How Wilco's Jeff Tweedy became a great American songwriter

When Wilco emerged from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo some 17 years ago with the sturdy, catchy roots-rock of "A.M." and "Being There," it would have taken a special imagination to see that Jeff Tweedy would become one of the most daring songwriters of his generation -- and that Wilco would become a vital, adventurous band breaking new stylistic ground with each ambitious and creatively restless album.
But Tweedy's devotion to his craft was such that after four Uncle Tupelo albums and two Wilco discs -- despite crippling migraines and an addiction to pain pills -- he had a mid-career blossoming unlike any other in American popular music. Go ahead, try and name another songwriter who started getting better with his seventh album.
Wilco's latest, "The Whole Love," is out today. It's the band's eighth proper album, and the first to be self-released on Wilco's new dBpm label. And while Tweedy took exception to this characterization in our discussion last week, it's the band's most challenging and thrilling effort since "A Ghost Is Born," an arty and accessible album at once familiar yet full of new ground and fascinating left turns.
Interview