ISBN: Ostalo
Godina izdanja: 2004
Jezik: Engleski
Autor: Strani

The intimate story of one of the great American bands of our time, creators of the controversial masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

When alt-country heroes-turned-rock-iconoclasts Wilco handed in their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, to the band’s label, Reprise, a division of Warner Brothers, fans looked forward to the release of another challenging, genre-bending departure from their previous work. The band aimed to build on previous sales and critical acclaim with its boldest and most ambitious album yet, but was instead urged by skittish Reprise execs to make the record more “radio friendly.” When Wilco wouldn’t give, they found themselves without a label. Instead, they used the Internet to introduce the album to their fans, and eventually sold the record to Nonesuch, another division of Warner. Wilco was vindicated when the album debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard charts and posted the band’s strongest sales to date.

Wilco: Learning How to Die traces the band’s story to its deepest origins in Southern Illinois, where Jeff Tweedy began growing into one of the best songwriters of his generation. As we witness how his music grew from its punk and alt-country origins, some of the key issues and questions in our culture are addressed: How is music of substance created while the gulf between art and commerce widens in the corporate consolidation era? How does the music industry make or break a hit? How do working musicians reconcile the rewards of artistic risk with the toll it exacts on their personal life?

This book was written with the cooperation of Wilco band members past and present. It is also fully up to date, covering the latest changes in personnel and the imminent release of the band’s fifth album, A Ghost Is Born, sure to be one of the most talked-about albums of 2004.

From Publishers Weekly
Chicago Tribune writer Kot deftly explores the career, music and cult phenomenon of the `90s rootsy alt-country rock band Wilco. The Chicago-based Wilco has earned a loyal, passionate underground following through heavy touring and the honest, emotionally charged songwriting of front man Jeff Tweedy, who originally played bass in Uncle Tupelo. Despite Wilco`s critical success and growing fan base, the histrionics of Tweedy`s early career endured, culminating with the painful breakdown of communication between Tweedy and Wilco band mate Jay Bennett, which led to Bennett`s firing and the bizarre circumstances surrounding the release of Yankee Foxtrot Hotel, in 2002. Unsatisfied with what it saw as an indulgent, hitless effort, Warner Bros.` subsidiary Reprise rejected the record upon delivery. Rather than re-record a more radio-friendly version, Wilco gave the record away on the Internet. That strategy led to a deal with another Warner Bros. subsidiary, Nonesuch, which released the record and sold over 400,000 copies, the band`s biggest commercial success to date. Well researched and filled with primary interviews, Kot`s book is probing and insightful. In chronicling Wilco, Kot also lays bare the stresses of the musician`s life, the vagaries of the business, and the very essence of what makes for good music and a vibrant music scene. Wilco fans will love this book, but Kot`s excellent work deserves an even wider audience.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–A music critic explores the career and art of Wilco, an alt-country rock group that commands an impressive and loyal following. The focus is on lead singer Jeff Tweedy, positioning him as the band`s primary creative force and sometimes tyrant. He began his musical career as a bass player for Uncle Tupelo, one of the groups that kicked off the punk-country-folk blend that Wilco continues to develop today. After a clash of egos with bandmate Jay Farrar, Uncle Tupelo dissolved in the early 1990s and Tweedy formed Wilco, pushing himself into a more heavily produced sound without losing the quality of songwriting that made Uncle Tupelo so popular. The release of Wilco`s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot serves as an endpoint, giving the book a sense of narrative drive that most other band biographies don`t have. Including the story of battling labels, contracts, and artistic expression versus commercial potential, the book represents a unique and informative portrait of the music industry. Kot is guilty of occasional exaggeration or indulgence when describing the songs and the personalities, particularly concerning Tweedy`s habit of firing bandmates. For the most part, though, he approaches the story from a balanced point of view. Filled with enough anecdotes to entertain informed fans, but with enough direction to appeal to those less familiar with the subject, Kot`s book should please a broad audience. –Matthew L. Moffett, Northern Virginia Community College, Annandale
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
When its record label dropped the rock band Wilco in 2001 for submitting an album deemed insufficiently commercial, the action was viewed as a triumph of commerce over art. Ultimately, art won a rare victory when Yankee Hotel Foxtrot became the band`s most successful record on another label. Wilco`s vindication shows that audiences are catching up to one of the most adventurous and accomplished bands around, which has evolved far beyond its rootsy, country-rock origins to embrace elaborate production, electronic effects, and improvised noise. The Wilco story is essentially that of leader Jeff Tweedy, and Kot, a music critic in Wilco`s hometown, Chicago, traces Tweedy`s path from his groundbreaking first band, Uncle Tupelo, to forming Wilco with guitarist Jay Bennett, to the pair`s recent, acrimonious breakup. Drawing on long familiarity with the music, as well as interviews with Tweedy and bandmates, Kot effectively conveys how the pressures on a successful band can be just as trying as those a struggling one suffers. An intelligent book about a most intelligent rock band. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

From the Inside Flap
The intimate story of one of the great American bands of our time, creators of the controversial masterpiece Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

When alt-country heroes-turned-rock-iconoclasts Wilco handed in their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, to the band’s label, Reprise, a division of Warner Brothers, fans looked forward to the release of another challenging, genre-bending departure from their previous work. The band aimed to build on previous sales and critical acclaim with its boldest and most ambitious album yet, but was instead urged by skittish Reprise execs to make the record more “radio friendly.” When Wilco wouldn’t give, they found themselves without a label. Instead, they used the Internet to introduce the album to their fans, and eventually sold the record to Nonesuch, another division of Warner. Wilco was vindicated when the album debuted at No. 13 on the Billboard charts and posted the band’s strongest sales to date.

Wilco: Learning How to Die traces the band’s story to its deepest origins in Southern Illinois, where Jeff Tweedy began growing into one of the best songwriters of his generation. As we witness how his music grew from its punk and alt-country origins, some of the key issues and questions in our culture are addressed: How is music of substance created while the gulf between art and commerce widens in the corporate consolidation era? How does the music industry make or break a hit? How do working musicians reconcile the rewards of artistic risk with the toll it exacts on their personal life?

This book was written with the cooperation of Wilco band members past and present. It is also fully up to date, covering the latest changes in personnel and the imminent release of the band’s fifth album, A Ghost Is Born, sure to be one of the most talked-about albums of 2004.

About the Author
An award-winning music critic for the Chicago Tribune, GREG KOT contributes to a wide array of national magazines, including Rolling Stone, and co-hosts the rock ’n’ roll talk show Sound Opinions on radio and television, and at


Paperback; 248 pages; Broadway, 2004