Most of the people who know the name Jay Bennett associate him with the awkward, dysfunctional, and captured-on-film band-dynamic breakdown that led to his firing from Wilco in 2001. Some of us, however, knew of Jay before (and after) his time in that band, were devastated by his passing in 2009, and were overjoyed to hear that a documentary was in motion to celebrate his life and talent. Film maker Gorman Bechard was at the helm, known for great films about Grant Hart and Lydia Loveless and a polarizing fan-perspective of The Replacements, so we knew Jay’s story was in good hands.
Where Are You, Jay Bennett? starts with an audio recording of Jay’s recollections and feelings about his dismissal, set to pastel pencil animation. It all came to a head in the recording studio - Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett passive-aggressively arguing about a few seconds of music transitioning from one song to another while recording Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, as seen in the touted I Am Trying to Break Your Heart documentary. Through creative editing and time-line manipulation, there’s a protagonist and a villain, and, well, Jay Bennett wouldn’t be in the band that toured in support of that record.
After establishing what might well have been the high-point of Jay’s career, the film follows a mostly chronological timeline, starting with a toddler who refuses to part with a red cowboy shirt until it’s literally rotting off his body, through the awkward teen cover-band years (including a really awesome clip of Jay duetting with Bonnie Pacheco on X’s “Fourth of July” on a fire escape) and into Titanic Love Affair, his Champaign-based alternative-era power-pop rock band. This is when I discovered him, lured by the Chris Mars (The Replacements) cover-art, and sold by the catchy songs, crackling, raspy, and hoarse vocals, and blistering guitar playing. I was disappointed that the TLA years were glossed over in a couple short minutes (89 seconds, to be exact, but who’s counting?) - there’s so little about that band out there and they are criminally lost in the annals of history. And the film makers might want to edit out the gaffe of citing an album to TLA that’s actually by a soul band from Idaho, but I also understand this is not why people are tuning in.
The underlying theme of the movie is Jay’s talent as a musician. Not only could he play the living hell out of a guitar (and several other instruments), but he was an incredibly prolific songwriter and had a unique and deep-rooted sense for arrangements & hooks that left nothing frivolous leftover. His contributions to Wilco’s second and third albums Being There and Summerteeth propelled them into another universe, and his absence after YHF left a gap that many fans from that era still feel today.
The middle of the film is a response to Jay’s portrayal in the Wilco movie and how a warped chronology of events and creative editing portrayed Jay as more of a needy hired gun who wanted a bigger piece of the spotlight than a guy who was leading the recording sessions and adding much-needed flavors to songs like “Heavy Metal Drummer” and “I’m the Man Who Loves You.” The alternate take on those events isn’t a surprise to friends and fans of Jay Bennett, but it’s a side of the story that needed to be out there.
After his departure, focus turns to the post-Wilco years of Jay’s life; tours and albums with and without Ed Burch, personal issues with money and health, some vague, glossed-over hints at struggles with substances, and the happiness found in his studio – Pineholden Suite, obsessively crafting and recording his songs. There’s an underlying sadness in these later years as he’s playing bars and dealing with a debilitating hip issue, but a devoted circle of friends and family tout his talent, obsessive drive, and humor as he continues to create.
The pinnacle of the film centers around a weekend of events in Champaign where the local music scene was to gather and celebrate the last 20 years with a weekend of parties and shows at The High Dive, a great local venue, and it was assumed and hoped that Jay would join. I won’t spoil how it all goes down, but it’s an important, poignant, ironic, and incredibly emotional milestone in the movie.
Just listen to Summerteeth by Wilco and imagine the record without the sweeping organ/synthesizer melodies and dancing piano parts. In the spring of 1999, shortly after that record was released, I went to see them in Detroit by myself, abandoned by friends who had no interest. I sat there with my mouth open, mesmerized by his aura, as well as this band that was, in my opinion, at their absolute peak in that moment. I saw them a couple more times that year and next, and again on that first tour without Jay in 2001, and my review was that it “sounded like a band practice where the guitar player didn’t show up.” I left early and haven’t been back since.
Wilco has only grown in popularity since the Jay Bennett years, and most fans today probably aren’t even aware of his contributions. Jeff Tweedy has earned and deserves the respect he has, and few bands have aged as well, but like many other bands who’s chaotic, eccentric, and excitable element went missing at some point, it just wasn’t the same anymore if you were there from the start.
The last time I saw Jay was on the Bennett-Burch tour at a bar in Detroit. The show was great and he was in a good mood. After the set he seemed surprised and happy that I wanted to talk about Titanic Love Affair. I know from friends in Champaign who were close to him how much he is still missed today. Whether you’re a long-time Jay Bennett fan, a scholar of the history of Wilco, or have a passive interest in a well-told story of a great musician’s life, the documentary is well worth checking out. It’s a testimony to an immense talent and a warm and misunderstood person who left us too soon.
Where Are You, Jay Bennett? The world needs you now, more than ever.
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos. Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit.
www.thetucos.com
www.facebook.com/jeremyportermusic
www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic
