The Ledge #517: Directors Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter Discuss ‘Where Are You, Jay Bennett?’

The Ledge (mp3)

For a large percentage of Wilco fans, the glory days of that band were in the late 90’s and early 00’s, with classic albums such as Being There, Summerteeth, and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. It’s no coincidence that those records, along with collaborations with Billy Bragg on previously-unrecorded Woody Guthrie tunes, featured multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett. And when I say multi-instrumentalist, I don’t mean he can set down his guitar to play piano on a few tracks. Bennett was a savant. He was a man who could pretty much turn any object into a tuneful tool.
Bennett was fired from Wilco in 2001 during the latter stages of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot’s creation, and his dismissal was controversially included in 2002’s “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart” documentary. After a series of critically acclaimed solo albums, Bennett tragically passed away in 2009.
Bennett’s story is finally being told with this week’s release of “Where Are You, Jay Bennett?”, and co-directors Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter are interviewed in this week’s episode about a film that Bechard says he made to “right the wrongs” of that previous documentary. Besides his controversial dismissal from Wilco, Jay’s entire life is showcased, from his mom proudly showing his childhood art to stories behind some of the final songs he wrote before his death. We also discuss the special Record Store Day double vinyl package of Bennett’s last two solo albums, which comes with a DVD copy of the film.
To purchase “Where Are You, Jay Bennett?”, head to https://www.whatwerewethinkingshop.com/product/where-are-you-jay-bennett-deluxe-bluray-dvd-combo