Adult Head [Paperback]

Jeff Tweedy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2004

"Adult Head" is the first book of poetry by Jeff Tweedy, the songwriting genius behind the band Wilco. In turns surreal and concrete, playful and serious, urgent and whimsical, "Adult Head" rewards readers with a unique prosody and deep wisdom. Culled from the same mind responsible for some of the best lyrics and music made in the past decade, this volume displays Tweedy's prodigious talent for poetry on the page. Jeff Tweedy has devoted the last twenty years of his life to songwriting and music making. As a member of the band Wilco and formerly of the band Uncle Tupelo, Tweedy and his band mates have garnered respect and praise from "Rolling Stone", "Spin", the "New Yorker", the "New York Times", and the "Chicago Tribune". Tweedy lives in Chicago with his wife and two sons.

Editorial Reviews

From the Inside Flap

"America's finest troubadours have always broken our hearts, and Jeff Tweedy is no exception. In this glorious first collection of poems -- wise, delicate, wry and compelling poems -- Jeff Tweedy reminds us again of the quiet oscillations in every life between the willed courage of humor and the inevitable tides of sadness. Don't be surprised to discover that this book is, at its very core, a deeply spiritual sequence of meditations and adventures." - David St. John

"Jeff's a poet. Always has been. That's apparent to anyone caught by his voice and guitar. He's not a ‘rock’ poet. Adult Head is not some ego lark. Jeff writes words to convey his soul with a wholly natural sense. He has his heart inside the literature of poetry in all its straight-up and experimental lyrical historicity. He thinks maybe barking dogs are laughing! He thinks maybe the world is some kind of kitten. He still thinks we're serious. Word magic. And we're lucky he can sing it so sweet. A fair amount of you can't hug jeff; he's on stage. But you can hug this book. It hugs back." - Thurston Moore

Product Details

• Paperback: 53 pages
• Publisher: Zoo Press (March 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 193202316X
• ISBN-13: 978-1932023169
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #709,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tweedy is a lyrical genius, April 7, 2004

By 

Brandon Burnett (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adult Head (Paperback)

Although I haven't read the entire text of this book yet, I have read several excerpts from it and have been a Wilco fan for several years. Just from listening to Tweedy's lyrics in his songs, you can tell he has a natural penchant for poetry. His words are very down to earth, heartfelt, and offer a glimpse into our souls. I recommend checking out this book along with Wilco's Cd's. All of them are great, especially Yankee Hotel Foxtrot and Summer Teeth. If your sick of the same old cliched poetry and music, check this out and I guarantee you'll be pleased. Here's one of the poems from the book that I got off of zoopress.org, the publisher's website.

The Black Hours
- GMH

are almost gone
the night is dissolving
in a cup of god lifted
to toast the lightning
lightly tapping
high-pitched as it hums

and as your spine shines
with your soul, a shiver,
a fist so clear and trying
to climb into the unlit sky
you can see
there's so much less to this than you think

your mind's a machine
that's deadly and dull
it's never been still
and its will has never been free
it's almost dawn
and it's snowing again

I have never seen so much night

The imagery is always intense, and when a poem reads like a well-crafted song it's only more enjoyable to read. Definitly check this one out.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I Know this is Going to Upset Some People, May 26, 2006

By 

A. Woodley "A Stooge" - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Adult Head (Paperback)

But this book is not as good as it should be or as you would expect it to be. First, I must say that I LOVE WILCO. I honestly think that Jeff Tweedy is a lyrical and musical genius but as far as poetry goes he leaves a lot to be desiered. I really thing that some of these poems are songs that didn't work out. The reason for this is the content. It is not as strong and I think that is because he was playing with the sounds of words for songs. If your a Wilco and/or Tweedy fan you will probably like it (if not for the content than for the novelty) but if this is your introduction I would buy all the Wilco albums first and then make your decision.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Songwriter's process, December 26, 2005

By 

Jessica Ferguson "threelittlebirds" (Woodbury, NJ) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Adult Head (Paperback)

(Disclaimer: I think I have been pretty objective here but you should know that I am a huge Wilco fan.)

I am not sure how I would have felt about the poems in Jeff Tweedy's Adult Head had I read it prior to the release of Wilco's album "A Ghost is Born". Several of the poems, or at least some of their individual stanzas, have since appeared in song format on that album and changes, somewhat, the idea that the writing in Adult Head is poetry in a traditional sense. Lyrics for "Company in my Back", "Muzzle of Bees", "At Least That's What You Said", "Hell is Chrome", "I'm a Wheel", and probably some that I've missed, all appear in infant form within these poems making "Adult Head" more like an intimate portrait of Tweedy's songwriting process than a book of poetry.

Imagery and ideas are occasionally repeated ("Prayer #2"/"Muzzle", "Sister Invention"/"I'm a Wheel", "At Night"/"Blueheart Chrome") as if they are being polished until fit just right. Other times the "inital draft" feel is clear and a few pieces feel as if they have been meshed from several different thoughts. Often in the same poem a stanza will resonate all on its own but feel off kilter in context of the entire piece. "First This" is a strong example of the order (or disorder) of some of these works. The first two stanzas of "First This" hold together well but the third takes the reader just off base. However, if the poem is read with the last stanza first, the cohesiveness of the piece seems to come together and progress more readily. Of course, this may have been Tweedy's intention (especially in this case - the poem IS titled "First This"...) but the technique proves more of a distraction than a pause to consider. It seems Tweedy may even be aware of this weakness as he broke down the piece "Muzzle" into two separate songs on "Ghost is Born" - the first three stanzas becoming "Muzzle of Bees" and the last two becoming "At Least That's What You Said".

All of that said, there is still plenty of fresh material. "Way of Light (Christmas, 1978)" and its companion piece "Christmas, 1978, Later" catch the enormous emotional charge of coming of age - the pain of learning that childhood's magic is often just mundane trickery. "Doris" and "The Bench-Warmers Daughter" create such crystal clear character studies Tweedy might as well have pasted down photos as soon as words. "Easy Bake Oven" is innocently seething with its final line, "...and I've never been too sad to eat."

And there are, of course, those pieces that are just waiting to burst into song - "Temper, Temper", "Poison Color", "Blueheart Chrome".

Overall, an interesting body of work that should definately be revisited in light of "A Ghost is Born". A great companion piece to the cd but also a stand-alone book of unorthodox and highly personal poetry.