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jdukuray 's review for:
In my opinion, this should win a prize for best memoir of 2018. No, I haven't read them all but this is a wonderful book. Jeff Tweedy, for those who don't know, is a musician and lead singer of a couple of different bands, most notably Uncle Tupelo and Wilco. I know his name because of a Dylan cover on the soundtrack for the Todd Haynes movie about Dylan, I'm Not There, but have never really got to know Wilco's music. I heard Tweedy interviewed and was so taken with him that I got the book. A happy choice--and the audio version is especially good, as narrated by himself.
The story Tweedy has to tell is honest, funny, sad, revealing (what is it like to be a rock musician, what is it like to make a record in a recording studio), thoughtful and insightful--about being creative, navigating a potentially rejecting world, dealing with demons and your very own self, in all its complexity. I--a woman, older, not a musician, not mid-western--have little in common with Jeff Tweedy, but so much of what he rights is so fundamentally true that I saw myself again and again: we were both weepy kids, is just one example that knocked me over with recognition, and understanding as he explored that aspect of himself.
Jeff Tweedy is not the biggest rock star in the world, but he is and has been for decades a working musician, singer, lyricist. He has had serious troubles with drugs and illness. He has been blessed with good parents, a wife and two sons. They are all interesting characters in their own right. And (this maybe is a spoiler--it came as a surprise to me) one of the most unusual and effective aspects of the audio book was the participation of Jeff's wife Susie and elder son, Spenser, in the narrative. This was seamlessly done and there was something so gratifying, so real, so... joyful almost.
Having finished the book, I now turn to getting to know the music of Wilco and related projects. Because a guy this bright and devoted to his craft will not, I think, disappoint me musically.
The story Tweedy has to tell is honest, funny, sad, revealing (what is it like to be a rock musician, what is it like to make a record in a recording studio), thoughtful and insightful--about being creative, navigating a potentially rejecting world, dealing with demons and your very own self, in all its complexity. I--a woman, older, not a musician, not mid-western--have little in common with Jeff Tweedy, but so much of what he rights is so fundamentally true that I saw myself again and again: we were both weepy kids, is just one example that knocked me over with recognition, and understanding as he explored that aspect of himself.
Jeff Tweedy is not the biggest rock star in the world, but he is and has been for decades a working musician, singer, lyricist. He has had serious troubles with drugs and illness. He has been blessed with good parents, a wife and two sons. They are all interesting characters in their own right. And (this maybe is a spoiler--it came as a surprise to me) one of the most unusual and effective aspects of the audio book was the participation of Jeff's wife Susie and elder son, Spenser, in the narrative. This was seamlessly done and there was something so gratifying, so real, so... joyful almost.
Having finished the book, I now turn to getting to know the music of Wilco and related projects. Because a guy this bright and devoted to his craft will not, I think, disappoint me musically.