Wired has an interview with Jeff Tweedy. Interesting stuff. I was once on the Wilco bandwagon, mostly because I felt I had to get on it since I was such an Uncle Tupelo fan, but I never really felt that strongly about Tweedy, and I always liked Jay Farrar’s songs more. I’ve always been intrigued by the fact that Wilco are such critics’ darlings (much the same way as Radiohead), and that people see Tweedy as the second coming of Brian Wilson. Sure, Tweedy writes good pop songs, but how does one really forge a new direction in pop writing?

A couple of interesting comments from Tweedy:

What if there was a movement to shut down libraries because book publishers and authors were up in arms over the idea that people are reading books for free? It would send a message that books are only for the elite who can afford them.

I guess my only question is, doesn’t someone somewhere actually pay for the books in the library? I didn’t think publishing houses just gave away thousands of books. But his point is well taken. Someone somewhere is purchasing the music — why not let them share it?

I do, however, respect what Wilco did with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot:

Being dropped from Reprise in 2001. They weren’t going to put out Yankee Hotel Foxtrot the way we’d created it. They wanted changes; we weren’t willing to do that, so they rushed a contract through their legal department to let us go. It was the fastest I’d ever seen a record company work. Once they let us go, we were free to do with the album what we chose.

I think Tweedy made a decision that his art (however mediocre I think it is) was more important than the almighty buck. The band took a chance, and it ended up paying off for them. More bands need to give the proverbial finger to the larger record labels.

Posted on 15 November 2004