Let's Go (So We Can Get Back)
A Memoir of Recording and Discording with Wilco, Etc.
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4.7 • 236 Ratings
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
The singer, guitarist, and songwriter—best known for his work with Wilco—opens up about his past, his songs, the music, and the people who have inspired him in this personal memoir. This ideal addition to your Wilco collection also makes a perfect gift for music lovers.
*A New York Times Bestseller*
*A Rolling Stone Best Music Books of 2018 selection*
*A Pitchfork Pick: Best Music Books of 2018*
Few bands have encouraged as much devotion as the Chicago rock band Wilco, and it's thanks, in large part, to the band's singer, songwriter, and guiding light: Jeff Tweedy. But while his songs and music have been endlessly discussed and analyzed, Jeff has rarely talked so directly about himself, his life, or his artistic process.
Until now. In his long-awaited memoir, Jeff will tell stories about his childhood in Belleville, Illinois; the St. Louis record store, rock clubs, and live-music circuit that sparked his songwriting and performing career; and the Chicago scene that brought it all together. He also talks in-depth about his collaborators in Uncle Tupelo, Wilco, and more; and writes lovingly about his parents; wife, Susie; and sons, Spencer and Sammy.
Honest, funny, and disarming, Tweedy's memoir will bring readers inside both his life and his musical process, illuminating his singular genius and sharing his story, voice, and perspective for the first time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Alt-rock star Tweedy tells of his musical ascent in this sincere, affable memoir. Growing up in a small crumbling downstate Illinois town "where everybody knows who's cheating on who, and who's been out of work," Tweedy discovered music by following 1980s underground pioneers such as the Minutemen ("Punk rock was an exotic event happening somewhere else in the world"), haunting record stores, and finding like-minded neighbors such as future Uncle Tupelo bandmate Jay Farrar. Uncle Tupelo formed in 1987, but after seven years, Tweedy and the alt-country band split ways in, as Tweedy describes it, a passive-aggressively acrimonious way. Tweedy started Wilco in 1994 and eventually released 10 records, including Mermaid Avenue, a collection of Woody Guthrie songs that the band recorded with Billy Bragg. Throughout, Tweedy writes about his wife, Susie Miller (a Chicago club booker when they met), and touches on his struggle with anxiety and his addiction to Vicodin (it allowed him to write "and not fall into a heap on the floor in a fit of weeping and panic"). Tweedy will delight fans by sharing such tidbits as his favorite moment in the Wilco documentary and how a Noah's Ark analogy powered the Grammy-winning A Ghost Is Born album. Tweedy tells a wonderfully unassuming story of a music-filled life.
Customer Reviews
So good!!
It’s a must for any Wilco fan and gives good background on the why’s of Tweedy’s thought processes in writing songs and in life.
Loved it.
Fun and witty
I truly enjoyed reading this book and felt like the author was speaking directly to me. I found myself laughing out loud at times. I would definitely recommend, especially to anyone who grew up in the 70’s-80’s.