Jeff Tweedy is one cool motherfucker. Nobody is going to argue that. And it’s not because he punched some dude in the face. He writes some great songs and he’s got that swagger to him that makes him one of the best around. I ain’t calling him our generation’s Dylan, but if I had to choose someone to take that title, I’d probably choose Tweedy. I mean, yeah yeah, I know, no one is ever going to be the next Dylan, but let’s face it. Who, at the moment, writes folk songs with complex yet humorous and heartfelt lyrics better than Jeff Tweedy? “Shot In The Arm,” “Via Chicago,” “At Least That’s What You Said,” and “Misunderstood” are some of the best I’ve ever heard.
That brings us to Sunken Treasure, Jeff Tweedy’s new DVD put out by Nonesuch. It was shot in February of this year and features clips of five Tweedy solo gigs in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve seen Tweedy do his solo shows before in Chicago and this DVD does a fantastic job of showing what the shows are really like. Tweedy’s humor and banter keep them light one minute and his personal lyrics make them dramatic and haunting the next. There are some great little snippets of the PNW spliced with Tweedy interviews, as well.
One of the highlights is “Shot In The Arm,” in which Tweedy stops because he screws up the lyrics. “I’ve only played this song like seven fucking billion times,” he says. He starts again and the audience joins him for every word. God damn that song. If you don’t own Summerteeth, or any Wilco album for that matter, stop reading this. Get on a train, bus, car, bike and go to iTunes. Then buy this DVD. Jeff Tweedy is something special. He might not be a site for sore eyes, but when he sings “Black Eye,” I’ll be damned if you care.
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