I'm not the best Fan. I mean. I fall down on the job a lot. I love this band. I own many, many of their records. But I often think I underrate this band. I over-look, I underestimate. I take for granted.
Okay, I will admit that Jeff Tweedy is a phenomenal singer/songwriter. Just a wonderful lyricist. Love his singing. He often reminds me of a much more grounded, American version of John Lennon. Really.
And the band, what can you say? Superb musicianship. Always surprising. Glen Kotche - great, inventive, driving drummer. Nels Cline - an otherworldly guitarist, avant-garde, melodic, always very musical. Always makes inventive, unexpected choices. A great band.
But I'm the kind of fan who will ask another obsessive Wilco fan, "What do you think of 'Wilco - the Album?'" And they will reply, "It's OK." And I won't buy it. For years. It came out in 2009 and I bought it at the used record store last week for $4.99. I am that kind of fan. And then when I do buy it, and listen to it, of course, I love it, and I say to myself, "It's more than OK. It's freaking great."
And I'm the kind of Fan who should have known it, all along. I love every album of their's that I own, plus I often watch their great DVD - "Ashes of American Flags." I mean, I watch it often, over and over. And every time I think to myself, "I love this band." Sometimes I actually get tears in my eyes thinking about how much I love this band.
And still. I often take them for granted. Underestimate them. They have two recent records that I haven't even gotten to yet... I am that kind of Fan...what's wrong with me?!