______________________________________________________________________________ // // The \\kyway \\ // skyway@novia.net Issue #48 February 28th, 1997 ______________________________________________________________________________ (c) 1997 Bastards of Young (BOY/BetaOmegaYamma) Productions list manager: Matthew Tomich (matt@novia.net) technical consultant and thanks to: Bob Fulkerson of Novia Networking ______________________________________________________________________________ SKYWAY SUBSCRIPTION/LISTSERVER INFORMATION Send all listserver commands in the body of a letter to "majordomo@novia.net" To subscribe to the //Skyway\\: subscribe skyway To unsubscribe from the //Skyway\\: unsubscribe skyway THE //SKYWAY\\ WEB PAGE Check here for back issues, lyrics, discography, and other files. http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html ______________________________________________________________________________ Send submissions to: skyway@novia.net ______________________________________________________________________________ (I gave up doing the index for Lent.) _____________________________________________________________________________ 0. GODDAMN JOB, PART XXIV Running the Skyway for the past four (and counting) years has been a load of surprises. The most recent one: getting a goddamn job. You see, Laura Weislo played in this band called Glory Fountain. And in Glory Fountain is this chica named Lynn Blakely. And Lynn was playing in this band about twelve years ago called "Let's Active". Along the way, something happened (and didn't happen) between her and this guy named Paul. I don't know the whole story, but regardless (despite all the contrary speculation to the song's subject) there's this ditty called "Let of the Dial" about their whole deal. Anyways, I met Laura's acquaintance through the Skyway and the alt.music.chapel-hill (the area where we both now live) newsgroup. And three weeks ago, she wrote me and said that her company was looking for a computer guy to run around and do silly computer stuff and...well, to make a long story short, after graduating from college in August 1995, I now have health insurance for the first time in a year and a half. Still pickin' cotton, M@ P.S. Laura's in a band called The Bellbats and they have a new CD out. I haven't heard it, but after seeing them live, I betcha it rocks. Para tener mas informacion: weislol@am.abru.cg.com _____________________________________________________________________________ I. VALENTINE Date: 19 Feb 1997 09:51:57 -0500 From: "Lisa Munroe" The Boston Phoenix (2/13/97) ran a Valentine's Day article entitled "What's Romantic" in which their staff picked the most romantic restaurants, drinks, songs, etc. Thought you'd get a kick out of this one: Most Romantic Pop Song: "I Will Dare" Maybe it's the contrast between the bubblegum melody and Paul Westerberg's torn-and-frayed delivery. Or maybe it's just the way he puts his heart on a sleeve usually used for wiping beer off his chin, and, over a swingin' pop beat, asks the unnamed object of his affection, "how young are you?/How old am I? Let's count the rings/Around my eyes." Either way, it's not the really kind of song you want to play on a first date; it's too serious, too unguarded, too close to what romance really entails. Westerberg may not have meant to, but with "I Will Dare" he and the Replacements captured the fleeting rush of hope and despair, the thrilling and appalling sense of infinite possibility and ultimate mortality that the 19th-century European Romantics were all about. And it's done with one three-minute song that levels a simple challenge: "If you will dare/ I will dare." -- Matt Ashare _____________________________________________________________________________ II. TAKE ME BY THE HAND, MAN, AND RAISE A TOAST From: THarju@aol.com Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 19:38:47 -0500 (EST) Subject: My Mats story My name is Tom Harju and I really don't know where to begin. I am a 32 old father of two who is an avid Mats fan. Growing up, my brother and close friends influenced my musical tastes, but I never really found anything that I really, really, loved. When ever we were on a roadtrip (which always included record stores) or at music shows, I would get board out of my mind. Then one day, around Detroit, my brother picked up this album and said, "Check this band out, Tom, they are supposed to be really good!" It was around 1987 and Pleased to Meet Me. I immediately fell in love with the album. Several years later, at a record show, a friend showed me "I'm in Trouble" for sale. I bought it and that was the beginning of a collecting frenzy. To date, I don't think there is anything that I don't have, other than a few CD singles and those early compilation tape singles. And I have been adding to my collection of live shows via a bunch of cool newsgroup people :) My initial attraction was the raw sound and then the songs dealing with the 'Mats persona like "Swingin' Party", "Here Comes A Regular", and "Color Me Impressed". I especially love Pleased To Meet Me and, like many fans, used that as my reference for their later music, but I love it all, including (dare I say) Paul's newest work. Fond memories include all of the live shows that I have seen and the cool Mats collectible finds. Also, while driving home last