Street Roots • March 13-19, 2015
TWEEDY, from page 4
childhood, i f any?
S.T. I mean, a ton. When I was younger,
and Wilco was not as successful as it is
today, they had to be on the road a lot more.
My dad was definitely on tour for a pretty
good part of my childhood, but not so much
that I feel like I was cheated of having a dad.
He was there for me (all along). And after
he got healthy, which was really publicly
documented in the movie (“I Am Trying to
Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco’’), he
was - and even before that - a great dad.
(Wilco) is part of my identity and growing
up. I was always very proud of my dad being
in Wilco and having a musical heritage with
my mom running Lounge Ax.
It has all been pretty impactful.
S.Z. You have been touted as a drumming
prodigy by your father. Do you feel a strong
sense of connection to the drums?
S.T. I do. Drums are my favorite
instrument, and they always have been. It
became clear to me early on that I was
better at drums than I was at guitar.
I don’t know ... prodigy... that’s a funny
word. Whenever my dad says that, he also
self-consciously says, “But I’m his dad ...”
I’ve been playing drums for a really long
time. Even though nowadays I have started
playing guitar a bit more, (drums) have
always been a constant in my life.
I’m a drummer. That’s just who I am.
News
because I got to go in the room and play
drums along to Pops’ vocals and guitar
alone.
That was surreal - hearing Pops playing
in the headphones and then playing along to
i t It was very emotional, and it felt like he
was in the room with us.
S.Z. You and your father named this first
album “Sukirae” after your mother, Susan
Miller. Sukirae is her nickname. Does her
nickname have an origin?
S.T. When my mom was a little kid, she
was in love with Peter Noone of (British
band) Herman’s Hermits. She read in a teen
magazine that Peter Noone’s sister was
named Suki. So she asked all of her friends
in elementary school to start calling her
Suki. She did this so that she would have
something to talk to Peter Noone about
when they inevitably m et and got married.
At some point, somebody tacked on her
middle name, Rae.
S.Z. Working on the album has been
Particularly meaningful for you both as your
mother was diagnosed with cancer, in early
2014. What effect has this had on you and
your family?
S.T. It has been absolutely terrible to
watch my mom go through all of this and be
so fatigued and in pain from her treatment.
At the same time, we have always been a
close family, but I think going through this
together has been a bonding experience. .
Talking to my dad, I’ve learn ed th at cancer
S.Z. You must write, too?
S.T. I love recording on my own at home.
I’ve been doing it a lot. I have a bunch of
stuff that I haven’t put out yet, but I’m not
really sure when I should do th a t I have a
lot of anxiety about putting out my first
album. I don’t know when the right time
would be, and there is so much baggage that
comes with a release.
S.Z. I can only imagine that that might be
some of the weight o f the Tweedy name - is
carving out your own p a th ...
S.T. That’s true. But I could never call it
a burden because by far it has given me
more opportunity than it has taken away.
Being a Tweedy is an advantage. But for
me - I’m a sensitive person - it has a lot of
emotional complications with it, too.
S.Z. You played drums on Mavis Staples'
album “One True Vine” and on her
collaboration with your dad, Jeff Tweedy, to
finish the recordings o f her father, Pops
Staples, posthumously. What a remarkable
experience!
S.T. It was insane. Mavis is a living
legend, and her dad was a legend. I still
can’t believe that I got to record with them.
Recording the Mavis album was actually the
first time that I had been in the studio for
an actual, full-length session. I had gotten to
hang around Wilco or had done little, one-
song things, but that was the first time that
I had the opportunity to do the full shebang.
It was really fun. I learned a lo t
With the Pops (Staples) album, which we
did not too long ago, that was really special
so rt of m akesor breaks some families.
The stress of dealing with the disease can
be too much for some to handle. For us, it
brought us closer together, which is, I
guess, a silver lining on something really
terrible.
S.Z. How is you mom doing these days?
