Jason Isbell was the subject of a recent profile in The New York Times. The article was originally meant to promote Isbell’s forthcoming album with The 400 Unit, Reunions, but instead captured a much more vivid piece of Isbell’s domestic life.
In the article, David Peisner shows how Isbell’s new album is intrinsically linked to his marriage with Amanda Shires. Not only does their marriage provide inspiration for Isbell’s songwriting, she also plays the fiddle for The 400 Unit.
The profile opens with an alarming yet amusing anecdote about a particularly stressful day in the Isbell/Shires household. In the midst of a domestic dispute, Isbell, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober for over seven years, downed a cap of Listerine like it was whiskey. In that moment, with the husband and wife still working through their squabble, the two were still united in a common struggle.
“I was concerned but not enough to be like, ‘Call somebody,’” Shires said. “I said, ‘If today’s going to be the day, let’s find you a real nice bottle because I’m not going to let you just have Listerine.'”
From there, the piece stitches together an image of how the musicians’ romantic relationship encompasses—and sometimes collides with—their professional one. The article is by no means flattering, but it is also not overly pessimistic while still keeping sharp honesty; much like Isbell’s music.
One of the themes that shines through the piece is the idea that Isbell is not as unshakable as he appears. Through his music, going back to his time with Drive-By Truckers, he has always presented an air of confidence. Even with all of his successes, and sometimes even because of them, that confidence can be shaken. Isbell explains,
You think, ‘If I make a record that’s not great, everybody’s going to dismiss me entirely. If I [expletive] up my relationship, everybody’s going to be so shocked that they’ll write me off completely.’ All those things, when you say them out loud sound ridiculous, but they stay in there and gnaw at you.
From there, Peisner paints an image of a man confident enough to overcome his self-destructive tendencies, but sensitive enough to let himself be defined by them. On the impact of his domestic squabbles on his music, he said, “Maybe you can hear it. Maybe the record is better for it. I don’t know. I try not to ask that question because I don’t want to get in a pattern of [expletive] my life up to make better records.”
The article also provides glimpses of unreleased music from Reunions, such as “St. Peter’s Autograph”. The song details the emotional support Isbell provided to Shires following Neal Casal‘s suicide last August. Isbell said of the song, “I was trying to say, ‘It’s all right to grieve the parts of your relationship you might think I’d be upset or jealous about.”
Shires is quoted in the article as saying that recording Reunions was, “the worst recording experience I’ve ever been a part of, but it’s my favorite record he’s made.” With warts and all, The New York Times‘ profile of the Isbell-Shires union is neither a happy or sad ending, but a melancholy shade of grey.
“I’d like to say we’re stronger because of it, but we’re not,” Shires said. “We just know that our strength is more than we thought.”
In the end, the two are still together making memories and making music.
“My wife wants me to do my best work,” he continued. “My job is to figure out how to do that and still be the best person I can be. Anything less is not what she wants.”
Read the full New York Times profile on Jason Isbell here.