Thanksgiving night, I put LIB on and my wife started to sing along with "I Will Dare." After eight years of marriage, that was the first time that had happened. I live in a very conservative area that fortunately is fairly close to Detroit and Chicago, unfortunately Chicago is the farther of the two. The realities of managing a household and a budget have limited my other purchases, but I dig the Young Fresh Fellows (once described as the Mats favorite Bar Band), Big Star, Alex Chilton, Husker Du, Bob Mould, Sugar, as well countless other bands. The raw and layered guitar sound is what I look for in a band. If you would like to communicate, feel free to e-mail me about whatever, especially the Mats. Thanks, Tom Harju Tharju@aol.com From: DEMPSEYP@cougar.barton.cc.ks.us Date: Mon, 27 Jan 1997 14:02:22 -0600 (CST) My name is Patrick Dempsey. No, I am NOT the actor. I am better looking! ;^) I grew up in Mpls and have been a long-time Mats fan. Although I never saw any of their shows (I was too young to see any of the legendary Mpls shows of their early days), I always claimed them as the third of three bands to define the 80's: REM, U2 and The Mats. I have been an ardent supporter of Mpls bands that were friends and rivals of the Mats: The Suburbs, Husker Du, Suicide Commandos, Soul Asylum (aka Loud Fast Rules), Gear Daddies and, of course, Prince. All of these bands are regular entries in my CD player. Before I discovered the Mats, I was a serious Police-head. I started playing the bass because of Sting when I was 15. Then, after they broke up in '84, the Mats and the Mpls scenesters filled the void. My oldest brother was in college and regularly brought home a new Mats album or Suburbs album. Of course, these guys got very little radio play - even in Mpls, so it wasn't until college that I got some serious exposure to the 'Mats (thanks to the lead-singer in my college band!) unfortunately, the 'Mats never garnered the commercial success of U2 and REM during their heyday. Neither did any of their Mpls contemporaries (outside of the Prince kingdom), except for Soul Asylum. About a year before the Mats broke up in 91, Material Issue (Chicago power-pop trio) had emerged as my 'new' band. Plug: check out http://freakcity.slu.edu/ a cool unofficial Material Issue hompage. Unfortunately, Jim Ellison (lead singer) committed suicide last June. I'm band-less now. But, the power of the CD keeps it all going. As for the Mats, many seem to think that Westerberg's peak was with PLEASED TO MEET ME. It's easy to see the progression from "power-trash" sound that defined the band, but these guys kept getting older (strange?) and diversified their sound. I thought Tim and Don't Tell a Soul were their best commercial efforts. I really think that Tim and Pleased To Meet Me seem to be in the reverse order: Pleased To Meet Me should have come BEFORE Tim, IMHO. Pleased To Meet Me is more 'edgy' than is Tim. I think it is unfair for so many critics to dismiss Don't Tell A Soul as [not] a good album. While Tim remains my favorite, Don't Tell a Soul shows how Westerberg had evolved as a song-writer: he could write something other than power-trash. Just listen to 14 Songs and Eventually -- this is the songwriter he evolved in to. There is virtually no hint of any early-Mats on these albums (except maybe World Class Fad). I don't really know if the Mats ever reached their peak as a musical group. Sure, as persons, they had grown weary of each other, each longing for their own voice, but maybe they can one day discover that they still have some unfinished business. I now reside in Kansas teaching community college math. However, I have an interview with a firm in Mpls next month. Nothing would be better than returning to my roots -- Mpls. A lot of the old places are still there: Twin/Tone Records, 1st Avenue and the 7th Street Entry. But, many are not: Jay's Longhorn Bar for one. It was a bar that had the Mats, Suburbs, Huskers and Loud Fast Rules (Soul Asylum) playing on a regular basis in the mid-80's. However, after each landed their major-labels, the Longhorn soon cashed it in. Each band only made spotty appearances in Mpls during the last half of the 80's. Hell, the 'Mats last concert was in Chicago -- not Mpls!!! But, each of them: Paul, Chris, Slim and Tommy, still call Mpls home. I have only seen Slim in concert as the What's Up Lounge in Mankato, MN. He rocked the place down!! It was a fun concert. Well, that's about it. Thanks for keeping the memory alive. It reminds me of home and the good times I left there. But, hope to have rekindled soon!! Patrick Dempsey Date: Fri, 20 Dec 1996 22:22:48 EST From: Ryan M Mann Subject: Life story Quick down and dirty, I am 27 and from Minneapolis/Des Moines, Iowa. Used to check out the Mats with my fake id at the 7th St. Entrance to the 1st Ave. club. Went to the University of Iowa till 1992 and then tended bar around the club scene in Chicago and the Twin Cities. Now I just finished 3 long yrs in the United States Navy and a 6 month trip to the Persian Gulf and Red Sea. Now I am actively on the job safari, hope to bag the big game like NBC or ABC doing just about anything. I am married to a beautiful gal who tolerates the Replacements, but does dig Paul's solo efforts. Best Mats' memories, 1) Grant Park in Chicago, farewell 4th of July 1992 2) (and my favorite) tormenting my ex-girlfriend's sister with repeated playing of "Waitress in the Sky" as I drove her to and from her job with United Airlines in Chicago. Talk about the un-friendly skies. Keep taking it slow. ALOHA, R.M.M. Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 01:04:46 +0100 From: jpd@post4.tele.dk (Pedersen, Jorn (Coopers & Lybrand Informatik)) Subject: news from denmark, europe Hi all. I've been on this list for some months now and enjoy reading about your experiences at PW concerts, stories of how your learned to like (love) the Mats, etc. Me, I'm Jorn Pedersen (called JB, I don't know why). 41 years of age. Not married (will be this Thursday), but been with the same girl for some 20 years now. Got 3 kids (16/7/2) and a boxer dog. Employed as a consultant in the IT-business (for 15 years now). Live in Copenhagen, Denmark. If you don't where this is located, it's in Northern Europe, on top of Germany, next to Sweden. Many years ago me and a friend got this thing about buying to each other. We weren't allowed to buy anything the other already knew. I don't remember what I bought for my friend, but he got me "Pleased To Meet Me", which I have been playing ever since. It's still one of my favourites. Every summer a couple of us go to one of Europe's oldest music festivals (Roskilde Festival). It's been a while since we were camping, but some friends live near the festival, so we usually get bunked up there. The festival is always in the weekend around the 1st of July. This year is the 27th year in a row the festival been rocking. Three times the Mats has been scheduled for the festival and every time been canceled in the last minute (I almost cried these years). Because of above I have only been to one Mats concert, which was on the farewell-tour. I still remember thinking to myself: "Why is this great band going separate ways?" I think I by reading your lines finally understands why, but I still regret missing many great concerts. PW has been scheduled once or twice in Copenhagen, but once again cancelling, so I'm a bit jealous of you guys out there telling about all the great moments you have experienced in company with either the Mats or PW. Maybe some time in the near future PW will take a trip to Europe to fulfill the needs of longing fans. I of course listen to other bands than the Mats and PW. Some of these are at the moment: Elvis Costello, Graham Parker, Wilco, Counting Crows, Seven Mary Three, etc. Greetings from Denmark - JB (my native language is NOT English!) From: "Patt Carter" Subject: write you a letter......today Date: Wed, 22 Jan 1997 13:59:20 -0600 Glad to finally join the Skyway. I'm so desperate to interact with you all. I read many interesting stories from subscribers and here's mine. I first heard about the mats from a girl at school, she had the inside scoop on all the cool bands {in high school} as living in rural Wisconsin you don't hear to much good music. I was fortunate enough to tag along with my older sister to a mats show in Milwaukee {Summerfest} for my first live experience with them in '91. It was a great show. Lots of people, they were drunk and upset that they were bumped from the amphitheater by of all things a cheezy country act, hence a scathing cover of hey good looking. Unfortunately for me their next show was their last, the concert at Grant Park in Chicago. I've been fortunate enough to see Paul, Tommy, and Slim {with Chris Mars in attendance at club de wash [r.i.p.] in madison, wi} live. Slim told me some great road stories that I will share later. My favorite Mats record has to be a split between Let It Be and Pleased to Meet Me. I've also come across some good rare and live recordings including: Shit, Shower and Shave, Goodbye Bozos, and live at SDSU in 1985. r.i.p. Bob Stinson Derek C. Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 16:52:54 +0800 (GMT+0800) From: "Joderick P. Quinsayas" Subject: MATS FAN FROM PHILIPPINES I am Flor Batin, you can call me JOJO. I was born on January 4. I am a Capricornian like Paul Westerberg. I was born and lived here in Pangasinan,a northern province of Luzon. I think my country don't have any die hard Mats fans. If there is please tell me. Right now I'm trying my best to finish my college education. I'm taking up B.S. Architecture here at University Of Pangasinan this summer. Only few people knows or heard the Replacements in my hometown. Because a lot of their albums are not released here. Up to now I still don't have a copy of their first 3 Albums from Twin Tone. And if I had a job I will try my best to score wherever it is. My first encounter about the band is when they released their last album under their name, All Shook Down. When I read their story in a Rolling Stone magazine. It's sad because I encountered their story when everything was All Shook Down. From that day I collected a lot information about the band it range from stinking fanzine to expensive magazine, to make my knowledge about the group more wider. But when one of my best friend, Marlon Fronda, told me that he stole a tape from one his peers. That particular album was Don't Tell A Soul. From that day our friendship became more meaningful. And we didn't make our day complete if we don't fascinate about the Mats, how a particular song of the group means: their lyrics, their attitude, their habits toward