Mary and Meredith discuss "Quiet Amplifier" from the Wilco album Ode To Joy and the consuming force of creativity. They also do some wild speculating about how each sound on this track was created and reference Tom Waits yet again.
(Theme music fades in: guitar strumming, slide guitar glides in. Music fades out as the co-hosts Mary MacLane Mellas and Meredith Hobbs Coons begin to speak.)
Meredith: All right, we're back... again-
Mary: -Wilcoooo-
Meredith: -for a whole new episode-
Mary: -of Wilco Will Love You.
Meredith: That's right. Wilco Will Love You: a podcast by fans about the music. And? Influence. Of?-
Mary: -Wilco! And today we are talking about "Quiet Amplifier."
Meredith: So at this point - if you're following along at home, kids - we've done track one, "Bright Leaves;" track two, "Before Us;" track three, "One and a Half Stars;" and now, track four, (whispers) "Quiet Amplifier."
Mary: (Whispers) "Quiet" (loudly) Amplifier!"
Meredith: Touché.
Mary: Yeah, so are we gonna... just take a listen real quick?
Meredith: Yeah, I'm gonna... remind you folks that this was my initial standout track, actually.
Mary: Okay, of- of listening to the album.
Meredith: First listen, first pass through all of these songs, "Quiet Amplifier" was... The One.
Mary: Sounds good. We will take a listen.
(Music fades in: It swells. It soars. Drums thud. There's a tapping sound like a pencil. Staccato strumming. Jeff Tweedy sings "I wish your world was mine/ I wish your world was mine." Music fades out.)
Meredith: That one's still very special to me.
Mary: Yeah.
Meredith: Mhmm.
Mary: Tell me why.
Meredith: It could just be the fact that... I mean, maybe I'm forgetting something? I... guess... "You and I" might be an exception, but I'm not... remembering... a Wilco song with as present a harmony. And I'm a big fan of harmonies. "You and I," I guess, would be more present. But I- I mean, it's almost throughout the whole song. And sort of the way that it's approached- I know that they use it more, but it seems like... the style of it, or something. The approach to it. They're kind of quiet? And they're sort of-
Mary: They're just... enough.
Meredith: Yeah. Then the drums provide this- there's an interesting contrast between them? There's kind of the big thudding one, which I still can't decide how they're doing that, as has been the case with like, every song.
Mary: This was another one where the drum part just is like, "what?!" And it kind of almost sounds like something falling. Like-
Meredith: -yeah-
Mary: -in a very, like, rhythmic-
Meredith: There are some possibilities there. Yeah. 'Cause you've got the big thudding one, which... things that have sort of come to my mind have been, is it, like... a snare? Because the snare kind of has that effect where it's- all of those little metal strands underneath it that are kind of all vibrating at once, but not all at the same time exactly? You know what I mean? Like there's a little delay between each one. Is it a snare, like really slowed down? Like in post-ish. I don't know, what are some of your- before I just completely dominate all this speculating-
Mary: -it just being someone kind of like, (imitates drum noise) like kind of falling into the drum or something like... it's really like- but I hadn't thought about- that it could have been slowed down.
Meredith: Kind of made me think of, I've referenced Tom Waits on here before, but he loves weird... sounds in his recordings, and I've read an interview with him once where he said that the most... perfect snare sound is, um, a bunch of wet sticks on a trampoline (laughs).
Mary: That's so gross somehow (laughs).
Meredith:But I kind of think of that, like, heaviness, when I think of this song. That heavy kind of thudding of many things at once- it- or maybe many feet stomping in unison, or with a little bit of delay between each one, you know, because it's not like a uniform- like it's not all hitting at once. You know?
Mary: It's kind of- kind of quiet! Like "quiet amplifier."
Meredith: Yeah, it is
Mary: It's kind of really- it's really interesting.
Meredith: The higher end sound, the tapping, I had thought that it was a drumstick on the edge of a snare, but it actually sounds to me, as we've listened again, more like it could almost be a pencil on paper or something. Or like on a book, almost. I don't know. I don't want to be- I don't want my take to always be that... they're like... using some found object wizardry in their percussion (laughs), but it seems like that's kind of my take on every song so far (laughs). But... I don't know, it doesn't sound like... you would expect. Something about it... sounds a little bit different, like it's sort of coming from... somewhere else.
Mary: Yeah.
Meredith: Not from the traditional avenues. Maybe that's just my expectation listening to Wilco.
Mary: Yeah. Well, it's justified.
