Son Volt's Jay Farrar Inspired by Keith Richards' Drug Habits

Having been in a band with Jeff Tweedy (Uncle Tupelo) before their acrimonious split, Son Volt's Jay Farrar is no stranger to idiosyncratic musicians, excessive and/or obsessive behavior, and other indulgences of rock 'n' roll. Still, when he heard that Rolling Stones' Keith Richards reportedly cut some cocaine with his father's ashes and then railed them, he became inspired enough to write a song about it.

"I just thought that him doing that was an honest, profound statement of his love for his dad," Farrar tells Spinner. "I suppose I can relate to Keith's experience in a way, in that my own father passed away. I can kind of relate to that feeling of being a tree pulled from your roots and trying to find a way to deal with it."

The resulting song, 'Cocaine and Ashes,' will be included on Son Volt's new album 'American Central Dust,' which drops on July 7th. About a week prior to that, Wilco will release their new one, 'Wilco (The Album).' Farrar says that he has no specific plans to listen to Tweedy's latest work, but "I'm sure I'll hear it along the way, at some point," he says, politely. Spoken like a true ex-bandmate.

Listen to 'Cocaine and Ashes'