LOS ANGELES (AP) 鈥� is known to fans as a prolific songwriter and poignant lyricist. So it may come as a surprise that the frontman of the Grammy-winning rock band Wilco has long found the act of writing intimidating.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been really afraid of prose because I wasn鈥檛 good in school. I was always underachieving. And part of it was I always felt overwhelmed by how much there is to say,鈥� he says.
Perhaps ironically, that fear is in part what compelled a young Tweedy to start writing music four decades ago.
鈥淪ongwriting is condensing things and giving yourself the freedom to omit lots of things, just to try and get the essence of an emotion or the essence of a story to come through,鈥� he says.
But as he gears up to release his third book on Tuesday, Tweedy admits the task of writing no longer daunts him the way it once did. Having already tackled a memoir and a 鈥渉ow to鈥� book on songwriting, Tweedy is now shifting his attention to other musicians and the ways their art has influenced him in 鈥淲orld Within a Song.鈥�
The book is just as much about the circumstances in which Tweedy experienced these eclectic 50 tracks as it is about the songs themselves 鈥� the comfort that hearing 鈥淪omewhere Over the Rainbow鈥� with his Judy Garland-loving mom brought him as a kid or the ways in which Minutemen鈥檚 鈥淗istory Lesson 鈥� Part II鈥� bred his longing to be a rock star.
And while Tweedy, whose unadulterated love for music is still palpable after decades in the industry, recognizes the benefits of the unfettered access to songs that streaming platforms grant, he also laments what is lost when listeners don鈥檛 have to 鈥渨ork for it鈥� in their search for music.
鈥淚 think that there was something really important about the way my generation and previous generations invested themselves in music. The only way to get it was to pay for it. And once you had made just even that outlay of cash, you made time to find a way into it,鈥� he says. 鈥淣ow, I think if you don鈥檛 like something immediately, there鈥檚 10,000 other songs that you want to go to and find something that鈥檚 going to hit you right away.鈥�
To combat that throwaway culture, Tweedy makes a habit of listening to music he鈥檚 not into, trying to discern why that is 鈥� a practice, he says, that often confuses 鈥渢he algorithm鈥� used by streaming services to predict people鈥檚 tastes.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like not liking music. And so a lot of times I visit stuff thinking, 鈥業 know I鈥檓 not a big fan of this, but I want to know what other people are hearing in it,鈥�" he explains. "I think there鈥檚 really something interesting about listening to things that you don鈥檛 love or don鈥檛 think were made for you.鈥�
Although often dubbed an alternative country band, Wilco has bent genres since they first formed 30 years ago, solidifying their reputation for experimentation and resistance to categorization with their seminal 2002 record, 鈥淵ankee Hotel Foxtrot鈥� 鈥� their bestselling album to date.
鈥淲e鈥檝e tried hard to kill genres for ourselves,鈥� Tweedy said of the Chicago-based band鈥檚 perspective on their country associations. 鈥淚t鈥檚 an artistic tool, in a way. When somebody is coming at your music with a preconceived notion, then you have some friction to push against. And that鈥檚 artistically enticing.鈥�
That genre defiance continues with their 13th The band has spent most of 2023 touring, despite Tweedy鈥檚 ongoing battle with osteoarthritis in his hips. The pain is at times debilitating, and even walking short distances proves difficult for the 56-year-old. During a recent show in Los Angeles, though, Tweedy's pain was hardly apparent during a two-hour set.
While the discomfort is at times distracting for him, he says the act of performing does, for brief moments, make him forget.
鈥淢usic has an amazing magical power to transport you from pain, emotional and physical, for sure. And I do feel like I go someplace else most of the night,鈥� he said.
Krysta Fauria, The Associated Press
