>> Sreenivasan: FOR NEARLY 25

YEARS, THE BAND WILCO HAS BEEN

BENDING THE EDGES OF ROCK,

COUNTRY AND INDEPENDENT MUSIC.

LONG A CRITICAL DARLING, THE

GROUP HAS BUILT A LEGION OF FANS

WITHOUT EVER SCORING A TOP TEN

HIT.

BUT WITH HIS NEW MEMOIR, THE

SINGER, SONGWRITER AND WILCO

FRONTMAN JEFF TWEEDY APPEARS TO

HAVE A LITERARY HIT ON HIS

HANDS.

NEWSHOUR WEEKEND'S CHRISTOPHER

BOOKER RECENTLY SAT DOWN WITH

TWEEDY IN WILCO'S CHICAGO LOFT-

STUDIO TO DISCUSS A MUSICAL

CAREER SPENT WELL OUTSIDE THE

USUAL BOUNDARIES.

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ I DON'T EVER WANT A MOVIE OF

THE GOSPEL... ♪

>> Reporter: EVEN AFTER

RECORDING NEARLY 20 ALBUMS,

WINNING TWO GRAMMYS, AND WRITING

A NEARLY 300-PAGE MEMOIR, TRYING

TO EXPLAIN WHERE IT ALL COMES

FROM REMAINS AN ELUSIVE TASK FOR

SINGER-SONGWRITER JEFF TWEEDY.

>> IT'S ALL MYSTERIOUS STILL.

I CAN'T EVEN EXPLAIN HOW PEOPLE

CAN WHISTLE IN TUNE, YOU KNOW?

I THINK, LIKE, YOU COULD READ

EVERYTHING THAT I SAY

AUTHORITATIVELY IN THE BOOK

WITH A, "HUH?," YOU KNOW.

YOU COULD PUT A QUESTION MARK AT

THE END OF MOST OF THOSE

SENTENCES.

♪ I LEAN ON A WALL

LIKE A BROOM, CONFUSED

♪ BY THE SCOPE OF IT ALL

ANY FOOL CAN TELL THE TRUTH. ♪

>> Reporter: TWEEDY'S MEMOIR,

"LET'S GO (SO WE CAN GET BACK),"

IS AN EXPLORATION OF CREATIVITY,

MOTIVATION AND HERITAGE-- THE

STORY OF A CHILD OF AN ALCOHOLIC

FATHER; THE STARTS AND STOPS OF

MUSICAL STARDOM; AND THE

STRUGGLE AGAINST ANXIETY,

DEPRESSION AND ADDICTION.

IN A LOT OF WAYS, THE BOOK ISN'T

JUST WORKING TO PULL BACK THE

CURTAIN BUT ALMOST REMOVE THE

CURTAIN ALL TOGETHER.

>> YEAH, I REJECT THE PREMISE OF

THE CURTAIN TO BEGIN WITH.

I'VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THE MORE

HUMAN THE MUSICIANS THAT I LOVE

HAVE BECOME TO ME, THE MORE I

HAVE FELT EMPOWERED TO BE A...

A MUSICIAN OR AN ARTIST.

>> Reporter: THE YOUNGEST OF

FOUR KIDS, TWEEDY WAS RAISED IN

BELLEVILLE, ILLINOIS, AN OLD

MANUFACTURING TOWN ABOUT 20

MILES OUTSIDE OF ST. LOUIS.

HIS FATHER WORKED FOR THE

RAILROAD, HIS MOTHER DESIGNED

KITCHENS FOR A LOCAL CABINET

MANUFACTURER.

>> MY MOM AND DAD WERE BOTH

REALLY, REALLY SMART, AND IT WAS

RECOGNIZED, BUT NOT IN THE

TRADITIONAL WAY, YOU KNOW.

THAT'S THE THING I'VE REALLY

LOOKED BACK AND PROBABLY PUT

TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN... TIME IN MY LIFE RECENTLY

IS, LIKE, "OH, I'VE... I'VE HAD

A LIFE VERY SIMILAR TO THEM."

I DIDN'T REALLY MAKE IT MUCH

PAST HIGH SCHOOL, BUT I TAUGHT

MYSELF A TRADE.

>> Reporter: TWEEDY'S TRADE

STARTED WITH A LOVE OF PUNK

ROCK-- BANDS LIKE THE RAMONES,

THE CLASH AND THE MINUTEMEN.

