO. HEY, WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY NEXT GUEST TONIGHT IS A 4-TIME GRAMMY
AWARD-WINNING MUSICIAN AND BEST-SELLING AUTHOR WAS THE LEAD
SINGER OF WILCO. PLEASE WELCOME BACK TO
"THE LATE SHOW," OUR FRIEND AND YOURS, MR. JEFF TWEEDY.
[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] ♪ I'LL TAKE YOU THERE ♪
>> Jeff: THAT WASN'T SO BAD. >> Stephen: NICE TO SEE YOU.
>> Jeff: GOOD TO SEE YOU. >> Stephen: I'M EXCITED ABOUT
THIS BOOK. >> Jeff: THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: YOU'VE COME ON WITH BOOKS BEFORE BUT THIS BOOK
REALLY INTERESTED ME. IT'S CALLED "WORLD
WITHIN A SONG: MUISC THAT CHANGED MY LIFE AND LIFE THAT
CHANGED MY MUSIC." IT'S YOUR THIRD BOOK AND YOU
SAID MAYBE YOU SHOULD HAVE WRITTEN THIS BOOK FIRST BECAUSE
IT'S MORE PERSONAL THAN A MEMOIR.
HOW SO QUESTION REPORT IS THE BOOK?
>> Jeff: BASICALLY IT'S 50 SONGS THAT I HAVE STORIES ABOUT,
CONNECTIONS TWO. IT'S THE THING I'VE THOUGHT
ABOUT THE MOST IN MY LIFE. YOU KNOW HOW WHEN YOU HAVE A
SONG THAT SAYS WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY TO SOMEBODY AND USE SIT THEM
DOWN AND YOU GO, I CAN'T SAY IT ANY BETTER THAN THIS.
LISTEN TO THIS. I THINK IT'S REALLY STRANGE THAT
MUSIC CAN DO THAT. YOU FEEL SO VULNERABLE THAT
PLANK SOMEONE ELSE'S SONG MAKES YOU FEEL, LIKE, FRAGILE OR
SOMETHING. >> Stephen: A REALLY GOOD SONG
TO ME FEELS LIKE A MAGIC SPELL. IT HAS IN EFFECT ADDED DISTANCE
AND IN EFFECT THAT CANNOT NECESSARILY BE SEEN BUT GO
STRAIGHT INTO SOMEBODY'S HEART. IT CHANGES THEM.
THAT'S WHY MUSICIANS ARE MYSTERIES TO ME, HOW YOU DO TH
THAT. >> Jeff: IT'S EASY.
[LAUGHTER] IT'S SUPER EASY.
>> Stephen: WHAT DO YOU THINK, WHAT DO YOU THINK IT SAYS ABOUT
A PERSON TO NOTE THE SONGS THEY LOVE MOST?
>> Jeff: I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S KIND OF
NO ACCOUNTING FOR IT SOMETIMES. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT
BYPASS OUR INTELLECT AND WE CAN'T HELP OURSELVES FROM
LOVING. >> Stephen: DO YOU ALWAYS KNOW
WHY YOU LOVE A SONG? >> Jeff: I GET ASKED THIS
QUESTION A LOT, WHAT MAKES A GOOD SONG.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NOT WHAT I ASKED YOU.
YOU MIGHT BE ASKED THAT A LOT BUT I DIDN'T ASK THAT.
I DON'T ASK BRICKS BOW QUESTIONS, JEFF TWEEDY.
>> Jeff: I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT YOU ASKED ME SO I'M GOING TO
ANSWER THE QUESTION -- >> Stephen: HAVING THOUGHT
ABOUT RUNNING FOR OFFICE? THIS IS WHAT POLITICIANS DO.
>> Jeff: I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT IT.
I'M HONING IT. I THINK THAT WHAT I'M ANSWERING
IS ONE OF CLOSE TO WHAT YOU'RE WANTING ME TO ANSWER.
>> Stephen: THE AUDIENCE WILL CHARGE.
