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These are, apparently, fun times for Wilco's singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy.
The band just got over a one-month holiday, which, he says, was "fun."
Tweedy further describes touring with The Tragically Hip (including Monday's Another Roadside Attraction stop at the Rideau Carleton Raceway) as "fun." Writing new songs, playing to Canadian audiences, the reaction to their critically acclaimed double-disc Being There ... it all earns Tweedy's designation as "fun."
"That's all you really need to know," Tweedy chuckles.
"You don't even need to talk to me. I'm going to answer every question: `It was fun.' "
His voluable mood may be partially due to the massive doses of caffeine he admits to having ingested before the interview. Or the fact that a weak Canadian dollar sparked a Vancouver shopping spree that saw Wilco snatching up an arsenal of vintage guitars, a Hammond B-3 organ rig and a closet full of cool vintage clothes.
"We filled up every bay on our bus," he says.
Or maybe Tweedy is in a good mood knowing Wilco has stockpiled over 100 songs for their next album. The new tunes are being recorded at various stops along the road this summer.
The resulting album has a tough act to follow. Last year's Being There is a sprawling record that careens between rough-house rockers, rootsy country laments and heartfelt soliloquies. The thread running through songs like the morose Sunken Treasure and the horn-fuelled new single, Monday, is a multi-dimensional portrait of life in a rock group.
Being There also won Wilco (who performed a chaotic show at The Cave in February) admiration from a diverse array of their peers, including Hootie And The Blowfish (who toured with Wilco in Europe) and Johnny Cash.
"It is a tough record to follow up. Not in the sense that we don't know what to do. We're convinced we can make a better record. We listen to Being There and go, `Ahh, it's all right,' " he says.
"We imagined the reaction would be, some people would dig it for what it is, which, to us, is kind of a loose concept record about people that make music and being a person that makes music. Stylistically it is not concerning itself with a focus, but it reflects what we were doing."
Then he laughingly rhymes off a rogues gallery of his heroes: "I just wish Iggy Pop liked us. He probably does. I'm just going to tell myself he does, and so does Captain Beefheart. And Van Morrison is probably a huge fan. I'm almost certain Brian Wilson listens to us."
If anything, he was surprised by the clamorous reception Wilco earned.
"We thought people would take it as a really pompous gesture and really cram that home with hatred in the press. I haven't seen it that much. I was kind of disappointed, actually," he says.
"I'm sure the next time we'll be able to pick some sort of fight."