Jeff Announces Starship Casual

[kidsmoke]

Here's a chance to get up close and personal with our favorite rock star! Let Jeff name your pets, or give you wise counsel through his advice column, "Ask Jeffy (Go Ask Susie)". Would these two steer you wrong?! 

 

https://pitchfork.com/news/wilco-jeff-tweedy-announces-starship-casual-newsletter/?fbclid=IwAR2mrlhAUC8jPIvwDG9EZsAxSh442wQck7gD-RzTn2MrYY5PIdwCLX9ff8U

[Albert Tatlock]

Another nail in the heart of Via Chicago after the FaceBook Group  :-)

Seriously, could be very interesting, though as a UKer I will be on the freebie option as I think (as for The Tweedy Show) it will be US-centric for times and activities etc. I will appreciate getting some more of Jeff's humour (actually the thing that made me a 'fan' rather than just a music lover like with other bands that just get my deep appreciation - which is actually a select few - I'm pretty picky). There was some humour in the TTS of course but due to timing I have only seen about half a dozen of those and actually found them a bit of a turn-off as it seemed more the Suzie Show - not a bad thing per se, just not hitting the sweet spot for me - no big deal either way.

So, looking forward . . .

 

P.S. Speaking of humour, I've had Ronnie Barker in my brain today.

F U N E X

S V F X

Kudos to anyone (U.S.) who gets that. 

[brownie]

2 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

Another nail in the heart of Via Chicago after the FaceBook Group  :-)

Seriously, could be very interesting, though as a UKer I will be on the freebie option as I think (as for The Tweedy Show) it will be US-centric for times and activities etc. I will appreciate getting some more of Jeff's humour (actually the thing that made me a 'fan' rather than just a music lover like with other band that gets my deep appreciation - which is actually a select few - I'm pretty picky). There was some humour in the TTS of course but due to timing I have only seen about half a dozen of those and actually found them a bit of a turn-off as it seemed more the Suzie Show - not a bad thing per se, just not hitting the sweet spot for me - no big deal either way.

So, looking forward . . .

 

P.S. Speaking of humour, I've had Ronnie Barker in my brain today.

F U N E X

S V F X

Kudos to anyone (U.S.) who gets that. 

It’s only another nail in the heart if everyone decides to leave here and pay Jeff $60/year instead.  I signed up for the freebie option too.  Life is becoming an endless series of subscriptions and I have enough of them already.

 

As for F U N E X, my uncle used to tell this joke endlessly when I was growing up (1960’s-1970’s).  He was born and raised in the U.S. in the early 20th century, so there must be a U.S. source of this joke as well.  I have never heard the name Ronnie Barker before, but looking at wikipedia, it appears he was not known in the U.S., and my uncle would have had no access to (or interest in) British media.

 

[Albert Tatlock]

3 hours ago, brownie said:

As for F U N E X, my uncle used to tell this joke endlessly when I was growing up (1960’s-1970’s).  He was born and raised in the U.S. in the early 20th century, so there must be a U.S. source of this joke as well.  I have never heard the name Ronnie Barker before, but looking at wikipedia, it appears he was not known in the U.S., and my uncle would have had no access to (or interest in) British media.

 

Interesting. Don't know how much of the Wikipedia entry you read then, but The Two Ronnies sketch show was a national institution - though the real pinnacle of his career was Porridge - you really need to watch some of those. I seem to remember that there was a US remake that wasn't succesful. The strange thing about The Two Ronnies was that Barker wrote most of the show under an assumed name and no one else knew who it was posting in scripts for sketches until after many years very near the end when everyone met up at a pub and were hanging around waiting for the main writer to show up - then he announced it to his colleagues.

 

P.S. We've always got Bbop to keep the ship afloat, if he's not too busy mixing body fluids with rock stars.

[Madcap]

Signed up for the mid-tier option, hoping to get some cool tour anecdotes and stuff.  

[Bart]

On 8/5/2021 at 6:08 AM, brownie said:

 and pay Jeff $60/year instead.  I signed up for the freebie option too.  Life is becoming an endless series of subscriptions and I have enough of them already.

 

First, I have to say I'm amazed at how prolific Jeff is, especially lately with the new songs, and the Tweedy show and now this.  It's amazing he has time for his main job in Wilco!!!

 

But it sort of irks me that he's charging for this stuff.  Yes, I realize I'm being kind of a jerk for expecting everything for free, and there's no obligation for me to get the pay version of Starship Casual, but it rubs me the wrong way. 

 

And I totally agree with the "Life is becoming an endless series of subscriptions".  As the Beatles sang...........It's all too much!

[Bart]

In spite of my negative comments above, I have to say I was blow away by the email I just received about getting the glass heart/egg from a fan and what he was going through at the time.  I hope all these stories end up in a book at some point.

[Chez]

21 minutes ago, Bart said:

In spite of my negative comments above, I have to say I was blow away by the email I just received about getting the glass heart/egg from a fan and what he was going through at the time.  I hope all these stories end up in a book at some point.

 

A book you will have to pay for!!  

[u2roolz]

I view the Substack subscription as a Jeff Tweedy boxset happening in real time. You get songs with some writings that one can consider liner notes. I know that it’s tied in more with the thinking that it’s stuff that could be an addendum to his book(s). 
 

I have enjoyed everything so far that he has posted. There were a couple of songs that were complete surprises because they were never played on The Tweedy Show.

