Jeff Tweedy Pimps Jettas

While watching TV earlier this week, I was struck by a certain advertisement promoting a certain car company while featuring a certain song performed by a certain lead singer of Wilco. To be slightly less obtuse, it was Jeff Tweedy's "Is That the Thanks I Get?" playing in the background of a Volkswagon commercial. In said advertisement, a tow-truck driver is attempting to tow a VW which apparently is parked illegally, but when he gets into the car to put it in neutral he looks around and realizes how sweet the car actually is and he decides to simply drive away in the car and leave his tow-truck behind. Besides being somewhat clever in getting the message across that VW makes a desirable set of wheels, this ad also reminded me how shady the towing business really is (why do they always make you pay cash to get your car back? Why is there this avoidance of a paper-trail? And why do all tow-truck drivers look like they possibly could have just been released from prison? Not to generalize or anything). Anyway, I was very surprised to hear that specific song used in a commercial. I can't remember ever coming across any other Tweedy-penned tunes used for ads in the past. Plus, to me, Wilco doesn't seem like the type of band whose music lends itself to advertising, nor would I be particularly inclined to think of them as a band who would be seeking out products to promote with their songs to make an extra buck or two, while simultaneously promoting themselves in the process (I'm looking in your direction Jet). Moreover, the song choice itself is a bit surprising as well. I first heard this song when Tweedy played it live during a set featured on his Sunken Treasure DVD. I was eagerly anticipating the release of Sky Blue Sky, thinking that a full-band, studio version of the song would surface on the disc. It didn't. I eventually found an mp3 of the live version recorded at Foellinger Auditorium at the University of Illinois on October 27, 2006 (posted below), but have yet to track down any kind of studio rendition, even though the version playing in the Vee-Dub commercial sounds too clean to be live. I suppose I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled.
Jeff Tweedy - "Is That the Thanks I Get?" mp3