W I L C O (specificity matters a great deal)
I went to Memphis (okay, technically Southhaven, Mississippi) tonight to see Wilco with corkyelmendorf and my pal Nick, who has no LJ and so shall not be linked. stldude14 was supposed to go or something but he didn't "feel well."
It was the third time I've seen Wilco and it was a fucking incredible show. Jeff Tweedy is so awesome that he makes me not care that I will be 40 someday.
Wilco is a great band and a great live band. "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" is "essential" (such a silly and subjective term) to hear live. It's epic.
Chuck Klosterman has an essay about why some artists (particularly country artists) reach huge popularity levels while other, more critically acclaimed artists (he uses Lucinda Williams as an example) do not. He argues that it's all about having a narrative in a song that listeners can connect with, one that they feels fits with their experience of life.
I was thinking about this tonight after the show and how it so didn't fit with my experience of life. Okay, so everybody can feel that a generic song like "Sweet Child O Mine" is about them and their girlfriend, but when you honestly connect to a song with specific lyrics, it feels as if it is a part of your soul. Of course, some people may feel that "Sweet Child O Mine" is a part of their soul as well. I don't know. It is late and I am confused . . . too confused to break this issue down fully.
I know if I created a list of the top five songs that describe the experience of being me then "Handshake Drugs" would be on the list. And despite the seemingly huge numbers of people ditching the concert early tonight (because of the drizzle?), I think some people would agree with that--or another Wilco song, or another song that doesn't get the listens of "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp (a song Klosterman used as an example of a song that "matters" to people because many people identify with it). Klosterman would say that a song that more people listen to "matters more" as a result, and that it "matters more" because it will endure long after people like Lucinda Williams and Jeff Tweedy are a footnote in music history.
I think some people like to listen to music because it challenges them or it makes them realize something about themselves. And other people like to listen to music because it confirms what they already think about themselves (and, of course, there can be overlap between the categories--somebody could want both types of music in their life).
Man, I'm really tired.
It was the third time I've seen Wilco and it was a fucking incredible show. Jeff Tweedy is so awesome that he makes me not care that I will be 40 someday.
Wilco is a great band and a great live band. "Spiders (Kidsmoke)" is "essential" (such a silly and subjective term) to hear live. It's epic.
Chuck Klosterman has an essay about why some artists (particularly country artists) reach huge popularity levels while other, more critically acclaimed artists (he uses Lucinda Williams as an example) do not. He argues that it's all about having a narrative in a song that listeners can connect with, one that they feels fits with their experience of life.
I was thinking about this tonight after the show and how it so didn't fit with my experience of life. Okay, so everybody can feel that a generic song like "Sweet Child O Mine" is about them and their girlfriend, but when you honestly connect to a song with specific lyrics, it feels as if it is a part of your soul. Of course, some people may feel that "Sweet Child O Mine" is a part of their soul as well. I don't know. It is late and I am confused . . . too confused to break this issue down fully.
I know if I created a list of the top five songs that describe the experience of being me then "Handshake Drugs" would be on the list. And despite the seemingly huge numbers of people ditching the concert early tonight (because of the drizzle?), I think some people would agree with that--or another Wilco song, or another song that doesn't get the listens of "Jack and Diane" by John Mellencamp (a song Klosterman used as an example of a song that "matters" to people because many people identify with it). Klosterman would say that a song that more people listen to "matters more" as a result, and that it "matters more" because it will endure long after people like Lucinda Williams and Jeff Tweedy are a footnote in music history.
I think some people like to listen to music because it challenges them or it makes them realize something about themselves. And other people like to listen to music because it confirms what they already think about themselves (and, of course, there can be overlap between the categories--somebody could want both types of music in their life).
Man, I'm really tired.