>> Sreenivasan: FOR NEARLY 25
YEARS, THE BAND WILCO HAS BEEN
BENDING THE EDGES OF ROCK,
COUNTRY AND INDEPENDENT MUSIC.
LONG A CRITICAL DARLING, THE
GROUP HAS BUILT A LEGION OF FANS
WITHOUT EVER SCORING A TOP TEN
HIT.
BUT WITH HIS NEW MEMOIR, THE
SINGER, SONGWRITER AND WILCO
FRONTMAN JEFF TWEEDY APPEARS TO
HAVE A LITERARY HIT ON HIS
HANDS.
NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S CHRISTOPHER
BOOKER RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH
TWEEDY IN WILCO'S CHICAGO LOFT-
STUDIO TO DISCUSS A MUSICAL
CAREER SPENT WELL OUTSIDE THE
USUAL BOUNDARIES.
♪ ♪ ♪
♪ I DON'T EVER WANT A MOVIE OF
THE GOSPEL... ♪
>> Reporter: EVEN AFTER
RECORDING NEARLY 20 ALBUMS,
WINNING TWO GRAMMYS, AND WRITING
A NEARLY 300-PAGE MEMOIR, TRYING
TO EXPLAIN WHERE IT ALL COMES
FROM REMAINS AN ELUSIVE TASK FOR
SINGER-SONGWRITER JEFF TWEEDY.
>> IT'S ALL MYSTERIOUS STILL.
I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW PEOPLE
CAN WHISTLE IN TUNE, YOU KNOW?
I THINK, LIKE, YOU COULD READ
EVERYTHING THAT I SAY
AUTHORITATIVELY IN THE BOOK
WITH A, "HUH?," YOU KNOW.
YOU COULD PUT A QUESTION MARK AT
THE END OF MOST OF THOSE
SENTENCES.
♪ I LEAN ON A WALL
LIKE A BROOM, CONFUSED
♪ BY THE SCOPE OF IT ALL
ANY FOOL CAN TELL THE TRUTH. ♪
>> Reporter: TWEEDY'S MEMOIR,
"LET'S GO (SO WE CAN GET BACK),"
IS AN EXPLORATION OF CREATIVITY,
MOTIVATION AND HERITAGE-- THE
STORY OF A CHILD OF AN ALCOHOLIC
FATHER; THE STARTS AND STOPS OF
MUSICAL STARDOM; AND THE
STRUGGLE AGAINST ANXIETY,
DEPRESSION AND ADDICTION.
IN A LOT OF WAYS, THE BOOK ISN'T
JUST WORKING TO PULL BACK THE
CURTAIN BUT ALMOST REMOVE THE
CURTAIN ALL TOGETHER.
>> YEAH, I REJECT THE PREMISE OF
THE CURTAIN TO BEGIN WITH.
I'VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THE MORE
HUMAN THE MUSICIANS THAT I LOVE
HAVE BECOME TO ME, THE MORE I
HAVE FELT EMPOWERED TO BE A...
A MUSICIAN OR AN ARTIST.
>> Reporter: THE YOUNGEST OF
FOUR KIDS, TWEEDY WAS RAISED IN
BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS, AN OLD
MANUFACTURING TOWN ABOUT 20
MILES OUTSIDE OF ST. LOUIS.
HIS FATHER WORKED FOR THE
RAILROAD, HIS MOTHER DESIGNED
KITCHENS FOR A LOCAL CABINET
MANUFACTURER.
>> MY MOM AND DAD WERE BOTH
REALLY, REALLY SMART, AND IT WAS
RECOGNIZED, BUT NOT IN THE
TRADITIONAL WAY, YOU KNOW.
THAT'S THE THING I'VE REALLY
LOOKED BACK AND PROBABLY PUT
TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME
IN... TIME IN MY LIFE RECENTLY
IS, LIKE, "OH, I'VE... I'VE HAD
A LIFE VERY SIMILAR TO THEM."
I DIDN'T REALLY MAKE IT MUCH
PAST HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I TAUGHT
MYSELF A TRADE.