>> Jeff: PEOPLE ASK WHAT MAKES A GOOD SONG AND PEOPLE SPEND A
LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT THE AUTHENTICITY OF THE ARTIST AND I
THINK THAT A GOOD SONG IS A SONG, IT'S SOMETHING THAT MAKES
YOU FEEL AUTHENTIC AND MAKES THE LISTENER FEEL LIKE THEIR
EMOTIONS, THOUGH AWAY THAT DAY, YOU KNOW, INTERPRET SOMETHING IS
VALID BECAUSE SOMEONE ELSE AGREES.
>> Stephen: IS THERE A FIRST SONG?
[APPLAUSE] THEY THINK YOU ANSWERED THE
QUESTION. [CHEERING]
>> Jeff: TOLD YOU. TOLD YOU.
>> Stephen: OKAY, I'LL GET YOU.
DOES ANYBODY LOOK AT THIS BOOK AND GO, HOW COULD YOU LEAVE OUT
X, Y, OR Z? SPEECH OF HIS
PRETTIES >> Jeff: THERE'S SOME PRETTY
EGREGIOUS OMISSIONS. NO JOHN PRINE, NO NEIL YOUNG.
I HAD TO LEAVE SOME INCENTIVE TO WRITE ANOTHER ONE.
SOMEBODY IS GOING TO ASK ME TO WRITE ANOTHER ONE MAY BE.
>> Stephen: SOME OF THE SONGS IN HERE ARE MORE FAMOUS AND MORE
POPULAR. IS THERE A FIRST SONG THAT
YOU ON YOUR PATH TOWARD BECOMING A MUSICIAN?
>> Jeff: I MEAN, A LOT OF TH THEM.
I DON'T REMEMBER EVER WANTING TO DO ANYTHING ELSE.
BUT BE AROUND MUSIC. SO I CAN'T REALLY PINPOINT A
FIRST SONG THAT MADE ME WANT TO, YOU KNOW, BE MUSICIAN.
BUT I KNOW THAT I SAW THE REPLACEMENTS LIVE WHEN I WAS
REALLY IN A PRETTY INFLUENTIAL AGE.
THEY WERE OPENING FOR A BAND CALLED X.
THERE WAS HARDLY ANYBODY THERE. IT WAS IN ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.
PAUL WESTERBERG FELL OFF THE STAGE DURING THE FIRST SONG.
>> Stephen: AND YOU SAID "I WANT THAT LIFE."
>> Jeff: I DID. I SAID, THAT LOOKS LIKE FUN.
>> Stephen: HEAVY HITTERS, SMOKE ON THE WATER.
>> Jeff: YEAH. >> Stephen: I HAD AN ORIGINAL
PRESSING OF "MACHINE HEAD." >> Jeff: MY COUSINS HAVE THAT.
>> Stephen: "HIGHWAY STARS." >> Jeff: IT SCARED ME.
>> Stephen: IT SCARED YOU? >> Jeff: MY COUSINS SCARED ME.
>> Stephen: OLDER COUSINS. >> Jeff: NOT REALLY.
BUT ONE OF THEM WAS INTO ALICE COOPER THAT WAS SCARY FOR
A LITTLE KID. I WAS TOO YOUNG FOR THAT,
ESPECIALLY WHEN HE TOLD ME THAT ALICE COOPER CUT HIS OWN HEAD
OFF DURING A SHOW. THERE WERE GREAT ALICE COOPER
RUMORS WHEN WE WERE KIDS. >> Jeff: HE WAS TELLING ME.
>> Stephen: THE RUMOR I HEARD, ALICE COOPER WAS BIG AND THE
EMBODIMENT OF ALL EVIL FOR PARENTS WAS THAT HE FILLED
BALLOONS FULL OF AND FLOATED THEM OVER THE AUDIENCE AND WOULD
POP THEM SO THAT THE WOULD FALL DOWN ON THE AUDIENCE.
>> Jeff: THAT'S PRETTY GOOD. WE ARE GOING TO DO THAT.
>> Stephen: WE HAVE TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK BUT STICK AROUND.
WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK WITH MORE MR. JEFF TWEEDY, EVERYBODY.