Beck Discusses Lost Sea Change Sequel

In this long-ranging interview with Pitchfork celebrating his 15 years in the business, Beck discusses writing “Loser,” the nation’s puzzled response to Odelay, and the fact that he got his first computer in 2002.

Perhaps the most interesting tidbit: Beck’s most solemn, straightforward, Hank Williams-influenced album Sea Change, which earned critical raves, almost had a sequel.

When Sea Change was coming out, I felt like those songs were sketches for something that were a little bit more evolved in that direction. I mean, there are songs on Sea Change that I wrote when I was 19. So, after finishing that record, I’d written about 35 more songs in that vein, and had solo demos of them all on these tapes in a suitcase. Around that time, I was doing a solo tour and the suitcase got left backstage in D.C. I was never able to retrieve those songs, which I thought were so much better than Sea Change. Anyone could have those songs; somebody has them. [laughs] I don’t want to name any names, but I thought I recognized a few of those songs over the years!

Read the full interview here.