Catching Up With... Wilco's Nels Cline and John Stirratt
As you might have gleaned from all the Wilco hubbub at PasteMagazine.com today, the band has a brand-new record out today—Wilco (The Album). So Paste has taken the occasion to talk with Wilco bassist and original member John Stirratt and guitarist Nels Cline, who joined the band shortly after the release of 2004's A Ghost Is Born and has become an integral part its sound.Both were on the bus when we rang, on the way to tonight's gig in Jacksonville, Ore., and had plenty to say about the new album and Wilco's evolution over the years. We also think it's... read more
Album Names and Cold War Games: A History of the Numbers Station
Just about anyone who's heard Wilco's magnum opus Yankee Hotel Foxtrot can remember the song “Poor Places,” but not necessarily for the melody, lyrics or Jeff Tweedy's inimitable crooning. No, what sticks out most is the the bone-chilling final 45 seconds of the song, where a woman’s voice robotically repeats the words “Yankee. Hotel. Foxtrot.” The true nature of those three words is far more eerie and mysterious than a mere disembodied voice repeating a sequence of the NATO alphabet. It's a recording of a numbers station: a broadcast of indeterminate location that transmits coded shortwave radio messages for top-secret purposes. ... read more
What We've Learned From Spencer Tweedy's Blog About Spencer Tweedy's Dad
Spencer Tweedy is 13-and-a-half years old and lives in Chicago. He's a pretty ordinary kid... read more
Wilco Tour Continues Into August With Help From Okkervil River, Conor Oberst, Yo La Tengo and Blitzen Trapper
Wilco fans have more to look forward to this summer than they probably ever could have imagined. The band's new record, which was previously hyped on our Six Albums to Get Excited About in 2009 list previously, and features a collaboration with Feist, drops today. In addition, Jeff Tweedy and Co. released a DVD recently. But that's not all. Wilco has once again added tour stops on a seemingly never-ending trek.... read more
I Was There the Night Jeff Tweedy Punched a Guy in Missouri
I’ve seen my share of beer-heaving, mosh pit-circling shows; I used to watch my brother who was a drummer in a heavy-metal band. But nothing will compare to the wildest concert I’ve ever attended. The night Wilco played at the Shrine Mosque in Springfield, Mo. will forever be etched in my mind with images of Fez hats and Jeff Tweedy punching a boisterous stage crasher.... read more
Five of Our Favorite Nonsensical Wilco Lyrics
Upon close examination of choice Wilco songs, Jeff Tweedy's sanity comes into question. Or maybe the man's just deeper than the rest of us. Regardless, he has a tendency of throwing around random phrases pretty haphazardly, and as a result, Wilco songs don't exactly have a reputation of being crystal clear. As it turns out, the members of Wilco have written many of their songs collaboratively, using an old surrealist word game that allows each member to type a line on the typewriter while only being able to read the previous line. This explains a lot. At any rate, Tweedy... read more
Paste Presents: Wilco (The Takeover)
It's no secret that Paste kind of has a thing for the band Wilco... read more
Wilco (The Gas Station)
If the mom-and-pop gas station is dead, Wilco is its death knell... read more
Wilco iPhone App Available for (Free!) Download
Sure, the new iPhone software is cool and all, but our attention has been abruptly diverted to a different sort of iPhone upgrade option that connects two of our favorite keywords: "Wilco" and "free."... read more
At Least That's What [We] Said: A Look Back at Paste's Coverage of All Things Wilco
![At Least That's What [We] Said: A Look Back at <em>Paste</em>'s Coverage of All Things Wilco](http://cdn.pastemagazine.com/www/articles/2009/06/29/wilco_thumb.jpg?1246289545)
In preparing for today's Wilco Takeover of PasteMagazine.com, we thought it might be fun to look back through the archives and remember some of our favorite Wilco content. Turns out, there is a lot, so we've categorized it below for easier perusal. Enjoy: ... read more
Wilco: Wilco (The Album)/Son Volt: American Central Dust
Admittedly, a joint review of the latest albums from... read more
Ashes of American Flags
I should acknowledge up front that I am one of... read more
What is Wilco's Best Album to Date?
Vote in PasteMagazine.com's latest poll... ... read more
Transformers 2 Claws at the Heels of The Dark Knight at Box Office
Despite an exuberant critical evisceration, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen earned $200.1 million in its first five days, just a whisper shy of the $203.8 million The Dark Knight pulled in over the same period last summer. ... read more
Oscars Announce More Changes
Just last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences told us that they'd be altering the best picture category for the award ceremony's 82nd year. Now, they're letting us know two more changes will be made to the 2010 Oscars: one to the best song category and another to the presentation of the various testimonial awards.... read more
Iz the Wiz: 1958-2009
Known as a legend among graffiti artists, the notorious New York City subway tagger known as Iz the Wiz died June 17 at the age of 50 after a heart attack. Iz, whose real name was Michael Martin, died in Spring Hill, Fla., where he had moved several years ago, according to The New York Times.... read more
Elliott Smith's Sister Talks Selling His Car for Charity
On an ordinary Wendesday, in an ordinary Craigslist posting, an Austin, Texas resident put a 1999 Volkswagen Passat up for sale... read more
Documenting the Dylanologist: The Ballad of AJ Weberman Streaming Until Tomorrow
Bob Dylan fans may tend towards the passionate, but none come close to the level of superfan AJ Weberman, self-proclaimed Dylanologist and devoted Dylan stalker/trash-digger. Now, James Bluemel and Oliver Ralfe's 2006 documentary, The Ballad of AJ Weberman, is streaming on DailyMotion.com until tomorrow, offering a fascinating peek into the life of a man who has made the pursuit of Bob Dylan his life's work. ... read more
Just How Many Versions are There of Where The Wild Things Are? Karen O's Seen Many.
For the past couple years, covering Spike Jonze's forthcoming Where The Wild Things Are has simply been the wolf's pajamas, as writers have faithfully chronicled the film's ultra-delayed release date, director-and-production company squabbles and test screenings that apparently scared the bejesus out of small children. It's no surprise, really. There's a ton of grown-up kids out there peeing their pants in anticipation of its eventual release, and we're no exception. Judging by the film's Arcade Fire-y trailer and the creative force behind it all, Wild Things looks like it'll be stunning when it finally does hit theaters.... read more
My Morning Jacket's Jim James to Release George Harrison Covers Record as Yim Yames
In the realm of covers records, some artist pairings are less obvious than others. Remember when that young, blonde actress took on the work of the gravelly-voiced rocker? Didn’t really see that one coming. There are other moments, however, when modern musicians have the sense to trace their sonic lineage to an appropriate root. Jim James covering George Harrison seems to constitute one such example. The My Morning Jacket frontman, under the moniker Yim Yames (yeah, we don’t really get it either), will release the 6-song EP, Tribute To, this August.... read more
