Adorably prolific rock dad Jeff Tweedy has made an attempt to put a little respect on music journalism's name, admitting that it was a career path he once thought about pursuing but ultimately couldn't follow through on.
The Wilco frontperson appeared on the latest episode of Pitchfork's weekly podcast, The Pitchfork Review, to discuss his new book, World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music.
"I take that aphorism about how music critics are frustrated musicians and turn it on its head when I think about my life, because early on I thought that writing about music would be more attainable to me," he told host and Pitchfork Associate Editor Sam Sodomsky.
Tweedy continued, "So I tried my hand at writing for fanzines in St. Louis but was too lazy to do it correctly or with any success. I did a bunch of interviews with different people that came through town: Rain Parade, Stiv Bators, Long Riders, Soul Asylum. Basically, I tried to get free tickets to shows, and there was a fanzine that would give me free tickets."
"I only completed maybe one or two of those assignments, but I did get to hang out with those musicians," the singer-songwriter added. "I would always joke that I tried to be a rock critic but couldn't do it, so I started a band."
And, as they say, the rest is history. Earlier this week, Wilco revealed their favourite CanCon of 2023 — because musicians, like music critics, are also music fans! Who'd have thought?
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
The Wilco frontperson appeared on the latest episode of Pitchfork's weekly podcast, The Pitchfork Review, to discuss his new book, World Within a Song: Music That Changed My Life and Life That Changed My Music.
"I take that aphorism about how music critics are frustrated musicians and turn it on its head when I think about my life, because early on I thought that writing about music would be more attainable to me," he told host and Pitchfork Associate Editor Sam Sodomsky.
Tweedy continued, "So I tried my hand at writing for fanzines in St. Louis but was too lazy to do it correctly or with any success. I did a bunch of interviews with different people that came through town: Rain Parade, Stiv Bators, Long Riders, Soul Asylum. Basically, I tried to get free tickets to shows, and there was a fanzine that would give me free tickets."
"I only completed maybe one or two of those assignments, but I did get to hang out with those musicians," the singer-songwriter added. "I would always joke that I tried to be a rock critic but couldn't do it, so I started a band."
And, as they say, the rest is history. Earlier this week, Wilco revealed their favourite CanCon of 2023 — because musicians, like music critics, are also music fans! Who'd have thought?
Listen to the full podcast episode below.
