Heavens Above! - Wilco

The band’s nadir was the torturous recording of ‘Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’, which was captured in all its agony by a documentary film crew. The finished film, ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’ shows the band come close to meltdown, with egos spiraling out of control, the sacking of two members, and the album being turned down by their label, who the band then split with. One of the overriding moments sees Jeff Tweedy in a screaming match with soon-to-be- sacked guitarist Jay Bennett, and then sprinting to the toilet to vomit, ostensibly because of his ongoing migraines. It’s a visceral, astonishing piece of work that helped promote the album after it was rejected by their record company, Warners, for being too leftfield. 

John, who often appears to be the calm centre of the storm in the film is magnanimous about the documentary, which shows both the best and the worst of the band. “I guess ‘I Am Trying to Break Your Heart’ was a cathartic experience for all of us. There was a huge amount of story behind that record, and the process that we went through. While I hate seeing myself on film, it certainly brought a lot of people to the band, and helped to bring the record to people who wouldn’t have necessarily have heard us. The film does have a certain beauty to it, but I’d never do something like it again.â€�  

After the album was rejected, Wilco took the then-unusual step of streaming it in its entirety on their website, which led to it quickly being picked up by college radio stations across the country. Coupled with Wilco actively encouraging their fans to record and trade in copies of their live shows, it became an underground phenomenon, going on to sell 500,000 copies. It’s a trick the repeated with its two follow-ups, and have even given away the gorgeous single ‘What Light’ as a free download from ‘Sky Blue Sky’. “We really embraced new technology to get the word out on YHF,� says John. “It really helped us out, and it’s great our fans were so supportive during the difficult times. A whole community built up around it, and what with the new advances in recording technology these days, I’d like to see it continue.�

The band’s shows, once immortalised in the all-but-peerless live album ‘Kicking Television’, will be speeding towards All Tomorrow’s Parties this year, before two nights at Shepherd’s Bush Empire and then Latitude in the summer. “Ironically, it’s much easier to play those difficult tracks now we’re a six piece,� John says of the band’s new, expanded line-up. “Touring YHF with just four people was really difficult, we were struggling to recreate all the production live. Now we’re touring a much more straightforward set, we can recreate all the noises from the previous records. So I guess we’ll just have to chuck in some oldies to experiment!�

It’ll be interesting to see how the fans will react to this trip back to the band’s more traditional roots. ‘Sky Blue Sky’ is one of the warmest, most honest and beautiful albums you will hear this year, the mark of a band on the up, both professionally and personally. As John begins packing his suitcase for the Australian leg of their tour (“I’m going to have to buy some shorts!â€� he laughs), Wilco finally seem to have put their troubles behind them, and are enjoying themselves all over again.