boozing over bottles of beer and whatever is available...hehehe. From that day I proclaimed that WESTERBERG is the EDGAR ALAN POE of ROCK N' ROLL. And my favorite album is Let It Be...next is Tim. Not because Bob Stinson was still there, just because of the songwriting. Favorite song? Let me see...Answering Machine. Left of the Dial. Gary's Got a Boner. Within' Your Reach. etc. etc. Least favorite song?.....Sorry I don't have any. Aside from the MATS I had a handful of "minor like" bands such as Sonic Youth, Velvet Underground, R.E.M., Pavement, Husker Du...it can range from Neil Young to Black Flag...Ramones to Weezer... Thank you very much! JOJO BATIN archie@dagupan.upang.edu.ph ----------------------------------- archie is belong to a certain Mr. JODERICK QUINSAYAS we are allowed to use it because its for public use for ARCH'L. students like me. So if you mail me up please specify my name at the SUBJECT. okey Date: Sun, 09 Feb 1997 14:56:37 -0600 From: holcomb@wworld.com (John Holcomb) Hello 'Mats fans: I'm John Holcomb, new to the list. I've been a 'Mats fan since I read a review of and bought "Hootanany". I have continued to follow Paul, Tommy, Slim, and Chris throughout their various solo careers. Haven't picked up the new Chris CD yet, but own the rest of the solo stuff by everyone. In addition to exchanging ideas about the band and the songs, I play and am interested in any 'Mats gear talk that might be about. John From: sean@ramoth.unl.edu (Sean McCarthy) Subject: First Post. What broke my cherry. Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 10:45:45 -0600 (CST) Heyah all- Well, this will be my first post at Skyway, woo! It's cool that there's still a big enough fan base to merit a list for the 'Mats. Although I'm a relative newcomer...it all started about a year ago, one of the doctors I work for invited me to his house to grill some burgers and down a couple of brews. I was into groups like Sugar and Husker Du, so he gave me a couple of albums he bought when he was in college to listen to. Among them, 'New Day Rising', '3 Way tie for Last' (Minutemen), 'Another Green World' and 'Candy Apple Gray'. He said I would also really dig the Replacements. Within a week, I heard a Replacement song on our college radio station. 'Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out'. Whatta song to get intro'd to! I cranked the volume and was happily bobbing my head. Unfortunately I thought the song was called 'Timmy Gets His Tonsils Out'. When I went to this used record store I found 'Tim' in the bin. God knows why anyone would want to trade that album. Well...I bought that album and the rest naturally came along. 'Tim' got me through this past semester at college. Shitty apartment, academic probation but it beats picking cotton and waiting to be forgotten (bad pun, sorry). Anyone who listens to the first four songs on that album and NOT want to hear more must by paralyzed from the neck down. Well, thanks for reading. Will be looking forward to hearing everyone's posts. Take it easy. Sean Date: Sat, 22 Feb 1997 22:32:37 -0100 From: Girt Mergins Subject: "tape's rolling....so what" YES YES YES YES YES!!! This is brilliant. Right ON! I don't remember when I got into the 'Mats. It was probably because I used to be into Soul Asylum back then and I just sorta bought Let It Be one day and I was hooked. But let me tell you the first time (and only time) I met Paul. It was a few years ago in Chicago at the Taste of Chicago. I kept missing them and I wasn't 21 yet so it was my first 'Mats show ever (and unfortunately their very last!) but my brother and I got their at like 9:00 am to be up front. I ran behind the Petrillo music shell (I know, I haven't seen The Replacements until I have seen them in a bar, ripped to the tits but......) while the first band was on, and I saw Paul and Tommy sitting in folding chairs behind a fence. It took me so long to yell out his name, but Paul comes walking over, beer in hand. I said something ridiculously stupid and for some reason he rewarded me with an autograph. Then this other guy comes over trying to fish something out of his pockets for Paul to sign and all of this change starts falling out all over the pavement on Paul's side of the fence. So Paul starts picking it all up and hands it back to the guy "beer money" was all he said. They rocked so hard, and the roadies finished up, I was fully satisfied. I just remember the sign in the window of their bus, it said "nobody you know". I'm Ludis Mergins, I am a big 21 and I live in Naperville Illinois. Please put me on your mailing list, thanks, what you are doing is great. Ludis Mergins MERGOH@worldnet.att.net Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 12:33:46 -0600 From: Sumiko Keay Subject: My history with the Replacements or whatever you want to call it. I realize that we are expected to send something of how we got into the 'Mats or what the 'Mats mean to me --- gosh it all seems so long ago during a time when it seemed like everything was hopping. When I was an undergrad at University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana in the early to mid-eighties somehow (not through the radio -- via word of mouth or maybe fanzines) I started to hear about the Replacements. Then they played in town (I am ashamed to say it but I was FAR TOO broke to see them in spite of