Ramsayings

I heard the news early Monday morning, but it didn’t sink in until I read Aquarium Drunkard’s post this morning: Jay Bennett has died. There are times that I’m embarrassed to admit it now, but once upon a time I was a pretty rabid Wilco fan, and I always had a fondness for Bennett’s contributions to the band’s sound. The leap they made between the time he arrived and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot is a considerable one, and it’s hard to imagine Wilco ever amounting to anything without his influence, especially on their breakthrough album Summerteeth.

Wilco played the soundtrack to a number of significant moments in my life. I was floored when I saw them with Helen at Cooper River Park in September 2000 (setlist here). As the sun set behind the stage, I knew I’d seen a band on the cusp of bigger things. Little did I know that he’d be out of the band within a year. I continued to love the band, and saw Sonic Youth open for them in 2003, but it just wasn’t the same. I stopped listening to their music shortly thereafter. The cult of Tweedy proved too much to take.

I winced when I first saw Sam Jones’ I Am Trying to Break My Heart. Now I just feel betrayed by it. Is it possible that both Bennett and Tweedy were megalomaniacal jerks hell-bent on their personal vision for YHF, neither better than the other? Jay Bennett’s character assassination in that film will forever preserve the notion that he played Hedwig forever after to Tweedy’s Tommy Gnosis, Bennett often playing — coincidentally? — the same town on the same night as Wilco, albeit at a much tinier venue.

Bennett’s fall was the only truth Jones captured. Watching him reinvent himself in tiny clubs after contributing to a band on the verge of their greatest success still feels like a punch in the gut.

Now I’m listening to his last album, Whatever Happened I Apologize, which you can download free from Rock Proper here. Like his other solo efforts, it’s a stripped-down affair that isn’t exactly my cup of tea, but one can’t help but listen to the song “Talk and Talk and Talk” and think that he’s addressing Tweedy, though that may be overreaching a bit. If he is, it only points up how profoundly hurt he was by their split. Now they’ll never be able to reconcile whatever differences they may have still had.

I may be interviewing Wilco as they do press for their forthcoming record, Wilco the Album. I’m hopeful that they’ll be able to talk about Jay and help us better understand who he was.

Jay Bennett died Sunday. He was 45.

I know I’ve been talking a lot about beer and the music industry here, but I wanted to stop for a moment to talk a bit about my work. Since I got back from my long overdue trip to Denmark, I’ve been inviting bands into the Comcast Center for interviews and sessions in our lounge, CIM City. Last week, I had Mastodon in to talk about their new album, Crack the Skye. This week the Thermals came in to talk about their new record, Now We Can See, and they were nice enough to play a few songs, too! It’s been something of a lifelong dream realized and it wouldn’t have been possible without being surrounded by people who weren’t only willing but excited to work on projects like this. It’s impossibly cool!

It’s also intensely rewarding. I’ve been thrilled to talk to bands I love in a freewheeling interview style that really captures their personalities and brings fans closer to them and their music. I can’t wait to share clips from both shoots with you!

What else have I been up to? I’m getting back to writing more often now that I have a great intern helping me with the day-to-day issues at comcast.net/music. I’d love to get back where I was before our last crop of interns left, when I was writing something every day that could be featured somewhere on the music page. It’s a challenge to produce material that really resonates with an audience that’s grown accustomed to a steady diet of gossip, but when artists like Bruce Springsteen are plagued by Ticketmaster, there’s a great opportunity to speak out about the ways in which the music industry is still punishing fans at the very moment they should be falling over themselves to please them.

Lastly, I recorded my first voice-over yesterday. This, too, is something of a lifelong dream. People have been asking me if I’ve thought about doing radio for years, so when I got a chance to read for a forthcoming web series on Fancast, I leapt at the chance. It’s a really fun concept that gave me a great opportunity to read in my best Moviefone voice, which I don’t do nearly enough these days. I’ll be sure to post that here when it goes live. I’d love to hear what you think.

None of this would be possible if I weren’t surrounded by great people who are willing to take a chance on producing the sort of music content I think appeals to people who love music…like me!

Today is a really exciting day and not just because it’s Friday and the sun is finally shining. I’m bringing Mastodon into the Comcast Center to talk about their new album, Crack the Skye! I know that interviewing a band on tour isn’t that big a deal, but it’s a major step forward for comcast.net/music as I try to work more original music content into my workflow. The idea of having regular interview and performance featurettes is one I hope bands, labels, and fans will appreciate. Of course, the possibility of my face being somewhere in the video on demand music folder is exciting as well.

I know. I used the word “workflow.” If you’re professionally involved in any aspect of the music business, especially in editorial, you already know how difficult it is to do this sort of thing when people are clamoring to find out whether or not Madonna will be allowed to adopt in Malawi. Take my word for it: it’s hard.

Having said that, the Thermals are coming in next week to play a few songs for us before their show at Johnny Brenda’s next Tuesday night. I’m really looking forward to that, too! It’s an exciting time. Now the key is just building momentum. Wish me luck!

Ten years. Had it really been so long? Before Helen and I got on the plane to Copenhagen, it was hard to believe that when I last visited Denmark, I had just finished rowing at the Henley Royal Regatta. Before that, as some of you know, I lived in Denmark for a year as an exchange student. That was suddenly 13 years ago. I had no idea I’d be stumbling over so many milemarkers as Helen and I prepared to visit my Danish friends and host family, but there I was, tripping over them with practically every step I took. I could only hope for a soft landing.

And what a soft landing it was. When Helen and I arrived at Copenhagen airport, we met my old friend Tommy, who, along with his partner Camilla and their son Alexander, would be our hosts while we stayed in town. They’re great friends, the kind of people you can reconnect with after years of being out of touch and just pick up where you left off. It’s an amazing feeling, and as Helen noted, the sort of thing that makes you feel at home wherever you are. They were great hosts and their son Alexander is a great little boy!

We began our tour of Denmark by taking a relaxing spin around Copenhagen’s canals. It was the perfect thing to do after sitting on a plane for over seven hours. We soaked up the Danish sun and did a little sightseeing from the comfort of a boat. If you’re headed to Denmark, this is a smart tourist move. It gives you a pretty complete sense of the city so you’re not disoriented later in your trip.

Helen and I continued down Memory Lane the following day by taking a trip to Skanderborg. I lived in the heart of Jutland’s lake district for a year — and what a year it was! Do you remember the winter of 1995-96? It was terrible! Denmark usually does temperate winters, but this was an exception. Look at the lake in this map. Pretty big, right? It froze! That hadn’t happened in 25 years and it hasn’t happened again since. Needless to say, it was a memorable year.

Introducing Helen to Skanderborg and the Schmidt family was like solving the last piece of the puzzle. Helen and I met the year I returned for Denmark and she’s spent about a third of her life hearing about this place and these people. A lot of my identity is built around the year I lived abroad. It may sound strange, but Denmark is home to me, too. Maybe you can go home again?

Now that I’ve finally recovered from jet lag, I’m going to be posting photos and little stories to accompany them here, recounting our belated honeymoon — or babymoon, depending on how you look at it. It was an amazing trip. I can’t wait to share it with you.

Holger Danske

Originally uploaded by J T. Ramsay

We’re back! I’m still feeling a little jet-lagged, but I’m so happy to have introduced Helen to my host family and Denmark. I’ll be writing more later in the week about our trip, along with a cautionary tale regarding the limits of power adapters overseas.

In the meantime, enjoy my picture of Holger Danske, resting in the cold depths beneath Kronborg Castle, which you know from Hamlet!