A Conversation With Wilco

If you people start to get tired of my anecdotal claptrap, let me know. Until then, I’ll continue to write from the only perspective I know – mine. While I’m in the Bobby Brown vein of writing, I submit my recent conversation with John Stirratt. The fact that he was born and raised in New Orleans made him an obvious choice for me to talk with about the effects of Hurricane Katrina on the city and the culture. The fact that he’s a member of Wilco and has been playing with Jeff Tweedy since the Uncle Tupelo days… well that just made me giddy.

Of course by “giddy” I mean “excited to an almost uncomfortable level and nervous beyond that.” I’ve been a fan of Wilco ever since I bought a copy of Being There. Jeff Tweedy said once that the songs he loved the most were the ones he pictured himself playing when he listened to them. That’s how Being There was for me. Every word. Every note. Every caught-on-tape improvisation. I felt like it was all coming out of me. It felt like I could have written “Sunken Treasure” or “The Lonely 1” myself. I wanted to get a band together just so we could cover “Outtasite (Outta Mind).” I loved it through and through.

I sort of learned their music in a backwards way. I first got in to Wilco, then Uncle Tupelo, and eventually Son Volt. But I always returned to Wilco. It just did something for me. So on the eve of their benefit concert in Chicago, and a couple weeks before the much-anticipated release of their first live album, I was a little Nervous Nelly as the record company chick connected my call in to John Stirratt. On the agenda: New Orleans, the live album, and hopefully not too much love-gushing on my part.

Circle Six Magazine: John?

John Stirratt: Yeah, how ya doin’?

C6M: Hey, how’s it goin’, man?

John: Good, how are you?

C6M: I’m doing well.

John: Good. Where are you located?

C6M: I’m in New Orleans.

John: Oh! No shit, man! Cool.

C6M: Yeah, that’s actually why we got hooked up – because I’m writing a piece about New Orleans. I didn’t get back into town until a few weeks ago, and I just found out that y’all are doing the benefit tomorrow night. I was gonna interview Jeff, but then they said, “Why don’t you talk to John because he’s from New Orleans.”

John: Yeah yeah.

C6M: So I was like, “Well yeah. Even better.” So, I don’t really have anything specific to ask you about New Orleans; I just kinda wanted to talk to somebody who has some roots here.

John: Yeah yeah. Well, I wanted to ask you what part of town you’re in.

C6M: Well, I was born and raised on the South Shore, but my wife and I just relocated when we bought a house in Covington.

John: Cool. I was raised in Mandeville.

C6M: Oh wow. (For those who don’t know the area: Mandeville is to Covington as Metairie is to Kenner. Wait…that doesn’t make any sense to you either does it? Let’s just say that they’re two parts of town that are right next-door to each other. To South Shore people who don’t know the difference, they usually just get lumped under the label “The North Shore.”)

John: I know Covington really well. What part of town do you live in?

C6M: Dude, I’m right by the Abita brewery.

John: Oh great! My sister lived in Abita Springs for a long time.

C6M: Dude, that’s freakin’ weird, man!

John: Yeah, I know Abita Springs really well.

C6M: We bought a house over here, and it’s kinda weird. It’s like moving away from the city, but you’re still close enough to…

John: This might be the time to be away for a while.

C6M: Right. Do you still have family here?

John: I do. My dad’s in Metairie. He really lucked out; he was just on the right side of the canal so he didn’t get any flood damage. He got very little…

C6M: He didn’t have a tree or anything, huh?

John: No. They had huge trees in the yard, and they fell on other people’s houses actually. You know, everybody’s just kinda sussin’ out what kind of place it’s gonna be to live in for the next few years. It’s painful.
C6M: It’s weird, man. I don’t think the rest of America understands what they have in New Orleans and what they stand to lose if it doesn’t come back.

John: Absolutely. And I think the pessimistic people would say that people just don’t care about things like that as much any more in America. I’d say a lot of people don’t, but I think a lot of people do as well.

C6M: Yeah.

John: Architecturally was kinda my main– I mean, now that everyone’s relocated and has a place to live now, the first thing I thought was that we better not have this wholesale knocking down of neighborhoods – just using federal money in the worst ways. I mean, there’s so many reasons for people to do it. It’s more profitable. It’s just kinda the American way to just knock shit down and build. That’s why Preservation Resource Center was so important to try to get on board this thing. That and the Musicians Relief Fund just seemed like the two most important things about the city.

C6M: Well go ahead and tell us a little bit about those.

John: Well actually, the Musicians Relief Fund was started by Jeff Beninato. I remember we were in Europe right when everything went down. I think we left the day of the hurricane or something. So, unfortunately, I was kinda witnessing it all on the internet and on European CNN. But Jeff is a long time New Orleans resident, born and raised. I knew him from the dB’s. He had this thing up and running, well at least the idea of it, really, really fast. I mean, it was like days.

C6M: I was amazed at how some of these charities kinda popped up over night.

