Philadelphia’s Kurt Vile stops by The Current studios to play songs from his new record, and catches up with Mac Wilson about working with John Prine, recording albums at home, and covering a Springsteen deep cut.

Interview Transcription

Edited for clarity and length.

Mac Wilson: Hey there. I'm Mac Wilson with The Current, and I am sitting here chatting with Kurt Vile who is in town to play at First Ave. Hi, Kurt.

Kurt Vile: Hi!

It is good to see you back in. So the first song that you played is Mount Airy Hill. So the question, you're gonna think that this is silly is Mount Airy Hill, I know it's a neighborhood. But is there a literal hill, like you talked about in the song?

Well, I think when I wrote it, it was like a simple idea. It is hilly, but there's not, I don't know if there's an actual Mount Airy Hill, but it's like, I think in the back of my head, I was thinking of that Peter Gabriel song is like, kind of like an epic. What is it? Salisbury Hill? I don't know, but it's such a good song. But I live in Mount Airy. And it's, it's basically this oasis. I mean, it's nostalgic to me, because I live there. But it is beautiful. And there's forests, and just trees and mountains and hills everywhere and not like, you just wouldn't even think it's there. You know, it's beautiful, like the Wissahickon is there and all these things, it's, but it's still in the city.

So if somebody is going to Mount Airy Hill in the in the Philadelphia area, where would you recommend they go to eat? What, off the top of your head, where is the one place they should go?

That's sort of the beauty of Mount Airy, for now, at least, as there's not really many choices, you know, in fact, I'm spacing on a great restaurant to go sit in, per se. But I will always just get tiffin Indian food and I go to High Point coffee shop and I go to Weaver's Way, which is a grocery store. There's like only so many things to do. So maybe that's why I love it.

So you're the first in-studio session that I have hosted in person in this building since February of 2020. And the last band that I interviewed was Destroyer. So Dan Bejar.

Oh, yeah.

And the album that he was touring behind at the time, it was, one of the the gimmicks behind it was that he recorded all the vocals in his house, like, sitting in his kitchen table at night after his family had gone to bed. And I said something like, "Well, by the looks of things with the news and the pandemic, we're all going to be headed in that direction soon." And that kind of wound up being what you did with this record. So can you walk us through a little bit about the, you know, setting up a studio in your own house? Yeah,

Yeah, well, the beauty was that I was planning to do that anyway. And also, that's where I come from, and my early albums are recorded at home. And it's not that hard. It's very easy to record in your house these days, you know; you can put in a little money or a lot, you know, depending. And you know, in the early days, I used a little Roland digital eight track, but I knew I was ready to check out anyway, you know, I was ready. My buddy Adam, who happens to be in the band now, he moved to Philly from Boston, you know, a couple years ago, and we started pre pandemic, building my studio up and I, I knew I was going to make a record for Verve, you know, and just do at least have the capabilities to work at home, you know, in higher fidelity. And that's what I did. But I talked to my producer Rob Schnapf a lot throughout it. And then it became apparent. Like we did one session with Rob Schnapf before the pandemic hit, and we got that song "Cool Water," which is a great song and the Springsteen cover, "Wages of Sin." So, and then when the pandemic hit, I knew for sure, I was like, "Well, I like hanging out with Rob Schnapf and talking"; we would talk over the phone. So I was like between my house. You know, it simplified things. I was like, "Well, I'm either gonna go to L.A. and work with Rob, not with a million producers, or work at home," you know, and so that's what happened.

So that Bruce Springsteen song that's, even if somebody is fairly devoted to Springsteen, that might be a relative deep cut for that one, What record is "Wages of Sin" on?

"Wages of Sin" is not on a record, but it's on a compilation that came out, like an early 90s.

Is it on "Tracks"?

It is on "Tracks."

Okay, got it.

And it was an outtake from "Born in the USA." It's such a great song, you understand why he left it off? Since "Born, the USA" was like, the original blockbuster box office type of album, you know, when the record companies decided, "Oh, well, we're gonna put even more money into this and make it huger than it already would be anyway" or, you know, something like. So one of the million Springsteen books I've read goes or whatever. But yeah, it's a beautiful deep cut. I've had a good handful of cover songs in my, you know, that I've recorded, they have to speak to me that I have to be able to deliver them sort of verbatim, but then give my own twist. I'm good at kind of doing both. I'm good at impressions, but then somehow it becomes mine at the same time.

One of the big releases that I want to see someday as the box set for "Born in the USA," like if he released everything that he recorded during that period.

Well, you know, he will. I mean, what did he do last? He did The River. It's coming around the pipe, my friend!

That's one of the things that I'm just kind of holding out for, that "Born in the USA" box set.

Yeah.

Kurt, let's play one more song. You're gonna play "Like Exploding Stones"?

Yep, this is the latest single, or maybe it's still the first single. It's still going strong, I'm told. Thanks for playing it, and here's an acoustic version for you.

Mac Wilson in The Current studio with Kurt Vile, and that was "Like Exploding Stones" from the new record, "Watch My Moves." So this week that we're recording this now, it was Bob Dylan's birthday.

