The Listen

Jeff Tweedy, lead singer of Wilco, opened up about the personal side of his life in the New York Times on Wednesday. He actually wrote the article and discussed his life-long migraine affliction and where that has led him along his journey over the years. It’s a very real look at what he lives with daily and touches upon anxiety and panic attacks he has suffered and his addiction to pain killers that ultimately landed him in rehab. Clearly he has really analyzed the many facets of his migraines and how he dealt with them both positively and negatively. I found it to be a real window into Jeff Tweedy’s life and as a fellow migraine sufferer, it was somehow comforting to me to hear someone articulate the feelings I go through on a regular basis when these debilitating headaches come on. It’s also not too shabby that it’s Jeff Tweedy that I’m relating to either.

Here’s an excerpt:

“There are a lot of different ways migraines have affected my music, and vice versa: being a musician has allowed me — for lack of a better phrase — to rise above the pain from time to time. I’ve never missed a show because of a migraine. But I’ve played some really horrible shows and cut them short because there was very little I could do to keep going. I’ve played shows where I had bucket on the side of the stage where I threw up in between songs regularly. There’ve been a lot of horrible experiences trying to, well, you know, have the show go on.

On a creative level being able to play music and disappear into something as meditative as music can be has been a real blessing in my life.”