---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===-- Note: The file below may have several references to old addresses for the //Skyway\\. The new, correct addresses are: ** Skyway listserver: majordomo@novia.net ** Skyway submissions, to write to Matt: skyway@novia.net --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- / // The \kyway \\ / Fall 1994 -- Issue #22 September 5th, 1994 (c) 1994 Bastards of Young (BOY/BetaOmegaYamma) Productions --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- ** Subscriptions, comments, contributions, anything you want to read: ** --> skyway@phoenix.creighton.edu <-- ** Manager: ** i261%nemomus@academic.nemostate.edu (Matthew Tomich) --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- The manager of this list, Matthew Tomich, and the school's facilities that this list is produced from, Creighton University of Omaha, Nebraska, are not responsible for the contents of the following mailing except for that which they themselves have originally contributed. --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- September 5th, 1994 ------------------- <*> Swingin' Party (but I wasn't there): spoutin' off from M@ >*< The _Second_ Time I Saw The 'Mats by Chris Koehler |*| Tim Religious Experience by Jim Gould /*/ CD bootleg of '89 Petty shows by Tim Blankenbaker \*\ Bootleg overview in that scholarly way that Charles Ford does it -*- The Bob Stinson-Pavement drummer connection, contributed by Ron =*= "No, Kiss MY Ass...The Replacements did it first!" sent in by Scott Wickman +*+ Bob Mould's Favorite Thing sez Charles Ford :*: "Sorry Ma..." trivia from Jim Gould [*] Any other DAT traders out there? -- Marcus Winfree (*) RINGO music survey (M.I.T. Masters project), sent in by Bob Fulkerson )*( THE FANS KEEP HITTIN' BACK: Whirled Peas demo now available! (Teddie James) }*{ Why the Skyway is almost 1/3rd female. -- Lori Dolqueist {*} I fell in love when Paul fell off the drum set. Meet J Casten. * Dee Dee Dunlap is not a spoiled brat. -- Leah Drury (But I never really said she was.) ---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===---===-- SWINGIN' PARTY (where the hell did they go?) Date: August 18th, 1994 From: "M@" All this Generation X hoopla bullshit. The 'Mats were swingin' this flag years ago, way before any Rolling Stone idiot put their ink on it. `Shiftless When Idle'...`Bastards of Young'...`We'll Inherit The Earth'. And how can you forget the middle of `I Don't Know': "Wadda gonna do with your life?!!" (you know the answer.) So how was the Swingin' Party? I was unable to go since a few days before the event, a unforseen and invisible 2.5 foot pole in a parking lot jumped out in front of my car and beat the hell out of my fender and headlight and resulted in my subsequent rape at the hands of local Mongloids at the body shop. I haven't heard anything back yet! Any/ everybody who went: send me a story and I'll publish a summary if you'd like...but nobody's sent in anything. Are you all still passed out? Remember: Send in your top ten albums for a special issue to Mark "My Job Sucks" Fisher at: fisher@ns.case.org. Great shows I've seen recently: Mercy Rule, Frontier Trust, and a bunch of lunatics called `Man...or Astroman?' One of the guys rode a flaming big wheel off the stage. If any of these bands come into your area, it's probably $5 or less and a hell of a show! Those goofballs at AOL ;) sent the //Skyway\\ a whole bagful of lyrics, as you'll soon see after you read this message. The first four albums, plus a mix of miscellaneous stuff that's popped up on B-sides and other releases. The lyrics to `Nowhere Is My Home' are incomplete, so take a shot at it! (And if you haven't heard this song, it's a shame it never made it onto "Tim"...so get a copy from a friend (or write me). It, along with `If Only You Were Lonely', are available on the out of print European `greatest hits' "Boink!" album. It contains those two songs, plus cuts from Stink and Hootenanny.) Also, Jim Gould has graciously sent in the lyrics to Chris Mars's "Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" which are straight from Mars himself! Wow, huh?!! Also, you can now get files such as lyrics, past issues, discography, Best Of's, and all that junk from the listserv address like this: 1) Send a message to "lists@phoenix.creighton.edu" with the following in the body: get skyway-l skyway-l.index end (NOTE: The skyway.index file isn't completed at the time of this send. It'll be done RFSN!) 2) When you see something that you want, just send another message to the "lists@" address with: get skyway-l end 3) And if this whole automated listserver file thing just makes your stomach churn, you can just write me a letter and I'll send the goods to yah. School starts Monday. I'm not ready for this shit. My latest hobby? Whenever in a large crowd or a standing in a montonous line, just shout: "PUT THE GUN DOWN." Never fails to entertain. -- M@ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 04 Sep 94 15:43:29 CDT From: "M@" Subject: Intro part II Sorry this issue is taking a while to get out. I've been living out of boxes and my room is a disorganized hole as my new roommate and I (the pairing of the world's two biggest packrats) try to sort out our junk and stuff way too much stuff in a substandard dorm room. The band I'm in, Pope Mahone, played at a Battle of the Bands here. The drummer showed up ten minutes before we were supposed to play and we hadn't played together since July. Granted, he just drove four hours to get here, but the end result was disasterous. We fell flat on our faces. We fell apart on stage. I guess 10% of me was smiling at the time thinkin' that this was as close to the glory of a band that I so dearly loved. But the other 90% wanted to run and hide. At least our goldfish and bad LP's shotgun giveaway into the crowd masked some of our newfound ability to really, really suck. But a bad show is alot like a bad date: it's hard to get out of your mind and really makes it hard for