I love what La Blogotheque is up to and obviously I’m not the only one. As I blogged about recently, they’re working with Invisible Children to bring to and document live music Uganda, where we’re hoping to soon see an end to Africa’s longest war. La Blogotheque recently caught up with one of my fave bands, Wilco.
Sometimes we tell ourselves that no, the band is too famous, too important, that their label would never let them do a Take Away Show. We have a fantasy list: Radiohead, Tom Waits, Chuck Berry, Cat Power. Wilco. They announced their date at Olympia in Montreal just after I had touched down in the city. Wilco, the band whose tours never stop in Paris. I bought a ticket right away; a good idea, as the concert sold out in weeks. And then I asked around. What if we tried to film them? The answer was unanimous and enthusiastic. I sent out an email, without really believing it would come to anything. The next morning, their publicist called.
Working with [Derrick->http://www.astorytoldwell.com, we knew that we would have less than an hour, but we didn’t know if all of the members of the group would play; we were told that it would depend on where we filmed. They wouldn’t have the time to wander through the streets; it rained that day anyway. But they were prepared for us, had placed all their instruments and some amps in the back of the hall, set up some red lamps to create some ambiance. And above all, we got the entire six. I can’t help but feel a little silly in moments like that, camera zoom in hand and a smile from ear to ear. But I can’t help myself, when there is magic happening I feel like a kid. Tweedy’s voice without amplification, Cline’s attitude — who has to be one of the most elegant guitarists on the planet —, Kotche, visibly moved… It’s decided, tomorrow I’m calling Thom Yorke – you never know.
Wilco – Muzzle of Bees w/ Andrew Bird