>> THANKS.
HE IS A MASTER OF VIOLIN,
SINGING, SONG WRITING AND
WHISTLING.
ANDREW BIRD HAS BEEN CELEBRATED
FOR ALBUMS HE APPLIED THE
TALENTS TO A NEW CHRISTMAS ALBUM
CALLED HARK AND ADDED A NEW
SKILL, ACTING.
BIRD IS FEATURED IN THE NEW
SEASON OF FARGO ON FX SHOT HERE
IN CHICAGO.
HERE IS A CLIP WHERE BIRD COMES
TO CHRIS ROCK'S CHARACTER TO PAY
OFF A LOAN.
>> YOU WERE NICE ENOUGH TO GIVE
US THAT LOAN I FIGURED I SHOULD
BRING IT TO YOU STRAIGHTAWAY.
>> I LEFT YOU THIS BAG OF CASH.
YOUR UNCLE, WHAT WAS IT?
>> NO SIR, THE POLICEMAN CAME IN
CHECK FORM I FIGURED CASH WOULD
BE EASIER FOR YOU.
>> ANDREW BIRD JOINS US NOW.
THANK YOU FOR BEING BACK HERE ON
"CHICAGO TONIGHT".
>> MY PLEASURE GOOD TO BE HERE.
>> SO THIS FARGO CLIP YOU GET A
CALL OUT OF THE BLUE NEVER
ACTING BEFORE TO PLAY THIS MILD
MANNERED UNDERTAKER AND YOU FILM
IT IN YOUR HOMETOWN OF CHICAGO.
WHAT WAS THAT EXPERIENCE LIKE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT WAS TERRIFYING
BUT IT WAS WHAT I KEEP SAYING,
IT WAS TO COME BACK TO A PLACE
STILL FAMILIAR TO ME IN CHICAGO
AND TO DO SOMETHING SO
UNFAMILIAR TO ME SOMETHING I HAD
NEVER DONE BEFORE WAS A STRANGE
EXPERIENCE.
BUT I THINK I WAS GRAD TO BE IN
CHICAGO HAVE --
GLAD TO BE IN CHICAGO HAVE
SOMETHING THAT I KNEW WHAT WAS
GOING ON.
>> AND REMEMBER WHEN THEY WERE
FILMING IN PLACES LIKE ROGERS
PARK, LOCATIONS THAT WERE
FAMILIAR TO YOU, A LOT OF US
CRINGE WHEN WE SEE OURSELVES ON
THE SCREEN.
WHAT WAS YOUR REACTION?
>> YOU KNOW, MY REACTION WAS I
MEAN I'VE BEEN WATCHING IT
WEEKLY LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE AND
I'VE NEVER SEEN MYSELF ON SCREEN
BEFORE.
SO I WANT TO KNOW IF I PULLED IT
OFF OR NOT.
I HAD NO IDEA WHEN I WAS DOING
IT WHETHER I WAS MEASURING UP TO
THE OTHER ACTORS OR I REALLY
HADN'T GIVEN ACTING A THOUGHT
BEFORE THIS CAME UP.
ED WHOLE THING WAS A BIG
ADVENTURE.
>> I THINK YOU PULLED IT OFF AND
MORE.
LET'S TALK ABOUT HARK WHICH IS
JUST A BEAUTIFUL ALBUM.
IT IS A MIX OF SOME REWORKED
TRADITIONAL SONGS AND NEW MUSIC
THAT YOU'VE CREATED.
WHAT DREW YOU TO ADDING TO THE
CANNON OF HOLIDAY MUSIC?
>> WELL, IT'S ADMIT THAT
CHRISTMAS ALBUM IS A NOSTALGIC
EXERCISE IF THERE EVER WAS ONE.
BUT I REALLY WANTED TO TRY TO
REFRESH THE CANNON.
WE'VE GOT THE SAME 10 SONGS OR
SO KICKING AROUND EVERY YEAR AND
THAT REMINDS US WHAT TIME OF
YEAR IT IS.
BUT NOW AND THEN WE COULD USE
NEW ENTRIES.
I PICKED SOME --
I WROTE SOME ORIGINALS AND
PICKED UNUSUAL COVERS THAT I
THOUGHT QUALIFIED AS HOLIDAY
TUNES.
>> I WANT TO TALK ABOUT SOME OF
THOSE COVERS.
LET'S LISTEN TO ONE OF YOUR
ORIGINALS HERE, CHRISTMAS IN
APRIL.
♪I'M WRITING THE SONG ABOUT
CHRISTMAS IN APRIL THIS YEAR,
♪AND YOU KNOW, FOLKS, I JUST
DON'T I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO THINK
ABOUT THAT♪
[♪♪♪]
♪I'M HOPING THESE WORDS DON'T
RING SO HALLOW IN YOUR EAR♪
♪SAYING MERRY CHRISTMAS AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR♪
>> AND YOU WROTE THIS AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE PANDEMIC HOW
HAS COVID-19 AND THE GENERAL
UNREST IN THE COUNTRY SORT OF
IMPACTED YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS
AND WHAT YOU CAME UP WITH HERE?
