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Don't know if this is a review really but I couldn't decide what forum to post this in.
I always thought that Jay Farrar who formed the band Son Volt was the real talent in the late 80's/early 90's band Uncle Tupelo. But after having seen this film I realize that Farrar's fellow band member and singer/songwriter in Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy, that fronts Wilco is of the same brilliance. And he seems to be a real nice guy too.
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (2002) by Sam Jones is a documentary about the american rock band Wilco and the making of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It is also about what went on in and around the band during the recording and mixing session as well as the time almost up until its release.
You don't have to be a Wilco fan to appreciate this film really. It is about so much more than their music. In the beginning of the film the band is very optimistic about everything because of the artistic freedom that they've been given by their record company for the making of the album. Then the tension between the band and the company increases as the film progresses and we are shown how wide the gap between the executives and those who work closely to the band really is. In a painful way we also learn about the total ignorance about artistery that the big music industry companies show towards the artists they sign. It's a clash between creativity and artistery on one side and commercialism and profit on the other side. The film also shows how weird the industry has become since a few big companies pretty much control the entire business. In the film this is manifested by events where the big company actually ends up spending more money instead of less money when they are trying to cut down on acts that aren't being as profitable as desired.
As I said, in the beginning of the film the band is optimistic about the future but just as the relation with the company the tensions within the band also increases along the way. We get to see what it is like when there is actually too many talented individuals but with different visions in the same band and also that just like in any reality show or contest it is also about being socially talented, not just being good at creating and playing music. It is about friendship and how it changes over time and how true the cliché "it's just like being in a family" actually is.
I think everybody that is the least interested in music or documentaries should see this film. Because this is a great documentary about great music made by great musicians. If you are interested why it sometimes takes ages before your favourite artists come out with their new album even though you read somewhere that they went into the studio like two years ago - see this film. If you think that that the music industry is just about writing a couple of decent songs, record them in two weeks and release the cd - see this film, you will be very surprised (and possibly depressed). If you like great music straight from the heart and like seeing and hearing it live rather than watching the video on MTV - see this film. In short, see this film. It's a gem.
Guess I wrote a review after all........
I always thought that Jay Farrar who formed the band Son Volt was the real talent in the late 80's/early 90's band Uncle Tupelo. But after having seen this film I realize that Farrar's fellow band member and singer/songwriter in Uncle Tupelo, Jeff Tweedy, that fronts Wilco is of the same brilliance. And he seems to be a real nice guy too.
I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (2002) by Sam Jones is a documentary about the american rock band Wilco and the making of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It is also about what went on in and around the band during the recording and mixing session as well as the time almost up until its release.
You don't have to be a Wilco fan to appreciate this film really. It is about so much more than their music. In the beginning of the film the band is very optimistic about everything because of the artistic freedom that they've been given by their record company for the making of the album. Then the tension between the band and the company increases as the film progresses and we are shown how wide the gap between the executives and those who work closely to the band really is. In a painful way we also learn about the total ignorance about artistery that the big music industry companies show towards the artists they sign. It's a clash between creativity and artistery on one side and commercialism and profit on the other side. The film also shows how weird the industry has become since a few big companies pretty much control the entire business. In the film this is manifested by events where the big company actually ends up spending more money instead of less money when they are trying to cut down on acts that aren't being as profitable as desired.
As I said, in the beginning of the film the band is optimistic about the future but just as the relation with the company the tensions within the band also increases along the way. We get to see what it is like when there is actually too many talented individuals but with different visions in the same band and also that just like in any reality show or contest it is also about being socially talented, not just being good at creating and playing music. It is about friendship and how it changes over time and how true the cliché "it's just like being in a family" actually is.
I think everybody that is the least interested in music or documentaries should see this film. Because this is a great documentary about great music made by great musicians. If you are interested why it sometimes takes ages before your favourite artists come out with their new album even though you read somewhere that they went into the studio like two years ago - see this film. If you think that that the music industry is just about writing a couple of decent songs, record them in two weeks and release the cd - see this film, you will be very surprised (and possibly depressed). If you like great music straight from the heart and like seeing and hearing it live rather than watching the video on MTV - see this film. In short, see this film. It's a gem.
Guess I wrote a review after all........
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The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".
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They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.
The novelist does not long to see the lion eat grass. He realizes that one and the same God created the wolf and the lamb, then smiled, "seeing that his work was good".
--------
They had temporarily escaped the factories, the warehouses, the slaughterhouses, the car washes - they'd be back in captivity the next day but now they were out - they were wild with freedom. They weren't thinking about the slavery of poverty. Or the slavery of welfare and food stamps. The rest of us would be all right until the poor learned how to make atom bombs in their basements.
