Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 I find myself in a really awkward place. I am doing more reading about the band than listening. While I love THE WHOLE LOVE and really enjoy the live shows I have gotten from torrents, I find myself rather disengaged from the band. I don't think I've listened to any Wilco for a couple of weeks (and that was a 2002 live boot). I have found myself taking breaks from bands that I rabidly follow (the list isn't nearly as long as it used to be) and get drawn back in with a new release (e.g. Springsteen). Maybe it's just the ennui of being exposed to so much. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Shakespeare In The Alley Posted March 21, 2012 Share Posted March 21, 2012 ok? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Sweet Papa Crimbo Posted March 21, 2012 Author Share Posted March 21, 2012 ok? duly noted Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 The ebb and flow is only natural. Except for bbop -- he's all flow Quote Link to post Share on other sites
winterland121072 Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 i listened to Jerry Garcia, et al (grateful dead, jerry garcia band, etc), for about 20 straight years...amazing...roughly 1987 through 2007...then I stopped and had all of these amazing discoveries - U2, REM, Nirvana, etc...Now i seem to be more balanced... I did go through a wilco phase as well - about 9 straight months of just listening to live shows. Wilco is tougher than the Dead and jerry band though. The dead and jerry band shows were so varied show to show. Wilco tends to be nearly the same show every night but for about 5 songs. I wonder why wilco doesn't have more variation in their set lists...show to show on a tour. they certainly have enough songs. the december 2012 chicago shows were quite varied. But, the january / feb / march shows seemed to fall back into the same patterns...interesting... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I wonder why wilco doesn't have more variation in their set lists...show to show on a tour. they certainly have enough songs. the december 2012 chicago shows were quite varied. But, the january / feb / march shows seemed to fall back into the same patterns...interesting...We share the setlist gripe. I'm so amped up about the 2 shows I have tickets for in May (Tampa & St. Augustine) but at the same time I live in fear that the setlist will be the same one that's been circulating of late. They did start varying it a bit at the end of the European tour, but played mostly the same songs each night. Fingers crossed!!!. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lost highway Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Dude, no need to feel weird about it. There is so much god damned amazing music that is already out, and coming out every year- you shouldn't ever feel bad for ignoring your favorite band for a month or two. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Kim Bodnia Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Go ahead, you deserve it. In the meantime we'll guard the fortress. may the force be with you. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mizzy Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I hear ya loud and clear, i go through this same thing myself. What happens for me is that when i have tickets to a Wilco show i'll start listening to Wilco constantly and this will carry over until about a month or so after the show and then i'll go back to all the other bands in the universe. As i haven't seen them since September and there arent any east coast dates posted i can't remember the last time i listened to them. Probably a boot or two on my last long road trip. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
hinko Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I can't get enough! I rarely take breaks from Wilco music, I've been obsessed for many years. I can't explain it but I guess I don't need to explain to this group! Don't even know how many shows I've seen but I try to get to every Chicago show and most anything in Iowa. Saw Jeff in Indiana year before last I believe. Someday I need to get to a KC show or somewhere different. Just can't beat a Chicago show though! The Vibe is way different than some shows I've seen in Iowa. Less talking in the crowd and more sing-a-longs. Seems a lot more new young "fans" at some shows who don't really get the etiquette of the shows. Maybe I'm just getting old? Wilco music is like an old friend to me, there is always a tune that takes me to my happy place no matter my mood! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
bleedorange Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I can't really remember the last time I listened to Wilco. But that's true about all of my favorite bands. I am too focused on new music and the possibility of finding a new Wilco, or The National, or Spoon, etc. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
spui Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Been listening to Wilco pretty heavily for the past few months. I have about 750 of my favorite songs on my iPod and 50 of them are from Wilco. I have also been listening to a lot of live shows. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I decided to put Kicking Television back in rotation in my car this week. It was a good decision. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
