Wilco friends

[Magnetized]

This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately, because I'm going to (or have already gone to) lots of Wilco shows this spring/summer and at several of them I'm traveling with someone I only know through the band.

 

And in every single case--so far--it's turned out to be a really nice experience (from my perspective, anyway!!) Really, more than just OK. I've actually felt enriched from the relationships I have with people where the only way we would ever know each other is because of this shared passion.

 

I just think it's kind of cool. Comments welcome. (Or not. This can be a tough crowd and I've developed a thick skin, so I won't be offended if this thread drops like a turd.)

[kidsmoke]

I figure you are talking about me so I thought I'd drop in and say, "Hello, Wilco friend!"

 

You are one of the best, and I join you in thanking Wilco for bringing so many amazing and dear people into my life!

[calvino]

Even though he is a commie pinko, LouieB is a great person to share a concert experience with - wouldn't have met him, if it wasn't for this board. Him liking jazz is a great plus, too.

[smells like flowers]

I, too, am so happy about the Wilco friends/friendly folks I've met through the board! Some in person, some only through PMs, but all in all, a fantastic and diverse group of folks I'm happy to know and wouldn't have otherwise met. Workaday life tends to be so busy that I don't get to see local friends as often as I'd like, so I'm doubly happy to have some supplemental online Wilco friends. Hope to meet more VCers at this summer's shows and SS 2013.

 

Hi, y'all!

[LouieB]

Even though he is a commie pinko, LouieB is a great person to share a concert experience with - wouldn't have met him, if it wasn't for this board. Him liking jazz is a great plus, too.

Back at ya Bob. Looking forward to some summer concert events with you this summer.

 

I only play a commie pinko in the 2012 president thread to irritate the right wingers. Meanwhile I have met dozens of VCers. I always lead with asking if someone is a viaChicagoan when meeting Wilco fans. I count several as friends from various parts of Chicago, the US and even other countries. I am also about the oldest VCer.

 

LouieB

[Magnetized]

I forget which one of is older, Lou or me, but at this age who's counting? I consider the old codger a friend even though we've never met, thanks in part for that Art Institute pass.

 

And yes, Ms. Kidsmoke, of course I was thinking of you, but also many others. But you definitely kicked things into high gear after that idyllic Solid Sound 1.

[LouieB]

I believe I am older but not by much.

 

LouieB

[sonicshoulder]

This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately, because I'm going to (or have already gone to) lots of Wilco shows this spring/summer and at several of them I'm traveling with someone I only know through the band.

 

And in every single case--so far--it's turned out to be a really nice experience (from my perspective, anyway!!) Really, more than just OK. I've actually felt enriched from the relationships I have with people where the only way we would ever know each other is because of this shared passion.

 

I just think it's kind of cool. Comments welcome. (Or not. This can be a tough crowd and I've developed a thick skin, so I won't be offended if this thread drops like a turd.)

 

I couldn't agree more with this comment. I've only been around here (VC) for a few years but it's been alot of fun. It's probably my favorite place to go on the web and I try to check in every day. I don't do Facebook or Twitter but I do have a social media and its through VC. I'd have to say my favorite moment was a concert stream a few years ago and there were a ton of us on here listening and commenting and that to me was as cool as it gets. Much thanks to all those/you's who keep this place going. (BTW, anybody heard from Sex Nap...been a while)

[Ghost of Electricity]

i think she got banned.

[Beltmann]

Whether they have remained strictly online or spilled over into real life, the many friendships that I have made here at VC remain important facts in my life. I don't think these friendships are essential to my interest in Wilco, but they definitely enhance that interest!

[Bosco]

This is something that's been on my mind a lot lately, because I'm going to (or have already gone to) lots of Wilco shows this spring/summer and at several of them I'm traveling with someone I only know through the band.

 

And in every single case--so far--it's turned out to be a really nice experience (from my perspective, anyway!!) Really, more than just OK. I've actually felt enriched from the relationships I have with people where the only way we would ever know each other is because of this shared passion.

