Journal Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Glide Columnist Recalls Wilco First Listen: "I Was Immediately Floored"

Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy is the featured artist in the latest edition of Glide's "Strangers Almanac," the magazine's biweekly column devoted to favorite singer-songwriters. In this issue, columnist Jason Gonulsen reflects on the impact Tweedy's songwriting has had on him over the years, dating back to an unforgettable first listen to "Misunderstood," the opening track off Being There, Wilco's second album, a double disc first released in 1996 and slated for reissue on vinyl from Nonesuch next month.

Gonulsen sees a clear continuum between that song and "Solitaire," "a standout track" off the band's latest release, Wilco (the album), for helping him see that "when it comes to music, you never have it all figured out," just as it was "Misunderstood" that opened him to a new world of music and a new outlook on life. "I was immediately floored," Gonulson recalls. "'Misunderstood' was the only song I thought of for weeks."

He goes on to praise Tweedy for "always staying in the moment" in his songs, from those earliest recordings to today. "I still religiously listen to 'Misunderstood' and Jeff Tweedy’s words. The more things change, the more they stay the same."

Read more of the writer's reflections at glidemagazine.com.

• Go to Wilco's page
• Go to Jeff Tweedy's page

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