Tim Heideckerdoesnt love traveling, but he loves touring.
I dont really like vacations, says the 48-year-old comedian-musician-actor-writer-producer, whose multi-hyphenates alone could attest to that fact.
Its like, all right, what do I do?
Tim HeideckerSacha Lecca for Rolling Stone
What museum am I looking at now?
The work I do is so fun that I dont have to kill time looking at statues in town.
I like the work, I like hanging out with people, I like the camaraderie.
I dont need to go to any museums anymore.
Theyre slotted in between sets from budding Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Fenne Lilly and certified indie favoriteSnail Mail.
After tonights gig, theyll hit the road, opening up a string of shows forWaxahatchee.
(Heideckers chief musical collaborator and bassist, Eliana Athayde, also plays bass with Waxahatchee.)
I should hope so!
Heidecker cracks of the impact hes had on this new generation of indie rockers.
Im waiting for a flood of those kind of quotes.
I think that would be cool.
Slipping Awayis also Heideckers first album with the Very Good Band.
Their presence in the studio made for a more fruitful and collaborative process, Heidecker says.
And also just as important the hang was more natural and fun.
It was a practice guitar that I picked up backstage and started playing.
She said, Theres a lot of songs in that guitar, which is a very poetic thing.
Im uncomfortable doing it.
But I still do it.
The biggest example is ending it with this thing from my daughter.
I was like, Do I really want to go that deep into this serious, emotional thing?
They were like, Its pretty, its cool, we get it.
Your past albums have gone into that mode, but the back half ofSlipping Awayis very bleak and heavy.
Did it feel like you were taking it a step further?Definitely.
Thats been the progression its been out there and it shouldnt be shocking if youre into it.
But there are people that dont want that.
So I wanted to explore writing in that mode.
Theres a couple Leonard Cohen songs that I connected with.
I was watchingThe Last of Us.
Im watchingThe Leftoversright now; its so fucking good.
Its always been a very real possibility in the modern age.
And I guess traveling around and seeing certain places post-pandemic, where things hadnt come back to normal yet.
Things were not going well.
I had some other songs that felt like they could be a setup.
But theres something worse coming, something changing.
Its like the end of summer when youre going back to school.
I just hadnt thought about how thats a real feeling.
I guess theres a name for it; the Germans probably have a better name for it.
But this nostalgia, this melancholy.
You know that scene inThe Sopranoswhen Tony is in the coma and theres always that light?
I was thinking about that scene and the idea of this dream-feeling of something bads coming.
Whats its like having fans connect and form relationships with your music?
We can still have fun.
I still want to laugh.
But its OK to cry or be moved or talk about real stuff.
And I think its important, especially for men, to have that allowance.
The album opens with Wells Running Dry, a song about not not being able to write a song.
Theres a perception of me as very prolific, which isnt always a good thing.
I just make a lot of stuff.
I always go to this Paul McCartney quote, Work begets inspiration.
Just start making something.
Something goods gonna come out of that.
That songs also a tribute to the band.
I need people around.
I need an audience.
The solo part of this is the least fun part.
Its such rare air at the top.
So you better like playing baseball, whether youre making a living at it or not.
I know where Im at and Im grateful for what I have.
But of course, theres moments where youre like, Why dont I have that status in the world?
But I think we all go through that cycle of thought.
Satisfaction can be hard to accept, and you dont want to confuse it with complacency.Right.
Expectations are really important to keep in check.
Theres a few Im working on.
Do you feel like songwriting has been an exercise in allowing yourself to be more sincere?
Theres certainly funny songs I can play, and I can break the ice with that stuff.
Just remind people that I still love doing that.
Eric and I want to make another Pusswhip Banggang record, which we did years ago.
I want to go wherever I feel inspired at the moment.
I always have a go at think about, how can I subvert expectations?
And right now its been going into the serious realm.
But I dont want people expecting me to write serious music for the rest of my life, either.
