For a large percentage of Wilco fans, the glory days of that band were in the late 90’s and early 00’s, with classic albums such as Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It’s no coincidence that those records, along with collaborations with Billy Bragg on previously-unrecorded Woody Guthrie tunes, featured multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett. And when I say multi-instrumentalist, I don’t mean he can set down his guitar to play piano on a few tracks. Bennett was a savant. He was a man who could pretty much turn any object into a tuneful tool.
Bennett was fired from Wilco in 2001 during the latter stages of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s creation, and his dismissal was controversially included in 2002’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” documentary. After a series of critically acclaimed solo albums, Bennett tragically passed away in 2009.
Bennett’s story is finally being told with this week’s release of “Where Are You, Jay Bennett?”, and co-directors Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter are interviewed in this week’s episode about a film that Bechard says he made to “right the wrongs” of that previous documentary. Besides his controversial dismissal from Wilco, Jay’s entire life is showcased, from his mom proudly showing his childhood art to stories behind some of the final songs he wrote before his death. We also discuss the special Record Store Day double vinyl package of Bennett’s last two solo albums, which comes with a DVD copy of the film.
To purchase “Where Are You, Jay Bennett?”, head to https://www.whatwerewethinkingshop.com/product/where-are-you-jay-bennett-deluxe-bluray-dvd-combo
- Tag Archives gorman bechard
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The Ledge #445: Gorman Bechard
It’s always a lot of fun when Gorman Bechard appears on The Ledge, and this week was no exception. He’s got two brand new documentaries that were released this past Tuesday, and both are pretty fantastic. Pizza: A Love Story is all about the legendary New Haven pizza, and the award-winning trio of family businesses that created the edible delights that I’ve personally heard Gorman ramble on and on about for well over a decade. New Haven historian Colin M. Caplan sits in on this portion of the show to talk about the research that went into the creation of this film.
The other film, Seniors: A Dogumentary is as perfect of a feel-good story as one can possibly make. How can you not love a film that collects a number of tales involving such amazing elderly dogs? Much of the film centers around the Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, an organization that houses and fosters elderly dogs, but there’s other fabulous dog tales such as the heartwarming tale of Chaser, who proves why he is generally considered the smartest dog in the world. Dean Falcone, who created the music on both films, also chats about his innovative idea to use nothing but toy instruments on the film soundtrack.
As always, Gorman is also giving the key to the Ledge soundtrack this week, and his choices not only includes some of Falcone’s soundtrack work but recent releases by Lydia Loveless, Todd May, Soccer Mommy, and S.G. Goodman.
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Live Ledge #355: Gorman Bechard’s Sarah Shook Documentary
Director Gorman Bechard talks about his Sarah Shook documentary, which was officially released on November 9, 2018.
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Live Ledge #311: Who Is Lydia Loveless? Hits Stores
Gorman Bechard sits in once again to discuss the DVD release of Who Is Lydia Loveless?, along with the Record Store Day vinyl release of music from the flick.
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Live Ledge #301: Jay Bennett
Where Are You, Jay Bennett directors Fred Uhter and Gorman Bechard are this week’s guests.
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Live Ledge #266: Waiting To Be Forgotten
Authors Jay Stringer, Gorman Bechard, and Franz Nicolay talk about their contributions to “Waiting To Be Forgotten: Stories of Crime and Heartache Inspired By the Replacements”. Also CFM leader Charles Moothart is interviewed.
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Live Ledge #237: Who Is a Dog Named Gucci?
Director Gorman Bechard visits with host Scott Hudson about next Tuesday’s DVD release of A Dog Named Gucci, and gives an update on the upcoming Who Is Lydia Loveless? documentary.
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Live Ledge #184: Lydia Loveless
Director Gorman Bechard and singer/songwriter Lydia Loveless discuss the upcoming Who Is Lydia Loveless? documentary.
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Live Ledge #155: Broken Side of Time
Director Gorman Bechard is tonight’s special guest to discuss the DVD release of Broken Side of Time.