 

I just think it's kind of cool. Comments welcome. (Or not. This can be a tough crowd and I've developed a thick skin, so I won't be offended if this thread drops like a turd.)

 

I agree!!! In the short time I've been on this board I've meet some real cool and nice people. I was welcomed like an old friend even though I'm a newbie on the board, perhaps it's because I've been around and I'm a familiar face to some, who knows why, but thanks! Really looking forward to these upcoming shows.

[holyshit]

Despite the fact that I don't post here often due to (mostly) extreme laziness, I must give thanks and big thumbs up to Wilco Me, Kidsmoke, and Son of Kidsmoke for pretty much making my trips to Solid Sound I and II possible. But then I think most Wilcofolk are all-around decent people, as far as I can tell.

[Magnetized]

Isn't this a nice, feel-good thread?

 

I love all the compliments that are being passed around, but what I really meant to say initially had more to do with being grateful for the sense of community that we get from being fans of Wilco, however it is we all get to know each other. Some of it is facilitated by VC, some by Facebook, and most of it is cemented by actually meeting each other at shows.

 

I guess one of the reasons I value this so much is that in real life I know practically no one who is a fan, or who even is really much of a music fan, period. And since Wilco has become such a passion for me, it feels so validating to have this extended family of people who can relate. It's a little like a gay friend of mine says about spending vacations in Provincetown, MA. He has no problem in his everyday life getting along with straight people, and he's certainly not in the closet, but still when he goes to P-town and is surrounded by tons of people who have this thing in common, he just feels like he's among his own kind and can really let his hair down.

 

That's kind of what it feels like to be at Wilco shows and to hang around VC. A nice alternate universe where it doesn't seem weird at all to discuss the merits of various eras of the band, what "She's a Jar" is all about, whether we prefer Tweedy's voice in a higher or lower register, etc. I know lots of people on this board are musicians themselves, so for you guys this place may not be as much of a refuge as it is for me, but I feel like it's a kind of lifeline.

 

So, as Alex Chilton said, thank you, friends!

[Robby]

I guess one of the reasons I value this so much is that in real life I know practically no one who is a fan, or who even is really much of a music fan, period. And since Wilco has become such a passion for me, it feels so validating to have this extended family of people who can relate.

 

I agree with you 100% on this.

I can't get any of my friends or family interested in Wilco - the most I get is a polite shrug.

After awhile, I start to feel like the character Jeff sings about in Golden Smog's I Can't Keep From Talking.

I mean my wife has "suffered" thru 4 concerts with me, but she just gave me a blank stare when I told her about this high quality Uncle Tupelo video I found on EZTorrent over the weekend.

But I posted (In a Future Age) about the video and two VCers thanked me calling it to their attention.

Feels a lot better than a blank stare - thanks everybody!

It's nice to have a feel-good thread every once in awhile.

[Tweedling]

 

 

I agree with you 100% on this.

I can't get any of my friends or family interested in Wilco - the most I get is a polite shrug.

After awhile, I start to feel like the character Jeff sings about in Golden Smog's I Can't Keep From Talking.

I mean my wife has "suffered" thru 4 concerts with me, but she just gave me a blank stare when I told her about this high quality Uncle Tupelo video I found on EZTorrent over the weekend.

But I posted (In a Future Age) about the video and two VCers thanked me calling it to their attention.

Feels a lot better than a blank stare - thanks everybody!

It's nice to have a feel-good thread every once in awhile.

Man I feel so sorry for you and Wilco Me! My wife, my kids and 2 of my best friends enjoy Wilco with me to an extreme degree. It is true though that the people on this board are some cool muhuckers! (for the most part)

[Kim Bodnia]

I want to thank the moderators, administrator kidsmoke, for the technical support I received when I had difficulty logging-in at the beginning of the year, but most importantly because they have made me feel I'm welcomed here and they also expressed empathy towards a difficult, personal situation that I experienced back in March and that I communicated in a thread. They have shown me that my contributions to the site are valued and they are one of the strongest reasons why I continue posting here.