you to want to do it again. So to anybody out there in a band, make sure that your drummer shows up to practice on time! And sometimes it's better to not play at all rather than play very badly. School is...ah shit, this is my final year, isn't it? Think I better go find something to do...I applied for an international study scholarship and am a runner-up. Which is probably an honor and all, but the bottom line is that I still have to go find something else to do. I'd have this out today, but all the computer labs on campus are closed because of this Labor Day weekend thing. I don't know why they call it that when you're not supposed to be laboring. Maybe they should call it Slacker Day. I'm gonna go find some doughnuts. Where'd the freakin' sun go, anyway? -- M@ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: 27 Jul 94 16:37:59 CDT From: Chris P Koehler Subject: The 2nd time I saw the 'Mats Matt- I'm going to type in a review of the second time I saw the 'Mats which was in the spring of 1985. The review is from the Minnesota Daily, which is the University of Minnesota's daily newspaper. Unfortunately, I clipped the date of the review off, so I don't know exactly when this show was, but I think it was in March of 1985. As those of you who've read the //Skyway\\ for awhile might remember, the first time I saw the 'Mats was in the fall of 1982. Why it took me two and a half years to see them again is a long story, but essentially I didn't become a hardcore fan till early 1984, plus I didn't have anyone else that I could regularly hit the bars with till the summer of 1985. I went to see them alone in 1982 and once again I was unable to get anyone to go with me to see them this time in 1985. If I feel up to it after typing this in I'll type my own comments about the show after the review. The review also included a picture of Westerberg with the caption: 'Paul Westerberg: a rock'n'roll hero.' HOW YOUNG ARE YOU? by Steven M. Perlstein In view of widely ranging elements present at the Replacements concert at Coffman Union last Friday, it is necessary to divide this review into two parts. Part one, the show: The Replacements returned home last Friday on the tail end of a grueling tour of the United States to find a near hero's welcome waiting for them. Their all-ages show at the Great Hall was filled to overflowing with a wide variety of personae, all gathered together for one purpose--to see the hometown boys play. And they got the most for their entertainment dollar. The Mats (short for Placemats, which is short for Replacements) appeared amid yelling, screaming, and microphone problems to pound out a 95-minute set of what the crowd wanted to hear. And they were truly loud, but then that's what the crowd wanted to hear. Their typical show these days, as evidenced by their latest album, _The Shit Hits the Fans_, a live set recorded on their just-completed tour, consists mostly of covers. But the band got sentimental for the kids this time around and played a large helping of Replacements originals in addition to some fun covers. The words were difficult, if not impossible, to understand, but it didn't really matter very much -- the energy carried them through in just peachy shape. Among their originals was their single, "I Will Dare," played distorted instead of poppy as it appears on vinyl. Also, they did a rollicking rendition of "20th Century Boy," as well as "Go," "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out," and "Hear You Been To College." And they took requests. Frontman Paul Westerberg, acting on suggestions from the fans in front, led the band into "Gary's Got a Boner," and "Fuck School," much to the satisfaction of the crowd and the chagrin, no doubt, of their parents. And covers. Did they do covers. They jammed to Kiss's "Black Diamond," which appears on their critically acclaimed album, _Let It Be_. They did "Saturday Night Special" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. They did "Little Red Rooster" from Elvis Presley. They did Golden Earring's "Radar Love." And of course they did "If I Only Had a Brain" from the _Wizard of Oz_. They sure are fun. And they sure are weird. Guitarist Bob Stinson came dressed in a black blazer with no shirt, but a Mr.T-like assortment of jewelry around his neck and an overabundance of eyeliner. The bass of his brother Tommy (at 18 years old, this was one of the few Mats shows he could have gotten to see) was adorned with Michael Jackson and Mr.Yuk stickers. Drummer Chris Mars just sort of sat there and bobbed his head up and down. The four switched instruments a lot, with curious results. And when a girl threw her shoe on the stage at the start of the second encore, Bob decided that he had to go to the bathroom and it couldn't wait. The Replacements were preceeded by Tetes Noires, an all-female, vocal- oriented group that mixed hypnotizing harmonies with a minimum of instrumental accompaniment, to produce a fascinating mix of jazz, rock, folk and country. But now, part two, the crowd: The Replacements have been in _Rolling Stone_ and their tour dates have appeared on MTV. So every Twin Cities high schooler who was anybody just HAD to be able to say they were there. So they were all there. It wasn't hard to tell who they were, either, since they all dressed alike, talked alike, had the same hairstyles, and all smoked clove cigarettes. I wanted to vomit. That could have been tolerable, though, if being near the stage was not a suicide mission. The slam-dance fest in the middle of the hall forced many of the non-slammers forward, where they were folded, spindled, and mutilated. The Replacements were fun. The crowd wasn't. This is a band to see in a bar. =======End of review======= Despite a few inaccuracies (i.e. 