the really really cheap price -- if it was more than $2.00 I would be shocked) & friends of mine saw them & it was a blast. They destroyed the place. Theresa & Janet were the only women left in front of the "stage" at Tritos that night. The stage at Tritos was only about 2 feet tall. That summer I bought "Let it Be" & every morning I played "Let it Be" or "Fables of the Reconstruction" as soon as I woke up. I'm not sure what it was about those two records -- very different but definitely my soundtrack for the Summer of '85 . I didn't get to see the band until January '86. There was a Mpls weekend at Cabaret Metro in Chicago -- Saturday night the Replacements & Sunday night Husker Du. The place was packed & they sounded great --- my friend Michele Voltaggio had met Michele Pond (from Mpls) while she was in France & a gang of Minneapolians drove down for the 'Mats & crashed at Michele's parents in the 'burbs. Its weird how far away that all seems now. I think they were the perfect band for their time. They made it seem cool to be in the Midwest and into the guitar etc. at a time when the airwaves were FILLED with imported synth-y bands & bands that wished they were imported. Their immediacy contrasted with the distance and cool of alot of post-new wave stuff that was out there. I only saw them a couple more times -- once at Mabels in Champaign either in '86 or '87 and much later without Bob in Chicago at the Aragon Ball Room in a disappointing show from sometime after '88. Let it Be is still my favorite Replacements lp. I was so disappointed in Tim & I know that there are many people who love Tim, Pleased to Meet Me etc. but to me they lacked energy (as with Huskers post Zen Arcade recordings.) Anyway, I am not sure that this is the type of thing you're looking for but here it is -- having caught me in a nostalgic moment. Ciao, Sumiko Date: Fri, 14 Feb 1997 16:39:06 -0500 (EST) From: Jeff Thomson I just started listening to Replacements last year when I got Don't Tell A Soul from Columbia House. I am a big Soul Asylum fan so, since the Replacements are from the same scene I decided to check them out. Wow. "Achin' To Be" was the song I have been waiting to here my entire life. I ordered Tim and Pleased To Meet Me and was blown away again. Especially by "Can't Hardly Wait" and "Little Mascara". I have since bought Paul's solo albums plus All Shook Down and Let It Be. I own Sorry Ma, Hootenanny and Stink for posterity but although they have their moments I kind of think they suck (Sorry). Its unbelievable to me that a band with that much energy and talent was totally ignored by the mainstream in the Eighties. I mean, they blow R.E.M. away. I wish I had some stories to tell, but I never even heard of the Replacements until they were long gone. So instead I decided to list my favorite songs by album. Let It Be- Sixteen Blue Tim- Little Mascara or Swingin' Party Pleased To Meet Me- Can't Hardly Wait or Skyway Don't Tell A Soul- Achin' To Be All Shook Down- When It Began 14 Songs- Things Eventually- Once Around The Weekend From: brimaint@SMTPGATE.bcsew.edu Date: Mon, 17 Feb 97 14:00:42 CST Subject: SHOULD WE TURN IT UP?? Hello friends, my name is Beezer Hill. I'm the singer/songwriter and guitarist for a power pop trio known as "The Gladrags:" We live in Milwaukee, WI. I want to invite the world to my band's web page. Stop by at http://www.execpc.com/~johnnyk/gladrags.html I've been a big 'Mats fan since the very early 80's when I was in the very imfamous kings of Milwaukee punk (Sacred Order). We had the pleasure of opening a 'Mats show at UWM and what a day it was. The boys showed up hung over and ready to start in fine 'Mats fashion!! We partied for hours until we went on. Then the 'Mats hit the stage and flayed the crowd with a set of mostly covers (they were in the mood). People were screaming for "I Will Dare" and they would launch into "Hey Good Lookin'". I thought they were fuckin' topper!! And I was right, they went on to make my fave record of all time...Pleased to Meet Me. I saw Tommy when Perfect was in town recently. He remembered the famous U.W.M. show. We had some laughs! I'm trying to get his label (Medium Cool) to have a listen to our demo. I love the 'Mats to death and love to share and hear stories about them!! If anyone would like a cassette copy of the 'Mats doing a cover of The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet" (the flexi-disc that came with a copy of "The Bob" magazine), send a SASE tape mailer and tape to Beezer Hill at 4351 S. Packard Ave. / Cudahy WI 53110. JUST A GLADRAG HANGIN IN THE SKYWAY LOVE BEEZER (from the Skyway web page guest book) Name: Jimmy Griffin Time: 1997-02-17 23:02:00 Have adored the Mats since seeing them on the Hootenanny tour in 82 at the Wright State University Cafeteria...feel like I've grown up with them. It is so rare to find a band which conveyed such brutal honesty, aspired to be nothing, and have drawn a following that could totally relate. Today, the bland, boring market of "alternative rock", I find myself leaving the record store empty-handed, going home to listen to all their old shit. Anyways, I'll always have the memory of Tommy jumping around in his "Dr. Seuss shirt", the pissed off audiences, Bob stumbling around and asking me for speed, and Paul apologizing for the band forgetting to play my requests, because they forgot how to play some of their own songs..."I'll take a great big whiskey to ya anyway"...and I'm totally sorry for when we walked into the Newport in 89 before the show, saw Tommy drinking at a table by himself, and I said "Hey, that's Paul Westerburg over there!"