Jason Isbell on Songwriting While Sober

The New Yorker Radio Hour

WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

News, David, Books, Arts, Storytelling, Wnyc, New, Remnick, News Commentary, Yorker, Politics

4.2 • 5.5K Ratings

🗓️ 26 July 2022

⏱️ 36 minutes

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Summary

Jason Isbell got into the music business early; he had a publishing deal when he was twenty-one. But he really came into his own as a songwriter around ten years ago, as he was getting sober from years of alcohol and drug use. His record “Southeastern,” which comes in the tradition of musicians like Guy Clark, swept the Americana Music Awards in 2014. Isbell spoke with John Seabrook at The New Yorker Festival in 2016, shortly after his record “Something More than Free” was released, and he played a live set of songs including “Different Days,” “How to Forget,” and “Speed Trap Town.”

This segment first aired December 30, 2016.

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, a co-production of WNYC Studios and The New Yorker.
0:14.8	This is The New Yorker Radio Hour, I'm David Radnick.
0:29.0	Jason Isbill got into the music business pretty early, so early that he had a music publishing
0:34.5	deal by the time he was 21.
0:37.0	At the same time he joined the band Drive By Truckers, but he really came into his own
0:41.6	as a songwriter around 10 years ago as he was getting sober from years of alcohol and drugs.
0:48.2	The record was called Southeastern and it swept the Americana Music Awards in 2014.
0:54.2	Both songs have got it all, great lyrics, great melodies, great stories, and more acclaimed
0:59.2	records have followed.
1:16.6	This Bell's most recent is called Georgia Blue.
1:19.5	It's a show by Joe Biden won the state in 2020, he'd make an album for charity of cover
1:25.2	songs by Georgia artists.
1:28.2	One of his Bell's great admirers is The New Yorker's John Seabrook and John sat down with Jason
1:32.9	Isbill at The New Yorker Festival in 2016 when the record something more than free had just
1:38.7	come out and a little later in the program will also hear some of Jason Isbill's music.
1:47.0	Thank you.
1:50.0	All right.
1:51.0	How you doing?
1:53.0	I'm doing well, thank you.
1:54.8	You got your baby back in the hotel.
1:56.9	The baby is in the hotel, she's not alone.
1:59.6	That's good.
	...

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