Meredith: (Laughs) I even thought, like, maybe it's like a floor tom with the delay pedal... hooked up somehow?
Mary: Oh!
Meredith: I don't know either. It would have to be like, miked through an amplifier, maybe?
Mary: Yeah, maybe.
Meredith: I don't know. I'm only just beginning to... develop an interest in pedals, and so... I guess maybe I'm just naive about it? And I just think that pedals can do anything, which they kind of can. But-
Mary: -yeah-
Meredith: I also don't... have, um, that much practical experience with them to know the full scope or how that would even work. You can kind of imagine, like, the percussion with some kind of a delay-
Mary: -yeah-
Meredith: -as kind of creating that effect where... it's not all hitting at once.
Mary: But I also totally believe that Glenn could just play that.
Meredith: Right. Yeah, he could figure out a way to... do it live.
Mary: Alright, so we're gonna talk about the lyrics.
Meredith: Well, you had a thought about the... drums?
Mary: Yeah, the drums just really... reminded me of, like, the passage of time, like a clock or a metronome.
Meredith: And that actually ties really well into... something I thought of with the lyrics.
Mary: And I'm not thinking of the part of the drums that we were just talking about the kind of (mimics the thudding drum sound).
Meredith: Yeah, the ticking. The thing that I think is a pencil on a book or something because I'm super twee like that, I guess.
Mary: Yeah (laughs).
Meredith: But in Jeff Tweedy's book (reads title) Let's Go (So We Can Get Back): A Memoir of Recording, and Discording, with Wilco, etc., he talks about how his dad worked for the railroad.
Mary: Yeah.
Meredith: And... he mentions... trains here, "Home ain't no trains gonna come." And he's saying, "I wish your world was mine," all through this song.
Mary: Mhmm.
Meredith: And it really... kind of seems like... the overall vibe that I get from this song is like he's trying to understand his dad who's never had any creative aspirations in any way that he was aware of, and what it would be like to not want that so much, to not be... seeking the next... thing that you want to make, because it can be kind of a consuming feeling. And I think about that all the time, as I'm trying to just like, hold down my- my job. And I look around me, and I feel like a lot of people are just perfectly satisfied in their roles. But then I feel like, as a creative, you kind of never are. Because you feel like you always want to be making the next thing. And you just have these ideas that live in your head that need to come out, and it's almost like wondering what's different about the way he's built from how his dad's built.
Mary: That's really interesting that you bring that up 'cause then I know the other song that's definitely about his dad is "One Sunday Morning."
Meredith: I love that song.
Mary: That song is really good. And it is about a lot of the kind of... differences that they had, but kind of coming to peace with them.
Meredith: Mhmm.
Mary: Yeah, that's really interesting.
Meredith: I feel like that might be part of-
Mary: -I'm sure it is-
Meredith: -the key to the song.
Mary: It really feels like it would be, because I was having a hard time deciphering it until you brought that up.
Meredith: Yeah, speaking of deciphering things, what do you think "I have a quiet amplifier" means?
Mary: It's like an oxymoron. That doesn't seem like the proper word for it, because it's really... a poetic tool. I think. It's like you have something that doesn't do exactly what it's supposed to do. Like a quiet- like an amplifier's supposed to make... something louder. I've had a quiet amplifier before - I literally have a bass amp that, like, doesn't put out enough sound sometimes - and it's really frustrating, and it's not what it's for. It's like it's supposed to be loud. So "silence sings more true" is the next line. "Every guitar is denied."
Meredith: Yeah. I like it, and I think that... it might even be that that verse is talking about him...self? ish?
Mary: Mhmm.
Meredith: Like you try to make a sound? And sometimes it's just not happenin'?
Mary: Or it's better to not make any sound?
Meredith: Uh huh. Every guitar is denied, can't be played through the amplifier, maybe? It's just shutting it down. Or maybe he couldn't- maybe it was that he... couldn't get through? To his dad or someone that he loves? The amplifier's not loud enough to... relay the signal? (Laughs).
Mary: Yeah.
Meredith: And I mean that can be an internal struggle or an external one with somebody else.
Mary: Mhmm.
Meredith: But yeah the- a few- or the next verse, I guess- that "I wouldn't mind feeling fine." That, I think, is what made me feel pretty solid in my interpretation of- it's this weird burden-
Mary: -yeah-
Meredith: -in a way to have this unceasing desire to create.
Mary: Yeah.
