I had the pleasure of listening to yourSleeping Tapesat work all afternoon yesterday.
[Jeff Bridges laughs.]
I dont know if I had to do that, but I thought it could count as interview prep.
Definitely!Youhadto do it!
How did you happen to start working on it?
Well, it was a fascinating experience for me.
Two years ago somebody approached me about Squarespace, this web-design company.
They wanted me to do a Super Bowl commercial but not the typical, Hi, Im Jeff Bridges.
Use Squarespace theyre a good design company.
So they had this long list of things, and sleeping tapes popped out for some reason.
And I said, What is sleeping tapes?
And they said, Well, we dont know.
It can be whatever you want it to be, soothing sounds, whatever.
And I said,“Yeah, yeah, go on.
That was the hook for me.
I said, Oh, Im in.”
And was it like, turn on your iPhone and start recording?
They had a bunch of writers who helped supply some ideas, and they worked with me on it.
And I got my dear friend [the musician] Keefus Ciancia involved.
So it was very much like, come on, lets make a record!
It can be anything we want!
With that spirit, we just let our imaginations go, and it turned into what it turned into.
… And then it rose to number 2 on the new age charts, which was totally surprising.
And I love it.
I listen to it myself every once and a while, and it brings back all kinds of memories.
And over time it’s made some money for your charity?
So far it’s made over a quarter of a million dollars for No Kid Hungry.
Did anyone who listened toSleeping Tapesever tell you it actually helped them fall asleep?
A lot of people said it scared the s— out of them.
It was frightening to some people.
… And I said, Well, sleeping is about dreams.
Some are good; some are bad."
Would you describe yourSleeping Tapesas more like performance art or health aid?
