Jeff Tweedy is often described as a reticent interview subject, but I found him to be relaxed and easygoing when we spoke in 1997.

At the time, Tweedy and his band Wilco were touring behind their second record, “Being There,” and he was learning to balance the responsibilities of career and fatherhood. 

Our talk is largely about music and musical influences, and about Wilco getting away from the “alt-country” label. The funniest part of the conversation is near the end, where Tweedy tells stories about weird interactions with fans.

As fans know, Tweedy wrote a memoir, “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back),” that came out in 2018, and Wilco’s 11th album, “Ode to Joy,” is scheduled for release on October 4.

More about Wilco is at wilcoworld.net.