JesusEtc Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I just found this dvd at the video store, and I dont ever remember anyone talking about it on here. Anyone else seen it? Oh, and it was... not good, mostly consisted of Billy Bragg being very british and boring. Although there are some great scenes of Jeff recording, Another Man's Done Wrong, California Stars and some others. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Man In The Sand, its called. i like the whole thing.. even billy's words on guthrie. the interview with bill and his mum is good though. and of course, wilco recording. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 Man in the Sand? It might depend on your overall opinion of Billy Bragg, I like him, even though he can be a bit hard to take sometimes. It must be exhausting to be him, I would think, not to mention how exhausting it would probably be to be around him (not that Nora Guthrie seems to mind spending time with him ). I think the biggest problem with Man in the Sand, as a documentary, is that it doesn't really address what the specific problems were between BB and Wilco. You get this sort of rushed-through discussion of different mixes of the songs, general disagreements, etc., but nothing gets fully hashed out, as far as I can see. But yeah, definitely worth it for the footage of the recording sessions. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
aricandover Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 (not that Nora Guthrie seems to mind spending time with him ). she was so overly smitten, it was creepy. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JesusEtc Posted July 10, 2006 Author Share Posted July 10, 2006 the whole time Billy Bragg kept reminding me of Bob Saget. yeah, and as far as documentaries go, it seemed very contrived. The whole beginning seemed useless to the rest of the documentary, and I dont even understand why they have the interview with Billy's mom, since the documentary is primarily focused on the making of the album, and of course Woody Guthrie. Also lots of cheesy transitions, and camera angles. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Analogman Posted July 10, 2006 Share Posted July 10, 2006 I don't care for Billy Bragg, Woody Guthrie, socialism, or the old dude with the beard, but I would like to see the whole concert at the end of the film. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
morelikethemoon Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I really don't mind Billy Bragg too much and the dvd as a whole was interesting at first because I learned a lot about Woddy Guthrie, but then it started to drag on. I didn't watch past the recording scenes... maybe one day i'll finish it. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
TheMaker Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Great doc, and I'm more than a little surprised to see the underwhelming response to it on this of all forums. I can take or leave Bragg, but Wilco is Wilco and Woody is an indispensible figure in American music/poetry/history. I thought it was very well put together and featured a lot of great performance footage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
alison the wilca Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 i like it a lot.. i dont know anything about quality filmaking and don't really care. i just enjoy all the tidbits of stories and music. at my window sad and lonely is maybe my favorite part after the "goofy dance" jeff does, which is comical. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
wheelco Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 got it recently, have not yet watched, but I'm sure I will a few times and then pass it around to local Wilco-ites Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Synthesizer Patel Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Billy Bragg walking around Woody Guthries birth place with his skinny white legs in shorts and white socks pulled way up high, is one of the best documentary moments ever. It's British culture meeting American culture head on - truly an Englishman abroad. The only thing that spoils it for me is Nora Guthrie. Her personality grates with me a bit, but apart from that it's a very good documentary. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Albert Tatlock Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 First time I ever clapped eyes on Wilco. It was shown on the BBC years ago. I had interests in Guthrie and BB. Bingo! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
LouieB Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Its a good but not great documentary and definitely worth watching. LouieB Quote Link to post Share on other sites
gogo Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 Great doc, and I'm more than a little surprised to see the underwhelming response to it on this of all forums. I can take or leave Bragg, but Wilco is Wilco and Woody is an indispensible figure in American music/poetry/history. I thought it was very well put together and featured a lot of great performance footage.I think the underwhelming response is probably due to the fact that it's definitely Billy's show. There's plenty of Wilco footage to hold most fans' attention, but for people who aren't willing to put up with Billy Bragg (or Nora Guthrie), I can see where it wouldn't be everyone's thing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tupeloattheBottleneck Posted July 11, 2006 Share Posted July 11, 2006 I got this on Tenderloin's suggestion and enjoyed it. The interesting bits invloved the tension between Jeff and BB and how each chose to interpret Woody's songs( which of course I love). There seemed to be a more than subtle bias towards BB in how the film was edited. I wish they would have exposed the tension between BB and JT more - I got the feeling they left out some juicy scenes of BB freaking out over the songs Wilco chose for the album.Bottom line= I give the movie three stars the album four.five stars. This made me appreciate Wilco's songs and their process and individuality even more . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
yankhotelfox Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Oh, and it was... not good, mostly consisted of Billy Bragg being very british and boring. Well, Billy Bragg is British so I guess that would make sense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
El Picador Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 Billy Bragg walking around Woody Guthries birth place with his skinny white legs in shorts and white socks pulled way up high, is one of the best documentary moments ever. It's British culture meeting American culture head on - truly an Englishman abroad. One of my favorite parts of the film. I love Okemah. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
YourPopQuizKid Posted October 20, 2006 Share Posted October 20, 2006 I'm partial myself to the part where Jeff is doing ab exercises (or something?) on the floor in the background with his legs in air while Billy Bragg is being all serious in the foreground. I always think of that scene when I hear: I'm working on my abs/I'm working on me Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mollyegan Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 I just recently discovered this doc myself, and really like it. It's worth the price of admission just for When the Roses Bloom Again. It always kills me how Jeff delivers this incredibly heart-wrenching song and is so nonchalant about it afterwards! I am incorporating clips of it in my lessons on the Dust Bowl Era and Steinbeck, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dazzler Posted October 21, 2006 Share Posted October 21, 2006 I just recently discovered this doc myself, and really like it. It's worth the price of admission just for When the Roses Bloom Again. It always kills me how Jeff delivers this incredibly heart-wrenching song and is so nonchalant about it afterwards! I am incorporating clips of it in my lessons on the Dust Bowl Era and Steinbeck, etc. Nice touch!!! I wish more teachers would incorporate music into their lessons. The songs of Woody Guthrie and many others are as important to our history as our literature. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
socbret Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 Finally got it on netflix. Worth the watch alone for Jeff's performances, and Billy is bearable most of the time, but Nora drove me nuts. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
redpillbox Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 I really enjoyed the documentary. What kills me is the Tweedy-sung clip of 'Birds and Ships' they play. I would love to have a copy of that song as interpreted by Wilco. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
nicburto Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 i gotsta get my hands on this Quote Link to post Share on other sites
froggie Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 i gotsta get my hands on this here 'tis: http://www.amazon.com/Billy-Bragg-Wilco-Ma...=UTF8&s=dvd really nice film... wilco dont kick in till about midway through it, but its well worth seeing the whole thing Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DickDarlington Posted January 31, 2007 Share Posted January 31, 2007 What was the disagreement they had? did they completely fall out over it and was the 2nd album made by getting together again or from left overs from 1st album? Always read how they had "disagreements" but just never heard the specifics Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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