KneeJerk Reaction: “Ashes of American Flags”
I was at a screening tonight for a new tour film, “Ashes of American Flags” featuring Wilco on their recent North American tour. Nothing special or exclusive. I bought a ticket. Don’t want to brag.
Wilco was the subject of the fantastic “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” film, which was an incredibly interesting look into the band’s turmoil around the time of the release of their new millennium classic, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (containing the song for which the film was named).
“Ashes” opens with the band performing the titular song in an empty hall in Tulsa, Oklahoma. There are portraits of long-forgotten (I’m assuming) country music heroes (I’m assuming again) lining the room. Tweedy wheezes into the microphone wearing a crisp, small cowboy’s hat (there is a more proper term, I’m sure) as the camera cuts occasionally to the fans waiting in line to get into the show.
This was, to my mind, the extent of the poignancy of the movie. The commentary and quiet shots of the travelling band are kept to a minimum, which is not a problem but is a bit unexpected under such a weighty title. There’s brief talk of the disappearing small downtown American community (culprit: Walmart), but also a comment for Tweedy expressing annoyance at false nostalgia (he uses Hank Williams as an example). There are certainly some beautiful shots of the large American sky, giant flocks of birds, and saturated sunsets. But the doom and gloom suggested by the chosen title (also from Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, an album now seven (?) years old) is really inappropriate for what the fim actually highlights, which is the confident expertise of the WIlco live show and the strange amalgamation the band has become.
The performances look and sound great (especially in the theater (IFC), I was very glad to have seen it there). The band covers ground mostly from their past four albums, a decent mix. What struck me, especially in the part of the film in which each band member is commented on, is what a strange mix of band and catalog Wilco has become. Diverse in both members (Tweedy and Stirratt the only surviving members from the original incarnation) and album direction (Summerteeth to YHF, etc), the band as grown, adapted and matured as necessary. The film has them in a confident stride, playing with strength (much to their physical detriment). It’s great to see, although I wish I’d seen them having a bit more fun (they seem much more lighthearted offstage). The real star of this is definitely Nels Cline, who is transfixing, and his addition was reason enough to warrant the production of this movie.
In the end (I’m sure you’re glad it’s finally come), the film is a great preservation of a strong rock band flexing its (sometimes achy) muscles. If you’re looking for something deeper, definitely opt for IATTBYH (or the doc, “A Good Band Is Easy To Kill” featuring my favorite band, Beulah). “Ashes of American Flags” is entertaining and impressive (and well worth a purchase if you have a good home stereo system) but not exactly the companion piece to the former film that I was expecting.
