I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (film)

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I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Directed by Sam Jones
Produced by Peter Abraham
Sam Jones
Starring Jeff Tweedy
Jeff Stirratt
Leroy Bach
Glen Kotche
Jay Bennett
Tony Margherita
Music by Wilco
Editing by Erin Nordstrom
Distributed by Cowboy Pictures
Plexifilm
Release date(s) 2002
Running time 92 minutes
Language English
IMDb profile

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco is a black-and-white documentary film by Sam Jones which follows the American alt-country rock band Wilco through the creation and distribution of their fourth studio album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The film provides a unique insight into the politics of bands and their record labels, as well as an inside look at Wilco during the creation of what many critics call a landmark album. The title of the film shares its name with the first track of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.

Contents

[edit] Overview of Film

With Wilco coming to near completion of their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot conflict arises between the band and its record label Reprise a division of the Warner Music Group. The label was concerned with how to market the new album, as a consequence Reprise rejected the work, and dropped Wilco from the label.

Wilco, with a completed album and no record contract decided to make the album available on the internet via their website WilcoWorld. Awareness of the new album was becoming apparent and Wilco's profile was rising. As a response to this another record label Nonesuch Records offers Wilco a new record contract. Nonesuch Records is a Warner Bros. Records subsidiary, so essentially Wilco were paid twice for the album by the same record company.

Other events entail the breakdown of the relationship between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett, and Tweedy's debilitating migraines.

[edit] Awards

Upon being released the film received 'Official Selection' in the Los Angeles, London and Stockholm International Film Festivals in 2002.

[edit] DVD Specs

(Note that there are two versions of the film on DVD: The original two-disc set, and a newer version which omits Disc 2 and is generally less-expensive.)

Disc 1

  • The film (high definition digital transfer, 16x9 anamorphic presentation)
  • Feature commentary from director Sam Jones and Wilco
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the hearing impaired

Disc 2

  • Over 70 minutes of extra footage, featuring 17 additional Wilco songs, alternate versions of songs from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, live concert performances and new unreleased songs
  • I Am Trying To Make A Film making-of featurette

Plus:

[edit] DVD Disc 2 bonus track listing

  • "Pot Kettle Black" *
  • "Busy Bee Monkey Song" (also known as "Monkey Mess")
  • "Why Would You Wanna Live"
  • "Pieholden Suite" *
  • "Acuff-Rose"
  • "Please Tell My Brother"
  • "Cars Can't Escape" *
  • "I'm the Man Who Loves You" *
  • "Magazine Called Sunset"
  • "Wait Up"
  • "Radio Cure" *
  • "Monday"
  • "Not for the Season"
  • "Sunken Treasure"

All songs written by Jeff Tweedy, except as noted *, written by Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett

[edit] External links

Wilco
Jeff Tweedy | John Stirratt | Nels Cline | Glenn Kotche | Pat Sansone | Mikael Jorgensen
Ken Coomer | Max Johnston | Jay Bennett | Leroy Bach | Jim O'Rourke
Discography
Albums and extended plays: A.M. | Being There | Mermaid Avenue | Summerteeth | Mermaid Avenue Vol. II | Yankee Hotel Foxtrot | More Like the Moon | A Ghost Is Born | Kicking Television: Live in Chicago
Singles: Box Full of Letters | Outtasite (Outta Mind) | Can't Stand It | A Shot in the Arm | War on War
DVDs: Man in the Sand | I Am Trying to Break Your Heart
Related articles
Uncle Tupelo | Billy Bragg | The Wilco Book | Loose Fur | Down With Wilco | Sunken Treasure: Live in the Pacific Northwest | Golden Smog