Jeff Tweedy interviewed in Irish Times

[Chinese Apple]

Badly written article in the Irish Times.

 

http://www.irishtime...4316645587.html

 

She waits about 100 words before launching the "ashes of Uncle Tupelo" trope.

[rwilson580]

I don't think it's so bad. Other than the apparently non-ironic usage of the "ashes" cliche. I like seeing Jeff confronted with the genius thing. Humble geniuses are cool.

[ViaNewOrleans]

I thought this article was amusing and insightful This quote particularly cracked me up:

 

“When we started having little bits of weirdness on our records in ways that people were noticing, for some people it was really shocking and some people really liked it. They’d ask ‘Why the noise?’ and I’d say ‘Well, it’s what works, and what sounds good to us. And if we wanted to make a record that was totally straightforward, we would’. And then we did, and people were shocked by that,” he laughs.

 

That about sums it up .........

[Queen Amaranthine]

That is a good quote above. It brings to mind a quote I saw recently, something about doing what you love regardless because you'll be criticized either way.

 

It must be tedious to be interviewed so many times by so many writers, answering similar questions like they are fresh and new each time. Still, each article is no doubt read by a new fan or someone new to Wilco. Longtime fans do find "ashes of Uncle Tupelo" cliche, of course.

[ih8music]

I thought this article was amusing and insightful This quote particularly cracked me up:

 

“When we started having little bits of weirdness on our records in ways that people were noticing, for some people it was really shocking and some people really liked it. They’d ask ‘Why the noise?’ and I’d say ‘Well, it’s what works, and what sounds good to us. And if we wanted to make a record that was totally straightforward, we would’. And then we did, and people were shocked by that,” he laughs.

 

That about sums it up .........

 

The very next line literally made me lol...

 

“What’s been the most fun to me, over the years, is that you can have 15 minutes of static and drone on a record, and somehow that’s less aggravating to people than a duet with Feist.”

 

spoken as one who'd take drone over You And I

[JAK2112]

The very next line literally made me lol...

 

“What’s been the most fun to me, over the years, is that you can have 15 minutes of static and drone on a record, and somehow that’s less aggravating to people than a duet with Feist.”

 

spoken as one who'd take drone over You And I

 

That line stuck out to me as well, was very funny

[Sweet Papa Crimbo]

Of course, Tweedy has a case for being irritated by such a derogatory tag. Since forming Wilco from the ashes of alt-country band Uncle Tupelo in 1994, the musician has strived to make music that quietly pushes the boundaries. Along the way, they’ve gathered a fanbase fiercely loyal to the Chicagoans’ blend of rock, country and experimental asides, to which even Barack Obama has pledged his allegiance

 

 

Did everybody do their shot?.

[tinnitus photography]

Badly written article in the Irish Times.

 

http://www.irishtime...4316645587.html

 

She waits about 100 words before launching the "ashes of Uncle Tupelo" trope.

 

just imagine if you are Robert Pollard and every record review (of the 30 or so annual releases) mentions his boozing and ex-4th grade teacher status. as well as the 30 annual releases.

[Chinese Apple]

I don't think it's so bad. Other than the apparently non-ironic usage of the "ashes" cliche. I like seeing Jeff confronted with the genius thing. Humble geniuses are cool.

 

Yes, FIVE people she knows consider him a genius. Whereas I assume the other 1300 people of her facebook friends do not. When I read that line, my immediate thought was: damned with faint praise. I would have laughed too if I were a Grammy award winning musician whose record has been considered one of the 100 best in music history by various publications, who has a huge cult following. I would laugh not out of modesty, but as a meta-chortle that implies "how interesting that this little lady's five friends appoint themselves as arbiters of genius."

 

Anyway, I find the Irish Times generally limp and insipid as a national newspaper for a country that has so many Nobel Prize winners for literature, I guess it is not so surprising that most of these Nobel Prize winners only hit their stride when they left the country.

 

Of course it is good journalism to reiterate some background, ie. Uncle Tupelo, but she should have done a little research. She should have read five articles previously written about the band and realized that "from the ashes" was probably to be avoided as a lead in to Uncle Tupelo. There are at the very least 47 other ways to say it.

 

Maybe I will start a new thread to explore other ways of phrasing, so journalists can have a ready list as a go-to for those days when they are under deadline pressure.

[DickDarlington]

Badly written article in the Irish Times.

 

http://www.irishtime...4316645587.html

 

She waits about 100 words before launching the "ashes of Uncle Tupelo" trope.

 

I really liked this.

