The Rhino's DVD Review of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" -- Rhinotainment

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Date Posted: 17:08:29 05/22/03 Thu
Author: The Rhino
Subject: The Rhino's DVD Review of "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"

Perhaps you've heard of a band from Chicago, Illinois, called Wilco. Perhaps you haven't? In case it's the latter, here's a brief history:

Jeff Tweedy, lead singer of Wilco, was co-founder of alt-country pioneers Uncle Tupelo along with Jay Farrar. Uncle Tupelo spearheaded a movement that was affectionately title "No Depression", named not only after a Carter Family song but the name of Tupelo's first album. They combined the thrash of punk, the sorrow of blues, the soul of bluegrass and the heart of old school country music and mixed it up into one tasty piece of business. Soon, bands begin to come out of the woodwork following the lead of Tupelo, such as Blue Mountain, The Honeydogs, The Bottlerockets, among countless others. They became underground heroes until their disintegration four albums later.

Jay Farrar went on to front the now defunct band called Son Volt and Tweedy formed Wilco. While Farrar stayed the course and produced a similar sound to that that made him famous, Tweedy's band evolved from the classic country-rock sound to a whole different beast altogether. Tweedy, perhaps touched with genius, expanded, experimented and evolved, leaving Tupelo in the backroad dust. While Tupelo and Son Volt had the elements of forefathers Gram Parsons, Neil Young, Johnny Cash and Social Distortion, the morphing Wilco echoes Pet Sounds era Beach Boys, Kraftwerk, David Bowie and Tom Waits. And they've only just begun.

Wilco's following seems to get bigger with every album. Director Sam Jones saw that opportunity and seized it, filming the documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco. The original premise was to film the making of their stunning album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Oh, he filmed the making of the album alright, but he also stumbled across one helluva story in the process.

In the film, he follows the recording of the album, the breaking in of a new drummer, the dissolving of the relationship between Tweedy and songwriting partner/multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett, the band's album being rejected by their label and the subsequent dumping of the band from record label Reprise and the triumphant return from the ashes. All of this in about a year and it was all, luckily, captured on tape.

The picture that Jones paints is that of the hardworking, underdog band that is (again) touched with genius, experiencing some long overdue growing pains. Primarily the fact that argumentative control freak Bennett has worn out his welcome. It's hard to part with the guy though because he is a musical dynamo and can play virtually any instrument that lay before him. But the band is fed up with his overall geeky, controlling and annoying presence. It's difficult for the band to see eye to eye with Bennett and there are numerous moments in the film where the tension is so thick between Tweedy and Bennett that you could cut it with a knife.

On top of that, they have just achieved the artistic feat of recording an album that surpasses anything they have done, that's the experimental equivalent of anything Radiohead has produced in the last decade, that is hailed by those who have heard it as an instant classic, and that the record executives at their label have dubbed "commercial suicide". The kiss of death for a band in today's teeny bopper, mall punk climate. There is no single, they say.

The truth is that Wilco is not a singles band. They are an album band. You don't get an album with three radio hits and seven expendable tracks, you get a solid helping of quality music. A rare commodity in today's musical cesspool. The fact that they lasted as long as they did on a label whose only true, unflinching rebel is Neil Young, is unreal. This all became too clear when Tony Margherita, Wilco's manager, receives the call that Wilco's album had been rejected and since they weren't willing to make it more commercially viable, then they were released from their record contract.

This didn't upset the band too bad, but finding a label they could trust and that wouldn't pull the same shit on them was a tough deal. Tossing Jay Bennett from the band was another tough deal. All of this coming down on top of any other band would have toppled them. But the strength of a band like Wilco, whose sole purpose on this earth is to make incredible music no matter what the cost, whether 1 or 500,000 people buy it, health, home or life be damned. It's admirable and that strength helps them pull a very sweet and ironic comeback that has to be seen.

The STACKED DVD features a second disc that is a compilation of cutting room floor material, extra performances, funny outtakes, interviews and revelations. The film itself also has a commentary track by Jones and the band. It's interesting to note that nothing is off limits with the band, except the infamous argument with Bennett. The band takes a break from commentary during this scene, and who could blame them.

This is one of the best music documentaries out there. It's in line with The Band's The Last Waltz and Bob Dylan's Don't Look Back as far as catching lightning in a bottle is concerned. It's remarkable.

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