Generally, I dislike live albums. I want to hear music, not clapping. But I make an exception for Wilco’s Kicking Television. It’s has almost all of their best songs, with Nels Cline on lead guitar, and it was recorded in Chicago. What more could I ask for?
However, there’s one part of the album I don’t like. Some intoxicated Kansan yells over the crowd, “Kansas City!”
Jeff Tweedy responds, “Thank you, thank you for coming from Kansas City.”
“Oh, yeah!” the guy yells back.
And then Tweedy says, “Now be quiet….How dignified is it to come from Kansas City to Chicago to see Wilco?”
The first time I heard this, it was pretty funny. Tweedy’s self-deprecating humor won me over.
But today, I heard it for the 147th time, and it just wasn’t as funny. Primarily because I’ve heard it 147 times, and can’t keep myself from quoting it. But it’s just a stupid piece of banter. I don’t want to know it word for word. But unfortunately, I do.
So, I’ve come to the conclusion that if you record a live album, you should never speak while recording it. And if you must, make sure it’s the funniest, most clever, mind-blowingly amazing words to have ever graced the eardrums of any human. Alive or dead. Because they could hear it at least 146 more times and by then, even those words would just be decent.
unless your”banter” makes history, a la the 1966 recording of bob dylan at the royal albert hall that immortalized the judas exchange AND captured approximately 10 minutes of dylan speaking unintelligibly throughout the show.
but i guess it’s more bootleg than live album.