Love Like a Wire (Diane Izzo cover)

This song was requested last week. Didn’t get it recorded with the whole Tweedy band, like I intended/sorta promised, but hopefully this version will scratch whatever itch Jill was hoping I could get at.

Photo courtesy of Jim Newberry

Here’s some info about Diane Izzo from our pal Mark. I only knew her a little bit but I love this song so much I feel like I knew her better. Crazy how songs do that. We play this song as often as we can in the Tweedy band. Diane died before more people could hear her sing it. It feels important to us to keep her song alive.

OxO, Jeffy

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Diane Izzo was a strange and unique artist. Her songs had equal parts sadness and celebration. They were equally direct and abstract. Her lyrics were smart and simple and plain and meaningful. Natural. Her voice was rough and husky with a rusty twang. Sadly, before more people could hear her, she died of brain cancer with only one full-length record release available (One, originally released in 1999, then again by Sugar Free Records in 2006). Though the production on that record sometimes bent toward exciting flavors of the day like PJ Harvey or Liz Phair, I think Diane's power was found in her more intimate settings, where her hushed, dry voice could deliver everything without all the bells and whistles getting in the way.

She was loved and admired by many well-known bands and artists of that time and place (Mekons’ Jon Langford, Fruit Bats, Califone, Souled American) who would often play or record as part of her band or have her front their band for a recording.

Though most of her musically active years were spent in Chicago, Diane died in New Mexico in 2008, followed by her husband Marco’s death only a few years later. They were working on a music/film project called "Black & Gold" with photographer/filmmaker Jim Newberry at the time. Diane made many other recordings that have yet to be heard by people outside of her friend group, but hopefully they will be available to all one day. There is also a tribute record in the process of being made by other Chicago bands and Diane's many friends that remains unfinished and unreleased, but again, hopefully not for long.

Diane's story is too short and her body of work too small. Life isn’t fair.