Bill Callahan, the acclaimed singer-songwriter once known as Smog, has always marched to the beat of his own drum. In a candid interview, the Americana legend discusses his unorthodox approach to music-making, his distrust of AI, and the joys of being a “drunk professor” rather than a polished craftsman.
Callahan’s long-standing relationship with Chicago’s Drag City label has allowed him the freedom to pursue his idiosyncratic vision, unencumbered by commercial pressures. “I basically feel like it’s my label,” he says. “In a very broad sense, I have complete control. If I gave them a silent record and said, ‘put this out’, they would do it without question.”
This creative autonomy has enabled Callahan to embrace the unexpected and the serendipitous in his work. “I’m more of a drunk professor; I like happenstance and coincidence and mistake,” he explains. “I know nothing about synthesisers, but I’ll randomly pick one and turn it on and start recording. I press some buttons and play something and somehow try to make it work.”
While Callahan is meticulous when it comes to his lyrics, the rest of the process is more akin to “throwing it at the wall.” This unorthodox approach has yielded some of the most distinctive and emotionally resonant music of his career, including his latest album, “My Days of 58.”
The singer-songwriter also shares his disdain for the rise of AI-generated music, which he sees as a devaluation of the human experience. “Creating things involves growing as a human, and that’s not what AI is about,” he says. “AI is never going to make anything worth thinking about.”
Callahan’s openness to the unexpected and his unwavering commitment to his artistic vision have made him a singular voice in the world of contemporary music. As he continues to evolve and push the boundaries of his craft, his fans eagerly await the next chapter in his storied career.