'Little Red Rooster' is a blues song, first done by Howling Wolf-I'd be surprised if Elvis Presley ever covered it) this review is pretty much right on target. The slam dancing was awful. People were taking ten yard runs and slamming into each other. It was like being in the middle of a football game. The Mats were great, however. The show was a benefit for the Ski Club at the University of Minnesota and when people started throwing coins at the band (before someone threw the shoe) Westerberg said something like, "Don't throw your money at us-give it to the Ski Club." I don't remember them switching instruments more than once or twice, either. I also don't remember them doing "Saturday Night Special", but they started playing "Freebird" and Westerberg's singing was so awful that after the first verse, he just stopped and said "That's enough," and the song ground to a halt. The guy ahead of me and I started laughing and the guy's girlfriend looked at him and said "I like that song," and he said "So do I," and kept right on laughing. The girlfriend's reaction was as funny as the Mats version of the song. There were a couple of times, like "Radar Love", when Bob would start playing a riff and then the rest of the band would gather round, figure out what Bob was playing and then kick into the song. When they took the request for "Fuck School", Paul looked out and asked "What do you want to hear?" and when a couple of people yelled "Fuck School!", Paul looked back at the band and smiled and said "They want to hear 'Fuck School'," and the band kicked into the song. Another time he said "We're going to play all the favorites. They may not be your favorites, but we'll play 'em anyway." They were in a very generous mood. Peter Jesperson, in the Goldmine article that appeared last fall, said that the show recorded in Oklahoma and released as _The Shit Hits the Fans_ was the most generous he ever saw Westerberg be to his audience. From what I've heard of _The Shit Hits the Fans_ and from what I saw at this show, I'd guess that Jesperson wasn't at this show. After the show, I went out to the busstop in front of Coffman Union and talked with some kids who were at the show, about the difference between the Mats and Husker Du live. At this time, I still hadn't seen Husker Du live. All of a sudden, Tommy Stinson and a couple of buddies appeared at the busstop. I smiled at Tommy, thinking it was ironic that the bass player in the band I had just seen was going to have to catch the bus, too. He gave me a look, like "What the fuck are you smiling at?" and then a taxi pulled up and he and his buddies piled in. Chris Koehler, Univ. of Minnesota -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 Aug 1994 20:52:16 -0500 (EST) From: Jim Gould Subject: _Tim_ and depression Hey, everyone.. same ol' Jim, just a new address. :D Something happened today that I thought I'd share... about 5p, I was driving home, listening to _Tim_, and I started getting depressed (which is weird.. normally, _Tim_ is an exhilarating album to hear (notable exceptions include the beautiful, but sad "Swingin' Party" and "Here Comes a Regular")). Sorry about being so parenthetical, there.. It was really strange, and kind of alien.. I haven't been so down for quite a long time. :D The first thing I thought is "Hey, I should tell everyone on the list!" but realized as I sat down to do so that I didn't really have a reason to talk about it. I've begun to write it off as a combination of the album reminding me of the time period during which I bought it (which was a real downer and it's hard to believe it was 2 years ago), the unusually tiring day I'd had which reminded me of how sad, boring, etc. Kokomo really is, and the nostalgic frame of mind I'd been put in somehow. Anyway.. just thought I'd share those meanderings. :D See ya. -- Jim Gould jgould@walnut.holli.com All opinions expressed are my own, but I'm sure you'll agree someday. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 16 Aug 1994 11:28:06 -0400 (EDT) From: Tim Blankenbaker Subject: new boot M@ - I don't remember reading anything about this bootleg that I picked up this weekend in Baltimore so I'll post something about it. It's a CD pressed by the KTS label in Italy that is 73:27 and features portions of three shows from the Petty tour. The middle set is the Inconcerated stuff. Here's the rundown: 1. Talent Show 2. Round and Round 3. The Ledge 4. Can't Hardly Wait 5. September Gurls 6. Another Girl, Another Planet 7. Within Your Reach 8. Left Of The Dial 9. Alex Chilton 10. Nightclub Jitters 11. I'll Be You 12. Bastards Of Young 13. Talent Show 14. Answering Machine 15. Anywhere's Better Than Here 16. Another Girl, Another Planet 17. Here Comes A Regular 18. Achin' To Be 19. Waitress In The Sky 20. Don't Ask Why 21. Unsatisfied 22. I'll Be You 23. I Will Dare Tracks 1-12 recorded at Lake Compounce, Bristol, CT, 8/31/89 Tracks 13-17 recorded at University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, 6/89 Tracks 18-23 recorded at Great Woods, Mansfield, MA, 8/28/89 For the most part, the quality on this CD is amazing with the Inconcerated stuff a little better than the others. The beginning of I Will Dare is chopped off; the song beginning during the chorus before the guitar solo, but that is the only thing marring an otherwise great boot. Don't Ask Why is definitely a highlight, a song I had never seen them perform. The version of Nightclub Jitters is a drunken free for all; the only disappointing performance. This KTS company is really on the ball. I also purchased an acoustic Bob Mould show that is 78 minutes long and recorded onto DAT. A friend got an Afghan Whigs show from their European tour. Both of these have some of the best quality I've ever heard for boots. Feel free to e-mail me personally with any additional questions. ****************************************************************************** Tim Blankenbaker, Government Relations Assistant, National Affairs National Public Radio Phone: 202.414.2742 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW Fax: 202.414.3037 Washington, DC 20001 e-mail: blankenbaker@npr.org "There is a certain appeal to dangerous things." Marshall Crenshaw -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Aug 94 