Man in the Sand

Man in the Sand is a 1999 music documentary that chronicles the collaboration between Billy Bragg and Wilco, which involved the musicians creating new music to accompany lyrics that were written decades earlier by folk singer Woody Guthrie. The project, which was organized by Woody's daughter Nora, spawned two albums: Mermaid Avenue, released in 1998, and Mermaid Avenue Vol. II, released in 2000. The film begins with Bragg in Guthrie's original hometown of Okemah, Oklahoma, and follows along as Bragg travels to other Guthrie haunts in Texas, California, and finally, New York. Much of the documentary is also spent at the recording sessions in Chicago (December 1997) and Dublin, Ireland (January 1998). Most of the tracks from both albums...