by Jason Earle
You Fuckers Figure It Out. He figured out how to write a song. Figured out how to write a record. How to divine a masterpiece album. Then another. And another.
Jason Molina figured out how to live in the bones of the people whose lives he touched. He figured out how to become the rockstar he wanted to be. That part of his story ended all too soon and in tragic fashion, but not before his imprint sank to the marrow of the folks who loved him.
Thirteen years later he has enlisted a friend from childhood to Fucking Figure It Out. Tommy Nickoloff appeared in my life like a benevolent apparition just a few short weeks ago. Five days after an email introduction he was in my living room recording an episode of my show The Marinade podcast. It was an interaction I returned to often while watching the film.
Jason Molina and I never crossed paths in person on the mortal plane. I never saw him live- didn’t have a community of folks who also loved his music with which to commiserate while he was still walking around on the planet.
Yet, his music felt like a spectre wafting through my subconscious, herding my creative energy toward the most sincere version of itself.
Molina’s life now feels intersected with mine after watching Nickoloff’s documentary. The film’s strength lies on two fronts. The community Molina fostered is at the forefront of the story; and his ever presence casts a loud shadow.
An unexpected delight of the film is the way in which Molina reveals himself. Through the stories told, the inflection in a friend’s voice, tears welling up, and in surprising ways.
Nickoloff felt like a friend to me just five days after our parasocial introduction. He has a knack for uniting people and their stories, and a passion for art. Such a skill set provides a natural, dynamic vessel for the tales that make Jason Molina the person.
You Fuckers Figure It Out does not lionize Molina, but it does frame him as a romantic figure. He is dedicated to his craft while trying to keep the wolves at bay.
Tommy Nickoloff has figured out how to distill the story of a childhood friend, who became a cult hero, into an accessible story about all of the above.