Wilco: Learning How to Die

Chicago Tribune rock critic Greg Kot has followed the career of the iconoclastically inclined rock group Wilco since its founder, Jeff Tweedy, crawled from the wreckage of his previous band, alt country pioneers Uncle Tupelo. With his authoritative history of the group, Learning How to Die, Kot subjects Tweedy and his musical colleagues to the penetrating analysis of rock journalism at its finest. Wilco is revealed as a continually evolving work in progress, with Tweedy at its center. Evolution doesn't come without a price, however, and Tweedy's restless experimentation results in two of the most uncomfortable moments in the book: the first when longtime drummer Ken Coomer is unceremoniously fired, and the second when the band's creative guitarist Jay Bennett suffers the same fate. Kot doesn't attempt to gloss over Tweedy's shortcomings as a bandleader - while paying lip service to band democracy, Tweedy appears about as democratic as Mussolini - but, to his credit, the writer spends as much time exploring Wilco's innovative musical aspirations as their personal relationships. At its core, Learning How to Die is an illuminating book about the constant search for artistic fulfillment, and the friction, joy, and sacrifices one encounters on the way.