So I was thinking about a most important question today. Which modern bands/artists will be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Well, there are of course the gimmees: Nirvana, REM, U2, Radiohead, Weezer, etc.
But what about the others; the lesser known bands whose impact will be truly felt only after they are but a memory? Pavement? Probably. Elliott Smith? If God loves us. The Jesus and Mary Chain? Maybe. Blur? More than likely.
Wilco? There’s no doubt in my mind.
You’ve probably heard of Wilco. 2002 is proving to be this band’s most media hyped 12 months to date. Let’s see, they split with their record label, lost two members, gained two members, streamed their album on their web site, toured without having a record label’s financial backing, signed a new record deal, released an album which debuted at 13 on the Billboard charts, starred in a documentary film, and have been touted as “America’s band”, “the last great underground rock band” or “the American answer to Radiohead” by music critics with tails wagging. Wilco is this year’s band that cannot be ignored.
But it doesn’t take popularity and getting your ass kissed to be voted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, it takes something that can’t be explained. Ask The Velvet Underground, Woody Guthrie, The Band, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, or BuddyHolly. They won’t be able to help you though, because they are as dumbfounded by it as we are.
Whatever it is, Wilco has it.
Since 1994, when they evolved from the ashes of Uncle Tupelo, Wilco has been constantly evolving as a band. While their first album, A.M., pretty much stuck to their roots, the masterful double album Being There began to break the alt-country mold they helped create. By 1999, they completely shook off ghost and chains of the past with Summerteeth, an upbeat sugary sweet pop album which takes Phil Spector’s wall-of-sound technique to a previously unrealized place. This year Wilco went an entirely new direction with Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album which emphasizes space and texture with a complete devolving and reconstruction of chords, phrasing, and dynamics.
While Wilco treats the studio as its own instrument, they have also been a band whose focus also lies heavily on their live shows. Over the years, the art of taping and trading Wilco shows has become incredibly popular. It’s impossible to go to a show without seeing a small army of folks with 10-foot mic stands and DAT recorders. All of these shows are readily available for trading at viachicago.org.
I have a vision of the future. Wilco will be one of those bands that will bring families together. Maybe one day I’ll strum my guitar and sing to my wife, “I’ve got reservations about so many things, but not about you.”
Perhaps my unborn (andunconceived, I hope!) children will one day stumble across my Wilco albums, listen, and decide to start a band of their own. Maybe we can all listen to Summerteeth and Being There while driving through the heartland of America singing along and discussing what exactly Jeff Tweedy mean when he sings “Disposable Dixie-cup drinker, I assassin down the avenue, I’m hiding out in the big city blinking. What was I thinking when I let go of you?”
Keep up the good work, boys.

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