Greg Kot

Author of Wilco: learning how to die

5+ Works 419 Members 11 Reviews

About the Author

Greg Kot has been the music critic at the Chicago Tribune since 1990. Kot is cohost of the nationally syndicated public-radio program Sound Opinions and the author of several books, including Wilco: Learning How to Die and Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. He lives in Chicago.

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Works by Greg Kot

Popular Recent

Wilco: learning how to die (2004) 183 copies

Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music (2009) 129 copies

I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple Singers, and the March up Freedom's Highway (2014) 105 copies

Band, The: 'Last Waltz' Still Bittersweet For All But Robertson - Arkansas Traveler, April 2002 1 copy

Turn It Up: A Guided Tour Through the Worlds of Pop, Rock, Rap and More (2013) 1 copy

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Associated Works

100 Posters, 134 Squirrels: A Decade of Hot Dogs, Large Mammals, and Independent Rock: The Handcrafted Art of Jay Ryan (2005) — Introduction — 57 copies

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Common Knowledge

Birthdate: 1957-03-03
Gender: male
Nationality: USA
Occupations: music critic
journalist
author
Organizations: Chicago Tribune

Members

Reviews

I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple… by Greg Kot

Pops Staples and his musical family have a fascinating backstory down South that listeners can hear in their "up South" Chicago gospel and Muscle Shoals pop hits. The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot knows this is the best part of his story and lets it unwind. He also has a rock critic's way of drawing attention to what makes a performance distinctive, which sent me back for another listen to Staple Singers' Vee-Jay and Stax dusties.

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rynk | 5 other reviews | Jul 11, 2021 |

Wilco : Learning How to Die by Greg Kot

If anything, this book made me realize 1) how brilliant Jay Farrar is, and 2) how brilliant Jay Bennett was.

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wordsampersand | 1 other review | Dec 6, 2018 |

Wilco: Learning How to Die by Greg Kot

Until there is a better Wilco bio, and one is needed, this is good enough to read

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burningdervish | 1 other review | Nov 29, 2016 |

I'll Take You There: Mavis Staples, the Staple… by Greg Kot

Unbelievably, Mavis Staples only came onto my radar in the last few years. How this is even possible, I don't know. It was shortly after hearing her on the radio and being mesmerized by her voice, that the documentary *Mavis!* played at the Hot Docs Festival here in Toronto. I loved it! Shortly after that, I found this book and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Author Greg Kot does a great job at researching this book and covers the Staple Singers from their earliest roots, through their careers at various recording studios and collaborations with Bob Dylan, Prince, Levon Helm, among others; their travels to Ghana and South Africa, and their influence in the days of Martin Luther King Jr.'s civil rights movement. He goes into great detail about the songs, the music, and touches on the family's personal struggles and tragedies as well.

The only thing missing from this book was a CD! So, to that end, I spent quite some time googling and listened to (and watched, thanks to youtube) several performances. Just wow!

Early recording (1959): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rekp7rRcSFs

The song that is the title of the book:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uY3vgBzgYn4… (more)

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jessibud2 | 5 other reviews | Jun 5, 2016 |

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