John: There was this sort of helplessness that everybody felt, but this was a good example of people who felt like they could do particular things. It was set up really fast. At first I was a little worried because I just felt like there was so much humanitarian need. But obviously that kind of stuff gets taken care of, and this is the kind of thing that, after the first line of defense, people kinda forget about.

C6M: Oh yeah. I mean, the first thing you see is people’s houses being flooded and people moving to Houston and stuff like that. Obviously the first reaction is gonna be to help people who have lost homes and stuff like that, but New Orleans is made up of its culture so it only makes sense to have organizations that would help that culture come back.

John: It has to. You know, it’s kinda weird. It’s almost like the national karma is just bad right now. I mean, why New Orleans? But everyone knew it was gonna be New Orleans. The precariousness of the city is probably where it gets a lot of its edge. But the main thing was Jeff contacted me. And once we were finished [in Europe] and everything we realized that, being in a band that has the ability to raise that kind of money, everybody knew that we had to do something because of the three or four people in the organization who have ties to the area. Me, and Brandy Breaux, who you just spoke to, is a New Orleanian.

C6M: With a name like “Breaux” I guess so.

John: Yeah, exactly. The first time I saw her name I was like, “I know where she’s from.”

C6M: Ha ha.

John: And Todd (a last name I couldn’t understand), he’s from DeSoto, Mississippi. So we knew we had to do something. We had to help in some way. Just being in a band that can raise this kind of money, you feel like there’s something under your control that can really change lives.

C6M: How did you get hooked up with the guys in the all-star band that’s opening up?

John: That was through Jeff. We were so busy. We organized the benefit and we were trying to think of who to play with, you know. A lot of people were really hard to get in touch with. But luckily Jeff came through and got these guys, and it just seemed like a really fitting thing. Kinda classic New Orleans.

C6M: Yeah, it really adds a New Orleans vibe to it, because it seems like every bar you go to, every band that’s playing, is kinda an all-star ensemble.

John: Yeah, very often. It’s just so rich. It’s one of those places where music is literally just in the streets and in front of you. We actually just played a gig in Rio De Janeiro, and that’s kinda another place that’s similar. It’s funny though because I was looking for Bossa Nova in Rio and couldn’t really find it.

C6M: Really?

John: Yeah. I mean, in New Orleans, brass bands find you. It’s the only place in the world where you’re standing on some quiet street corner Uptown and all the sudden a band’ll come by.

C6M: Yeah yeah yeah.

John: So, anyway, we’re excited about it. Hopefully the Preservation Resource Center can do some good as well with a little muscle and a little more money.

C6M: Definitely. So, um, this is a little selfish, but you got any plans of coming down here?

John: Well, I’m definitely gonna come down as soon as I can. But, I mean, it’s not that we don’t want to play in New Orleans…

C6M: Obviously.

John: …it’s just that the band is kinda in record mode.

C6M: So are you talking record mode from the live album or do you mean a new studio?

John: A new studio record.

C6M: Nice! Dude, I’m a huge fan, so to tell me there’s a new studio album coming down the pike is making my week.

John: Oh yeah. No doubt about it. I don’t know when, but it won’t be too long.

C6M: So back to New Orleans for a second, do you think it’ll come back?

John: Uh… you know… there are some things that I have a hard time believing are ever gonna be the same.

C6M: That’s such an F-ed up question to ask.

John: Yeah. It’s just so overwhelming. I think if we lose so many people… I mean I don’t know how without places like the 9th ward which are so important. It’s really the establishments and the people that I associate with New Orleans. It’s just gonna take a while. I’d just hate to see places like Casamento’s go out of business. Unfortunately, I mean, like, I heard the lakefront is just gone.

C6M: Oh, dude. Lake View was just decimated.

John: Oh my God.

C6M: Unbelievable, dude. I keep saying that word. It’s just unbelievable. There’s nobody in some of those neighborhoods. It’s so weird.

John: It’s kinda funny. It’s so indescribable, I’m almost afraid to go back.

C6M: Well I was planning on staying in Dallas as long as I needed to. To me, there’s no reason to live here if New Orleans isn’t New Orleans anymore.

John: It’s huge you know. I don’t know, man. I’m glad the weather is cooling off; maybe it’ll help control the smell and stuff. I mean, just the clean up is gonna take so long.

C6M: Well, look, let’s move on to some lighter subject matter. What brought on the live album? Why put out a live album?

John: Well, I think right now we felt like this was kinda the best band or the best interpretation of the material that we want to document. We had talked about it in years past, but this line-up just kinda forced the issue almost to have some sort of document that’s not just traded on the internet. I mean, we’ve always been cool with trading and stuff like that, but a lot of the versions of the songs have kinda grown out of the studio and it kinda warranted a collection.

C6M: What would you say is the biggest difference between A.M., Being There Wilco and the Yankee, Ghost Wilco? You know, Wilco, fresh from the Uncle Tupelo stuff as opposed to Wilco today. You’re a little more seasoned. You’ve got a new line-up. What would you say is the biggest difference?