13:27:08 EDT From: cford@VNET.IBM.COM Replacements Bootlegs, Etc. Charles Ford I just received my copy of the recent Paul Westerberg bootleg CD, "Lucky's Revenge," (thanks Arthur) and it occurred to me that somebody needs to document The Replacements unauthorized releases for posterity. The last time I looked at the "Hot Wax" guide to bootlegs (it's been a few years, however) there was nothing listed regarding our favorite band. Therefore, I elect myself to complete this task based on what I have acquired and seen in circulation. Before I get too far into this topic I think it is important to agree on the term 'bootleg' vs. the term 'pirate.' A 'bootleg' (according to "Hot Wax") is defined as an unauthorized pressing of a performance which has not previously been released through legitimate, artist approved, channels. Bootlegs, therefore, provide a service to the fan who must own every available performance by his favorite entertainer. It can also be argued that bootlegs, per se, do not rob the artist of any revenue since the artist had no plans to release that particular performance. 'Pirates,' on the other hand, are copies of legitimate releases and usually DO rob the artist of revenue. But, I plan to describe some situations where even pirates should be non-threatening to a performer. Having settled all that, I will proceed to the topic of the Replacements unauthorized releases. Surprisingly, considering the band's live performance legend, there is not a great wealth of bootlegs available. I have only found a handful. In the following paragraphs I will run through, in no apparent order, what I believe to be a fairly complete list. 1) "Lucky's Revenge" - This is the Paul Westerberg boot from the 1993 tour that I alluded to earlier. Of the boots I have heard, this one is of the highest sound quality. I am not sure if it is simply a DAT audience recording using a high quality microphone or a soundboard recording. I've heard both stories. At any rate, it appears to be distributed by an Italian label called "Hawk." The CD contains 19 songs which represent sixty-six minutes of a 100 minute show at L.A.'s Whiskey A Go Go on 7/21/93. The complete tape is available in trading circles. In order to get the length of the show down to an appropriate length for CD, the last six songs of the concert are simply chopped off. This approach ensures that the continuity of the evening is maintained, but the listener loses out on the build up to the Grande finale which would have been 'Alex Chilton.' The CD ends with "I'll Be You" which probably works for many fans. Unfortunately, we are also deprived of the haunting "Here Comes A Regular." It's still good--I just wish CDs held more data. The CD cover photos are taken from the "14 Songs" photo shoots and seem appropriate to this chapter in Westerberg's career. 2) "Live At Lingerie/Substitute" - This is a CD bootleg on "Ment Music." It showcases a Bob Stinson-era performance on 10/26/84 (most of the Mats boots are from '84 for some reason) in Hollywood, CA at the Lingerie Club. The CD does not provide the location or date info. This boot is derived from another popular audience tape and is of decent (but not great) sound quality. Even though the master tape is only around seventy minutes, the CD has been shortened to 61 minutes. "I'm In Trouble" (the show intro) and "Gary's Got A Boner" (the last song on side One of the tape) have been dropped. Several songs are listed incorrectly on the back of the CD which is a common problem with all of these boots. Another irritant is that the cover photo depicts the 1991 band lineup, not the original group that appears on the CD. 3) "In Heaven There Is No Beer" - This is a two record vinyl bootleg on "Toast" Records reportedly from 11/8/84 at G.S. Vigs in Madison, WI. I am a little unsure of this date since I have seen the tape listed as 1/18/84--clearly a problem with the date formatting. I tend to believe the earlier date due to the absence of "Can't Hardly Wait" which was a show standard by late '84. Sides One through Three contain the actual show, and side Four contains some assorted cover tunes from unidentified performances. The original tape is soundboard quality, but it seems to have degenerated considerably with the transformation to vinyl. I'd recommend the tape over this bootleg. The album cover art is basic red with an early black print of Paul at the microphone. 4) "Paul Can't Play, He Wants To Drink" - This is an oddball two record vinyl bootleg on "Jonesco" Records. Sides One and Two contain part of the famous 12/9/84 CBGB, NYC show. Side Three is taken from an unidentified 1984-era show containing covers such as REM's "Radio Free Europe" and the Sonny and Cher classic, "I Got You Babe." Side Four is a potpourri consisting of the popular 1984 demos ("Sixteen Blue," etc.) and "Bastards Of Young" from the 1986 Saturday Night Live TV performance. This boot is definitely of poor quality--the type of thing that gives bootlegs a bad name. The record cover is black and white with the word "RE-PLACE-MENTS" boldly printed on the front. The back photo is a 1987 promo shot with Slim Dunlap. The distributor seems to know this photo is inappropriate given the date of the recordings, and the words "Sorry Bob" is stenciled over Slim's face. 5) "Live and Drunk" - This is a two record vinyl boot on the "Pop" label. It covers the infamous 12/9/84 CBGB, NYC show in its entirety. My soundboard tape of this show is incomplete at only sixty minutes, but it is of much better quality. Once again, fidelity is lost on the way to vinyl. However, this is a show worth having. It is riddled with hilarious drunken covers such as, "If I Only Had A Brain," "Green Acres" and "Gilligan's Island" themes, "Iron Man," and countless others. The story has it that this is the show which landed the Replacements their record contract with Sire. Sire VIP, Seymour Stein, was supposedly in attendance and thoroughly enjoying all the festivities, especially The Replacement's talent for butchering classic