The High Heat Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 I decided to put Kicking Television back in rotation in my car this week. It was a good decision. For me it was Summerteeth. Spencer Tweedy's demo put me in the mood for Candyfloss! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
choo-choo-charlie Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 For me it was Summerteeth. Spencer Tweedy's demo put me in the mood for Candyfloss! That one is next. After hearing Via Chicago on KT, I decided it's time to indulge in the dark poetry and sunny beauty of Summerteeth. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Queen Amaranthine Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Totally understandable. This is too long, I know, but who else besides you guys would appreciate this story if you bother to read it? No one in my waking life cares, and once I started typing below it all flowed out. I took a LONG break from Wilco from shortly after SBS was released until almost a year ago. SBS wasn't connecting with me, plus I was busy with young children, work, and extended family member conflicts that all demanded my time, attention, and energy. Plus--I laugh at this now--I thought it was finally time I "grow up" and be "normal" and not so OCD over a music band, of all things. I put away all my Wilco CDs, gave away most of my Wilco and Tweedy solo boots, and didn't attend any shows from spring 2006 and late last year. I didn't listen to much of my favorite music at all during that time and NPR and children's music became my listening fare. Bizarre and kind of funny: that whole time I was off the Wilco wagon, it kept sneaking into my life in small ways here and there-- Not too long after I made the decision to quit using, I was reading an article in my local newspaper about some natural disaster that had happened in a northern European country--I don't recall what though, or exactly when. Anyway, here I am trying to shut myself out of this music entirely, and the local quoted in the article had the first name Wilco. Wilco von SomethingorOther. No shit. Wilco. What was his mother thinking when she picked that name? Summer 2008, my family went over to my mother-in-law's for an afternoon, as we frequently do. She is an avid Cubs fan. We just happened to be there right in time to catch Wilco sing during the 7th inning stretch--I had NO heads up on that because I was so out of the loop, yet the universe made sure I was in front of the TV at that very moment. Same with their appearance on SNL--I rarely watched the show that year but just happened upon it that same night they were the musical guest. Those years were full of little instances like that, including songs playing on TV episodes or in Barnes&Noble or Starbucks. I remember thinking, Wilco, will you not leave me alone?! Then last spring a friend sent me a Tweedy solo boot out of the blue. Long story short, it prompted me to dig out SBS again and it all unraveled. I made up for lost time and here I am loving the band like it's new to me all over again. I even have some ideas for Wilco lyric-inspired artwork again once I find some time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
smells like flowers Posted March 22, 2012 Share Posted March 22, 2012 Totally understandable. This is too long, I know, but who else besides you guys would appreciate this story if you bother to read it? No one in my waking life cares, and once I started typing below it all flowed out. I took a LONG break from Wilco from shortly after SBS was released until almost a year ago. SBS wasn't connecting with me, plus I was busy with young children, work, and extended family member conflicts that all demanded my time, attention, and energy. Plus--I laugh at this now--I thought it was finally time I "grow up" and be "normal" and not so OCD over a music band, of all things. I put away all my Wilco CDs, gave away most of my Wilco and Tweedy solo boots, and didn't attend any shows from spring 2006 and late last year. I didn't listen to much of my favorite music at all during that time and NPR and children's music became my listening fare. Bizarre and kind of funny: that whole time I was off the Wilco wagon, it kept sneaking into my life in small ways here and there-- Not too long after I made the decision to quit using, I was reading an article in my local newspaper about some natural disaster that had happened in a northern European country--I don't recall what though, or exactly when. Anyway, here I am trying to shut myself out of this music entirely, and the local quoted in the article had the first name Wilco. Wilco von SomethingorOther. No shit. Wilco. What was his mother thinking when she picked that name? Summer 2008, my family went over to my mother-in-law's for an afternoon, as we frequently do. She is an avid Cubs fan. We just happened to be there right in time to catch Wilco sing during the 7th inning stretch--I had NO heads up on that because I was so out of the loop, yet the universe made sure I was in front of the TV at that very moment. Same with their appearance on SNL--I rarely watched the show that year but just happened upon it that same night they were the musical guest. Those years were full of little instances like that, including songs playing on TV episodes or in Barnes&Noble or Starbucks. I remember thinking, Wilco, will you not leave me alone?! Then last spring a friend sent me a Tweedy solo boot out of the blue. Long story short, it prompted me to dig out SBS again and it all unraveled. I made up for lost time and here I am loving the band like it's new to me all over again. I even have some ideas for Wilco lyric-inspired artwork again once I find some time. I love your story! There are so many sparkly Wilco-related bits floating out in the universe, and some landed right on you and brought you back into the fold! