Where Are You, Jay Bennett?

I saw the premier in Chicago and enjoyed the thorough, emotional filmmaking. Jay Bennett was a musical genius and the filmmakers did a great job showcasing his unique personality. Highly recommend this for Wilco fans or music fans in general.

An in depth story into a complex man who had a huge role in the evolution of a great band. Ultimately he may have been a tortured soul with an over abundance of creativity, but he pushed the band to the heights they achieved after he was let go. I enjoy the before and after versions of their music, but if you're a fan of their post Yankee Hotel Foxtrot catalog, Jay deserves credit for the experimental nature of the next few records. It's also a nice counter narrative to I Will Break Your Heart. The video quality isn't great, but the story is worth it. His family lends great insight. May he rest in peace.

I love Jay's music from early Wilco and the Mermaid Avenue sessions straight through to his later solo work, and I wish his talents were better-known. This film colored in additional detail about his life that made me appreciate his work all the more. What a tragedy that he was taken from us at a time when his life was on an upswing. While this film led me to revisit the previous documentary with fresh eyes, to me there are no villains in this story, just the sadness and resignation of well-meaning, extremely talented people drifting apart. Actually, scratch that: the villain in the story is the U. S. healthcare system.

Ask any Wilco fan what their favorite album by the band is, and you know they'll say Being There, Summerteeth, or YHF. That, of course, is the Jay Bennett era.

Sadly, too many modern fans of Wilco (and music in general) have no appreciation for how talented Jay was. How influential. How creative. This film takes it upon itself to show you, to teach you. Consider it a Master Class in Jay Bennett appreciation.

Through countless interviews with family, friends, and colleagues - along with fantastic interviews with Jay himself - you get a full picture of his history, development, his ups and downs, his quirks and his generosity. But it's not a false narrative. There's no worshipping at the altar of a false messiah. The people who knew him best reveal the true picture of the man. He was complicated, sometimes difficult, obsessed with details, and sometimes had a bit of a kitchen sink approach to recording music.

Above all, you learn how Bennett worked so hard to be everything he could be to anyone who needed him. He'd wear as many hats as necessary. Like so many of us, he just wanted to be liked, appreciated, and most of all understood.

This documentary is NOT just for fans of Wilco. Any true music fan will love this film.

I'll admit as a huge Wilco fan (and therefore a bit "protective" of Jeff Tweedy maybe?) I was nervous to see this film as I thought it might position Tweedy as the villain and Jay as the hero (to flip the script from I Am Trying To Break Your Heart). But this film didn't do that. It was an intricate study of a complex person who happened to be a multi-instrumental genius singer-songwriter. It helped fill in so much of the picture of someone who was instrumental (no pun intended) in pushing Wilco to its highest heights - but also someone who, ultimately, seemed to have an insatiable desire to constantly push boundaries and ride the lightning in such a way that just was not sustainable in a band context. I feel more empathy for Jay certainly than I did before this film, and I also understand my favorite band (and why the Jay era is my favorite era) better. It is artfully done but not precious - great use of live concert footage, interviews, animation, and music. The only thing I think would have improved it was hearing from other collaborators who knew or worked with Jay but as documentary fillmmakers you can't control who will or won't speak to you! Very engaging and I look forward to owning the DVD when it comes out, I will watch it again and will definitely delve into the extra footage.