Beltmann

Let me add another question, but about a Letterman appearance. Anyone know what Wilco played on the Late Show on 5/15/07?

Letterman May 2007: "What Light"

(I have the segment recorded onto DVD-R and double-checked.)

Count me among those that care about the other records. All of the records before '72 (Surf's Up and earlier) get plenty of play in the house.

As always, huge thanks for these details, Paul.

The list of bands that I regularly blind buy is very long. The sense of discovery is different and deeper when it carries the weight of purchase, and by extension, investment.

But the question is which bands will always be on that list. That's tougher, and those candidates are usually bands that are not just "great," but have some other personal connotation for me. (In fact, some of them aren't among the best bands in the world, but there are personal reasons for my forever interest. The Gaslight Anthem comes to mind--a good band, not a great band, but there's a profound link between me, the band, and my brother's death that gives them outsized importance in my life.)

Others:

Wilco

The Eels

The National

Neko Case

Bob Dylan

James

U2

Belle and Sebastian

The New Pornographers

Guster

Jack White (any project)

LCD Soundsystem

M. Ward

There are countless bands right now that I think are "better" than many of those I listed, but it's still easy to imagine interest flaming out at some point. I also can't list anyone like Courtney Barnett, a current favorite, who doesn't have a long enough track record that proves staying power in my psyche.

Move along, folks. Nothing to see here. All the action is down the street.

We had two threads going about Lemmy's death, so I merged them.

 The new album features a song about Natalie.

Thank you for sharing this heartwarming news.

I absolutely loved it and was (slightly) disappointed for the same reason: It fully transported me back to my childhood, because it felt like a remake of Episode IV, but it also felt a bit like a retread, because it felt like a remake of Episode IV, with parts taken from the other movies, too.

Loved the old cantina scene? Here's a variation! Loved the old scene with Kenobi being cut down in front of helpless onlookers? Here's a variation! Loved when Vader used the Force Choke? Here's a variation! Loved when Luke used the Force to grab his lightsaber from the ice? Here's a variation! Loved the old scene where the Death Star is attacked? Here's a variation!  Loved the scene where an old Jedi master is discovered living as a hermit?  Here's a variation!  And so on, echo after echo, both small and large. Nearly the entire movie felt like it took apart Episode IV and re-assembled its parts in new ways. In that sense, it's similar to Abrams' Star Trek Into Darkness, which re-assembled The Wrath of Khan. Those echoes are fun, but it also prevents the movie from soaring as its own new story that can surprise and thrill on its own terms.

But I'm not complaining. This is the Star Wars movie I needed. I think the fans who were burned by the prequels needed a straight-up nostalgia trip to restore faith, and Star Wars has always relied on recurring themes, images, and motifs (especially those involving fathers/sons and lost hands). Abrams has certainly pressed all the right pleasure centers, managed to stay true to the personalities of Han, Luke, and Leia, and managed to skillfully introduce new characters that we care about and will learn to love as much as that original trio. Perhaps a nostalgia trip, despite its limitations, is the perfect way to transition into a new cycle. And now that we've put the transition behind us, we have all the right pieces in place for the next entry, which can operate freely and hopefully innovate beyond simply recycling memories to re-assure fans that Star Wars doesn't suck anymore.

Speaking of father and son stuff, I think my favorite moment was early in the movie when my 7-year-old son gasped and said, "Dad, that was the Wilhelm Scream!" Indeed it was, quiet but sure. Cool kid, I have.

#2 on Robin Hilton's list for NPR: "Star Wars — and the Tweedy record from last year — show frontman Jeff Tweedy has entered a period of profound creativity, writing some of the best songs of his life."

#7 on American Songwriter's list: "The apex of the record is its stunning final track 'Magnetized,' which see’s the band channeling Abbey Road-era Beatles into robust pop perfection that rivals 'Reservations,' for best album closer."

#9 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the year's best albums: "Frontman Jeff Tweedy has finally found his inner Han Solo."

