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O’Rourke’s Fast Car

Last week’s newsletter started out with my post on contemplating blue. It wrapped up with an impromptu concert from Jim O’Rourke, featuring a 33-minute version of “Fast Car.” I wrote:

I’m a big Jeff Tweedy fan, and “I celebrate the guy’s entire catalog” — especially the Wilco albums from the early 2000s, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and A Ghost Is Born. At the time they were recorded, Tweedy was collaborating heavily with the musician and multi-instrumentalist, Jim O’Rourke. It was O’Rourke who first introduced Jeff Tweedy to Glen Kotche, Wilco’s current drummer who has been with the band ever since YHF. The three of them even formed a side project called Loose Fur that put out a couple of albums during those years. I was recently listening to an episode of NPR’s New Music Friday and learned about a 2002 impromptu concert that O’Rourke did in Japan. He was asked last minute to perform and had to piece together a set using borrowed instruments. I found a bootleg (if the Internet Archives site is down, you can still listen here) of the show, which closes with a beautiful cover of Tracy Chapman’s iconic song, “Fast Car,” one of my favorites. O’Rourke’s drone-infused and atmospheric version goes on for a whopping 33 minutes! In the days of streaming, it’s been a while since I’ve downloaded an album and had to go through the process of adding the files to my Mac’s music library and then transfer them to my phone via a USB cable. It was well worth it.

Jim O’Rourke (via Cover Me)

If ever you’re in need of some peace, I recommend kicking back and listening to the full set. You’ll be transported to another place, one where the mental noise inside your head begins to fade away.

You can read the whole newsletter here.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Eric Wenninger is an educator and writer. He teaches language and culture and writes about his travels through thought and space here.