Gift Guide: 2018 Holiday Gift Guide

Jeff Tweedy’s journey from small town kid from a working class family in Belleville, Ill., to rock stardom didn’t come without some road bumps.

Band breakups, migraines that resulted in opiate addiction, and inner turmoil abound in Tweedy’s new memoir “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back)”, but not in the way you expect. Tweedy seems initially hesitant to address the darker times in his life, often inserting verbatim transcripts of conversations with his wife Suzie that chronicle their discussions of what to include and what not to include in the book. Perhaps, it was the use of these transcripts that allowed Tweedy to come to grips with his troubled past. In one of the book’s most heartbreaking anecdotes, Tweedy reveals a moment when Wilco were opening for R.E.M., and he was found backstage sobbing underneath a shower in unimaginable pain due to severe migraines. This, among other revelations, allows you to remove the indie rock mythos and discover the man behind the songwriter.

Whether you’re a Wilco die hard, or just a casual indie rock fan, “Let’s Go (So We Can Get Back)” is a fascinating read.