Jeff Tweedy — 20 December 2025, New York, NY (The Bitter End) [WFUV podcast taping]

[bböp]

With Jeff back in New York City for the second time this month, this time performing with Spencer and Sammy at one of Yo La Tengo's annual Hannukah shows, there were some murmurs that it wouldn't be Jeff's only show while in town. I had heard some rumblings that he would be playing a set at an intimate venue on this day, but it was unclear whether it was a private charity event of some kind, a public "secret show" type of thing or something else entirely.

 

As it turned out, it was a session for the local radio station WFUV that was being recorded for a future podcast. And thanks to some good fortune, I was able to get down to the Bitter End — a legendary venue on Bleecker Street in Greenwich Village — for the hour-long episode.

 

Obviously, the event (which was apparently mostly attended by WFUV donors and/or members) focused on Twilight Override. Jeff played several songs in an extremely stripped down format with sons Spencer and Sammy — neither of whom played any instruments but simply contributed backing vocals — and was also interviewed by WFUV’s Alisa Ali. I have a hard time estimating the size of audiences, but there were probably about 100 or 125 people in all.

 

Of particular note/humor during the interview portions (only Jeff was actually interviewed, while Spencer and Sammy sat off to the side of the stage):

 

-Ali asked Jeff about future projects, mentioning the recent Golden Smog shows and then inquiring about Wilco. Jeff said Wilco would be getting back into the studio this year, saying the band had set aside some studio time in May. As for future Golden Smog shows, Jeff demurred, saying that “I’m not in charge of them…sometimes I get asked (to perform with them), sometimes I don’t.”

 

-About a typical Tweedy holiday celebration, Jeff said the family was Jewish but “we celebrate everything.” He mentioned how Susie loves Christmas decorations and also noted that both of his sons have December birthdays. “I must have been home a lot in the spring,” Jeff deadpanned, while Susie, sitting within eyeshot, just shook her head.

 

-Asked about fans being invited to submit their own verses to Feel Free, Jeff said that Wilco HQ has received somewhere in the range of “6,000 or 8,000” submissions thus far. “I don’t want to discourage anyone from sending them in,” Jeff said, half jokingly, “but a lot of them aren’t good.”

 

-Jeff only had two acoustic guitars on stage with him, and he was asked whether he felt weird about having so few instruments when he is known for always having so many at any given show. “I feel liberated,” he said. “It’s kinda hard having so many guitars.” To which some in the crowd, probably led by Susie, gave a decidedly sarcastic “Aw…” Jeff responded, half jokingly, “You guys can just all go straight to hell.”

 

-Jeff strongly believes you don’t have to pick either The Beatles or The Rolling Stones, but he did have a quip about knowing people who actually don’t like The Beatles and it being “a doorway to Satan’s eye” or something to that effect.

 

There were a number of other questions more focused on Twilight Override, many of which Jeff has answered similarly in other interviews, such as the origin story of the album having been listening to The Clash’s triple album Sandinista on a road trip with Spencer and Sammy and whether Jeff really had puked after a high school dance. Regarding the latter, which concerns the song Forever Never Ends, Jeff said he and his sons had planned to play that one during the session but had to scratch that song and another one off the setlist because Ali “forced” them to play Feel Free. Jeff jokingly said to her, “That’s on you.” She awkwardly shot back with a line about how those songs that had gotten cut probably weren’t that good anyway.

 

Anyway, what else? I guess the only other thing I can think of was that Jeff gave Spencer and Sammy a shout out for adjusting their harmonies on Stray Cats In Spain (I think) on the fly because they usually sing different ones when Sima and Macie are there, so that made for a slightly different dynamic for that song.

 

It’s unclear exactly when this podcast episode will air, but I’m sure we’ll be made aware of it through the appropriate channels. I assume it won’t be edited much, though I suppose that’s always a possibility. Here was the complete program, as it was performed:

 

Enough

Amar Bharati

—Jeff interview, pt. 1—

Feel Free (started and restarted)

Stray Cats In Spain

—Jeff interview, pt. 2—

Throwaway Lines

Lou Reed Was My Babysitter

[calvino]

It's great that he is performing Amar Bharati (this show and the To La Tengo one)  -- one of my favorite tunes on his latest. 

 

Was hoping that he would play it in Madison.

[Albert Tatlock]

Ta and Merry Christmas.

 

 

Front row, second from left, pulling a cracker (as we used to say).