... that was the "Don't Tell a Soul" tour, and they blew the doors of the club by opening up with "Color Me Impressed"... unforgettable, as that was a song Paul claimed they forgot how to play...anyways, beautiful page...It's great to see they're not forgotten, if it's any consolation, I don't begin to understand...... P.S. GO, WHILE YOU CAN Date: Fri, 21 Feb 1997 15:37:35 -0500 From: "Th' Kosik's" I just found your page and got so damn excited I uh...well, I'm a mess. Of course I think those bastards of young are rock n roll's saving grace (individually or together) especially with all the crap the music industry dumps out it's hole these days. Please sign me up for the losers club! Hoping to hear from you soon. Thanks for doing what you're doing. _____________________________________________________________________________ III. "IDIOT REVIEW SECTION" (you called it) From: CLICHED@delphi.com Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 12:21:18 -0500 (EST) for the IDIOT REVIEW SECTION Hey Skyway People: About a couple of years ago (I can't remember exactly), Alternative Press published a list of the top 99 albums of 1985-95. It was a cool list ("Tim" was number 4!) but like any good Skywayer I was stunned by the omission of PLEASED TO MEET ME. I figured that the A.P. people were thinking, "Yeah, we'll just put the Mats at number 4 and that way we don't have to deal with any of their other albums." Well, in the same issue, they had this contest thingie in which readers were asked to write in and suggest the missing 100th album. The winner would get all 99 albums from the list. Well, one drunken night, pissed that my absolute favourite album of all time (Pleased To Meet Me) had been passed over by 99 other albums, I wrote a couple of paragraphs. The only requirement for it was that it had to be VERY SHORT. After much editing and spilt beer and correcting spelling mistakes, I sent it off to A.P. Well needless to say, I didn't win! (That would be too good for a Mats fan...), but I did come in the second category, i.e. I got my name in the following issue of A.P. (which I never got around to picking up) and a free T-shirt (which was really cool). I'm kind of embarrassed at what I wrote, but here it is in its unedited and incoherent version. "Conventional wisdom suggests that the Replacements hit their peak with either Let It Be or Tim, but it took only a drop of a needle in 1987 (and several hurried listenings) of Pleased To Meet Me before it was apparent to this humble boy, that screw Big Black, screw Sonic Youth, Foetus or whoever else was around at the time; the Replacements have arrived and would you please clear the goddamn table? Yeah, sure it wasn't all arty and had no nouveau gibberish lyrics to please those smug but well-hidden feelings we all harbored about being much cooler than any other person we remotely knew, even those down at the Generic Indie Store. It was living proof that the biggest and best cliche in rock n' roll existed in three bums (Bob was already gone) from Minneapolis: the feeling that all great rock n' roll is played by smart people who pretend they're stupid. And Paul took that cliche by the throat, kissed it, and strangled it from the very moment that "I.O.U." sets out the record in a thunderous roar. Like all great albums, it was short (33 minutes), had short songs, and basically made you feel angry (I.O.U.), suicidal (The Ledge), stoopid (I Don't Know), and even a little gushy and yearning (Skyway) all by yer private self. For anybody who cared to listen, it was their own reluctant love (cus Paul isn't embarrassed to use that word), their own meaningless anger, and their own inescapable sadness. The idea of writing a review for the album is making me feel more and more ridiculous, because I am giving value to something that has no value except in a "rock n' roll history" kinda way. By naming their third album Let It Be, the Replacements were poking fun at the sanctity of that history; now eight years after its release, Pleased To Meet Me is a failed entry into rock n' roll history. Thank God. Just go out and buy the fucking record. It's great." Asif ____________________________________________________________________________ IV. PERFECT Date: Wed, 26 Feb 1997 11:22:55 +0000 (GMT) From: Dr Robert J Winder I don't know if you have seen it but Noize fanzine has a cover story on Perfect [http://www.noize.com/] in their Feb issue. later rob -- The HONEYCRACK Homepage http://www.chem.surrey.ac.uk/~chs1rw/honeycrack/ From: "Teddie M. James" Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 14:20:15 -0600 (CST) Perfect will be playing at SXSW on Saturday March 15 at a club called Bob Popular. Ted -- Ted James deepeddy@bga.com -- Squid Vicious http://www.realtime.com/~deepeddy/squid.html -- Deep Eddy Records http://www.realtime.com/~deepeddy/deepeddy.html _____________________________________________________________________________ V. CHRIS MARS Date: 05 Feb 97 15:30:51 -0800 Sender: anonymous [botch] Subject: Chris Mars interview in Goldmine "If no one's on your