Where Are You, Jay Bennett?
| Where Are You, Jay Bennett? | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Gorman Bechard Fred Uhter |
| Produced by | Fred Uhter Gorman Bechard |
Production company | What Were We Thinking Films |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Where Are You, Jay Bennett? is a 2021 documentary film directed by Gorman Bechard and Fred Uhter. It is about the life of American musician Jay Bennett, best known for his work with the band Wilco.[2][3][4][5]
Production
Where Are You, Jay Bennett? is the sixth rock documentary by Bechard, whose previous music documentaries include Color Me Obsessed, What Did You Expect?, and Every Everything: The Music, Life & Times of Grant Hart.[6][7][8]
Release
The film had its World Premiere at the Davis Theatre in Chicago on November 15, 2021.
It was released on DVD and BluRay on April 19, 2022 ,[9] and as a special edition Record Store Day 2022 release packaged with Bennett's last two albums being released on vinyl for the first time.[10]
Reception
The Loop Magainze wrote, "Where Are You, Jay Bennett? is one of the most intimate portraits of a musician ever filmed."[11]
Writing in Americana Highways, Steve Wosahla said,"The new film does a wonderful job of capturing the quirkiness, inventiveness and brilliance of someone who never met an instrument he couldn’t play."[7]
In a New York Times article, Lindsay Zoladz quoted Bechard and wrote, “'Personally, I wish they had stayed together because I think they could have literally become the next Lennon and McCartney or the next Jagger/Richards,'Bechard said in an interview promoting his documentary. After spending time with this exhaustive boxed set, though, I can’t possibly imagine a universe where that version of Wilco could have stayed together long enough to make that happen."[8]
Jeremy Porter in Pencil Storm wrote, "The underlying theme of the movie is Jay’s talent as a musician. His contributions to Wilco’s second and third albums Being There and Summerteeth propelled them into another universe."[12]
In The Medium, Keith R. Higgons wrote, "If you’re a Wilco fan and have seen the Sam Jones documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart . . . it’s required viewing to watch Where are you, Jay Bennett? — Bechard’s film is the ballast to Jones’ film. It provides much needed context to the Wilco/Yankee Hotel Foxtrot story and drama."[5]
References
- ^ https://www.smilepolitely.com/splog/a_documentary_on_jay_bennett_is_coming_to_the_davis_theater_in_chicago/
- ^ Porter, Jeremy (7 May 2022). "Documentary Review: Where Are You, Jay Bennett?". Pencil Storm. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ Hughes, Rob (27 May 2022). "Where are you, Jay Bennett?". UNCUT. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ Gonzales, Dillon (27 May 2022). "'Where Are You, Jay Bennett?' Blu-Ray Review - Under-Appreciated Wilco Performer Gets His Deserved Spotlight". Geek Vibes Nation. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ a b Higgons, Keith R. (23 July 2023). "Rock Doc Auteur". etc. Magazine. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ "Where are you, Jay Bennett? (2021)". What Were We Thinking Films. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ a b Wosahla, Steve (21 April 2022). "Jay Bennett, Gone Too Soon (Where are you, Jay Bennett?--Film Review) • Americana Highways". Americana Highways. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Behind Wilco's 2001 Masterpiece, a Band Breaking Its Heart (Published 2022)". 3 October 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "What Were We Thinking Films". whatwerewethinkingfilms.eventive.org. Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ "Where are you, Jay Bennett?". recordstoreday.com. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
- ^ admin_bitlc. "Wilco's Jay Bennett rocks his own documentary from directors Gorman Bechard & Fred Uhter". Retrieved 2 August 2025.
- ^ Porter, Jeremy (7 May 2022). "Documentary Review: Where Are You, Jay Bennett?". Pencil Storm. Retrieved 3 August 2025.
External links