493 - Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot - Sklar Brothers
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EPISODE SUMMARY:
On Episode 493, The Sklar Brothers destroy everything we thought we knew about anything. Mind-blowing guests so enthralled by the nuance and minutia of Wilco's seminal album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.
As twin brothers, Randy and Jason Sklar share identical genetic codes. But beyond that, they also share a keen understanding of the nature of songwriting, joke structure and what it means to be an artist.
Utilizing an almost telepathic connection to play their timing and delivery off of one another, the dynamic duo of post-modern humorists have had twice the impact on the world of comedy than any individual performer could hope for, having released four critically acclaimed comedy albums, two Comedy Central Half Hour Presents specials, and made appearances in countless shows on FX, HBO, and ESPN.
They bring the bulk of their lifelong Wilco fandom and knowledge to bear in this episode, as is needed given the amount of backstory there is to cover behind the band's 2002 release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, broadly considered one of the best albums of this first part of the 21st century.
SHOW NOTES:
01:15 – Intro
04:00 – Episode start
04:30 – The correct pronunciation of Sklar
06:00 – Johnny Carson’s NBA All-stars
07:00 – Classified as “dad rock”
09:00 – What is Ronald Reagan music?
11:30 – The Sklars like Wilco “before they were cool”
17:45 – Latching onto the most complete song
19:45 – Being the fuck up in a relationship
22:45 – Some albums are worlds unto themselves
25:00 – Jeff Tweedy needs help!
29:15 – Josh sounds exactly like his mother
31:30 – The loneliness of being an artist
34:00 – Understanding the preciousness of life
38:45 – People need to stop singing “Jesus, etc.”
42:00 – The calming effect of the album’s midpoint
45:00 – Is this a Jay Bennet record or a Jeff Tweedy album?
46:00 – Is it wrong to lie to yourself?
49:00 – How to stay youthful and innocent
54:15 – How to avoid hypocrisy
57:30 – How to handle hecklers
58:45 – The song that needs to go
59:15 – Facts!
01:00:30 – What rugs have been pulled out from under you?
01:01:45 – The Talented Sklar Children
01:03:15 – Where are they now?
01:07:00 - Outro