S.T. Thankfully, she is doing really well,
and things are good right now. So, that’s a
big part of that silver lining.
S.Z. I have a friend who is in the middle of
her treatment right now. She surprises me
with her positive attitude. She says when she
looks around her, all she can see is a sea of
love. I imagine you all have a lot of love
surrounding you too...
S.T. Oh yeah. It’s been overwhelming
sometimes to see the amount of support
that people have poured out to my mom.
It’s really amazing.
S.Z. You have said that you are a “proud
Jew. ” Have you any thoughts about Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent
speech to the U.S. Congress, or Israeli relations
in general?
S.T. I have not taken the time to watch or
(read the transcript of) his speech. I’m a bit
behind on that.
It’s a really problematic thing for
American Jews. Especially progressive ones,
like myself. I live in Chicago. I am a liberal,
and all of my Jewish friends are (also
progressive).
We have a difficult relationship with all of
that because Netanyahu is the conservative.
Page 5
I don’t know, I’m not extremely versed in
politics ... but I don’t identify with him or
his leadership of Israel.
What I will say is as an American Jew, I
feel an immense pressure from my (larger)
community to be an unconditional supporter
of the state of Israel. And that is
problematic because there are undeniable
atrocities that aren’t OK and that we
shouldn’t justify by all of the things that we
believe.
S.Z.
are now playing for sold-out
audiences with the band Tweedy. In fact, you
went on your first world tour just weeks (and
four fu ll rehearsals) after graduating from
high school. Does that faze you at all?
S.T. I was pretty nervous going out to
play our first shows. It was a little bit scary.
It made it easier having a family member in
the band. It made it easier having my dad
with me. It wasn’t like I was just sent off on
a major tour by myself.
I’ve grown a lot since the first shows
we’ve played. I think we did a good job back
then, but we’re even tighter as a band now
after spending all of these months together.
S.Z. You opted to defer your entrance to
Wisconsin’s Lawrence University for a year to
be with your family during your mother’s
treatment. What will your focus of study be
when and i f you do attend college? What
interests you?
S.T. I’m not really sure. I’m thinking
P H O T O BY PIPER FERGUSON
" I l has been absolutely ter
rible to watch my mom go
through a ll of this and be so
fatigued and in pain from
her treatment. At the same
time, we have always been a
close family, bnt I thlnh going
through this entire experience
together has been a bond
ing experience.... For ns, It
s o m e th in g a long th e line'’o f a n E n g lish
b r o u g h t u s c lo s e r to g e th e r ,
major. Part of the beauty of liberal arts is »
that they’re not gonna make me decide right
w hich is, 1 guess, a s ilve r
lin in g on som ething re a lly
off the b a t
I don’t think I will be studying music. I
really appreciate traditional music
education, and it definitely has a ton of
value, but I got a good taste of it when I was
in high school. I think I want to use my
remaining time in formal education to look
at other (disciplines).
Thankfully, I also have some pretty crazy
opportunities to get music education outside
of school.
S.Z. You and your brother are the flesh
legacy of your father and mother. Where do you
see that legacy heading in you?
S.T. Ever since I was a really little kid, I
have wanted to be in a band. And I have
looked up to my dad that way and I’ve
watched Wilco music videos on VHS like
over and over and over again - driving my
baby sitters insane.
As far as my mom goes, by continuing to
be a part of the Chicago music scene, (I can
be a part of her legacy). She is such a big
part of music in this city.
I would feel really lucky to make a career
out of playing music.
It’s a dangerous thing to romanticize the
idea of carrying on a name in that way
because it really should be motivated by
enjoying what you’re doing and enjoying the
process - not necessarily by fulfilling some
mythical idea of carrying on a name or
something like th a t
I definitely want to play music. If it ends
up being perceived as a sort of a
continuation of a legacy, that will be very
flattering.
terrib le."
SPENCER TWEEDY
MfcfSiCiAN