Wilco

May 24, 2004
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. Agent, David Dunton.

October 1, 2004
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 2004 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 1, 2004
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.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)