Book Review Project: "Wilco: Learning How To Die"

Quoted from my assignment sheet:

"Book Review: 1000 words. Choose a non-fiction book on a subject that appeals to you. As you read, note ideas that are potential areas for research. The day you present your book to the class orally, you will also turn in a written copy of your report. The written review should begin with a heading which includes all the bibliographic information (5 points) about the book using the MLA manuscript style. You should then include the following: a summary (20 points) (be sure to state the title, author, and the number of pages), a section on genre (5 points,) structure (10 points,) persona (10 points,) style (10 points,) mechanics (15 points,) a brief section with biographical information about the author (15 points,) and a list of at least five questions which will lead to a research area (10 points.)"

Here is what I have thus far. I have, at this point, about 750 words. From the tone of the instructions, it appears that the summary is simply that, and not a personal evaluation, so that presents a personal challenge to me. I know that I need to especially need to expand my summary, but am uncertain at this point how to go about it without meandering, becoming redundant, or expanding issues perhaps only touched on or hinted at by the book. Also, I am confused by the differences between such items as "structure" and "style," so I have not written about the book's style. And I am also stumped on possible areas of research; I thought of two, but I need three more. Any and all help is, as always, much appreciated!

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Bibliographic Information: Kot, Greg. Wilco: Learning How To Die. 1st. New York: Broadway Books, 2004.

Summary: Over the course of it's 244 pages, "Wilco: Learning How To Die," examines the remarkable story and music of Chicago-based experimental rock group Wilco, with a particular focus on its singer and songwriter Jeff Tweedy. Using informative anecdotes from Tweedy himself, his past and present bandmates, family and friends, and record executives, author Greg Kot explores the building and dissolution of Tweedy's various personal and musical relationships. The book begins with the history of his first band, Uncle Tupelo, formed by Tweedy and high school friend Jay Farrar in their hometown of Belleville, Illinois. As they grow more popular, their relationship grows strained, both personally and musically. Their 1994 split leads to Tweedy, along with the remaining members of Uncle Tupelo, forming Wilco, which Kot affinitively defines as among the few modern music groups who continue "to better themselves with each album." But with those creative strides come waves of change, from Tweedy being forced to cope with the pressures of concurrently becoming a family man and a major-label recording artist, to Wilco being unceremoniously dropped by Reprise Records in 2001 due to the label's hesitance to release their non-radio-friendly album "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot." Jeff Tweedy and Wilco's persistent struggle for artistic freedom and satisfaction in the face of preconceptions held by both music fans and the music industry makes for a compelling biography.

Genre: The book falls into the categories of a journalistic biography of a music group, a study of Wilco's creative process in writing and recording music, and a criticism of the current music industry's focus on revenue over musical integrity.

Structure: The book's story is virtually portrayed in chronological order. Quotes from those involved in the story are told as hindsight reflections. There are some instances, however, that break out of a specific timeline in order to achieve an effect, such as the opening chapter's introduction to Jeff Tweedy during the recording of material for the 1999 Wilco album "Summerteeth." That scene is used as a segue into the outline that primes the reader for what is to come in subsequent chapters.

Persona: The book is written in the third-person narrative style, and details events as objectively as possible from a journalistic perspective. But on occasion the author is uncritical of Wilco's lead singer Jeff Tweedy to the point of almost sanctifying him. For example, in the opening chapter, Kot excuses Tweedy having "tripped beneath the wheel of drugs and alchohol, let friends slip away, fired bandmates without notice, and struggled through the ups and downs of marriage" because of his ability to embrace those flaws through his music.

Style: (Nothing written yet. I would assume this means chronological, or anecdotal...? On how to expand is where I am puzzled.)

Mechanics: Overall, the book adheres to proper writing mechanics in such elements as proper spelling and capitalization; logical abbreviations, such as Greg Kot's mentioning of the band R.E.M. and CDs and DVDs being respectively accurate in their use or lack of punctuation; understandable compounding of words, such as when Kot describes the Wilco song "I'm Always In Love" as "Velvet Underground-worthy"; correct representation of numbers, such as the spelling of "three-quarters" and numbering of "$50 million"; and easy-to-read syllabication, as the words are neatly divided into syllables and hyphenated when necessary for proper formatting. Italicizing is used mostly to distinguish titles of music albums and magazines, but on occasion is used to emphasize both strong, unspoken thoughts and reproduced sounds. Paragraphs are primarily formatted with no space between their beginnings and ends, which can make reading a slight strain. Other than that aspect, however, it sticks firmly to appropriate mechanics of writing.

Biographical sketch: Greg Kot has been a music critic for the newspaper the Chicago Tribune since 1990. His work has appeared in such music magazines as "Blender," "Entertainment Weekly," and "Rolling Stone," and in such books as "Encyclopaedia Britannica" and "Harrison: A Rolling Stone Tribute to George Harrison." Kot hosts, along with Jim DeRogatis, music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, the music talk show "Sound Opinions," which broadcasts on radio, television and the internet. He also appears in interview clips throughout the 2002 Wilco documentary "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," directed by Sam Jones. Kot lives with his wife and two daughters in Chicago, Illinois.

