There are two kinds of people in this world. Those who’ve never heard of musician Bill Callahan, and those who are totally crazy about Bill Callahan. 

For nearly 20 years, Callahan recorded under the name Smog, and became legendary for his brand of )what some called) “lo-fi” indie rock. Then 7 years ago, he started using his own name. Callahan’s no confessionalist-his songs are character studies. And he takes the small moments in life, or the small objects you might find on your desk, and puts them under a magnifying glass, revealing the significance in the seemingly insignificant. 

The long-time Chicagoan doesn’t do extended tours these days, but when he was in Chicago recently for a couple of shows at Constellation, the enigmatic singer-songwriter stopped by our studio to play a few songs.