oldies. Again, the cover photo does not depict the 1984 lineup. (Can't these bootleggers find a picture of Bob?) The photo is another 1987/Slim Dunlap shot. 6) "The Shit Hits The Fans" - OK, everybody knows that this 11/11/84, Bowery Club, Oklahoma City show was a legitimate Twin Tone Records release. In a cost savings move, the label agreed to release this in limited quantity on a cassette only format, therefore creating an opportunity for the enterprising pirate. A few years ago I stumbled across a vinyl pirate of this release on "Archive/Tintone" Records. The sound quality sounds remarkably similar to the official release which really is not saying a whole lot since the official release was a common amateur audience recording. Normally a pirate would be considered a gross rip off. But, considering the fact that "Shit Hits The Fans" is out of print and it was never released in any format other than cassette, I view this pirate as fulfilling a need. If you liked the original, and need a vinyl copy, then this boot is for you. One other thing--great cover photo of the band in concert. 7) "Inconcerated Live" - This is another pirate which serves a similar purpose as the previously mentioned "Shit Hits The Fans" boot. Originally this performance was released by Sire Records on CD in a limited quantity, as promotional material for radio stations. It represents a live, 1989 recording, however, this one was professionally done by sanctioned technicians on high quality equipment. Due to the limited release, another opportunity was seen by pirates to release a vinyl version. There are at least two vinyl pirates of this release available. One is on "Magical Sounds" and another on "Desire Records." I have not heard either of them, but I assume they are of excellent quality since the pirateers undoubtedly had a digitally mastered source to work with. If you cannot find the CD, look for the pirated vinyl boot. My observation from listening to the poor quality of many of these bootlegs, and the frequent mistakes on the liner notes and cover art, is that (for the most part) bootlegs are generally created by greedy individuals who care little about the artist they are profiting from. Don't get me wrong. I like bootlegs. I just wish that some of them could be made with a little more care. We need more boots like "Lucky's Revenge" and fewer like "Paul Can't Play, He Wants To Drink." I welcome any comments or corrections to the material presented above. Particularly, I'd like to hear about some boots I may have missed. Hopefully, I have not presented too many inaccuracies, but I did make some assumptions. Please do not think that I have any of this stuff for sale. I don't. If you need copies, I'd recommend that you scan the pages of your favorite record collector's publication to find the best price. Unfortunately, these items usually are not cheap. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 07 Aug 94 17:56:43 EDT From: SWCoupe@aol.com Subject: Have You Seen the Drummer's Hair? Matt -- I had to chuckle last issue when you made the prescient remark regarding the ill-fate of beer- and Yes-loving drummers; i.e. the Mat's Bob Stinson and Pavement's Gary Young. Prescient 'cause I was intending to have this article to you for the last ish -- culled from a pre-show write up on Pavement that appeared this May in the Saint Paul (Minnesota) daily paper, the Pioneer Press. -- Ron (Article follows:) [Note: I edited out anything that was non-'Mats related in the interest of saving space. If you want the entire article, I plan on forwarding it to the Pavement mailing list, or you can write me and I'll forward you Ron's letter... - M@] hed: Did You See the Drummer's Hair? second deck: Pavement navigates a familiar but precarious road on its way to anti-rock stardom By Jim Walsh Stop me if you've heard this one before: Band forms, releases debut album on well-respected American indie label to over-the-top critical hosannahs. They hit the road and become known for their legendary live shows, most of which center on the drunken antics of one member, who does things like walk offstage in midsong and sometimes forgets to play his instrument. People whisper about him, like he's certifiable. Still, experts agree that as-seat-of-the pants rock 'n' roll goes, these one-ring circuses are amazing things to behold. No two the same. Great for fans and critics, but when the lights come up, the band is left to pick up the pieces and wrestle with their reluctant lot in life as musicians. Finally, the crazy one leaves the band, and the others get on with it. The end. And the beginning. "Minneapolis is one town where we sort of know that there's substantial knowledge of drunken rock 'n' rollers," says Pavement percussionist/singer Bob Nastanovich by phone from Seattle, where Pavement is in the middle of a tour that brings them to First Avenue tonight. Nastanovich, of course, is referring to Bob Stinson, the guitarist for the Replacements who was fired from the group after his love affair with the bottle became too much to deal with for even that bunch of celebrated saucers. Turns out that Pavement had its own version of Mr. Hyde: Gary Young was the New York based band's original drummer whose stage mis-demeanor gained Pavement a reputation for being slackadaisical college rock phenoms whose live concerts constantly teetered on the brink of collapse. "Gary's the kind of person who, at 2 o'clock in the morning, after the show, you're basically loading him into the van like an amp or a bass drum or anything else. He merely became a piece of equipment," Nastanovich says. "I guess I probably saw the Replacements three or four times with Bob Stinson. He was a great showman, and you certainly enjoyed watching him, but from a musical standpoint, even though he was good - Gary is an extremely good drummer, as well - you just sort of, you didn't feel sad for the rest of the band, but you could definitely see how the music was of great importance to them, and you wondered whether this