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Cam Jones Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 did you find $10? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chinese Apple Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I know what you say about reading more about the band than you are listening to it. Wonder whether it's something they are doing differently (new marketing /PR) or just me being in a different place in my life. I made myself take a year sabbatical from my obsessive Wilco habit to finish a Masters, The "year" finished in September and I've been to five shows since. They were all amazing, and I even had the thrill of running into some of the band before/after the shows a couple of times without trying. I feel like I'm just going through the motions, though. The Whole Love is terrific, but I'm not drowning in dopamine the way I used to. I'm listening to Uncle Tupelo hoping it will help rekindle that consuming love I used to feel. (null) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
sonicshoulder Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I decided to put Kicking Television back in rotation in my car this week. It was a good decision. I do this every few months and still come away amazed. A couple weeks before Whole Love released I took a break from the site just because I was getting frustrated with the over analyzation of the yet to be released album. There was too much thinking going on for my taste! Take a break Crow, its quite refreshing. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Queen Amaranthine Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I love your story! There are so many sparkly Wilco-related bits floating out in the universe, and some landed right on you and brought you back into the fold! I like the way you worded that! Also like Chinese Apple's dopamine reference--in good spells, this music really can have that effect. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rwilson580 Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 My name is Ray. And I'm a Wilco fan. There's so much great music in the world. I actually felt kind of remiss during the three or four years where I completely abandoned myself to this band. I felt like I was coming off a bender the day I went back outside, squinted into the sun, and began my post-Wilco existence. Well, not really...just beyond that period of excessive devotion. (I still avoid listening to YHF in its entirety, to avoid a heavy duty relapse.) They remain the only band that I do THIS thing for...go a web site during my lunch hour to listen to other fans talk about them. It's a journey, not a destination. On the plus side, I've stopped trying to hook my friends and family...baby steps, people. Since I crawled back out, I've made lots of great musical discoveries. Spoon. MMJ. The Strokes. Steve Earle. I've rekindled that thing with Tom Waits. I feel a Steely Dan binge is just around the corner. Going on a long drive tomorrow. Maybe I'll put on The Whole Love. Maybe some Being There. Maybe not. My call. I'm in charge. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Mr. Heartbreak Posted March 23, 2012 Share Posted March 23, 2012 I feel a Steely Dan binge is just around the corner. Going on a long drive tomorrow. The first thing I thought of when I read these two sentences was "Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in car." I, too, have gone through long spells of listening to virtually no Wilco...unless they pop up on my iTunes at work.Then again, I plan on going to see them again in May, so I'm sure I will be hooked all over again at that point. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rwilson580 Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 The first thing I thought of when I read these two sentences was "Is there gas in the car? Yes, there's gas in car." I, too, have gone through long spells of listening to virtually no Wilco...unless they pop up on my iTunes at work.Then again, I plan on going to see them again in May, so I'm sure I will be hooked all over again at that point. My favorite song, my favorite lines of all time. My favorite band since 1976...except perhaps for the 2007-2010 period, when I thought they'd been surpassed for a while, by a band who shall remain nameless, on the advice of my sponsor. (Yes, of course, you have to use the term "band" loosely when you're referring to SD.) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
!goose! Posted March 24, 2012 Share Posted March 24, 2012 In leiu of any sort of "break" now is the time to dust off WTA. It's beyond brilliant in the new post whole love context. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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