Cold Coffee
Jeff Tweedy just came through town, and I've been a fan since forever. I was here in the early 90s, went to all the Uncle Tupelo shows, went to all the early Wilco shows.
Then, you know, after about 15 years, fatigue set in. And I would argue that it set in for him too. Fell off a bit. Truthfully his fans drive me crazy too. Very possessive. Oddly even.
But with him coming out with a triple album recently, I was like, “Oh, brother,” and was really shocked to find out that it was great. He seems to have a really renewed energy.
Anyhoo. We went to the show here this week, and it was really amazing. He was with his kids and his kids’ friends. As a recent empty nester, brother, do I understand that. Deeply do I understand that.
So having enjoyed that and having really enjoyed his How to Write One Song book, I looked it up and it was on sale in the audiobook store.
So I’ve been listening to that and obviously enjoying it. I came at it with a “I’ve been writing a bunch, I need some validation, Jeff and I are going to hug and have an internal monologue about all the songs we’re writing and maybe pat each other on the back” kind of mindset.
Well, his work ethic is amazing. Makes me feel lazy, like a complete sack. That has been a really big revelation for me this week. I thought I was disciplined, but he’s off the charts.
And, you know, cynically you could say, “Well, he’s a professional, blah blah blah,” but you have the time. When I talk to people about songwriting, it’s like, “How much TV are you watching?” And that stops it cold. It’s like being thin in your 50s. People ask, “How do you stay so thin?” and I say, “I don’t drink,” and the conversation ends. They’re gone.
So this morning, my magic hour is reliably 6 to 7 a.m. I know I can come down to my office and get something done. And if I really want to, I can finish it almost every time. So that’s what I did this morning. By 6:58, I had this really weird song called Cold Coffee. And that’s that.
I came up with the idea not to rhyme anything. It sounds like a combination of The Police and Boys Don’t Cry, so maybe don’t start it off with a Sting-style patois “day-o.” so this is just the point out that I wasn’t rushed at all. Went through my whole process and everything .
I’m sure I’ll polish up the lyrics, but I got a full iPhone demo, which is a tip I picked up from the book — just worry about the iPhone demo first and finish writing.
And I’ll be damned if I didn’t do all of this and less than an hour this morning.
As always, thanks, Jeff, even if I’m outing myself is just another post middle-age male, Wilco-Tweedy Fan.