Writing A Book Review of "Learning How To Die"

[idigworms]

Sounds pretty good. Well done. Although, I'm disappointed you didn't mention Kot being a "huge Giants fan."

 

I've never read his book, but your review makes me want to read it, so good work.

 

I wonder if my instructor would actually appreciate having that tidbit of knowledge about Kot. She seems to be a sports fan, from what I can gather.

 

I am also stumped on areas of potential research. Any ideas?

[bjorn_skurj]

How a guy born in New York who went to college in Michigan and apparently never had a job west of the Continental Divide became a Giants fan?

[H.Stone]

For research questions, I'd pursue things about changes in the music industry, the importance of the bottom line regarding who gets signed and for how long, how bands get added to regular rotations on the radio, etc. (You know, the part about "easy marketability and quick success") I'm not sure how you could define "music of substance" in terms of researching it.

 

Also, it seems like your first sentence (Wilco is the opposite of what record companies...) is your thesis; if so, it should appear closer to the end of that first paragraph.

 

You say that with each release, Wilco has frustrated fans. Then you say, "but with these creative strides..." But you didn't mention creative strides. You simply said they've frustrated fans, but you've never explained why. Later on you say the book is about JTs search for experimental freedom, but you never make the connection between that, the dismissing of various band members, the conflict with the label... You say they were "unceremoniously dropped.... hesitance to release the album," but you never say why the label was hesitant. You know why. We know why. But does your reader know? I know this is just a summary, but it has to be unified and coherent. Make sure one paragraph transitions to the next.

 

If this is way more than--or different than--what you wanted, I apologize. I wrote this from the perspective of an English teacher (my day job).

[Guest Left Arm Tan]

How a guy born in New York who went to college in Michigan and apparently never had a job west of the Continental Divide became a Giants fan?

 

 

i believe i recall Sumka saying something about his dad being a huge giants fan as well. which could mean he was a huge brooklyn giants fan before their move to SF, and thus the love of the SF giants, perhaps?

[idigworms]

For research questions, I'd pursue things about changes in the music industry, the importance of the bottom line regarding who gets signed and for how long, how bands get added to regular rotations on the radio, etc. (You know, the part about "easy marketability and quick success") I'm not sure how you could define "music of substance" in terms of researching it.

 

Also, it seems like your first sentence (Wilco is the opposite of what record companies...) is your thesis; if so, it should appear closer to the end of that first paragraph.

 

You say that with each release, Wilco has frustrated fans. Then you say, "but with these creative strides..." But you didn't mention creative strides. You simply said they've frustrated fans, but you've never explained why. Later on you say the book is about JTs search for experimental freedom, but you never make the connection between that, the dismissing of various band members, the conflict with the label... You say they were "unceremoniously dropped.... hesitance to release the album," but you never say why the label was hesitant. You know why. We know why. But does your reader know? I know this is just a summary, but it has to be unified and coherent. Make sure one paragraph transitions to the next.

 

If this is way more than--or different than--what you wanted, I apologize. I wrote this from the perspective of an English teacher (my day job).

 

No need to apologize! Wow, what a combination: an English teacher and a Wilco fan. How intimidating, but just the person I was looking for! (Because, as I implied at one point in this thread, my instructor, even my entire class, doesn't know much about Wilco.)

 

Here is a revised version of the summary based on your suggestions:

 

According to Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot in his book, "Wilco: Learning How To Die," the work of Jeff Tweedy's previous band, Uncle Tupelo, which he founded in 1987 with high school friend Jay Farrar, was simple enough: American roots music, such as bluegrass, country, and folk, filtered through the mentality and sound of hardcore punk rock. As their stature soared, Farrar's relationship with Tweedy within Uncle Tupelo grew strained and tumultuous, leading to their 1994 breakup. In the wake of that split, Tweedy immediately formed Wilco, who surprisingly have become the complete opposite of what the music industry expected from them as major-label recording artists.

 

At first, Wilco was easy to categorize as merely a straightforward, countrified rock-and-roll band. But Kot notes that, with each album they have released, Jeff Tweedy and Wilco have continually frustrated the expectations of their fans and the industry. From the "sprawling but multifaceted" double album "Being There," to the densely elaborate, lyrically depressing pop of "Summerteeth," Wilco has continually branched out ever farther from their rustic origins. With those creative strides, however, have come unexpected waves of change.

