Did you ever not want to play music because "that's what Dad does"?
I think because my dad made such a point to include Sammy and me in Wilco touring, recording, and everything he does, it didn't feel like a separate thing that he had "conquered" already; it felt like something that he does, and that we're lucky to get to do too. I get anxious about making music that's original or interesting enough, but that has more to do with creative exploration than getting away from my dad's records. A certain amount of overlap is inevitable, and it actually makes me happy when it crops up.
What made you gravitate towards playing drums when you were young?
I was too young to remember if I gravitated to drums by myself. My mom [Sue Miller] used to run a bar in Chicago called Lounge Ax and she had a drum set in the basement – it's the same kit that I have at home now. I've used it since Lounge Ax closed in 2000 – a 1960s blue Rogers kit – and my parents (or members of bands playing at the bar) would sit me down on the kit for fun. I started playing a little more devotedly when I was six or seven. I would wake up at seven a.m. (not out of discipline, but just because that's normal for little kids) and play for hours in the basement. I don't feel like I've ever worked as hard as that since then, for better or worse.
You mentioned to me that you've never owned a drum kit, since Jeff has lots of instruments. Do you feel spoiled for choice of all the classic drums you have access to?
I feel completely spoiled by the instruments that my dad has at The Loft. I'm lucky he likes drums! But I will say, even though we have a bunch of incredible kits there, it really doesn't take much to make a kit that sounds great for recording. Most of the time I use those nice kits in combination with off-brand or no-brand vintage drums. [Studio manager] Mark Greenberg finds a lot of cheap vintage kits at thrift stores and online. If you like playing a little softer, and don't mind fragile shells, those can be just as good as a pristine brand name kit. So, the crazy drums at The Loft are more of a bonus than a necessity.
