Chit-Chat Check-In #76: What Are You Reading For?
The books on my reading table at the moment
As I recorded this at 10PM, it occurred to me that I’ve probably never recorded a Chit-Chat Check-In at this hour of the day, and it’s a time that I do some of the things I get asked about the most. Like what records are you listening to? You can find the answer to what I, and Wilco, listened to and liked in 2023 here.
But I also have a stack of books on my reading table that I’d like to tell you about, including Cold Enough for Snow by Jessica Au, A Shining by Jon Fosse, Loved and Missed by Susie Boyt, and Marigold and Rose by Louise Glück (a nice little stash I received from Community Bookstore on my recent book tour). And an uncharacteristic number of books by or about musicians: Bob Dylan: Mixing Up the Medicine by Mark Davidson and Parker Fishel, Lou Reed: The King of New York by Will Hermes, and Sly Stone’s memoir, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin).
I don’t know why I haven’t shared books more often here. It’s a big part of my life. But there you go. That’s what’s on the reading table at the moment.
OxO—Jeffy
This Week In Wilco, Etc.
1956 / January 4: Happy Birthday, Nels Cline!
2021 / January 5: The Tweedy Show #138 features the debut of the song “Darkness Is Cheap."
2003 / January 6: Jeff plays the Vic Theatre in Chicago and debuts four songs live: “Hummingbird,” “Old Maid,” “Woodgrain,” and The Minus 5’s “Dear Employer (The Reason I Quit).”
LOFT BOOK CLUB LETS DO IT
The Sly Stone book was great. I’m a Rush nerd and finished Geddy Lee’s memoir over the holidays. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to see him when he came to town on his book tour. I recently re-watched Mother Night with my son and felt compelled to read it again so now I’m down a Vonnegut rabbit hole.
“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting...but no good reason to ever hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty hates with you, too. Where's evil? It's that large part of every man that wants to hate without limit, that wants to hate with God on its side. It's that part of every man that finds all kinds of ugliness so attractive....it's that part of an imbecile that punishes and vilifies and makes war gladly.”