<\/p>\n
Jim James was going through a lot circa 2005, when he wrote the songs for what would become My Morning Jacket\u2019s classic fourth album, Z. Two of his close friends had taken their own lives, and James was drinking too much and grappling with depression. \u201cI thought it would be our last album,\u201d he says in the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, which celebrates that album\u2019s 20th anniversary. \u201cThat\u2019s why I named it Z. Because I was entertaining taking my own life as well, and I was feeling so pessimistic that I was sure that [the album] wouldn\u2019t work out. I was sure that it would suck and that everybody would hate it and that everything would collapse. That\u2019s how powerful depression is. And thankfully, that wasn\u2019t what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
More from Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n James is in a much better mental place now, after quitting drinking and finding an effective therapist during the pandemic years. \u201cIt\u2019s a long, winding road,\u201d he says. \u201cBut I feel so grateful now that the universe allowed me to keep going. I thought it would be the end, and I\u2019m so glad that it wasn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n In the new episode of Rolling Stone Music Now, James sits down with host Brian Hiatt for a deep and revealing discussion about the making of Z \u2014 which will be out Oct. 3 in a deluxe reissue version featuring demos and unheard tracks \u2014 and much more. To hear the whole episode, go here<\/a> for the podcast provider of your choice, listen on Apple Podcasts<\/a> or Spotify<\/a>, or just press play above. Here are some highlights from the discussion:<\/p>\n James wasn\u2019t sure My Morning Jacket would continue after two members quit in 2004.<\/strong> He had to be talked into auditioning new members, but miraculously, the first two musicians who came in were guitarist Carl Broemel and keyboardist Bo Koster, who have been in the band ever since.\u00a0 \u201cIt was just amazing how well they knew the songs and how well they fit into the vibe,\u201d James says.<\/p>\n \u201cWordless Chorus\u201d tumbled out fully formed when James plugged in a borrowed synthesizer for the first time. <\/strong>It started when Craig Pfunder from fellow Kentucky band VHS or Beta loaned him a Juno synth. \u201cI had never had a synth before other than, like, the $99 Walmart keyboard,\u201d James says. \u201cI literally just took the synth, plugged it in, put it into my four-track, and started playing it, and \u2018Wordless Chorus\u2019 came out right there.\u201d<\/p>\n James, who quit drinking three years ago, was a functional alcoholic for years.<\/strong> \u201cI never drank before shows,\u201d James says. \u201cI never drank before studio dates. My dad gave me a very strong work ethic\u2026 But the second that concert was over, the second that studio date was over, all I could think about was getting absolutely destroyed. With each drink, in my mind, I only became more and more powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n EMDR therapy, ayahuasca, and ketamine treatment all helped James finally break free from depression and alcoholism.<\/strong> \u201cI found a therapist in the pandemic and started doing EMDR and parts work with him, and that opened the gateway,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd then I did ayahuasca, I did ketamine therapy. I\u2019ve done some really powerful psychedelic healing therapies that also opened other doorways.\u201d During one ayahuasca journey, he says, he held his younger self \u201cin my arms and I told him to not be so hard on himself\u2026 \u2018You\u2019re a nice guy. You\u2019re trying your best. You don\u2019t have to be so mean to yourself.’\u201d<\/p>\n The line \u201cwe are the innovators, they are the imitators\u201d was originally the opposite \u2014 James flipped it as an exercise in positivity.<\/strong> \u201cI had originally written that line after reading the thousandth review where somebody\u2019s comparing me to Neil Young or comparing me to this person or that person,\u201d James says. \u201cAnd I was so bummed. I was like, \u2018Man, nobody will ever see me for me, I\u2019m just this shitty imitator.\u2019 I was writing, like, \u2018They are the innovators. We are the imitators.\u2019 But at the same time, I was really getting into OutKast and I was really getting into Prince and I was like, \u2018No, fuck that. Let\u2019s flip it around. Let\u2019s make it more of, like, a hip-hop boast.’\u201d<\/p>\n James believes his depression may have fueled the transcendent intensity of MMJ\u2019s live shows.<\/strong> \u201cAt times I felt like I was such a disgusting piece of shit that the only way that anybody could possibly love me is if I played a show well enough,\u201d he says.\u00a0\u201cMaybe if I\u2019m so great and I jump off the drum riser 20 feet into the air and I play the guitar so well and I scream so hard, maybe then somebody will love me\u2026 I look at that Jim now and I feel so much compassion for him. I\u2019ve spent a lot of time with him in therapy and I\u2019ve given him a lot of hugs.\u201d<\/p>\n Working with producer Brendan O\u2019Brien on the band\u2019s latest album<\/a>, Is, was energizing \u2014\u00a0though O\u2019Brien wouldn\u2019t hesitate to dismiss potential tracks.\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cWhen I started playing him songs, it was just so refreshing to watch his face as I played him each song,\u201d James says. \u201cAlmost instantaneously, within 15 to 30 seconds, he\u2019s like, \u2018Eh, eh, eh. Oh, OK. This one\u2019s cool.’\u201d He adds that the band realized, \u201cWe really could use a coach. Somebody who is above us, who\u2019s been in the game way longer than us.\u201d<\/p>\n If you\u2019re struggling, you can talk with someone any time. Call or text 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.<\/p>\n Download and subscribe to Rolling Stone\u2018s weekly podcast, Rolling Stone Music Now, hosted by Brian Hiatt, on Apple Podcasts<\/a> or Spotify<\/a> (or wherever<\/a> you get your podcasts). Check out six years\u2019 worth of episodes in the archive, including in-depth interviews with Mariah Carey, Bruce Springsteen, Questlove, Halsey, Neil Young, Snoop Dogg, Brandi Carlile, John Fogerty, Phoebe Bridgers, Rick Ross, Alicia Keys, the National, Ice Cube, Taylor Hawkins, Willow, Keith Richards, Robert Plant, Dua Lipa, Killer Mike, Julian Casablancas, Sheryl Crow, Johnny Marr, Scott Weiland, Liam Gallagher, Alice Cooper, Fleetwood Mac, Elvis Costello, John Legend, Donald Fagen, Charlie Puth, Phil Collins, Justin Townes Earle, Stephen Malkmus, Sebastian Bach, Tom Petty, Eddie Van Halen, Kelly Clarkson, Pete Townshend, Bob Seger, the Zombies, and Gary Clark Jr. And look for dozens of episodes featuring genre-spanning discussions, debates, and explainers with Rolling Stone\u2019s critics and reporters.<\/p>\n Best of Rolling Stone<\/strong><\/p>\n Sign up for RollingStone’s Newsletter<\/a>. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook<\/a>, Twitter<\/a>, and Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Jim James was going through a lot circa 2005, when he wrote the songs for what would become My Morning Jacket\u2019s classic fourth album, Z. Two of his close friends had taken their own lives, and James was drinking too much and grappling with depression. \u201cI thought it would be our last album,\u201d he says […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2060820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[384253,384251,346333,384252,314737],"class_list":["post-2060819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-brian-hiatt","tag-jim-james","tag-my-morning-jacket","tag-quitting-drinking","tag-rolling-stone"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Jim-James-Finally-Reveals-Why-He-Named-My-Morning-Jackets.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060819","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2060819"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060819\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2060821,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2060819\/revisions\/2060821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2060820"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2060819"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2060819"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2060819"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}