Jeff Tweedy on the current state of rock music

[Kim Bodnia]

As part of a feature about the current "recession" in rock music, Jeff Tweedy was interviewed by British newspaper The Independent. Other artists interviewed were members of The Black Keys, the Alabama Shakes and EMA. Here are Tweedy's words:

 

 

The Elder statesman: Jeff Tweedy, Wilco

Jeff Tweedy, 44, was a founding father of alt.country with his pioneering band Uncle Tupelo. When they split up in 1994, he formed Wilco, who have dabbled around the edges of mainstream success ever since. Their latest record, 'The Whole Love', is nominated in the Best Rock Album category at next week's Grammy awards.

 

"Rumours of rock music's death are always exaggerated – they were saying the same thing back in 1978 when the New Romantics emerged with their synthesizers. All it takes is for an imaginative band that plays guitars to come out of nowhere and resonate and the next thing you know, we'll have 3,000 guitar bands again.

 

"For myself, I don't honestly think [that being in rock music] was a choice. I would love to be able to write, but I'm not good at anything long-form. I struggle to write long emails. I really am geared towards distilling things down into bites of language that I feel are powerful.

 

"People always ask if I tell my sons not to do it, but I can't see that I've suffered any more hardships than anybody else in the world doing anything else. To be honest, I feel charmed and I hope that is all that's being conveyed in our household. Music is a great thing to have in your life but, more importantly, being one of the tiny fraction of people on Earth who find something they love to do is, I think, to be advocated.

 

"All I ask from rock bands is that they sound like they give a shit – and that seems to be in jeopardy these days. Kids are overwhelmed: this is the first generation growing up with so much influence available to them. We grew up hearing a handful of records while this generation has access to all of recorded music history and has to learn to pick and choose. I don't know how anyone navigates this overwhelming ocean of musical influence but I do know it's easier to get synth sounds through headphones in your bedroom than it is to record electric guitars, so there are probably practical reasons why people are making the music that's out there.

 

"My continuing obsession is the desire to connect – I'm striving for that and at the same time I'm asking why I'm striving for it. It would be really nice to still be doing this in 20 years' time, but it can be a liability to stick around for a long time: people don't have much good to say about getting older, and they certainly don't seem to want it from rock bands. But as long as people respond to what we're doing, I like to think we'll be up for it."

 

 

Link to The Independent: http://www.independe...rs-6297961.html

[LouieB]

Elder statesman? 44? Really????

 

Although he says exactly what I say all the time (because it is so obvious) that young folks can listen to any music ever produced because it is al available to them.

 

LouieB

[Shakespeare In The Alley]

You don't think young up and coming bands see guys like Tweedy as elder statesmen?

[Queen Amaranthine]

My husband watched part of a Rolling Stones concert in HD and way too loud today. Now THERE are your elder statesmen.

[Kim Bodnia]

people, the journalist is citing the age of all four interviewees, Auerbach is 32 while the other two range in the 23-28 yr old bracket, to put things into perspective, that's probably why Tweedy's called elder. Anyway, it's a good thing to describe someone as a statesman, I mean, I wouldn't mind if colleagues or friends suddenly started calling me Elder Statesman, it's a nice thing to be called.

[tinnitus photography]

"It would be really nice to still be doing this in 20 years' time, but it can be a liability to stick around for a long time: people don't have much good to say about getting older, and they certainly don't seem to want it from rock bands. "

 

awesome.