Back off Madison and Duluth – Wilco belongs to Chicago! (from WBEZ Blog)
Anyone who knows Wilco knows they’re a Chicago band through and through. Just glance at the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot or listen to the tune “Via Chicago” for proof. Now some of our regional neighbors are trying to bask in the band’s glow. First it was Duluth, Minnesota. When the band played there on February 19, Mayor Don Ness met with the band before their show and made an official mayoral proclamation of Wilco being an “Honorary Duluth Band.”
When Wilco played Madison, Wisconsin the next day, The Cap Times reports that Tweedy taunted the city for not recognizing them after playing far more concerts there than Duluth. Alderperson Satya Rhodes-Conway was at the show and was approached by several constituents, who wanted Wilco to be recognized. She rose to the challenge and introduced a resolution claiming Wilco as honorary Madison citizens. Madison’ alderpeople (that’s what they call ‘em in Madison) can’t make proclamations, so the resolution still has to be adopted by the full council at their March 2 meeting. So far the mayor and nine out of twenty council members have sponsored the measure, so has a good chance at passing.
This got me wondering if Chicago had ever taken similar measures to recognize Wilco. After all, we have ‘Talk Like Shakespeare Day’, ‘Smashing Pumpkins Day’ and ‘Diddy Day.’ Surely there must be something on the books for Wilco. Not according to David Daskal (and everyone else I spoke with at the Mayor’s Office of Special Events and the Mayor’s Correspondance Office). Daskal said there’d never been much demand for special recognition….