Five research questions: (I only have two so far.) 1. What are the effects of adulation and myth-making that is heaped upon rock and roll artists? 2. How has the perception of music as commerce affected the creation of music of substance?

...I just noticed yet another "it's". But it's okay. Or is it..."its"? Ha ha! :)

Greetings!

You're right, this should be "its": Over the course of it's 244 pages

Style is not the mechanics of the writing, but the tone. It has to do with word choice, passive versus active voice, how fast the action moves along (more so in a novel, but perhaps applicable here, too), how formal the writing is, as opposed to using casual speech, tight or rambling, poetic or sparse, and so on. You could do an internet search on "writing style" and see if you can find out more about it if you're still not sure.

It's coming along very well--keep up the good work!

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com

Hello, Sarah:

Thank you for all of your help. I have written a new summary, a new and expanded biographical sketch, and have also devised a section about the book's style, or at least attempted to. I am wondering if I am not focusing enough on the book itself as much as the actual story of the band. Which is confusing, since the book IS the story of the band. :)

Summary: According to Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot in his book, "Wilco: Learning How To Die," Wilco, and in particular its founder, Jeff Tweedy, have become the complete opposite of what the music industry expects from a major-label recording artist. The work of Tweedy's previous band, Uncle Tupelo, which he founded in 1987 with high school friend Jay Farrar, was simple enough: American roots music, such as bluegrass, country, and folk, filtered through a hard rock mentality and sound.

As their stature soared, Farrar's relationship with Tweedy grew tumultuous and strained, leading to the 1994 breakup of Uncle Tupelo. In the wake of that split, Tweedy immediately formed Wilco, who, at first, were easy to categorize as merely a straightforward, countrified rock-and-roll band. But Kot notes that, with each album Wilco releases, they have consistently frustrated the expectations of their fans and the industry again and again by distancing themselves from their rootsy beginnings. With those creative strides, however, come unexpected waves of change.

The book's most dramatic example of that occurs amidst the making and release of Wilco's fourth album, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," during which time Tweedy dismissed two members of Wilco and recruited a new drummer and a new producer. Soon after, the band was unceremoniously dropped by Reprise Records, due to the label's hesitance to release the album, their most sonically and lyrically adventurous to date. Rather than waiting to release the album officially, Wilco began streaming it on their website for free, garnering attention from fans, the media, and record labels. Upon its release, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," became their highest charting and most selling album.

Over the course of its 244 pages, Kot definitively examines how Jeff Tweedy has dealt with, for better or worse, the pressures of his escalating fame, supporting a family, and conflicts with bandmates and his record label. Overall, the book is a championing of Tweedy's and Wilco's restless search for experimental freedom in defiance of the music industry's desire for quick success and easy marketability. Their struggle for personal and artistic satisfaction by challenging not only listeners, but also themselves, makes for a compelling and thrilling music biography.

Style: The language the author uses is typical of what would be written by an eloquent journalist: a third-person narrative at once clear and succinct in meaning and pace and rich and varied in choice of descriptive words and phrases. A few sections could be described as rambling in contrast to the rest of the book, such as when Kot takes time to detail the inception of the alternative country music magazine No Depression. But on average, each chapter covers close to a year, keeping the tempo of the book fairly fast-paced and succinct.

Biographical sketch: Greg Kot was born March 3, 1957 in Syracuse, New York. He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in journalism from Marquette University in 1978. He worked for the Quad-City Times from 1978 to 1980 as an editor, where he first began writing about pop music. He then joined the Chicago Tribune as an editor from 1980 to 1989. During that time, Kot self-published with friends the music and culture fan magazine Ego, which was available on newsstands and in bookstores in Chicago, where he honed his writing chops in the process. In 1990, he became the head music critic for the Chicago Tribune, a position he has held ever since.

His work has appeared in such music magazines as Blender, Entertainment Weekly, Mojo, New York Times Sunday Book Review, Rolling Stone. His work has also appeared in Encyclopaedia Britannica and such books as "Harrison: A Rolling Stone Tribute to George Harrison," "Cash: By the Editors of Rolling Stone," "The Trouser Press Guide to '90s Rock," and "The New Rolling Stone Album Guide." He also appears in the 2002 Wilco documentary "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart," directed by Sam Jones.

Kot also co-hosts, along with Jim DeRogatis, music critic for the Chicago Sun-Times, the music talk show "Sound Opinions," which broadcasts on radio, television and the internet. Kot also works as a youth basketball coach. He and his partners operate Over the Edge, a Chicago-based youth program that prepares grade-school athletes to compete at a high school. Kot is currently writing a new book, "Ripped: Indie-Rock and the Laptop Generation," to be published in 2008 by Scribner/Simon and Schuster. He lives in Chicago, Illinois with his wife and two daughters and, according to the section about the author in "Wilco: Learning How To Die," "far too many records."

Greetings!

I think you have done a splendid job! I understand what you mean about writing about the band's story vs. the book itself. It's difficult for me to tell, not having read the book, but as far as I can see, it appears to be a good balance.

Your section on style is very good, especially your observations about pace. You're an excellent writer! It looks as though you're well on your way.

Thanks,

Sarah, EssayForum.com