>> YEAH, I MEAN WHEN IT FIRST
HIT I WAS IN CHICAGO FILMING
FARGO AND I HAD TO COME HOME
RIGHT AWAY.
AND THERE WERE THESE EVERYONE
WENT THROUGH THESE STAGES OF
ACCEPTANCE WEEK AFTER WEEK WE'RE
LIKE WOW THIS IS OK, THIS IS
GOING TO GO ON FOR QUITE A BIT.
AND AT FIRST, I LIKE A LOT OF MY
CREATIVE FRIENDS WERE HAVING
TROUBLE BEING CREATIVE AT FIRST.
BECAUSE IT WAS SO ALL CONSUMING.
AND NOT NECESSARILY SOMETHING
THAT YOU FEEL LIKE WRITING ABOUT
.
AND I THOUGHT I WOULD FINISH OUT
THE CHRISTMAS ALBUM BECAUSE I
DID HALF OF IT THE YEAR BEFORE.
AND I THOUGHT NOW I WILL MAKE IT
A COMPLETE ALBUM.
AND THAT SONG CHRISTMAS IN APRIL
I WROTE IN MARCH BUT MARCH IS
NOT A VERY LYRICAL WORD.
BUT I WAS THINKING THE SAME
THING THAT PROBABLY MILLIONS OF
PEOPLE WERE THINKING.
WHICH HOW OFTEN CAN YOU SAY
SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I WAS WONDERING WHERE WE WERE
GOING TO BE WHEN THE HOLIDAYS
COME AROUND.
AND WHETHER WE WERE GOING TO SEE
OUR FAMILY.
AND WONDERING IF TRADITIONAL
GREETINGS MERRY CHRISTMAS AND
HAPPY NEW YEAR WILL FEEL
DISINGENUINE.
AND I FOUND MYSELF WONDERING
ALLOWED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE
SONG WHAT IT MEANS THAT I'M
WRITING THIS SONG IN APRIL.
AND THAT'S KIND OF THE THING
THAT YOU WRITE DURING A PANDEMIC
BECAUSE IT'S VERY SELF REFERENCE
SHALL AND REFERENCE SHALL AND
I'M PUZZLING THROUGH IT AS I'M
WRITING IT.
>> SPEAKING OF WHERE YOU ARE
GOING TO BE THIS TIME OF YEAR
YOU ARE GETTING READY FOR YOUR
CONCERTS AT THE FOURTH
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OFF MILITIA
BEGAN AVENUE THESE ARE BIG
CONCERTS FOR YOUR FANS.
WHY ARE THEY SPECIAL CONCERTS
AND WHAT IT FEELS LIKE NOT TO BE
ABLE TO DO THEM?
>> IT'S BECOME A TRADITION.
THE IDEA I HAD MAYBE I DON'T
KNOW 12, 13 YEARS AGO NOW, TO
THE CONCERTS A DUTCH WORD COZY
ROUGHLY.
AND I WANTED TO PLAY IN A SACRED
SPACE WITH A LOT OF REVERB AND
AMBIANCE AND PLAY A SOLO CONCERT
WHERE I CAN JUST YOU DON'T WANT
TO BRING DRUMS INTO A CHURCH
IT'S ABOUT CREATING LINEAR
SOUNDS AND ENJOYING THE SOUND OF
YOUR INSTRUMENT BOUNCING OFF THE
WALLS.
I WANTED TO CREATE A COZY
EXPERIENCE THAT HELPS US GET
THROUGH THE DARK DAYS OF THE
CHICAGO WINTERS.
AND IT REALLY KIND OF TOOK ON A
LIFE OF ITS OWN AND EVOLVES FROM
YEAR TO YEAR.
BUT IT STAYS THE SAME IN A LOT
OF WAYS.
AND I DON'T GENERALLY DO
CHRISTMAS TUNES AS A RULE.
IT'S JUST SORT OF A SEASONAL
AMBIANCE CONCERT.
BUT I REALLY COME TO LOOK
FORWARD TO THEM COMING HOME TO
CHICAGO AND SPENDING A WEEK AND
I PLAY FIVE OR SIX SHOWS IN A
ROW AT THE FOURTH PRESBYTERIAN
AND IT'S MY FAVORITE SHOWS I DO
EVER.
>> AS I UNDERSTAND YOU WILL BE
LIVE STREAMING THAT CONCERT THIS
YEAR ON DECEMBER 13TH IN LIEU OF
IN-PERSON.
WE HAD ANDREW BIRD ON OUR SHOW