Are you Irish? If so I presume you know what the Ticket is and that it's aimed at the general public.

The article is also aimed at shifting tickets for the festival. This ain't an interview in Mojo or Uncut.

 

It's read by a certain sorta person who buys the Times and on a Friday they get this free supplement. It needs to cater to the masses and unfortunately the masses probably don't know who Jeff Tweedy is. So unless The Weekend magazine do an in depth piece, this is the best you'll get.

 

If you're looking for a bad article try the one in Hot Press this fortnight that's interviewing Jeff.

Now they are exclusively a music magazine, what's their excuse?

 

 

[rwilson580]

Yes, FIVE people she knows consider him a genius. Whereas I assume the other 1300 people of her facebook friends do not. When I read that line, my immediate thought was: damned with faint praise. I would have laughed too if I were a Grammy award winning musician whose record has been considered one of the 100 best in music history by various publications, who has a huge cult following. I would laugh not out of modesty, but as a meta-chortle that implies "how interesting that this little lady's five friends appoint themselves as arbiters of genius."

 

I think that would be an appropriate reaction if she'd said "some of my friends think you're cool." Now delightfully naive. "Bona fide genius," though...that's something else. If that doesn't inspire modest laughter then you're a loser. Jeff knows he can string together a pretty good tune, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't consider "genius" his due.

 

Hey, if five people in the WORLD have gone on record that you're a genius, that's kind of cool.

[Chinese Apple]

Are you Irish? If so I presume you know what the Ticket is and that it's aimed at the general public.

The article is also aimed at shifting tickets for the festival. This ain't an interview in Mojo or Uncut.

 

I am "naturalized Irish", came here initially against my will (for love), but these days I've developed an ersatz Stockholm Syndrome and consider this my home. I have high expectations of the Irish Times. I really want them to be on par with the New York Times or Washington Post. Ms. Murphy may have been writing for a free supplement, but she is still on the Irish Times staff as a entertainment writer. It's not like she is some rookie reporter.

 

 

If you're looking for a bad article try the one in Hot Press this fortnight that's interviewing Jeff.

Now they are exclusively a music magazine, what's their excuse?

 

Yikes. I will brace myself... Thanks for the heads up!

 

To be honest, I think I am just still hurting from the short set Wilco will play at the festival, and wanted a scapegoat. It's not even that they will play fewer songs, but that there would be less time for banter, which is partly the fun of seeing them live.

 

I'll get over it. Imma bring my own party to FFF (leveraged friendships and made people buy tickets to come) and am looking forward to the weekend. Woohoo!

 

(Mr. Darlington, I am curious if you are associated with the FFF. You seem to get all of the first scoops before they are officially announced.)

[DickDarlington]

 

 

I am "naturalized Irish", came here initially against my will (for love), but these days I've developed an ersatz Stockholm Syndrome and consider this my home. I have high expectations of the Irish Times. I really want them to be on par with the New York Times or Washington Post. Ms. Murphy may have been writing for a free supplement, but she is still on the Irish Times staff as a entertainment writer. It's not like she is some rookie reporter.

 

 

 

 

Yikes. I will brace myself... Thanks for the heads up!

 

To be honest, I think I am just still hurting from the short set Wilco will play at the festival, and wanted a scapegoat. It's not even that they will play fewer songs, but that there would be less time for banter, which is partly the fun of seeing them live.

 

I'll get over it. Imma bring my own party to FFF (leveraged friendships and made people buy tickets to come) and am looking forward to the weekend. Woohoo!

 

(Mr. Darlington, I am curious if you are associated with the FFF. You seem to get all of the first scoops before they are officially announced.)

 

Ha! I wish. I won't even get to FF and I live about 100mtrs from IMMA in Kilmainham.

I do work in Irish media though, in TV and film stuff, not newspapers or blogs.

 

Yeah I'm still seething from the 1hr set at electric picnic a few yrs ago- that sucked.

 

I will see them in Porto though!

[Chinese Apple]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but just wanted to rant a little about the crappy reporting at the Irish Times some more...

 

I have met a few journalists who work for them -- all of them seem to have inherited money, and got jobs because they are related to people. No gritty hard nosed journalists need apply. They suck up to the rich and powerful and complain about taxes and civil servants. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2012/0621/1224318353022

 

Last year, one of the organizers of Democrats Abroad, an Irish American gal, committed suicide after being bullied at her Irish company. And the Irish Times agreed to publish her suicide note, but edited it to protect the Irish company (who have connections to the paper.) http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-Times-and-FitzGerald-family-clash-over-suicide-of-daughter-135821413.html

 

As a former journalist I find the Irish Times great for lining the birdcage.