A BICYCLE ACCIDENT KEPT HIM

INDOORS FOR AN ENTIRE SUMMER.

TO PASS THE TIME, HE PICKED UP

THE GUITAR STASHED IN HIS

CLOSET.

AS A TEENAGER, HE PLAYED IN A

NUMBER OF BANDS BEFORE CO-

FOUNDING UNCLE TUPELO, A

CRITICAL DARLING OF THE EARLY

'90s CREDITED WITH SPAWNING AN

ENTIRE NEW GENRE OF MUSIC: ALT-

COUNTRY.

BUT AFTER FOUR ALBUMS, HIS

PARTNER AND CHILDHOOD FRIEND,

JAY FARRAR, ANNOUNCED HE WAS NO

LONGER INTERESTED IN MAKING

MUSIC WITH TWEEDY AND THAT HE

WAS LEAVING THE BAND.

>> I WAS REALLY HURT BY UNCLE

TUPELO ENDING THE WAY IT ENDED.

AND THEN, IT JUST, LIKE, KIND OF

LIKE A PRACTICAL NOTION OF,

LIKE, "WELL, NOTHING I CAN DO

ABOUT THAT NOW.

THAT'S OVER WITH."

AND THEN, IT DAWNING ON ME: THAT

PRESENTS OPPORTUNITY SOMEHOW.

YOU KNOW, AS A... AS A CHILD

OF... OF AN ALCOHOLIC OR AN

ENVIRONMENT OF ALCOHOLISM,

THERE'S A LOT OF

UNPREDICTABILITY.

EVEN THOUGH MY DAD'S ROUTINE WAS

PREDICTABLE, HIS MOODS WERE

UNPREDICTABLE.

WHICH INHIBITS, I THINK, A LOT

OF FEELING COMFORTABLE WITH YOUR

PROJECTION OF THE FUTURE.

THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE IT REALLY

COMES FROM, IS, LIKE, HAVE...

HAVING A... HAVING TO ADAPT TO

YOUR BEST PROJECTION OF THE

FUTURE NOT REALLY WORKING OUT.

♪

>> Reporter: FOR TWEEDY, THE

ADAPTATION THAT FOLLOWED UNCLE

TUPELO WAS THE FORMATION OF

WILCO.

♪

A LOT OF WILCO'S HISTORY IS

HERE?

>> YEAH.

THIS IS, LIKE, YOU KNOW, 20

YEARS OR SO WE'VE BEEN HERE, AND

ALMOST EVERYTHING FROM "YANKEE

HOTEL FOXTROT" ON HAS HAD AT

LEAST A PART OF THE RECORD

WORKED ON HERE OR RECORDED HERE.

♪ SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A

DRUMMER

♪ SHE FELL IN LOVE WITH A

DRUMMER... ♪

>> Reporter: BUT AS THE 51-YEAR-

OLD RECOUNTS, THIS PATH WAS BY

NO MEANS SIMPLE AND TIDY.

WHILE THEIR FAN BASE AND

CRITICAL ACCLAIM GREW STEADILY

DURING THEIR EARLY YEARS, WILCO

WAS FAMOUSLY DROPPED BY THEIR

RECORD LABEL AFTER THEY REFUSED

TO ALTER 2002'S "YANKEE HOTEL

FOXTROT."

THE PROCESS WAS CAPTURED IN THE

DOCUMENTARY, "I AM TRYING TO

BREAK YOUR HEART."

>> ULTIMATELY, WHAT IT CAME DOWN

TO IS, THEY TOLD JEFF TWEEDY,

"WE DON'T LIKE YOUR ALBUM, WE

DON'T WANT TO RELEASE IT."

♪

>> Reporter: FOR THE BAND, THE

ALBUM WAS A NEW DIRECTION,

MOVING FROM THEIR ALT-COUNTRY

BASE TO EXPERIMENTAL ALTERNATIVE

ROCK.

BUT THE LABEL DIDN'T HEAR A HIT

SINGLE.

RELEASED ONLINE AND IN STORES

UNDER A NEW LABEL, THE ALBUM WAS

CERTIFIED GOLD IN 2002, AND

"ROLLING STONE" MAGAZINE NOW

RANKS "YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT"

AMONGST THE TOP 500 ALBUMS OF

ALL-TIME.