How old is he now?

81.

Wow, that's beautiful. I played when he turned 75. I played the Ryman for like a celebration. He wasn't there. But you know that one, I forget the name of the group that do like, they did like, they made an HBO special for George Harrison's birthday. Uh, Dhani Harrison was at this thing what I did for Dylan 75th birthday and everything like that. But yeah, so it's trippy. It's also when I recorded my first John Prine cover, "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness." Anyway, I'm just I'm getting nostalgic for what year was that? 2015? I have no idea anymore. But yeah, Dylan, happy birthday. I got to say to Geoff Gans who does all of Dylan's art since "Time Out of mind, he did the artwork to my album, it was was a cool collaboration. But yeah, Dylan. He's my man.

Kurt, in the light of John Prine's passing two years ago, given that you worked with him, is it a tricky subject to talk about? Working with John?

No.

Okay.

No.

I just, honestly, I don't want to intrude.

No, no.

If it is it basically, if it's too emotional of a thing, but I'm curious. I don't know if we've had the chance to chat about how that collaboration came to be.

Yeah, I mean, okay, so literally on Dylan 75th birthday, I went to Nashville to play this two nights at the Ryman. It was the first time I ever played the Ryman; and a lot of people played Dylan songs. And then I was a huge Prine fan then; I had been since my early 20s, mid 20s. I was 35 when I got to Nashville to do this. Or 36, doesn't matter. And I went to work with David Ferguson who I know through Matt Sweeney and Ferg is tight with John Prine. They share a studio together called the Butcher Shop. It's since closed, but I knew I wanted to record with Ferg; I heard great things. And my idea was just to do "Speed of the Sound of Loneliness," which is a great John Prine song, it ended up being the title track of my EP. But yeah, for basically, long story short, Ferg — David Ferguson — played my cover to Prine and he eventually heard it and he told me he liked it. And then I got to open for him a few times, sit in with him. And then finally, it was John's New Year's show at the Grand Ole Opry. And I went over with my family, and this is New Year's 2019 into 2020. And I was asked to sit in with him. Pick a song. So I picked "How Lucky," which I love and he agreed to it. And then while I was mixing this EP with Ferg that took, you know, five years to make or whatever, because it would just be, I'd record when I was in Nashville, we called up Prine to see if he'd show up and basically show me "How Lucky" and record it you know, and take two we got it. And he showed up the studio. He was like, "You know, I love to sing with you, Kurt," you know, which was like, part of him just being charming, but it was his way of saying, you know, "It's good to see you, what's up." You know, he's a hero, for sure. And, you know, yeah, it's truly tragic how we lost him during, you know, the, the turning of the, you know, the world changed and it was just surreal to lose him that way. But I'm so glad I got to work with him and be around him as much as I did. You know, and I have friends who work for his label and stuff. So it's a beautiful family. You know?

For as much attention deservedly so as you get for your guitar prowess, I was reading the credits to the album. And there's another instrument that you play; you play the trumpet!

Oh, yeah, I do. I that was my first instrument. I want to get back on top of it. I'm really obsessed with this Don Cherry album lately called "Om Shanti Om" and tonight is the first night I meet up with a awesome jazz band called Natural Information Society. So I want to get better at my embouchure they call it; don't ask me to define that, but it's I need to get better on my trumpet. But yeah, I pick it up now and then. I've played it on various recordings, but I do play it on the first song on this new album called "Going on a Plane Today." And then James Stewart of the Sun Ra Arkestra, he played sax, and he came in, he said, "I'll double this melody." And he's like, "Whoever played the trumpet didn't play it very well," but, and I was like, "It was me." You know?

You're not going to believe this, but trumpet was my first instrument. I only did it for four years, but I'm sure you're far better than than I ever got at any point.

Well, who knows? But, you know, I'm glad to, well, we're brothers in a few ways.

Yeah. That's definitely, definitely the case. Kurt, one of the last times you were in here was with Courtney Barnett, who is a good friend and collaborator, you made an album together. And when I interviewed Courtney Barnett a couple of years ago, I noted that you two did a cover of her song "Out of the Woodwork." Do you have any sort of plans or nostalgia for going back into your own back back catalogue and being like, you know, "I really want to record this with a totally new spin."

I probably would at some point. But that's the beauty of playing live, you know, we get to do it every night. And I'm recording every show right now. Inspired again by Sun Ra, who recorded everything, so that's what that's what I'm going to do from now on. Just record every little thing, just so I can be like Neil Young and be like, he's got a great quote in that movie, "Muddy Track." He uses it against his bandmates, but he's always like, "Shall we review the tapes?" You know? So that's me.

Songs Played

00:00 Mount Airy Hill (Way Gone)
10:40 Like Exploding Stones
22:01 Peeping Tomboy

External Links
Kurt Vile - official site

Credits
Guest - Kurt Vile
Host - Mac Wilson
Technical Directors - Evan Clark, Eric Romani
Producers - Derrick Stevens, Luke Taylor, Jesse Wiza