[broc]

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but just wanted to rant a little about the crappy reporting at the Irish Times some more...

 

I have met a few journalists who work for them -- all of them seem to have inherited money, and got jobs because they are related to people. No gritty hard nosed journalists need apply. They suck up to the rich and powerful and complain about taxes and civil servants. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2012/0621/1224318353022

 

Last year, one of the organizers of Democrats Abroad, an Irish American gal, committed suicide after being bullied at her Irish company. And the Irish Times agreed to publish her suicide note, but edited it to protect the Irish company (who have connections to the paper.) http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Irish-Times-and-FitzGerald-family-clash-over-suicide-of-daughter-135821413.html

 

As a former journalist I find the Irish Times great for lining the birdcage.

 

Yes the Irish Times is certainly flawed but it is the best Irish daily newspaper by a long shot.

 

I find it totally bizarre that of all the Irish newspapers you would single the IT out as ‘complaining about taxes and civil servants’! Have you ever read the Irish Independent or its Sunday edition The Sunday Independent? Those newspapers most definitely have an overt agenda against civil servants etc. Every week without fail they publish stories that are half-truths, misinformation and downright spin.

 

With regard to the journalists you have met that work there whom do you mean? It sounds like you have a personal axe to grind.

 

Do you find the Irish Independent great for lining the birdcage?

Do you know who owns the Irish Independent?

Please list the gritty hard-nosed journalists from the Irish Independent or other papers.

What Irish newspapers do you read instead of the IT?

 

Bizarre.

 

[Chinese Apple]

 

 

Yes the Irish Times is certainly flawed but it is the best Irish daily newspaper by a long shot.

 

I find it totally bizarre that of all the Irish newspapers you would single the IT out as ‘complaining about taxes and civil servants’! Have you ever read the Irish Independent or its Sunday edition The Sunday Independent? Those newspapers most definitely have an overt agenda against civil servants etc. Every week without fail they publish stories that are half-truths, misinformation and downright spin.

 

With regard to the journalists you have met that work there whom do you mean? It sounds like you have a personal axe to grind.

 

 

If you read earlier in the thread - it is precisely because I hold the IT to be on par with the New York Times or Washington Post that I am especially disapointed with the decline in journalistic integrity. The Indo and Herald are both tabloids and to be read for entertainment, but I expect the Irish Times to be unbiased and factual.

 

I have encountered IT journalists at cocktail parties, PR events and the like, both here and abroad (I too, was a journalist.) with their Southside addresses and posh backgrounds. Not that there is anything wrong with being privileged.

 

I have no personal collection of axes that require grinding, except perhaps, having participated in Democrats Aborad in Ireland during the 2008 Obama campaign, I feel a tremendous sense of injustice about the way the IT treated Kate Fitzgerald's memory and her family.

 

I mainly rely on foreign media (BBC, AP, Reuter), blogs, and RTE for news coverage on Ireland.

[broc]

 

 

If you read earlier in the thread - it is precisely because I hold the IT to be on par with the New York Times or Washington Post that I am especially disapointed with the decline in journalistic integrity.

 

I have encountered IT journalists at cocktail parties, PR events and the like, both here and abroad (I too, was a journalist.) with their Southside addresses and posh backgrounds. Not that there is anything wrong with being privileged.

 

I have no personal collection of axes that require grinding, except perhaps, having participated in Democrats Aborad in Ireland during the 2008 Obama campaign, I feel a tremendous sense of injustice about the way the IT treated Kate Fitzgerald's memory and her family.

 

I mainly rely on foreign media (BBC, AP, Reuter), blogs, and RTE for news coverage on Ireland.

 

 

So you regard the IT to be on a par with the New York Times and the Washington Post yet you look to foreign media outlets and an Irish TV channel for Irish news? LIke I said earlier, bizarre.

 

When did the decline in the IT's journalistic integrity begin?

 

I respectfully suggest you are missing out on a lot of in-depth analysis of Irish news. For example Patsy McGarry has done outstanding work on the criminal behaviour, lies and obfuscation of the Irish Catholic Church and more importantly the Vatican in protecting paedophile priests and bishops.

 

You state that some of the journalists have Dublin southside addresses and posh accents but then state there's nothing wrong with being priviliged. Which is it?

 

I have a southside address but it is probably the most left-leaning constituency in Ireland, I'm sure you'll know where I mean.

 

I know very little of the background of Kate Fitzgerald and that issue but it seems to have clouded your opinion of the IT.