 

 I can kinda see why folks would be upset about a subscription cost tied to this venture, but try to take these changes in the arts & entertainment industry in stride. I guess a rational fear would be that everyone that you love follows suit and you’re subscribing to 30 plus musicians. You could probably sub for a month later in the year and hear/see what you missed. 

[Madcap]

It’s $60 for a year, not $60 a month or something, totally worth it.

[brownie]

“Heaven has a paywall”

 

That was Jeff’s message to free subscribers today.

 

Sorry Jeff, you’ve been way too prolific (every day!), saying not very much of interest. The story about the red crystal heart was very moving, I will admit, but this list has mostly been clutter in my inbox.  Is it just me?

[lost highway]

I've enjoyed it quite a bit, but as I'm hitting the paywall I'm not going to make the jump to a payed subscription.

 

It's one of those 'new things' the kids are doing, that I'm too stubborn to change for. I'll preorder the next Wilco LP on vinyl though!

[TCP]

I know it's all been available for non-subs but if it wasn't, the demos alone that Jeff has shared have definitely been worth the price of the subscription. I've enjoyed the writing too! But I do expect it will evolve as Jeff figures out the formats and what works best.

[Magnetized]

It’s really hard to swallow, how people could be questioning Jeff’s decision to…gasp!…charge money to read and listen to exclusive content. After the totally free gift that has been the Tweedy Show for 200 episodes during the lockdown, after all the charitable projects he’s undertaken over the years, after performing free backstage shows and still refunding ticket prices for rained out shows, and after continuing to make some content free on his new substack, he has the temerity to actually want us to PAY for something he creates?? The nerve! 

 

It seems more than a bit churlish to whine about this. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head to force you to pay for something you don’t value.

[Albert Tatlock]

2 hours ago, Magnetized said:

how people could be questioning Jeff’s decision

 

Генеральная линия партии :-

 

Four legs good, two legs bad.

[Magnetized]

5 hours ago, Albert Tatlock said:

 

Генеральная линия партии :-

 

Four legs good, two legs bad.

Animal Farm? Too inscrutable for me. 

[lost highway]

16 hours ago, Magnetized said:

It seems more than a bit churlish to whine about this. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head to force you to pay for something you don’t value.

 

My take on every exclusive, collectors thing Wilco/Tweedy does is whatever you're down with, do it. I'm not into buying work of art, unprecedented packaging for hundreds of dollars, like the special edition Ode to Joy, but how could anyone be pissed at an artist for making a thing and selling it? 

[nalafej]

14 minutes ago, lost highway said:

 

My take on every exclusive, collectors thing Wilco/Tweedy does is whatever you're down with, do it. I'm not into buying work of art, unprecedented packaging for hundreds of dollars, like the special edition Ode to Joy, but how could anyone be pissed at an artist for making a thing and selling it? 

 

Agree.

 

I mean, a track with Glenn, Spencer and Andy Shauf (today's release) deserves compensation.

 

I'm so delighted to see that Andy and Jeff collaborated on this.

[lost highway]

2 hours ago, nalafej said:

 

Agree.

 

I mean, a track with Glenn, Spencer and Andy Shauf (today's release) deserves compensation.

 

I'm so delighted to see that Andy and Jeff collaborated on this.

 

Aw, shit it's got Glenn on there? Now I'm trying to think of all the dumber things I've spent $60 on in my life.

[bböp]

13 hours ago, nalafej said:

 

Agree.

 

I mean, a track with Glenn, Spencer and Andy Shauf (today's release) deserves compensation.

 

I'm so delighted to see that Andy and Jeff collaborated on this.

 

Jeff played this song at least once on the Tweedy Show, and I dug it! I think he mentioned that Andy was just over for lunch on one of his visits to the Loft and they just decided to record this one with him playing clarinet. Glad it's getting a release of some sort.

[maxspr1]

Wow--at least six previously unreleased songs in the first month or so (there have been 7 musical posts, really, since he posted a murky version of one and then a clearer copy of the exact same track the next day) that you can figure out how to download without too much difficulty...I wouldn't call that clutter. At this rate, and if you consider that songs go for $1.29 or so on most commercial digital outlets, I can see this being a pretty good deal for the money as time goes on. And I kinda want to see musicians I like continuing to make music, which they might not be able to do if they have to get day jobs. 

[Bart]

On 8/26/2021 at 2:39 PM, Chez said:

 

A book you will have to pay for!!  

 

I'll gladly buy another book!!  Or a record.  Or concert tickets.  I won't buy another "Jeff Tweedy" capo though.  I got caught up in the hype earlier in the summer and bought an identical capo that I already had.  Well, this one was 10 dollars more and had a rainbow pattern on it, but other than that it was identical!

[lost highway]

Looks like he might be posting some unreleased Wilco tomorrow behind the paywall. Or at least a fleshed out solo song.

 

It was cool to see Nels throwing peppermint candies at his jazzmaster for no clear reason. I liked that.

[TCP]

2 minutes ago, lost highway said:

It was cool to see Nels throwing peppermint candies at his jazzmaster for no clear reason. I liked that.

 

I'm going to be spending my entire first listen of the next Wilco record trying to hear those peppermints in the mix.

[jff]

If I were Jeff, and I noticed that Wilco fans are running out to Ikea in droves and buying the same curtains he has in his house, I would smell dollar signs.  If it’s crass for Jeff to cash in (and I’m not saying it is), maybe it’s because the fans are a little too eager to buy anything that has the slightest whiff of Wilco or Tweedy.