 

The book's most dramatic example of that occurs amidst the making and release of Wilco's fourth album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," their most sonically and lyrically adventurous to date. During that time, Tweedy dismissed two members of Wilco and recruited a new drummer and a new producer. Soon after, the band was unceremoniously dropped by Reprise Records, due to the label's hesitance to release an album so difficult to market, so non-radio-friendly. Rather than waiting to release the album officially, Wilco began streaming it on their website for free, garnering attention from fans, the media, and record labels. Upon its release in 2002, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," became their highest charting and most selling album, casting a light of scrutiny on the concept of music as commerce.

 

Over the course of its 244 pages, "Wilco: Learning How To Die" explores the restless search of Wilco, and in particular Jeff Tweedy, for experimental freedom in defiance of the music industry's desire for quick success and easy marketability. Kot details the pressures Tweedy has faced in that pursuit, such as reconciling his escalating fame with the responsibility of supporting a family, his various conflicts with bandmates and his record label, and his battle with painkiller addiction due to anxiety, depression, and crippling migraine headaches. Ultimately, the book is a championing portrayal of Jeff Tweedy and Wilco's struggle for personal and artistic satisfaction by challenging not only listeners, but also themselves, which makes for a compelling and thrilling music biography.

[Beltmann]

Wow, what a combination: an English teacher and a Wilco fan.

I believe such people should rule the planet.

[H.Stone]

Yes, rule the world!

 

That's much better--far easier to read and follow. One transition I'd "fix" is the one that begins with "The book's most dramatic example of that..." Instead of saying "that," reuse the word "change." So, for example, "The book's most dramatic illustration of such changes occurs during..." It's the old/new strategy in which you make reference to something in the previous sentence before offering new information. It makes the connection clearer.

 

Nice revising.

[idigworms]

I completed my book review and presented my oral report to my class. I will say this: I think I succeeded in having both stolen fans from Justin Timberlake and earned a few fans for Wilco.

 

Now comes a tricky part: I have to write the (dreaded) research paper. I think my favorite idea centers on Jeff's stint in rehab. But as to what particular line of thought behind the research? No clue. But I have plenty of fodder in which to get lost, so it should be at the very least lots of fun. (I know, how deadpan.)

 

Here are some interesting (and, with some, seemingly random) things I have found:

 

From Tweedy's Ghost Stories:

 

"While making ("A Ghost Is Born"), Tweedy -- who has suffered for years from chronic migraines -- began taking pills around the clock for his headaches. 'I knew it was a problem, but I didn't want to let them get out of my system and find out if I even had a headache,' he says. Tweedy has battled depression and various addictions for most of his adult life. 'I'd never gotten help for the addiction side of things,' Tweedy says. 'I have been treated for depression and severe panic disorder. Even that treatment was always sporadic . . . I'd always resisted getting help because I thought it was something different for me: I wasn't pursuing oblivion. I wasn't fucking myself up in a rock & roll way. I was just trying to cope and feel better.' Structure is extremely important to Tweedy for that reason. He says he'd abuse drugs less while on tour, because touring mandates a fairly rigid schedule: He knew he'd have to be at sound check at four, for example, so he couldn't get too annihilated."

 

From Music Therapy & Chemical Dependency:

 

"Music therapy activities involving emotional exploration, such as music listening and discussion, lyric analysis and songwriting are particularly effective toward this end. Purdon-Ostertag (1986), in working with drug-dependent individuals who were particularly negative and complained of feelings of boredom or 'nothing,' found that improvisation on these themes revealed quite concrete feelings. The music expressed anger, sadness, a sense of longing, disappointment and frustration. In the discussion and sharing that followed the improvisation the clients were able to acknowledge the existence of these feelings, differentiate between them, and explore them further."

 

From Elvis Presley's Private Struggle With Intractable Migraines Revealed:

 

". . . The rumors of Elvis' abuse of unneeded prescription drugs, illegal drug use, drinking, and other intonated but unsupportable behavior, could be attributed to his Migraines. The typical rhetoric so many Migraine sufferers deal with every day, even today, seemed to surround this gifted artist."

 

From Mother Jones interview with Jeff Tweedy:

 

". . . I'm a lot healthier, have a lot more stamina. I don't even smoke anymore. I'm a lot happier than I've ever been. When you're dealing with addiction and depression, you end up not being as direct or as honest in the writing and the process as you'd like to be. The world is complex, confusing, scary enough . . ."

 

From Jeff Tweedy Talks About Rehab: "Music Has Saved My Life":

 

"I

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

I believe such people should rule the planet.

 

 

I don't know...

 

I think pornstar gourmet chefs should run things.

[Beltmann]

I stand corrected.