>> Reporter: TWEEDY'S TRADE
STARTED WITH A LOVE OF PUNK
ROCK-- BANDS LIKE THE RAMONES,
THE CLASH AND THE MINUTEMEN.
A BICYCLE ACCIDENT KEPT HIM
INDOORS FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER.
TO PASS THE TIME, HE PICKED UP
THE GUITAR STASHED IN HIS
CLOSET.
AS A TEENAGER, HE PLAYED IN A
NUMBER OF BANDS BEFORE CO-
FOUNDING UNCLE TUPELO, A
CRITICAL DARLING OF THE EARLY
'90s CREDITED WITH SPAWNING AN
ENTIRE NEW GENRE OF MUSIC: ALT-
COUNTRY.
BUT AFTER FOUR ALBUMS, HIS
PARTNER AND CHILDHOOD FRIEND,
JAY FARRAR, ANNOUNCED HE WAS NO
LONGER INTERESTED IN MAKING
MUSIC WITH TWEEDY AND THAT HE
WAS LEAVING THE BAND.
>> I WAS REALLY HURT BY UNCLE
TUPELO ENDING THE WAY IT ENDED.
AND THEN, IT JUST, LIKE, KIND OF
LIKE A PRACTICAL NOTION OF,
LIKE, "WELL, NOTHING I CAN DO
ABOUT THAT NOW.
THAT'S OVER WITH."
AND THEN, IT DAWNING ON ME: THAT
PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY SOMEHOW.
YOU KNOW, AS A... AS A CHILD
OF... OF AN ALCOHOLIC OR AN
ENVIRONMENT OF ALCOHOLISM,
THERE'S A LOT OF
UNPREDICTABILITY.
EVEN THOUGH MY DAD'S ROUTINE WAS
PREDICTABLE, HIS MOODS WERE
UNPREDICTABLE.
WHICH INHIBITS, I THINK, A LOT
OF FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR
PROJECTION OF THE FUTURE.
THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE IT REALLY
COMES FROM, IS, LIKE, HAVE...
HAVING A... HAVING TO ADAPT TO
YOUR BEST PROJECTION OF THE
FUTURE NOT REALLY WORKING OUT.
♪
>> Reporter: FOR TWEEDY, THE
ADAPTATION THAT FOLLOWED UNCLE
TUPELO WAS THE FORMATION OF
WILCO.
♪
A LOT OF WILCO'S HISTORY IS
HERE?
>> YEAH.
THIS IS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, 20
YEARS OR SO WE'VE BEEN HERE, AND
ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM "YANKEE
HOTEL FOXTROT" ON HAS HAD AT
LEAST A PART OF THE RECORD
WORKED ON HERE OR RECORDED HERE.
♪ SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A
DRUMMER
♪ SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A
DRUMMER... ♪
>> Reporter: BUT AS THE 51-YEAR-
OLD RECOUNTS, THIS PATH WAS BY
NO MEANS SIMPLE AND TIDY.
WHILE THEIR FAN BASE AND
CRITICAL ACCLAIM GREW STEADILY
DURING THEIR EARLY YEARS, WILCO
WAS FAMOUSLY DROPPED BY THEIR
RECORD LABEL AFTER THEY REFUSED
TO ALTER 2002'S "YANKEE HOTEL
FOXTROT."
THE PROCESS WAS CAPTURED IN THE
DOCUMENTARY, "I AM TRYING TO
BREAK YOUR HEART."
>> ULTIMATELY, WHAT IT CAME DOWN
TO IS, THEY TOLD JEFF TWEEDY,
"WE DON'T LIKE YOUR ALBUM, WE
DON'T WANT TO RELEASE IT."
♪ 
>> Reporter: FOR THE BAND, THE
ALBUM WAS A NEW DIRECTION,
MOVING FROM THEIR ALT-COUNTRY
BASE TO EXPERIMENTAL ALTERNATIVE
ROCK.
BUT THE LABEL DIDN'T HEAR A HIT
SINGLE.
RELEASED ONLINE AND IN STORES
UNDER A NEW LABEL, THE ALBUM WAS
CERTIFIED GOLD IN 2002, AND
"ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE NOW
RANKS "YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT"
AMONGST THE TOP 500 ALBUMS OF
ALL-TIME.
