Will Sheff // Okkervil River

“If I have one piece of advice to give, it would be to write something the moment you wake up.”

Will Sheff of Okkervil River likes a good writing ritual. He believes in writing every day, just as a professional athlete needs to practice every day. “If I don’t, I feel like I’m going to shrivel up,” Sheff says.

But as you'll hear in this episode, Sheff also believes that not writing is a great way to be productive. “It’s also important to loaf,” he says, referencing Walt Whitman’s opening lines in “Song of Myself.” Loafing, Sheff maintains, gives the writer an open state of mind. “That’s when the ideas come,” he says, and walking the dog is an especially fruitful time for Sheff.

Sheff's first proper solo album, out October 7, is called Nothing Special. Listen to the latest podcast episode with Sheff now!

*photo by Bret Curry