“The way to Write One Tune”
In June 2024, I obtained to go to the Strong Sound Competition in North Adams, Massachusetts, which is organized by the band Wilco. I carried out a few of my new songs, and I obtained to interview Jeff Tweedy, the lead singer of Wilco, on stage as a part of the pageant. Jeff, along with being in Wilco and the band Tweedy, and placing out his solo albums, has additionally written three books. And this dialog was centered on his second book, which is called How to Write One Song. And though it’s known as The way to Write One Tune, I believe it truly incorporates quite a lot of perception about creativity usually, and life usually. I’ve really useful it to buddies of mine who aren’t songwriters. And, as you’ll hear, the dialog will get fairly private for me, as a result of I obtained a lot out of the ebook personally. It helped me with a few of the blocks that I’d been going through in my very own songwriting, at a reasonably profound stage. And once I was listening again to this recording, I’d sort of forgotten about how a lot I put on the market in entrance of Jeff and the hundreds of people that had been there watching. However I’m glad the dialog was recorded, partly simply so I might revisit it, but additionally in order that I might share it right here on Tune Exploder. I hope you’ll take pleasure in it, too.
You should buy The way to Write One Tune by Jeff Tweedy here (via Bookshop.org) or here (via Amazon) or on Wilco’s website.
You possibly can take heed to the Wilco episode of Tune Exploder here. I additionally interviewed Jeff alongside together with his son Spencer, who can also be his bandmate in Tweedy, about their relationship and musical partnership, for an episode of my podcast Companions. You can listen to that here.
Illustration by Carlos Lerma.
George Saunders
Jill Schwartzman – Jeff’s editor
Tom Schick – Wilco producer/mixer/engineer
Mark Greenberg – studio supervisor at Wilco’s Loft
Star Wars – Wilco album