guy was holding things back." Like the Replacements, Pavement had modest beginnings...When they went to record, they met Young, who ran a cheap studio in Stockton and offered to drum on their first sessions, which became the blueprint for Pavement's breakthrough 1992 album, "Slanted and Enchanted." Young quit last year and was replaced by drummer Steve West, an old high-school chum of Nastanovich. "To us, the joke wasn't funny anymore," Nastanovich says. "He had gotten really, really difficult to deal with. "You know, we miss him for some things: When he was in good form, he was a great stage performer. But when he wasn't, it was very humiliating. I think what was exciting to some, or interesting to some, was often pathetic to us." "We've definitely done our share of bad shows on this tour; we're far from perfecting anything," Nastanovich verifies. "But I think that our definition of a bad show is not the same as it used to be. A bad show now is when we don't enjoy it, and it just doesn't sound good. A bad show in the past used to be just a complete disaster where we couldn't play more than a handful of our songs. "And we're happy about the fact that we don't really have to worry about our drummer falling off his stool anymore." (Excerpt reprinted without permission from an article written by pop music critic Jim Walsh for the May 2, 1994, Saint Paul Pioneer Press.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Aug 94 19:10:54 CST From: "Scott A. Wickman" Subject: Mats as a comparison standard; tape Hey Matt and everybody-- Here we are at the beginning of August. Like many others I'm feeling the guilt of not posting for an enormous amount of time, so I've decided to alleviate myself of that burden and say something. I've noticed a couple of incidents of the Replacements being mentioned in relation to other groups' discs and I thought I'd pass those on here. 1. _Kiss My Ass_ (got this from another list) > From: zucker+@pitt.edu (Adam M. Zucker) > Subject: KISS MY ASS review (Pittsburgh Post Gazette) > > VARIOUS ARTISTS > KISS MY ASS (MERCURY) > ** (out of 4 or 5) > > Anything goes in the '9Os, right, so > we shouldn't be surprised to find > Garth Brooks covering a Kiss ballad or > Stevie Wonder playing harmonica on > the cartoon metal band's "Deuce." > The Replacements had the idea > first. On the brilliant "Let It Be," an > album that ushered in a new punk > spirit for the early '80s, singer Paul > Westerberg managed to pour more > passion into "Black Diamond" than > anyone thought possible. > > But Westerberg at his most primal is > a hard act to follow. So a Kiss tribute > should have been as wild and campy > as one of the band's blood-dripping > fire-breathing spectacles. Unfortu- > nately, Kiss, which has lost all per- > spective on itself, had a part in > verseeing this overly reverent trib- > ute. (2 paragraphs deleted) > > (Scott Melvis) 2. _Backsliding Fearlessly: The Early Years_ Mott the Hoople (liner notes) > Thank the deity of your choice for Mott the Hoople. > > Seems like every few years rock 'n' roll throws up a band that winds up, > more often by chance than by choice, guiding its audience through the > rites of passage and making some sense of life, death, and everything in > the middle for them. Check Paul Westerberg and The Replacements for > those coming-of-age honors in the '80s, but in the early '70s, > (9 cd-size pages deleted) . . . there was Mott the Hoople. > (written by Don Snowden) What else? _The Fans Hit Back_ is the best thing I've heard since _Pleased to Meet Me_. All the songs are great. Raw, original, funny, catchy. . . but none of those words really capture what it is that these songs all have. Life? (Too corny.) Meaning? (Not the instrumentals.) I don't know how to describe it, but here are people presenting--showing off even--some of the best stuff they've created. It's all honest. Showing off without trying to impress. Whatever. Anyway, I think it's great, with a large amount of credit and gratitude to Mark Timmins. A few other things I've been thinking about: Thanks to whoever posted about the book _The Second Greatest Story Ever Told_. I bought it, liked it, and have been recommending it. _Sandinista!_ *is* the White album of punk. Good call! I'm on aol.com, but can never find the discussion on the Mats. Could someone write to me and clue me in as to how to find the Mats discussion group? Trying to breathe some life, --Scott Wickman /***********************************************************************\ | | | Scott A. Wickman | BitNet : swickman @ siucvmb | | P.O. Box 2731 | Internet: swickman @ siucvmb.siu.edu | | Carbondale, Il 62902-2731 ! AOL : SOMOS20000 @ aol.com | | | \***********************************************************************/ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 17 Aug 94 16:39:43 EDT From: cford@VNET.IBM.COM Subject: Lawyer Alert One time Replacements protege and Minneapolis homeboy, Bob Mould, has a song on the recent Sugar CD called "You're Favorite Thing." I wonder what Westerberg thinks of this apparent title rip-off of his similarly titled, "My Favorite Thing?" Charles Ford -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 14 Aug 1994 00:52:57 -0500 (EST) From: Jim Gould Subject: Oops.. forgot something. Sorry I keep sending these fragmented thoughts in separate emails thereby wasting even more of your time, but I write when it comes to me. :) ["Wasting" my time?!! Hell no! Send away! - M@] That backwards thing, between "Customer" and "Hangin' Downtown" is, played forward, Paul saying, "I don't give a fuck, that's it." Don't know if that's been brought up before, but I used to love that album (still do, prefer _Stink_ and _Tim_ to it now) and studied it as closely as possible for the longest time. Something else I discovered, and I sent this in from my old address (which is now defunct, although mail to it will not be bounced): On some songs, Bob's guitar is in the right speaker, and Paul's guitar is in the left, most noticeably on "More