A history of Wilco being labeled “dad rock”

Dad Rock: Rock music that appeals to an older generation, or that is heavily influenced by that of an earlier era. (Oxford Dictionary)

Dad Rock: Classic rock you first heard from your dad’s old record collection. (Urban Dictionary)

When I was writing my book, Wilcopedia, I really wanted to avoid the term “dad rock,” which has long ago become critical shorthand for the music of Wilco. I disliked the moniker greatly and didn’t want to give it further credibility.

Nevertheless, I did end up using the phrase in reference to a scene in Richard Linklater’s 2014 film BOYHOOD, in which dad Mason Sr. (Ethan Hawke) plays Wilco’s “Hate it Here” to his son (Ellar Coltrane).

“Hate it Here” comes from Wilco’s 2007 album, Sky Blue Sky, reviews of which have been cited as where the term “dad rock” originated. Wilco founder/front man Jeff Tweedy thought so himself:

“I remember the first time it was said about Wilco. It was particularly unflattering and hurtful. It was a Pitchfork review for Sky Blue Sky. I had never heard that term or seen it and I was like ‘Ouch. Wow. Okay. That’s not very fair.’ I don't know what you can do about somebody calling you something. You can’t win. You can address it, argue with it, bitch and moan about it, or throw a fit every damn chance you have, but ultimately it’s just another stupid thing that’s out there.” (Esquire, 2014)

While that was where Tweedy first heard the term, as Rob Mitchum (the writer of the Pitchfork review of which Tweedy refers) notes that “dad rock” was used before by the UK press to describe the bands Kula Shaker and Oasis. After Mitchum utilized it in his review, the phrase has been common in rock scribe circles to label a bunch of other bands as evidenced in articles like these:

The 9 bands that are now classed as ‘Dad Rock’ from Oasis to Arctic Monkeys (thesun.co.uk) 

The 19 most dad-rock albums of all time (oregonlive.com) 

20 Dad-Rock Albums You Should Learn to Love (Flavorwire) 

Although these pieces cite a plethora of different bands from classic rock warhorses to more recent alternative artists, it doesn’t take much research to see that Wilco is the band that is most associated with “dad rock” in scores of reviews of their output. But the connotation has bled over into other mediums. In a 2013 episode (“The American Dream”) of the Showtime series, Shameless, a character named Lip, played by Jeremy Allen White, puts Wilco down by saying: 

While Lip, who I already thought was a glib douche in previous episodes of the show, doesn’t actually say “dad rock,” it’s obvious that he is echoing what many have said about Wilco over the years. Last year, Mitchum wrote a piece in Esquire in which he atoned for his part in popularizing the phrase:

I Introduced the Term ‘Dad-Rock’ to the World. I Have Regrets. (Esguire, 2019)

Mitchum writes that “watching it evolve from a snarky aside to a signifier of generational style has been truly weird,” and concludes that “maybe just as we all become our dads, we all eventually come to dad-rock.”

But while many have embraced and have defended the term, it still comes across as derisive. Tweedy’s son, Spencer, said so himself in a 2015 interview in the Chicago Tribune:

“I think it’s dismissive and snarky. I try to have a good sense of humor about it. My Dad is graceful and diplomatic, and he refuses to be prickly in public about that term. I, on the other hand, am a little bit farther removed from it. I’m scrappy little dude and I don't have a problem saying it makes me upset sometimes. I don’t like what it insinuates, and frankly, I think it’s bullshit.”

In an example of Spencer’s dad, Jeff, being graceful and diplomatic about “dad rock” is evidenced in a 2011 interview with Men’s Journal in which he says he had a revelation about it:

“When people say dad rock, they actually just mean rock. There are a lot of things today that don’t have anything to do with rock music, so when people hear something that makes them think, ‘This is derived from some sort of continuation of the rock ethos,’ it gets labeled dad rock. And, to me, those people are misguided. I don’t find anything undignified about being a dad or being rocking, you know?”

It’s easy to see why fans take offense at the term as it seems to not only take a potshot at Wilco but at their following.

However, to be fair, a lot of their fans are dads or at least the age of dads. I’m not a dad, but many of the people I know who like Wilco are fathers who cling both to the music of their youth and more recent music that sounds like the music of their youth.

That may sound like I’m defending dad rock, but I’m really not. I don’t approve of such generalizations and strongly agree with Spencer Tweedy that the phrase is “dismissive and snarky.” Whether you embrace or hate the label, it has spread like a virus (too soon?) throughout the rock critic community, and it appears that it’s here to stay.

It was even used in some reviews of Wilco’s most recent album 2019’s Ode to Joy, which to my ears sounds about as far from “dad rock” as you can get. With hope, all of us fans can all dismiss the dismissive label as lazy shorthand.

That especially pertains to the dads who just want to continue to rock further into adulthood and don’t want to be made fun of for it.

More later...