‘The Tapes Archive’ Shares 1997 Interview With Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy

The latest installment of Osiris podcast The Tapes Archive features a previously unreleased interview with Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy from 1997. A then-30-year-old Tweedy spoke with journalist Marc Allan about fatherhood, weird interactions with fans, Wilco’s Being There album and more.

Jeff seemed relaxed and self-deprecating throughout the 30-minute chat. Allan asked about Tweedy’s son, Spencer, who was just over a year-old at the time. The Belleville, Illinois native explained the tough balance between being a father and life on the road. Marc and Jeff then dove into the making of Being There, a double album released in 1996. Tweedy recalled the experience of creating the album and how the band didn’t hold themselves to any preconceived notions about their music.

Allan compared Being There to The Kinks’ 1971 LP Muswell Hillbillies which Tweedy appreciated. The pair both discussed how underrated The Kinks and other British bands of the era are. Jeff went on to discuss the process that led to Being There being put out as a double album and revealed he took a royalty cut to keep the cost down. Marc then brought up the progression of Wilco’s music between their first and second albums. He asked if the group deliberately tried to get away from the “alt-country” label with Being There. “We didn’t want to think about that and be honest to things we really like,” Tweedy explained. “I’ve always just admired bands that were just bands. On a totally different level than just making the record, Wilco is definitely trying to distance ourselves from the whole notion that we’re poster kids for some alternative country rock music, that’s ridiculous! Who needs that?”

The interview took place just three years after Uncle Tupelo split up. Allan asked if Jeff kept in touch with his former band mate Jay Farrar to which Tweedy said no. Jeff then shared a few stories of weird interactions with fans in the wake of Uncle Tupelo’s breakup.

Listen to Jeff Tweedy’s interview with Marc Allan on the latest episode of The Tapes Archive below:

https://the-tapes-archive.simplecast.com/episodes/008-jeff-tweedy-of-wilco-1997