JT interview of sorts in Denver Post

[Albert Tatlock]

http://www.denverpost.com/music/ci_19730855

 

MUSIC

A stronger, healthier man, Wilco singer Jeff Tweedy is ready to show "Love"

POSTED: 01/15/2012 01:00:00 AM MSTBy Ricardo Baca

The Denver Post

 

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy is a direct man, a bandleader who has moved beyond multiple high-profile collisions with bandmates, not to mention a couple of brawls with his own demons. And he's come out a stronger musician.

 

When asked about the obstacles he's faced throughout his lengthy career in alt-country, folk and rock music — be it a battle with migraine headaches and the painkiller addiction that followed, or the crippling anxiety issues that have made live performances an occasional near-impossibility — Tweedy responded with the casual thoughtfulness that has become his trademark.

 

"I don't dwell upon things like that," Tweedy said last week, talking before Wilco's long-sold-out gig at the Fillmore Auditorium on Thursday. "That's one of the ways I've been able to get better. I haven't really dwelled on the things I've struggled with any longer than I had to. I take care of myself, and I also know they take a certain amount of maintenance."

 

Tweedy clearly finds therapy in music. Wilco's output is among the most consistent in modern rock 'n' roll, allowing two years between releases (on average) and touring incessantly. The band' s latest, "The Whole Love," was released in September, revealing a slightly different, more mature sound for the band while still relying on the experimental noises and tactics of its beloved opus "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot."

 

Songs such as "I Might" carry that brawny, straightforward Wilco punch. "Dawned on Me" thrives with an unsinkable '80s pop sensibility. The Nick Lowe cover "I Love My Label" is a cheeky, self-referential tribute. But other songs, including album opener "Art of Almost," wallow in mellow, if strange, territory and never quite connect the dots.

 

Like any other band, Wilco writes music and releases records so it can tour — thus paying the bills with concert revenues. But Tweedy has an artful way of talking about the dynamic relationship between the two sides of music: recording a song and playing it live.

 

"It's nice to have new material to play," Tweedy said. "It's a reason for people to see you again. It's a calling card for your live show. I don't think it hurts anything to put more music in the world. ... But it's a way to stay connected to the thing that is most important, I guess. Because being inspired to create has been the most important aspect that has brought me to this point in my life.

 

"I enjoy playing in front of an audience, too. I enjoy the connection. The whole point is, I've always had a desire to connect. Making music and making songs up is an effort to connect in one way, and playing them is another way of connecting — but it's a part of the same thing. It's a desire to have a connection with people you don't really know."

 

And sometimes Tweedy is playing to a lot of people he doesn't really know. Revisiting his past struggles, there's a silence on the telephone as he thinks about what obstacle has been the most difficult to overcome.

 

"The thing that came to my mind first: playing on festival stages," he said, somewhat surprisingly. "That, to me, was the longest, hardest thing to overcome. But that's not something the whole band might agree with.

 

"As a frontman, that's always felt very strange, because I don't have a frame of reference. I've seen plenty of theater and club shows, and there's a certain amount of emulation there. I know what's supposed to happen on those stages. But I didn't know what was supposed to happen on the bigger stages."

 

Whether he's comfortable or not, Tweedy now makes the big stages work for him and his music. There's surely some remnant discomfort, but it's clear he thinks it is all worth it.

[lost highway]

But other songs, including album opener "Art of Almost," wallow in mellow, if strange, territory and never quite connect the dots..

 

They should have got someone who listened to the record to write the story.

[Magnetized]

"of sorts" is right. That's one of the worst-written articles I've ever read.

[welch79]

that's funny you two pointed that out...as soon as i read that, i disconnected.