[idigworms]

I have this idea for a research paper: to contrast Jeff and a study titled "Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality pf European and North American rock and pop stars." Jeff himself is one of the 1,064 participants, since they studied a list of the Top 1000 Albums of All Time, which features "Being There" at #618, just above Elvis' first album. Jeff has talked so much about his rehab, his disdain for the image of a drug addled rock star, and has said numerous times that he "wasn't pursuing oblivion" in his drug use. I think this could be a good research paper, but I am stuck...and...I need to have the outline and thesis done in a week's time! How crazy...

[idigworms]

My unfinished rough draft. Tell me if this sounds akin to a hagiography...

 

The image of a “drug-addled rock star” is one who embraces risky and careless behavior, who romanticizes the lifestyle summed up in one common phrase: “sex, drugs, and rock and roll.” The general perception is, therefore, that all rock musicians are gluttons for that mode of living; that they exist in extreme, sordid contrast to the general population. But while the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype is certainly perpetuated by musicians who romanticize substance abuse, mental illness, and even early death, Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy, due to his disdain for that stereotype, has transcended it by rising above such self-destructive behavior.

 

One doesn’t have to look too far to see the promotion, whether positive or negative, of the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype in the media. Tabloid magazines regularly feature the latest casualties of rock stardom. Sensational television shows like Behind The Music illustrate the hedonistic lives of rock stars and how many of them, because of their involvement in the music industry, end up either damaged or dead. Even a study released in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, “Elvis to Eminem: quantifying the price of fame through early mortality of European and North American rock and pop stars,” states that rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely than the general population. The study cites that such factors as “stress, changes from popularity to obscurity, and exposure to environments where alcohol and drugs are easily available, can all contribute to substance use as well as other self-destructive behaviours,” revealing that there is indeed an element of truth in the stereotype. However, there are rock musicians who absolutely do not fit or wish to fit this image, one of them being Jeff Tweedy.

 

One might get the impression simply by judging the titles of his songs that Jeff Tweedy, founder and lead singer/songwriter of the band Wilco, fits the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype to a T: “I Must Be High,” “A Shot in the Arm,” “Handshake Drugs.” But his lyrics belie that limited perception, especially those of “Handshake Drugs”: “They were translating poorly/I felt like a clown/I looked like someone I used to know/I felt alright/and if I ever was myself/I wasn’t that night” (Tweedy.) Those lyrics, in retrospect, convey how Jeff might have felt under the effect of the prescription painkillers he abused during the making of Wilco’s 2004 album A Ghost is Born. Because of his desire for normalcy, Jeff Tweedy took painkillers in an attempt to eradicate his feelings of depression, panic attacks, and migraines. But those pills made him someone he was not. “I just felt like I wanted to feel better,” Tweedy later said, “and I wanted to keep functioning” (MTVNews.com.) But it soon became too much, forcing Tweedy to enter himself into a Chicago rehabilitation clinic in April 2004. His stay in rehab delayed the release of A Ghost is Born, but did not affect its track-listing; one of the songs featured on the album was, ironically, “Handshake Drugs.” But the fact that Jeff Tweedy sought treatment is one reason why he not only doesn’t fit the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype but rises above it.

 

Jeff Tweedy is not a typical example of the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype because of the manner of his addiction. He took pills because he wanted to be able to function, not get wasted. Tweedy self-medicated in order to treat his feelings of depression and panic and the chronic migraine headaches that stemmed from those feelings. An interview by CBS Cares with psychiatrist Dr. Nancy Andreasen of the University of Iowa discusses the link between creativity and depression, in that many artists don’t seek treatment for their suffering for fear of stifling their creativity. Dr. Andreason states, however, that “most creative people who have at least significant depression feel that having the depression treated enhances their creativity rather than reduces it” (CBS.com.) Tweedy wanted to be able to not only function but to create; ultimately, he found that treatment was the only way he could ensure he could achieve that.

 

Another reason why Jeff Tweedy rises above the “drug-addled rock star” stereotype is because he hates it. In Greg Kot’s book “Wilco: Learning How To Die,” Tweedy was quoted as saying, “I despise the ‘drug-addled rock star’ image” (Kot 131.) I asked Kot what he thought made Jeff’s substance abuse so different from the average rock star. “I think critical to Tweedy's development, and his disdain for the rock star image, is his background in punk,” Kot wrote. “Anybody of that generation, who saw [This is Spinal Tap] and saw how ridiculous rock can be, is very self-aware about subjects such as celebrity, sex, drugs, rock ‘n’ roll, etc. That doesn't mean they avoid these traps, however.” Kot told me that it took Jeff a long time to open up to him about his self-medicating. “He wasn't proud of it, and didn't want it be the focus of any story about him. Contrast his attitude toward the dudes in M