The GOP's rejection of refugees is rooted in a shared virtue: Like all Americans of any political persuasion, they sincerely want to keep America safe. The irony is that it doesn't take into consideration the tried-and-true methods of keeping America safe. First, there is a careful vetting process already in place that has been working for more than a decade.  (To listen to the cable news blowhards, you'd think that the president's plan is to simply open the doors to an unregulated stampede.)  Embracing refugees keeps America safe for several reasons. Research shows that moving refugees far away from the conflict zone results in much reduced chances that they will be radicalized at some point in the future. Additionally, refusal sends the message that America is heartless and condemns all Muslims, which potentially helps radicalize those turned away and confirms for extremists their view of America, aiding in their recruitment efforts.

Is it possible that a terrorist could sneak into the country via the refugee program? Of course. But I'd wager, given the data acquired over the previous decade, that the likelihood is small and that any potential threat is dramatically outweighed by the potential threat created by refusing refugees.

In other words, rejecting the refugees makes us less safe, while accepting them makes us more safe.

Nice I'm seeing them Saturday. They don't seem to get any love here but they're one of my favs

I'm not crazy about the last two albums, but the older stuff remains in heavy rotation around the house. My wife and I have seen them 7-8 times over the years, and the live show continues to be pretty great. They were obviously having a blast last night and did a few things they've never done before.  (There used to be quite a few Guster fans around here.)

Guster at the Pabst in Milwaukee.

Self-serving silence is what motivates the fallen Catholics who intersect at a seaside monastery in The Club, Pablo Larrain’s severe indictment of the Church in Chile. The residents are mostly disgraced priests sent to the coast by the Church in order to save face, but their comfortable, unholy existence is threatened when a young investigator, Father Garcia, starts asking questions. With its washed-out, colorless cinematography, the movie starts grim and only grows bleaker, culminating in an astonishing sequence of violence and retribution. Larrain flirts with sacrilege—one potent image has Father Garcia washing and kissing the feet of a beaten man—but there’s an authentic anger fueling his allegory of how the Church covered up cases of child sexual abuse, and he’s serious about examining what it truly means to be a person of faith. (It would fit nicely on a triple bill with Calvary and Noah.)

Over the last 10 days I have seen 31 movies at the Milwaukee Film Festival.  (Five days still to go!)  So far the two best films I've seen are documentaries: The Look of Silence and Cartel Land.  Both are nuanced sociopolitical portraits that excoriate entire nations for their moral corruption, and both contain startling, how-did-they-get-that footage.

Joining this forum is a big step in that direction.

Welcome! This is a great place.

I think there is a video (maybe on YouTube?) of JC Brooks performing this at SS II and Jeff joining them on stage for the song.

Here it is.

Yeah, we talked for a few minutes before another customer entered the checkout.  What was funny is that I then drove to a video store and the clerk there also mentioned the shirt--but I've talked Wilco with that guy numerous times before, so that wasn't surprising.

 an older gentleman commented on my Wilco t-shirt 

Several days ago I was in OfficeMax and the clerk noticed my T-shirt, saying, "Wilco!  Cool, man."  Thing is, the T-shirt was the "Kaysettes Starring Butchers Blind" one, which only a serious fan would immediately grasp as a Wilco shirt.

Until last night I'd never heard of Mike Fiers. Wow. There really are a lot of great young pitchers and hitters in the game right now. 

As a Brewers fan, I've had the good fortune of watching Mike Fiers for several seasons.  Despite the ups and downs of his average pitching career, he's one of the easiest guys to root for.  Plus, he often managed to perform above expectations given his skill set.  I loved watching him pitch last night; I was thrilled for him.

Yesterday my 7-year-old kept trying to get our Amazon Echo to play music from Star Wars, the movie.  Each of his voice requests ended with the Echo playing "EKG," much to my boy's chagrin.  I was in the office, cracking up.

I have a good friend who was born in Iran and lives in Tehran.  She says that most Iranians are disgusted by the hard-liners in the government and are generally hospitable to Western ideals.  Last year she said something interesting to me--she said that it's interesting how most Iranian citizens don't believe their government's propaganda about America, while so many Americans accept the propaganda they hear about Iran.  I don't mean to minimize the threat from hard-liners in Iran, but I think it is wise to always clarify the distinction between the Iranian government and the Iranian people.

The '67 version is very good, but the new one is solid, too.

You inspired me to make a long-overdue change myself. I am now Magnetized. Considering this Wilco obsession seems to be permanent, it seems like a fitting name for me.

Fitting, yes, but oh, that's gonna take some getting used to.