John: The personnel probably. I mean the band is so different from the early days. That’s kinda hard to answer because each record kinda informs the next, so the whole thing’s been sort of a journey in a lot of ways. You build on each record and it’s kind of just all about the journey.

C6M: The live album, I got to check it out. And the sound is great.

John: Oh that’s great! That’s really cool. I haven’t heard a master of it yet, so I’m really looking forward to that.

C6M: I always tend to shy away from live recordings because it’s just so hard to get ‘em right. Not that you’re striving for perfection, but you want it better than sticking a mic in the middle of a room and hitting record. But yeah, the sound is great and the setlist is awesome.

John: Oh, that’s good. You know, if we win over fans from this I’d be surprised. I’d be excited, but I definitely know it’s something for the fans.

C6M: Yeah, it’s definitely something for the guys who’ve been there for a while. The only complaint I have, and maybe you can take this up with Jeff, is that “Sunken Treasure” isn’t on it.

John: Oh yeah. That’s funny. We’ve done a few different versions of that. The acoustic version that he did in the movie – I don’t know if you remember that.

C6M: Yeah yeah.

John: Now we’ve got the arrangement with the band where it builds and gets really loud. But we’re always fighting that thing with a collection not to be too mid-tempo or down-tempo. There were quite a few things like that on the record already.

C6M: And plus, you’ve got so many songs. You’ve got to weed some out.

John: Yeah, that’s true.

C6M: I mean, you’re gonna upset somebody along the way.

John: That’s right.

C6M: It just stinks that you upset me.

John: Ha ha.

C6M: Anyway. Let’s see… I was trying really hard to stay away from asking Uncle Tupelo, Son Volt type questions, so I just have one.

John: Okay.

C6M: Well you guys, that whole group in the late 80s/early 90s, that whole thing, you’re basically credited with starting a cultural revolution of sorts. I mean, I have a subscription to No Depression Magazine. So how do you stay balanced as a person, just in your head? I mean, you can’t view yourself like that or you’d just be a total asshole.

John: Ha ha. You know, it’s funny. I guess I don’t really think about that much any more. I guess I think of No Depression like any other magazine, and when I do see it, I’m like, “Oh yeah, that’s right…”

C6M: “Oh yeah, that’s my magazine.”

John: “…that’s one of our songs or one of Jay’s songs.” But, you just strive for something else. I think the main thing is, you know, it’s funny, I don’t immerse myself in it. We live like pretty regular people in Chicago, so it’s always easy to remember who I am. I mean, I think Uncle Tupelo is a really cool band, and I was glad to be a part of it for the last record, but I don’t think about it very much other than that.

C6M: You guys seen to be pretty grounded. You have a very anti-rockstar way about you.

John: We have this funny kind of non-image in a lot of ways. I think it’s probably good for a long career path. I think it’s probably who we are and what we look like.

C6M: Ha! Whatdya mean “what you look like?” You’re not as hot as the other rock stars?

John: Well I think we look better now than we used to.

C6M: You probably had more late nights back then.

John: Yeah, we’re not partying as much as we used to.

C6M: You don’t age too gracefully if you keep that up for too long.

John: That’s very true.

C6M: Well, I got one last stupid question. And that is: what do you think of the new Neil Young album?

John: I haven’t heard it yet.

C6M: Oh wow. Well then that really is a stupid question.

John: No, I was at one of his shows and a guy from Reprise told me he’d send me a copy and he never did. It’s funny, I’ve been buying other stuff lately and I completely forgot about that record. How do you like it? Do you love it?

C6M: Oh yeah. It’s weird to watch an artist age. I mean, Neil today is nothing like what he used to be. But I love the album. He actually played the closer on the album on one of those New Orleans telethon things and it was great. I don’t know if it was just seeing him on TV with the images that they were flashing up or what, but that moment and the connection to New Orleans just kinda made me fall in love with the album.

John: Oh, that’s great. Sometimes it takes something like that. Oh, and he opened with “Walking to New Orleans” at FarmAid.

C6M: Nice. Yeah I find that a lot of the reason I love some of the albums that I love is anecdotal. It’s always some personal connection to it.

John: That’s what it’s all about. That’s well put. It’s where you were at a certain time, you know, so much stuff can inform the listen for you. That’s good stuff.

“That’s good stuff.” Damn right that’s good stuff, John. I’m flippin brilliant! My observations are always “good stuff.” I’m just glad you felt the need to interject such an affirmation into our little conversation.

But seriously, folks. If you even slightly appreciate Wilco, click their link below and get the live album. It’s called Kicking Television and it’s awesome. Tell ‘em Jacob Taylor sent you and you’ll get a free email asking you who the hell Jacob Taylor is.

www.wilcoworld.net
www.nomrf.org
www.preserveneworleans.org

by Jacob Taylor

[You can email Jacob Taylor at jacob@circlesixmagazine.com. Better do it now because once he’s rich and famous there ain’t no way he’s writing you back!]