canvas... Catching up with Chris Mars" by Steve Roeser Anybody who remember The Replacements, hands down one of the greatest punk bands of the '80s (and quite possibly one of the best bands to ever emerge from the American Midwest), knows that their drummer was Chris Mars. He was the one who, late in 1991, quit The Replacements before they actually broke up, several years after his friend and original band guitarist, the late Bob Stinson, was forced to resign from the group. But the multi-talented Mars has been far from idle in the '90s. He has made four solo albums, the two most recent one, Tenterhooks (1995) and Anonymous Botch (1996), for the Bar/None label. The first two, Horseshoes and Hand Grenades (1992) and 75% Less Fat (1993), were done for the Smash label. All these albums feature Mars compositions, something that could seldom be said of the many Replacements records he played on. Having been interested in visual art, as well as music, since his childhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota (where he still lives), Mars has also been moving full-steam ahead with his art work. In the fall of '96 he had a month-long exhibition of his pictures in Los Angeles, which bore the same title as his latest collection of songs. His painting feature a range of unusual characters that will soon form the basis for a feature-length animated film that Mars will provide music for. One of his collaborators on this motion picture project is directory David Lynch, of Eraserhead and Blue Velvet fame. There was a time when Chris Mars wasn't worried about too much besides banging on his drums for a few hours, watching his wild comrades jump and flail before him with their guitars, and then hoping there'd be free drinks awaiting them at the end of the night. But that was then, and a man learns to set aside the ways of a boy-child. Goldmine: Years before you actually began making your own solo albums, did you have the desire to product and sing songs you'd written yourself? Were you thinking about this in the mid-80s or so? Chris Mars: I wasn't really thinking about it so much, as far as putting a record out. I would sort of goof around with little bits and pieces of melodies and stuff right around that time. But I didn't actually start putting songs together. My first few songs were probably like 1987, something like that. That's when I started thinking about it a little more seriously. But still, it was just more of an exercise than an aspiration. Goldmine: When did you become seriously interested in visual art? Chris Mars: That I have always been interested in. I think long before music actually, ever since I can remember, I loved to draw pictures. I loved what pictures did to me. They always inspired me and moved me, as a real little kid. So that was something that was, I think, naturally a part of me from the beginning. It was just sort of a natural progression to keep that up. Goldmine: Is combining music and visual art, such as with this film animation project you have in store, something you thought about in the 80s? Chris Mars: Maybe in the back of my head. Although the kind of things that I was drawing at that time I don't think were very much like what I'm drawing now. I think later, as I started developing a style and coming up with a lot of different characters in my drawings, that's when I thought, "These would lend themselves to animation." So I started thinking along those lines a little later, but never really seriously. I was always just content with making drawings and paintings, and inventing figures to go in them. But then after reviewing my stuff, I thought, "Wow, this might make real cool film." Goldmine: Occasionally in The Replacements, you would play guitar on certain things, like "Hootenanny" or tracks like that. Do you play a lot of guitar now and write songs on guitar? Chris Mars: I guess when I sit down to make record, that's when I go more head long into it, and sort of absorb myself into it. But outside of that, when I'm not doing that, maybe I'm pickin' up the guitar here and there. You know, like I'll come up with a melody or a piece, and I'll save it. But I'm not really sitting down and writing songs, and saving them that way. They become more compiled when I actually sit down to do a record. Then I go through all my notes and start makin' songs, and write down things. But usually, when I'm not makin' a record, I'm concentrating on art and doing that probably most of the time. Goldmine: When you did the cover art of Bob Stinson, for the [Twin/Tone] cassette release of Shit Hits the Fans, did you get a lot of reactions from people on your art work at that time? Chris Mars: Maybe a little bit, just from a few fans who liked the drawing and a couple people in town, like at record stores. But not a whole lot. Just a little feedback, basically, They thought it was pretty cool, and all that. [laughs] Goldmine: Are you surprised, in retrospect, that The Replacements stayed together as long as they did? Chris Mars: Um.. I think [sighs]... I'm surprised I stayed in it as long as I did. [laughs] Now that I look back. I mean, I think there was a [point] it wouldn't been a nice time for all of us to kind of say, "We passed our peak, and let's call it a night here." But I think what we all did is, we kind of tried to maybe -- especially after Bob left -- I think