I, Rock Geek

After asking for and receiving Greg Kot's "Wilco: Learning How to Die" as a gift, I subsequently devoured it over the course of a transcontinental Northwest Airlines red eye. Though I knew some of the details surrounding favorite Wilco and Uncle Tupelo albums, such as March 16 - 20, 1992 and Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, never before had I encountered such an in-depth analysis of one band or artist's entire repetoire, especially written while said artist was still in the flush of a recording career. It was only later, in the post-"Acknowledgments" afterglow, that it became abundantly obvious I'd crossed the line between nerd music fan and full-on music geek (the original definition of "geek," after all, being one who bites the heads off live chickens at carnival sideshows).

My nerdiness was formerly confined to music minutiae (such as the identity of "Layla" or the Washington, DC-based biographical parallels of Let Go and Transatlanticism). This was in addition to dweebishly charming statements like, "I used to think that 1966 was the greatest year in music history, but now I'm leaning towards '68. Maybe I'll make an Excel spreadsheet." Many a liner notes were scoured for additional arcana. This attention to detail has definitely saved my bacon during closely contested trivia nights at the local, in addition to filling the awkward spaces after statements like "You know, I really think Green Day was underrated." And sure, I'd read "Invisible Republic" and "Chronicles, Vol. 1" (and "Positively Fourth Street"), but one could argue that this is comparable to reading a biography (or three) on Yeats or Eliot. However, one steps beyond the pale with a 250-page book whose promotional materials describe it as "[t]he intimate story of one of the great American bands of our time."

What will others make of the "New Me?" Is this just a passing fad, or a lifestyle choice? Only future comments on the musical merits (or lack thereof) of the Moody Blues will tell whether I can be saved.

PS- In a sidenote, I think it's criminal that Northwest Airlines, whose corporate abbreviation is "NWA," has not yet tapped a member of seminal gangsta rap group NWA for a commercial. I can easily see Dr. Dre kicking back with a mimosa in first class and telling the audience: "When I'm flying to Minneapolis, which is more often than you'd think, I make sure to fly Northwest Airlines or their travel partner KLM Royal Dutch. Comfort and class, biyatch." If Dre or Ice Cube are too busy, I'm sure MC Ren is free.