THE SUCCESS OF "YANKEE HOTEL

FOXTROT" WAS FOLLOWED TWO YEARS

LATER BY THE GRAMMY-WINNING "A

GHOST IS BORN," CEMENTING THE

BAND'S STATUS AS A FORCE IN

AMERICAN MUSIC.

BUT THERE WAS LITTLE JOY FOR

TWEEDY.

IN THE LATE '90s, HE HAD BEGUN

TAKING VICODIN, AT FIRST TO

ALLEVIATE SYMPTOMS FROM

MIGRAINES, DEPRESSION AND

ANXIETY.

BY THE TIME THE BAND ENTERED THE

STUDIO IN THE FALL OF 2003 TO

RECORD "A GHOST IS BORN," HE WAS

BATTLING A FULL-TIME OPIOID

ADDICTION.

>> YOU KNOW, 15, 16 YEARS AGO,

IT USED TO BE ON A NIGHTLY

BASIS, BEING IN A DEBILITATED

HEAP, CRYING ON THE FLOOR

MOMENTS BEFORE WALKING ON STAGE,

YOU KNOW.

JUST REALLY, REALLY STRUGGLING

TO GET THROUGH THE FIRST FEW

SONGS.

>> Reporter: UPON COMPLETION OF

"A GHOST IS BORN," TWEEDY QUIT

OPIOIDS COLD TURKEY.

BUT IN THE WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED,

HE SUFFERED A MENTAL COLLAPSE

AND CHECKED HIMSELF INTO AN

INTENSIVE INPATIENT TREATMENT

CENTER IN CHICAGO.

DID YOU FIND WRITING THE BOOK

AND KIND OF CHRONICLING IT THIS

WAY, DID IT CHANGE THE WAY YOU

THINK ABOUT YOUR ADDICTION?

>> NO, I DON'T THINK IT DID.

I THINK... I'VE HAD THE...

THAT'S THE THING I'VE THOUGHT

ABOUT THE MOST FOR THE PAST 15

YEARS, PROBABLY, IS WHAT I NEED

TO DO NEXT TO STAY HEALTHY OR TO

STAY SOBER, OR HOWEVER YOU WANT

TO PUT IT.

I'M A BIG BELIEVER IN WHEN

THINGS GET A LITTLE BIT

OVERWHELMING, TO SLOW YOURSELF

DOWN AND... AND THINK OF WHAT

THE NEXT RIGHT THING TO DO IS.

AND I HAVE ALL THIS EVIDENCE

FROM MANY MORE YEARS OF... OF

MY... OF LIVING THAT REASSURES

ME I'M... I'M PROBABLY GOING TO

BE OKAY, I'M PROBABLY GOING TO

MAKE IT THROUGH THIS.

♪

>> Reporter: BEING OKAY HAS ALSO

MEANT BEING PROLIFIC.

IN THE YEARS SINCE HIS TIME IN

THE HOSPITAL, WILCO HAS RELEASED

FIVE STUDIO ALBUMS, LAUNCHED ITS

OWN MUSIC FESTIVAL IN WESTERN

MASSACHUSETTS; WHILE JEFF TWEEDY

HAS ALSO PRODUCED A NUMBER OF

ALBUMS WITH GOSPEL LEGEND MAVIS

STAPLES, RELEASED A SOLO ALBUM

AS WELL AS AN ALBUM WITH HIS

SIDE PROJECT, TWEEDY, A DUO WITH

HIS OLDEST SON, SPENCER.

AT THE END OF THIS MONTH, HE

WILL RELEASE HIS SECOND SOLO

ALBUM.

>> THERE ISN'T, LIKE, A... A

CAREER GOAL THAT I'M LIKE, "OH,

I WANT TO ACHIEVE THIS."

IT'S... I REALLY VERY SIMPLY

JUST... I LIKE BEING ENGAGED IN

A CREATIVE PROCESS.

I FEEL SUSTAINED BY IT.

I FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT.

♪

I LOVE THAT FEELING OF BEING

UNBURDENED BY SELF, OR UN... YOU

KNOW, YOU CAN REALLY GET IN A

SUPER MEDITATIVE STATE IN, LIKE,

IN THE ACT OF CREATION THAT...

THAT I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO... I

DON'T FIND IT ANYWHERE ELSE.

♪