I Am Trying To Break Your Heart
Director: Sam Jones
Starring: Wilco
Rock Doc. #2 for the summer project. Wilco is an amazing Midwestern band that I have still not had the pleasure of seeing live (mostly because their shows sell out in minutes in St. Louis, Tweedy's original stomping grounds). I got into Wilco my freshman year of college. A guy on my floor was from Chicago and was obsessed with the band. He gave me Yankee Hotel Foxtrot to listen to and I liked most of it (mostly the accessable pop songs like Heavy Metal Drummer and I'm the Man Who Loves You). I went on a retreat at the end of that year and snuck a forbidden cd player with me. For some reason, this was the album I kept listening to. The more attention I gave the record, the more it's open spaces hit me. It's really an incredible collection of songs delicately string together with some great production.
This documentary is the story of how this album got made (or, rather, almost did not get made). In 2001, Wilco had released three solid albums and was on the verge of becoming more than just another mid level rock band. They had just signed to a major label (Reprise) and were working on an album that was way more complex than anything else they had ever done, taking them to a new artistic level. Unfortunately (and predictably) their label didn't get it and dropped them.
A lot of the movie focused on the balance of power in the band between singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy and multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett. These guys make up the creative core of the band, but (to quote the film) a circle only has one center. Bennett had a vision for the record and meticulous attitude seemed to wear on all the other members of the band. He wanted them to take a step forward, and had a clear vision for that. He had some trouble communicating this to the rest of the band. Tweedy obviously is uncomfortable bickering on film and even throws up in the bathroom in the middle of a scuffle over the transition into Heavy Metal Drummer. It's an intense scene that really gives an insight into the creative strains of the group. When Tweedy goes on a solo tour and tries to explain the new album to a small group of people, he is at a loss for words. His discomfort (and the black and white cinematography) made me instantly think of my favorite film portrait of a musician on the verge of new heights, Don't Look Back.
The thing I found very interesting about this film is the inside look into record label business. Reprise dropped them because they wanted the record to be altered into something they could sell easier. The band refused (which I guess is the definition of not selling out). They then had a completed, paid for record that they could take to the highest bidder (which is sort of a band's dream). They end up putting it out on Nonesuch, another Warner owned label. It's just funny that Warner paid for the album twice over. It's sort of funny that this was a problem, considering that the band's latest album sees them with their most outright commercial potential.
I see Wilco as a quintessential band, like America's Radiohead. I'm looking forward to more fine music from these guys. Great movie about a great band.
Lesson learned: Music business is not an oxymoron, it's just plain moronic.
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