[kidsmoke]

Happy to be able to help, bittersweet_me. We're a community here, and I really do believe that we are all in this life together. No one is in it alone although it can sure feel that way at times. I'm glad you feel welcomed and have been shown empathy and appreciation for your input. This is a pretty great gang of people.

 

I really enjoy the trading of opinions and ideas that happens in these forums.

[Kim Bodnia]

Thanks again, to you and all the team.

[remphish1]

I met up with Froggie when I went to Melbourne a couple of years ago! We had a nice time discussing Wilco , Australia and other stuff!

[Sparky speaks]

I've met a few VCers the past four years at shows around the NYC and New England area. All nice folks. Wouldn't mind meeting "old man Louie" some day. We probably have a lot more in common that not despite our differing views on the 2012 election.

[parisisstale]

Although I've only actually met a few in person through the years (thou recognize many at shows) I feel like I've known the "all-timers" for years...Definitely a special place

 

 

[LouieB]

I've met a few VCers the past four years at shows around the NYC and New England area. All nice folks. Wouldn't mind meeting "old man Louie" some day. We probably have a lot more in common that not despite our differing views on the 2012 election.

Prolly. Who knows.

 

LouieB

[froggie]

I met up with Froggie when I went to Melbourne a couple of years ago! We had a nice time discussing Wilco , Australia and other stuff!

 

 

i've met a few people from all over Australia and all over the world (Brianne, for example).. all have been great people!

[parisisstale]

 

 

 

i've met a few people from all over Australia and all over the world (Brianne, for example).. all have been great people!

 

If I ever make it down under (how do you refer to us, up there?) I'd be sure to find ya froggie.....as long as whiskey girl joins us!

[linclink]

I'll have to go back & find the names they post under here again, but I met great people via Wilco & two that are real good friends who live right near me who post here, & another was a wonderful guy who I'll be I'll meet up with again who I went to a show with via hooking up here for tickets...

The one I met first happened as I was going to my first Wilco show in Detroit last December. I was going to go with an friend who now lives in Buffalo (happily he just saw the Rochester show with me), but he hurt his back & couldn't make the trip. I had a chance to go, via a cheap stubhub ticket, but couldn't find anyone who could do the road trip on such short notice...so my friend Stan, who knows more than a few Wilco fiends, posted on facebook that I was looking for someone who wanted to go to Detroit (he did this just out of kindness, as I hadn't asked him too...great guy Stan)...and I got two replies on that thread saying to basically go no matter what, since they were the best band in the world...this included one guy who'd seen them close to a dozen times & said he'd ended up going it alone on road trips to catch them a couple of times himself. I went, had a blast (stayed with a friend in Ontario, Canada) & thanked both posters for their encouragement. I met Johnny S. (who posts here) at a benefit concert for a local record store, The Bop Shop (it thrives to this day) & we've been fast friends ever since...seeing Ian Hunter together later this month on a nice road trip in fact.

After that show I became totally converted & committed to Wilco. I was at a local show, at great bar in Rochester called Abilene, & my fave local band The Hi-Risers were playing (members of Los Straitjackets & J.D. McPhearson's band are both in this band) & the friend I was there with, Leslie S., came running up to me to tell me that two friends of hers, who were enormous Wilco fans, had just let her know that they'd talked with someone they knew who worked with a music promoter & that Wilco were coming to Rochester. I met Doug B.(who posts here) & Laurie B. that night & they are also just great folks...in fact Leslie, Doug, Laurie & myself, along with lots of other great friends & their kids all just spent a great fun night at a local drive-in together.

Finally I met another great guy who posts here named Jack. I ended up with extra tickets to the Camden, NJ show & sold them to Jack & his very cool friend Hugh. They were not only great guys to go to the show with...but Jack (think he wore an NRBQ shirt to the show- perfect..) ended up sending me some amazing CD burns...some Wilco, Television & a long lost Richard Thompson comp (Doom & Gloom From The Tomb Vol. I) that I'd only ever had on cassette before...very generous & I look forward to when our paths might cross again...