THE SUCCESS OF "YANKEE HOTEL
FOXTROT" WAS FOLLOWED TWO YEARS
LATER BY THE GRAMMY-WINNING "A
GHOST IS BORN," CEMENTING THE
BAND'S STATUS AS A FORCE IN
AMERICAN MUSIC.
BUT THERE WAS LITTLE JOY FOR
TWEEDY.
IN THE LATE '90s, HE HAD BEGUN
TAKING VICODIN, AT FIRST TO
ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS FROM
MIGRAINES, DEPRESSION AND
ANXIETY.
BY THE TIME THE BAND ENTERED THE
STUDIO IN THE FALL OF 2003 TO
RECORD "A GHOST IS BORN," HE WAS
BATTLING A FULL-TIME OPIOID
ADDICTION.
>> YOU KNOW, 15, 16 YEARS AGO,
IT USED TO BE ON A NIGHTLY
BASIS, BEING IN A DEBILITATED
HEAP, CRYING ON THE FLOOR
MOMENTS BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE,
YOU KNOW.
JUST REALLY, REALLY STRUGGLING
TO GET THROUGH THE FIRST FEW
SONGS.
>> Reporter: UPON COMPLETION OF
"A GHOST IS BORN," TWEEDY QUIT
OPIOIDS COLD TURKEY.
BUT IN THE WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED,
HE SUFFERED A MENTAL COLLAPSE
AND CHECKED HIMSELF INTO AN
INTENSIVE INPATIENT TREATMENT
CENTER IN CHICAGO.
DID YOU FIND WRITING THE BOOK
AND KIND OF CHRONICLING IT THIS
WAY, DID IT CHANGE THE WAY YOU
THINK ABOUT YOUR ADDICTION?
>> NO, I DON'T THINK IT DID.
I THINK... I'VE HAD THE...
THAT'S THE THING I'VE THOUGHT
ABOUT THE MOST FOR THE PAST 15
YEARS, PROBABLY, IS WHAT I NEED
TO DO NEXT TO STAY HEALTHY OR TO
STAY SOBER, OR HOWEVER YOU WANT
TO PUT IT.
I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN WHEN
THINGS GET A LITTLE BIT
OVERWHELMING, TO SLOW YOURSELF
DOWN AND... AND THINK OF WHAT
THE NEXT RIGHT THING TO DO IS.
AND I HAVE ALL THIS EVIDENCE
FROM MANY MORE YEARS OF... OF
MY... OF LIVING THAT REASSURES
ME I'M... I'M PROBABLY GOING TO
BE OKAY, I'M PROBABLY GOING TO
MAKE IT THROUGH THIS.
♪ 
>> Reporter: BEING OKAY HAS ALSO
MEANT BEING PROLIFIC.
IN THE YEARS SINCE HIS TIME IN
THE HOSPITAL, WILCO HAS RELEASED
FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS, LAUNCHED ITS
OWN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN WESTERN
MASSACHUSETTS; WHILE JEFF TWEEDY
HAS ALSO PRODUCED A NUMBER OF
ALBUMS WITH GOSPEL LEGEND MAVIS
STAPLES, RELEASED A SOLO ALBUM
AS WELL AS AN ALBUM WITH HIS
SIDE PROJECT, TWEEDY, A DUO WITH
HIS OLDEST SON, SPENCER.
AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, HE
WILL RELEASE HIS SECOND SOLO
ALBUM.
>> THERE ISN'T, LIKE, A... A
CAREER GOAL THAT I'M LIKE, "OH,
I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS."
IT'S... I REALLY VERY SIMPLY
JUST... I LIKE BEING ENGAGED IN
A CREATIVE PROCESS.
I FEEL SUSTAINED BY IT.
I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.
♪ 
I LOVE THAT FEELING OF BEING
UNBURDENED BY SELF, OR UN... YOU
KNOW, YOU CAN REALLY GET IN A
SUPER MEDITATIVE STATE IN, LIKE,
IN THE ACT OF CREATION THAT...
THAT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO... I
DON'T FIND IT ANYWHERE ELSE.
♪ 