Cigarettes" and "I'm In Trouble", although most of the rest are the same. Okay.. enough _Sorry, Ma.._ trivia for today. :D -- Jim Gould jgould@walnut.holli.com All opinions expressed are my own, but I'm sure you'll agree someday. [I've got some _Don't Tell a Soul_ trivia out there for everybody: 1) Does anybody know if "We'll Inherit The Earth" was ever played live? 2) What do the five initials at the end of the credits of _Don't Tell..._ stand for? ...And while I'm at it, some _Shit Hits The Fans_ trivia: Who is the guy with the Ray Bans and the First Avenue shirt with his arms reached heavenward by the Iowa sign in the inside of the tape? That's a hilarious pictures, but I was wondering who the fifth guy was...presumably a tour manager of sorts. Is it possibly Peter Jesperson? -- M@ ] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 26 Jul 94 09:23:40 PDT From: "R. Marcus Winfree" Subject: any DAT traders? hey- I'm new to the list- maybe this stuff gets posted all the time. Anyway, I'm looking for anybody who trades DATs. I've got a few Westerberg shows, but I'm looking for 'Mats DATs as well. If anyone's got anything to trade (or other bands even) send me a list- thanks- Marcus Winfree rmw@icon.palo-alto.med.va.gov -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 26 Jul 1994 13:54:47 +0100 From: "Robert A. Fulkerson" Matt, here's something you may want to include in the next issue of the //Skyway\\ ... I've been playing with it for a little while and it's actually rather good and informative. BTW, I asked the system to tell me how I would like the Replacements, and it didn't have enough information about them to give me a rating. :) -- b Robert Fulkerson \ "Sometimes, I guess there just aren't enough Creighton University / rocks." Graduate Assistant \ -- Forrest Gump, _Forrest Gump_ Computer Science / rfulk@creighton.edu -:- http://phoenix.creighton.edu/~rfulk/ ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: shard@media.mit.edu (Upendra Shardanand) Introducing.. RINGO, a personal music recommendation service, being created at the MIT Media Lab. You tell Ringo what kinds of music groups you like. Then, you can query Ringo and ask for recommendations for artists you should check out, or should avoid. Or you can find out how mainstream your tastes are. Or retrieve other information, like reviews and top 20 charts. HOW RINGO WORKS: How does it work? Well, how do you do it ordinarily? You listen to songs that some D.J. plays, or you hear about stuff from your friends who have tastes similar to your own. HOW TO USE RINGO: Send an e-mail to ringo@media.mit.edu, with only the word 'join' in the body. It will then send you a list of 125 artists. You rate the artists that you are familiar with. Send it back. You will then receive a 'help' file describing how to use all the features of Ringo. The more users that use Ringo, the better Ringo's predictions. As time goes on and more people use it, you will find that the predictions become more accurate. So tell a friend. Thanks, Upendra -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Aug 94 16:18:59 CDT From: Teddie James-CSIC_Publications Subject: Get my demo tape! Hey everybody! I know this isn't Mats-related, but my band, Whirled Peas, just recorded a 10-song demo tape. You may remember us from the Skyway compilation "The Fans Hit Back." This new tape was recorded on 16-track adat here in beautiful Austin, Texas. It's full of really cool surf tunes a la Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet, the Ventures, Link Wray, Dick Dale, etc. I guess you could call those our influences, though I never liked to name them. That's about as close as I can come to describe our sound. Basically, we don't necessarily stick to traditional surf sounds. We tend to add other elements in as well. If you'd like a copy of our songs, please email me. I'm just asking for enough to break even. You can send me $4.00 to cover the cost of a 60-minute tape and postage, $2.00 and a blank 60-minute tape, your band's tape in trade, or a bootleg in trade (send me your list). At this point, I'm just trying to get my band heard. I'm not interested in making any money out of it just yet. Thanks, Ted James tedj@oakhill-csic.sps.mot.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 23 Aug 1994 20:29:30 +0000 (GMT) From: Lori Dolqueist matt- i was bored at work one day, so i decided to do a NEXIS (online news service) search for articles on the replacements. hundreds turned up, but the most interesting were the older interviews. with each new release, the 'mats would claim to have put their wild past behind them and embrace semi-sobriety and professionalism. however, by the time the concert reviews came around, it apparent that the 'mats (as we all know), never truly changed their ways. this is from a concert review from the los angeles times, december 5, 1987: "no band appeals to both the masculine and feminine characteristics in rock fans more directly than the replacements. when you can make him out, westerberg is astonishingly sensistive (though the only truly blatant example thursday was the set-closing ballad "unsatisfied"; no doubt much of the crowd remained unaware that "the ledge" for example, is a harrowing song about suicide). but boys will be boys, and the replacements will be cocky and agressive and a little obnoxious in working it out. were that it were all so well balanced." despite the reviewer's underestimation of 'mats fans, i thought he/she was pretty much on target about the masculine/feminine, agressive/sensitive thing. i think that's why the 'mats attract such a broad range of fans that is pretty well distributed between the sexes. keep up the good work! -lori p.s. hopefully, your next //skyway\\ will have an account of the "swinging party" in minneapolis. for all of those who went, i'm jealous! