Learning How to Die

No, I'm not in one of those moods. Well, not really. But I did just finish reading the Greg Kot book about Wilco, entitled (you guessed it) "Learning How to Die." The verdict? What did Frank Zappa say about rock journalism? That it's "people's who can't write, writing about people who can't talk, for people who can't read..." I'm paraphrasing, but you get the idea.

Actually, the book is pretty good, but mostly because of the subject matter. Jeff Tweedy offers some interesting insights into creativity and music, and although you get the sense he's incredibly difficult to work with, you also see that the integrity that is a constant in Wilco's music is not an accident. The man represents flawed genius. All his faults, all his mistakes... but instead of ruining his art, they actually contribute to it.

Hendrix was the same way. His insecurities about singing, his sloppy playing... just go to enhancing his music. It's almost as if the faults make this person, this artist, into a real three dimensional person, and putting brilliant art in the context of its fallible creator... has a certain weight that I identify with strongly.

It makes it more poignant. It makes it more human I guess. Scarily human. I've had this fascination with faults and integrity in art lately, and LHtD spoke to those issues. Good times.

So now it's back to the grind. We're staying disciplined this week and getting our usual rehearsals in, which is good. Really starting to shape the four songs we're going to try to record sometime in the next few months. And I'm about ready to bring four new songs in that I feel may be some of the best ones yet.

I've been struggling a little lately because... I haven't been settling lyrically. I've been very hard on myself and I've been getting halfway through these songs, and then throwing out the lyrics and starting over. Sometimes four times a song. But every skin I shed, I feel like I'm getting a little closed to the serpent.

Whoa. Where did that come from?

jbg