Wilco's Jeff Tweedy, Chicago's Daisies restaurant partner up for a pickle pastry
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Songs about pickles may seem to be scarce—and pickles seem to be an afterthought much of the time when they do come up in song lyrics.
Jimmy Buffett made a point of singing in "Cheeseburger in Paradise" that he liked his cheeseburgers with a big kosher pickle and a cold draft beer—but the pickle in question has to wait for the mention of other condiments and side orders. In a well-known Arlo Guthrie song, "pickle" is the first noun to appear in the lyrics, but Guthrie makes a point of letting everyone know he does not want a pickle—he wants to ride on his motorcycle.
Pickles may seem like a more natural topic for children's music. In one memorable example from the "This Lil' Cow" album released back in the early 80s, Chicago area musician Fred Koch makes the pickles sound like something to salivate for as he asks "Mr. Nickels" to pass one of them at the end of the collaborative sandwich-building song, "Please, Louise." But the pickles also come last in that song, after the bread and butter, cheese and ham, and so forth.
And there are a few songs out there—both for kids and for the general public—where pickles are the main topic, whether literally or in the abstract. Dinosaur Jr. had "The Pickle Song" with its catchy harmonies and juice harp and theremin hooks. Children's artist Jim "Mr. Stinky Feet" Cosgrove also recorded a song called "The Pickle Song," with a Raffi-like vibe. Chumbawamba had a piano and reed organ-driven waltz simply called "Pickle." And back in 2000, a personal friend of the author of this story, Noah Ginex, recorded "The Pickleman" with musician Chris Corsale about a pickle man who arrives promptly at 4:38 p.m. in a minivan.
But that's kind of about it, right?
Jeff Tweedy of Wilco fame begged to differ in a recent viral video.
In a new social media video posted by Daisies Chicago, a popular Midwest-inspired and pasta-focused restaurant at 2375 N. Milwaukee Ave. in the Logan Square neighborhood, Tweedy told executive pastry chef and partner Leigh Omilinsky that all of Wilco's songs that he wrote—all of them—are actually about pickles.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Wilco—which formed in 1994—and to honor the band's Illinois roots while saying something "timeless and classic that really says Wilco," Omilinsky sought out Tweedy's advice for a croissant collaboration idea. Tweedy suggested pickles.
Pickles, Omilinsky asked? For Wilco? Why pickles?
"You know, every song I've ever written is about pickles," Tweedy deadpanned to an incredulous Omilinsky in the video. "I never joke about pickles. It's all out there in the open. 'She's a Jar?' Jar of pickles."
With Omilinsky standing there in disbelief, Tweedy went on to claim in the video, among other pickle references, that "I'm the Man Who Loves You" was written as an homage to a gherkin, and "Hot Sun" was inspired by fermenting cucumbers in the hot sun—so as to make them into pickles.
Finally, Omilinsky thought she'd finally identified a Wilco song that surely couldn't have had anything to do with pickles—there was no way, she said, that Tweedy could have written "California Stars" with pickles in mind. Tweedy pointed out that he did not write "California Stars"—Woody Guthrie did—but Tweedy said Guthrie, father though he may have been of an aforementioned musician who prefers motorcycles to pickles, was "really into kosher dills."
While the video and this story are largely a joke, the Dill-Co pastry is real, and is really a collaboration between Daisies' Omilinsky and Wilco's Tweedy. As the video points out, the croissant features cream cheese with dill and pickle powder and a pickle spear inside, along with pickle chips, pickle powder, and giardiniera on the top.
The Dill-Co is a limited-edition project. It made its debut at the Daisies' Logan Square café on Friday, and will be available through the end of the month or until they sell out. All proceeds benefit Nourishing Hope Chicago—formerly Lakeview Pantry—a nonprofit providing food, mental health, and social services to those in need.
Daisies also notes that Tweedy will perform a free solo acoustic set on Saturday at the "Chicago Live!" performing arts festival at Navy Pier.