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 25 Aug 94 22:03:57 EDT From: Jyosch@aol.com Subject: I joined the club First of all, thanks again for such a cool little thing you got going on here. I dig it way too much. In reading through the back issues, I came across the entry you put in containing a great deal of personal info, and was delightfully surprised to find out that I'm not the only die-hard Mats fan to have caught on to them post- "Tim". I was in ninth grade, and watching Mtv one day, they did a news segment on the Replacements, introducing them as "one of our favorite bands." It was their attempt at making the band popular, around the time that Don't Tell a Soul came out, and it obviously fell short. Back then, of course, MTV didn't make a lot of programming decision; theu just gave the viewers what was popular, an attitude that has since changed, in particular with Soul Assylum, who got every video from GDU as a heavy-rotation `buzz clip'. But I digress..... The news piece piqued my interest, as they came across as a bunch of loveable slobs. At the time, I was just getting into alternative music, like R E M and the Cure (but not for long- everything since Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me has totally blown), so I was ripe for the conversion. And then I saw the video for "I'll Be You." They were fucking around, only half-heartedly trying to play along, and Tommy was all dressed up (the other day, the video came on and a friend of mine asked me "Is he a fag?"). And then, still one of my favorite moments in a video, Paul climbed up on the drumset and IT BROKE!! and he fell off the side of the riser. I fell in love. I went out and boughht the DTAS tape, annd listened to it constantly thereafter. I still remember the first time I heard it, spending the night at my friends house, listening to each song as he was bugging me "Come on, let's go to Jen's (my girlfriend at the time) house so you can get some!!" and here I am saying "No, I want to listen to `Rock n Roll Ghost,' then we'll go." Of course, I went to the record store and saw all of the many albums they had, and was a bit surprised that they had so many. Anyway, one night at a public library, I strolled aimlessly through the record colllection AND THERE WAS "TIM"!!! I was dumbstruck, but checked it out. I recorded it, and then it was all I listened to for, like, 3 or 4 months until I bought "Pleased to Meet Me." Loved it. Listened to it constsantly. That was about the point at which I decided that not only were these guys fun to listen to, but they were serious artists, as well!! In fact, they ruled. (I'm so smart. Took me 3 albums to figure that out.) My sophomore year of high school (1990), I picked up Let It Be and found it to be an amazingly dead-on portrait of who I was. I was hooked, hard. It was just as meaningful to me in 1990 as it was in '84 when it came out. In Germany, I picked up Sorry, Ma..... and Stink. Within a week after returning, I bought Hootenanny, and was quite surprised with it. I didn't really like it at first, but that shit-to-the-wind, screw-the-label attitude was actually more full-blown on that record than on any other, and it grew on me in a major way. I bought All Shook Down when it came out, and thought it was pretty good, but not great. I still listen to the 'Mats at least once a week, with Let it Be and Pleased to Meet Me regularly living in my stereo for weeks at a time. I have, unfortunately, never seen the 'Mats live. I had two chances, but the first show was on a Sunday night, and seeing as how I was only in nith grade , it wasn't OK for me to go ON A SCHOOL NIGHT!! TGhe next opportunity I had was when they opened for Tom Petty, but my little brother was coming in from out of town, and I had to meet him at the airport. Then, we moved to Boise and they didnn't play there for All Shook Down. Boo-hoo. Anyway, the 'Mats mean more to me than any other band in existance. 'Nuff said, huh? Feelin' like a hundred bucks, J Casten -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 30 Aug 1994 14:40:34 -0500 (CDT) From: Leah R Drury Subject: Dee Dee Dunlap I have just finished reading my first issue of Skyway that my sister so kindly forwarded to me, warning me to check the line on Dee Dee Dunlap, the "spoiled brat" daughter of Slim. Well, I am just writing to clear her name. She is an awesome person and quite cute to boot. As for her saying that her dad's band isn't her favorite or anything --- when did you ever think YOUR dad was the shit?! She is just accustomed to being a rock star's daughter so she naturally looks upon this rather nonchalantly as opposed to some blathering starstruck fan. Which is not to say that you are a blathering starstruck fan, nor are necessarily any of the subscribers to Skyway... I hope you all know what I mean. Besides that I really did enjoy the newsletter and I'm proud of the praise bestowed upon my fair city of Minneapolis -- and that record store is called Oarfolkjokeopus at 26th and Lyndale, kitty corner from the CC Club. I suppose I should sign off with some witty Replacements-ism, but unfortunately I can't think of anything. See ya later, fruitcake. - Leah [Leah -- Hey, I was only joking when I called Dee Dee a spoiled brat! I meant 'brat' as in that she was really lucky to have a Dad that played with the 'Mats! And I hope your sister is doing great with that job thing and all. Be sure and forward this issue to her, tough guy! -- M@] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- fin. --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- || Matthew Tomich || <<>> || || 416 South Florence #2 || ----> skyway@phoenix.creighton.edu <---- || || Kirksville, Missouri 63501 ||(administrative, contribution, all purpose)|| || (816)-665-4979 ||--==--==--==--==--==-*-==--==--==--==--==--|| || "You are not what you own." || ** Non-Skyway address: ** || || /\\/\\/\ - Fugazi /\\/\\/\\ || i261%nemomus@academic.nemostate.edu || --==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==--==-- "You shouldn't hate your body, it's part of you. You shouldn't hate your family, it's part of you. You shouldn't hate your neighbors, cause they're part of you." - Pavement