Every several years, something arises that fundamentally changes the foundations of what we call “music”. The Beatles performing on The Ed Sullivan Show bridged the gap between American and British Rock. Elvis Presley shook his posterior and changed the very face of what it meant for music to be divisive. Heck, even the likes of the Vocaloid program Hatsune Miku and the cartoon rock band Gorillaz redefined what could and could not be considered a musical artist.
But even more infrequently, there comes a force that is so hard to really, truly pinpoint and define that you can’t even fathom its absence from the music scene. Enter Will Wood, an artist, singer-songwriter, and multitalented individual who was considered so enigmatic that many of us didn’t know what he was about. For some, Will Wood was an unknowable eldritch being, an assessment that feels distantly inaccurate. For others, a silly little rat-man, a metric that isn’t entirely off. Still some others figured Will was the real-life incarnation of The Onceler; again, a metric that isn’t entirely off.
And then, with ample preparation time for his fans and under circumstances that were more than reasonable, Will Wood vanished from his solo career in 2022.
And then, in 2024, Will Wood slouched on back again, this time with a whole new tour prepared! Rejoice, for this is the Slouching Towards Bethlehem Tour! So fret not, dear readers, for we have an interview on this subject a great deal more, which we shall now relay unto you with no further ado.
Will Wood, on Slouching Towards Bethlehem
SwitchBitch Noise: Congratulations on returning to the touring scene! I think I can safely speak for the fans when I say we’ve missed your dulcet tones. Was there any particular motivation for breaking your 2-year hiatus to go on tour?
Will Wood: Thanks, I’m looking forward to it! As for your question: That’s what the show is all about, I’ll explain there, don’t worry. I have a story to tell everyone.
Congratulations too for managing to (as of August 22nd) sell 99% of your tour’s tickets within 2 weeks of the announcement! I’m certain that that’s a bigger metric than a majority of artists get in that time. With regard to your work as a singer/songwriter, what about you or your brand do you associate most closely with that successful metric?
WW: Oh jeez, that’s nice of you to say, thanks. I’d like to be able to say it’s because I’m the voice of a generation, but I think it’s mostly just that the show I have for this tour requires a kind of vibe you can’t get at 1000-cap rock venues. This one’s a lot of cabaret-style clubs, traditional theaters, and the like. So you know, if I were trying to sell as many tickets as possible and fill the biggest rooms possible it’d probably have happened a little slower haha. If I’m to take this as a success I can attribute to me or my brand, I’ll say… my commitment to doing things my way even if it means I make less money.
What can fans expect from your set list during the Slouching Towards Bethlehem tour?
WW: Stuff I don’t play live often, new takes on some staples, the “hits” or whatever, and the story of how I decided to do this again accompanying them.
Will Wood, on Connections
Your hiatus did not keep your fans entirely in the dark, because you had been seen at the end of Shayfer James’ Shipwreck tour playing alongside him on “Ferryman”. How did you two meet and how did your professional lives coincide to see you two collaborate on that song?
WW: He’s my implausibly young father and I’m his implausibly old son. We are not friends we do not like each other.
Furthermore, how did you come to work with Human Zoo, that delightful group of wonderful rapscallions, on “Aphrodite, Your Electric Sexiness” and “Wealth & Hellness”?
WW: Those guys come from the same underground music scene, we used to play shows in dives and basements and whatnot. I did backing vocals and I think some keyboards on “Aphrodite” in like, I wanna say like 2017 and they just re-released it recently. “Wealth & Hellness” they just asked me to sing some of the lyrics and I dug the tune so I did.
Speaking of connections, in the past I somehow managed to connect with Caitlin Hsu, another journalist who interviewed you some time ago, out of our individual experiences working with you. Caitlin, turns out, has also written for SwitchBitch Noise before, which was very interesting to note in our conversations. Which leads me to asking: How have you seen other continued connections flourish within your fan base?
WW: Sure, that’s one of the cool things I’ve gotten to see. Really unique people will show up and seemingly just fall right into a rapport with strangers. They turn waiting in line outside the venue, hanging out in the lobby before the show, and even the merch table into something of an event and I really hope the connections I’ve seen people make at my shows continue outside them. I encourage the folks who don’t feel comfortable ingratiating themselves to go out on a limb sometime. I relate to them the most – the “too weird for even the weirdos” types – but I think you’ll find there’s a lot of acceptance there. Even the parts of you that you think they’d never accept in a million years; those are more normal than the world might have you think too.
Will on the Cultivation of Talent
For the Slouching Towards Bethlehem tour, you are currently (as of 8/27/24) looking for openers for some of your tour stops from among fresh up-and-coming faces in the music scene. Good on you for that! Can you elaborate on what kind of sound you’re looking for, particularly?
WW: Yeah, I’m hoping to find a handful who match the sort of alt-pop/anti-folk vibe mostly. Solo performers with strong lyrics and a unique style.
When last we spoke in an interview, I was writing for a pop-culture/gaming website and when I left, SBN was there with open arms for me to continue the music aspect of things, and truth be told, that would never have happened without your support over time. So a) thankk you with the utmost gratitude and sincerity for your continued support, and b) during your time on hiatus, how did you spend your time, outside of any music endeavors that were still afoot?
WW: All you dude, thank you. I tried to rediscover who I am outside of my work. I learned what I like, honestly. I learned who I am a little. It was really important, and I’m really glad I took that break. I’m sure I’ll take one again in the future.
This question may be a little out of left field, so to speak: When you and your partner, NFL star quarterback Brett Favre, make dinner at home for each other, what is your favorite dish that you make, and what’s your favorite dish that Brett makes?
WW: I think you mean Canadian Hockey Icon Wayne Gretzky. Wayne makes a really amazing lentil stew that I’ll eat my own weight in in a single sitting. We also do a sort of sweet-chili glazed fried tofu dish sometimes that is mostly worth the distinctly unpleasant sensation of rolling wet cubes in cornstarch.
Will We Get More Will?
It is all but inevitable that once the Slouching Towards Bethlehem tour ends, fans will be clamoring for more music from you. Is there anything that you can currently speak about in that particular regard?
WW: No new studio stuff any time soon, but I’m taking on other creative projects and with any luck there’ll be one stemming directly from this tour.
Will Is No Slouch
We had quite a few more questions for Will, but as he is a busy human, pressed on time ahead of the Slouching Towards Bethlehem Tour, certain questions remain. We do know this though: When Will Wood wants to tell a story to his audience, well boy howdy, he sure can pull a crowd. In any event, we greatly look forward to seeing Will back in his element during the tour. Welcome back, Onceler Will! We’ve missed you.
You can listen to Will Wood’s The New Normal!, a remaster of 2020’s The Normal Album, on Spotify now!