Meredith:Like what would it be like to just feel fine and... okay, just kind of cruising along watching your favorite shows (laughs).
Mary: Yeah. Yeah yeah. Exactly.
Meredith: In his dad's case, having one song per year that he likes.
Mary: Yeah (laughs).
Meredith: (Laughs) I like that detail [from the book]. But just kind of, I guess, not making... a fuss? Not speaking your mind that much? And just kind of coasting? That's kind of what the song is about - like, what if that were my reality? Just keep your head down and do your work and just, you know, enjoy what you can and move on with it.
Mary: Like maybe the simpler life is better.
Meredith: Yeah, but he also wouldn't... know.
Mary: Mhmm.
Meredith: So he can wish. He can say "if only," but he doesn't know.
Mary: Yeah, the "if only."
Meredith: Mhmm. It's not the world he inhabits.
Mary: Yep.
Meredith: Nor us (laughs).
Mary: Mhmm. "Quiet Amplifier."
Meredith: Yep.
Mary: That one kind of stumped me.
Meredith: Do you still feel stumped?
Mary: In my own mind, I'm gonna have a conversation about this song.
Meredith: Well good.
Mary: I'm glad you were the expert on this one.
Meredith: Ugh. I don't know about that. I just have... a lot of feelings about it.
Mary: There you go.
Meredith: It reaches me somehow.
Mary: You had connections to it that I didn't have. That's perfect.
Meredith: Yeah. It's something I think about a lot so, I mean, maybe I'm... sort of... putting that meaning into the song for myself, because that's something that I'm thinking about a lot? Which is totally valid. I mean, you can hear a song differently from how the writer intends... and that's fine, but seems like it's in there, too.
Mary: All right.
Meredith: All right. Next will be - oooh! - Next is "Everyone Hides!"
Mary: "Everyone Hides!" Oh, that song is so fun.
Meredith: It's so fun.
Mary: That song is just legit, just fun.
Meredith: It's a good time track.
Mary: Is it the first, like, danceable Wilco song? That's what I want to know.
Meredith: I would say no, there are definitely Wilco songs I've danced to prior. I would say it's good to dance to. You're not wrong about that.
Mary: It is.
Meredith: It's probably the most danceable song... on "Ode to Joy."
Mary: Yeah. And, like, I don't come to Wilco for danceable songs. But it's- I have to admit, every time it comes on, it just makes me happy. Which is kind of ironic, because I feel like the, uh, content of the actual song is kind of... challenging.
Meredith: We'll dive into that next time.
Mary: We'll dive into that next time.
Meredith: A mystery for another day.
Mary: Don't be deceived by the catchy, upbeat attitude.
Meredith: Exactly.
Mary: Yeah. So go ahead and follow us on your preferred podcasting service... uh, buffet, or whatever you call it? I don't know-
Meredith: -smorgasbord (laughs)-
Mary: -smorgasbord of apps. And follow us. If you want some extra content and want to find out about new episodes, you can follow us on Instagram at @wwlypodcast. And you can also email us at wwlypodcast@gmail.com if you have questions or comments. Civil comments. Nice comments
Meredith: Mhmm. We'll tell Wilco on you if you're mean.
Mary: Yes, we'll tell Wilco that you were mean to us.
Meredith: Yeah (laughs) we talk all the time.
Mary: Yep.
Meredith: I think it'd be frowned upon.
Mary: They're nice guys, I feel like. I mean, I've actually met a couple of them and they are nice, but-
Meredith: -well, there you go-
Mary: -I just have the impression that they're people who genuinely love their fans and-
Meredith: I think they'd frown upon it if there was a fan podcast... dedicated to them, and people were jerks. So just think about that.
Mary: Don't be jerks.
Meredith: Think about that before your little fingers get all antsy-
Mary: (Laughs).
Meredith: -and you get all mad that we're women-
Mary: -talking about your music-
Meredith: (Laughs) because Wilco Will Love You. Remember that.
Mary: Wilco Will Love You. Wilco Will Love You.
Meredith: Just remember that.
Mary: Remember it always.
Meredith: Mhmm.
Mary: All right.
Meredith: Until next time.
Mary: Until next time. Bye!
Meredith: Buh-bye!
(Outro: Wilco Will Love You is co-hosted by Mary MacLane and me, Meredith Coons. It is edited by Greta Stromquist and recorded at Portola Studios. Theme music by Adam Nash. You can rate and review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe at Apple Podcasts, or wherever you prefer to listen, so that you don't miss an episode.)