Andrew Bird: One-Man Band

Many artists wonder if the distractions of the modern world compromise their creative process. Songwriter and violinist Andrew Bird decided to put that theory to the test. Early in his career, after the breakup of a band, Bird holed up by himself on a farm in western Illinois. “Let’s see what happens when I stop listening to records, move out in the middle of nowhere, and have the space to experiment.”
Working in isolation, Bird marveled at the innovation that flowed into his music. “I feel like the melodies and arrangements, since I’ve been out there, reflecting the landscape, just kind of opened up,” he says. But Bird admits, even a one-man band gets lonely.
Andrew Bird’s new album is Break it Yourself.
(Originally aired October 28, 2005)