Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell and GQ editor-in-chief Will Welch met in 2004, at what Jason says was “the lowest point of my life.” Since then, the two long-distance friends have seen each other through divorce, new marriages, career climbs, a cancer diagnosis and rehab. Jason quit drinking in 2012, and Will followed suit two years later—starting by calling Jason at a breaking point. “You getting sober was a big deal for me,” Jason says during their conversation. “It was the first time in my sobriety that I felt like, oh shit, somebody needs me and I can help.”
