We're finishing it this week, ... It's all recorded and is basically down to doing the vocal overdubs and mixing.

They basically told me I have the right to be more vocal, you have the right to push everybody else when some guys are slacking off some days. They want me to do a better job of getting on them and demanding the best of them, because that's what all the great players do, they demand the best out of their teammates, and make everybody better.

He was mixing well tonight. He has an idea of what he wants to do out there and he does it.

You obviously don't really forget how to play the old songs; you just don't have to spend so much time convincing yourself that you remember them. Way less mental energy is spent swimming around in lyrics you've already written and chords you've already played.

Stop trying to treat music like it's a tennis shoe, something to be branded. If the music industry wants to save money, they should take a look at some of their six-figure executive expense accounts. All those lawsuits can't be cheap, either.

Even the most dismal and hopeless-sounding Wilco music, to my ears, has always maintained a level of hope and consolation.