Guest McCoy: A Summer Adventure

Beloved friend of the Starship Scott McCaughey recounts a Northwest jaunt with Jeff

The author and Jeff. Credit: Ashwin Deepankar

Scott McCaughey here, Substack Starship Substitute in the cockpit. Jeff mentioned he was stretched out a bit while on tour in Europe, so I volunteered to chime in, like the Berkeley campus campanile. I figured my recent surfacing on the tail end of Jeff’s solo run might be of interest to some of you Casualites.

I’m writing from a dressing room at The Broadberry in Richmond, VA. The Baseball Project is blazing away through the fetid and sweaty south, heading up the Eastern Seaboard, before we cut back to Pittsburgh, Chicago, Memphis, etc. Come see us!

Many months back Jeff floated the idea of me jumping on the tour bus (it’s been done before) to ride with him up to the wilds of Vernon, BC, where I could open that show, thus earning my keep. The logistics weren’t quite that easy, but danged if I was going to miss out on quality time with Jeff and the gang. I took a flight from PDX to SeaTac and proceeded with Young Fresh Fellow Jim Sangster, wife Gretchen, Minus 5er John Ramberg, and wife Kelli out to Carnation, WA, where Sir Tweedy was headlining the Timber! Festival. We were all immediately feted on the bus with Topo Chico and raucous banter. When we left Jeff to his pre-show preparation, he seemed actually a little sad—a lovely host. The show was great, regardless of opinion of performer. He delivered!

Having said goodbye to the Seattle-ites, we headed into a long overnight drive, complete with uneventful border crossing. I can’t remember all that was discussed, but there was women’s World Cup soccer, pizza (no doubt), and a very exciting and rollicking drive through the mountains. At some point we were all pretty sure that there was a Duel situation going on, with our bus in the Dennis-Weaver-Plymouth-Valiant position. But come morning we were safe and sound in Vernon, with the venue conveniently located right next to the Curling Club.

Credit: Scott McCaughey

I spent the day mostly in the venue, wrestling with my set list, strumming a beautiful Gibson Dove from the Tweedy arsenal, shuffling lyric sheets, and banging on a piano in the dressing room. I get incredibly nervous when I do solo shows—more so now that I rarely put myself in that position. Sitting in the empty theater, watching Jeff effortlessly sound-check songs from the brilliant new Wilco album Cousin, either put me at ease or made me feel like the luckiest charlatan in the world. Both, I guess.

Credit: Scott McCaughey

(Note: Jeff and I have a tradition, going all the way back to Being There, of listening to his/Wilco’s albums as they are coming together, rough-sequenced, or soon-to-be-mastered. It’s not like the release hinges on my participation or a “two thumbs way up,” but it feels good and right to both of us. I’ve never been disappointed, so I don’t feel I’m being put in an awkward position—just feel privileged. And I love the sound and different approach to Cousin—shaking it up with Cate Le Bon is a brilliant move for a band that won’t repeat itself.)

My set went pretty well.  We brought an electronic piano from the dressing room to the stage—it had a string sound I used on “Out of My Mind,” and I played “In the Ground” on piano for the first time ever in my life. I talked up my Neil Young fixation (hey, it’s Canada!), and the latest Minus 5 platter. Jeff took some wild photos of me on the side-stage monitor. One of them will be used for my upcoming Neil (Vol. 2) which should pop up in November.

I should mention that my knee was messed up, so I was Limpin’ Grandpa Amos McCoy. Jeff outdid me—he stood up his whole set despite suffering severe hip pain. And it was a wonderful set in a comfortable seated venue, relaxed, with only a little bit of weird crowd participation, which seems to be standard at all Tweedy events. He handles it. And it’s fun, too (well, most of the time).

Another night of winding through the Rockies and arrival in Calgary. I figured the easiest way home was to fly from there, with the bonus that I get to see another show and enjoy the bus life. Jeff shared a copy of his new book, complete with scrawled corrections. You all are obvious fans of his writing, and so am I. This book seemed to be a joy to write, extolling songs and records that changed his life. We can all relate to that!

The Calgary Folk Fest is family-friendly. I plopped myself on the grass and watched Kacy & Clayton—they were fantastic! I was wearing one of their T-shirts, because I’m a dork. I still remember the first minute I heard their record that Jeff was producing at the Loft—something immediately magical about the blend of Canadian country with Fairport Convention. Not only that but their droll humor really hits the spot with me. Kacy came by to hang in the bus after Jeff’s set.

Kacy and Clayton at the Calgary Folk Festival. Credit: Scott McCaughey

Jeff’s show at the festival wasn’t his favorite. Before his set the effervescent Sierra Ferrell and band were tearing it up, and the crowd was eating out of their hands. Jeff looked at me and said, simply: “I’m doomed.” Of course he wasn’t, and the blissed-out attendees loved him. As is often the case in outdoor shows, the sound equipment can be strange and temperamental. But our hero made the best of it and everyone went away happy.

Tearful goodbyes between The Two Walter Brennans (Jeff’s and my new band name) and the bus went off on the long road to Chicago. I slept a couple hours in The Tweedy Suite at the nice hotel before catching my 6 a.m. flight. Remembering Jeff’s comment on cold brew coffee (“It seems like they’re coming up with new ways to make coffee taste even worse…”), I bought a big nitro serving. Thanks, Jeff, for being the best husband a guy could have!

This Week In Wilco, Etc.

1990 / August 15: Uncle Tupelo plays Off Broadway in St. Louis, MO, where Brian Henneman and Chicken Truck reunite. The evening is broadcast on KDHX.

2008 / August 16: Wilco is one of the headliners of the Jackson Hole Music Festival in Jackson Hole, WY, along with The Black Crowes, Son Volt, Avett Brothers, Medeski Martin & Wood, Back Door Slam, and Kaki King, among others. During their 20-song set, Wilco dedicates “California Stars” to Brian Wilson.

2022 / August 19: On Starship Casual and in advance of the Philco show (Nels and Jeff guesting with Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead), Jeff shares a “woodshedding” cover of the Dead’s “Dire Wolf.”