we tried to sort of "flog a dead horse." That's sort of what it felt like. I think, with Pleased to Meet Me (Sire, 1987), we did a pretty good job of trying to capture the spirit of the band. But after that, we never could quite get back. And so I think after Pleased To Meet Me, right around there would have been a good time to hang it up. But we didn't know what was gonna happen at that time, too. And there's all kinds of elements that came into play. But obviously, in retrospect, it did go one a few years longer than it should've. Goldmine: When Bob had to be "replaced," were you very reluctant to vote for that decision? Chris Mars: Oh, definitely. Yeah, I was against it. But I just did not have a whole lot of say. You know, Paul [Westerberg] was pretty much calling the shots. And [sighs]... Paul and Tommy [Stinson, Bob's little brother] I think sort of came to the conclusion between the two, and I did not like it. So it was something that I just had to live with. And that's kind of how that went. Goldmine: At the time when Prince emerged as a superstar, in the early-to mid 80s, and there was suddenly all this interest in the Twin Cities as a music hotbed, did that attention have a positive or negative effect, do you feel, on the alternative scene in Minneapolis? Chris Mars: Boy! Ah, goin' back, goin' back... let's see-- I think it was good, as far as gaining attention for Minneapolis. I think the city was a little bit more "on fire" at the time, with bands breaking and getting signed for the first time. You know, like us, and the Huskers [Husker Du], and Soul Asylum and stuff like that. And, of course, Prince. Well, Prince was kind of in a different music scene, I think. He wasn't really, quote, "alternative," I guess. But, then again, he crossed a lot of lines, so he obviously gained a hell of a lot more attention than any of the other bands in the city! [laughs] I think he still, to this day, lives here most of the time. I mean, the guy's a genius. And I'm a fan. Always was. Goldmine: Before The Replacements began touring outside of Minnesota, were any of you convinced that the band had the potential to get a national following? Chris Mars: I think so. Maybe not so much before we started touring. It was more like we were just content to bang around between the five-state area- you know, Minnesota, Wisconsin, wherever we'd go at the time. We never went past Chicago for awhile there. We just were kind of havin' fun. I don't think any of us really thought about what could happen. So all that stuff was just sort of a surprise, I think. Goldmine: Who ran the Smash label, and why did you do your first two solo projects for them? Chris Mars: Smash was based in Chicago, and they were subsidiary of PolyGram. I sent a tape to them with maybe four to six songs on it, and a guy named Leroy Fields, who worked there briefly, was the guy who actually coaxed the label into signing me. So he's responsible for getting me started. It was just one of those things. I was fresh out of the band, and I had some songs I'd been goofing around with on 4-track. And i didn't really think that I'd even get signed. "I might get a little interest from some indie labels and put out a record, and that might be kind of fun," is what I was thinking. You know, just to keep active in music a little bit, and sort of express myself a little beyond the drums. So when a major label wanted to sign me, I was quite surprised. I didn't expect that. I was going back in the studio [in 1991], which I didn't think would be happening! It was exciting. My intentions were to release something on an indie label, and here comes a major wanting to do it. I thought, "Well, I'll give this a shot." I think there was some interest with Warner Bros. at the time, too. There was a certain amount of time where my contractual obligation to put out a record [persisted]. Because I was still under the name "The Replacements" at the time. That was gonna run out, and I was hoping that it would. I didn't want to go do a record for them, 'cause then I would inherit the back debt. Because The Replacements were pretty heavily in debt, and still are, actually. And I'd still be on the same label [corporation-wise]. So that was great. I remember squeezing out of that. They called me about a week too late. So there was some interest from them. I was crossin' my fingers and I went, "Aw-right!" I got the hell outta that deal! [laughs] Goldmine: So after quitting The Replacements in 1990, you spent most of '91 working on your first solo album? Chris Mars: Yeah, that's pretty much what I did. I got the word that I would be makin' a record, then I started to seriously going through my stuff to try to compile [material], plan it out and all that. I was pretty nervous, I remember. I had no idea what I'd be able to do. So it was a great, very emancipating time, and it was a great learning experience. And it was fun. Goldmine: Where did the album title Horseshoes and Hand Grenades come from? Chris Mars: I was just trying to think of a title, and it was an old saying. You know, "almost only counts in horseshoses and handgrenades." And I remembered that saying from somewhere. None of my title have very deep meaning. [laughs] Goldmine: Is the song title "e.i.b negative" [from Tenterhooks] an answer to the dreaded, oft-uttered 90s term "HIV positive"? Chris Mars: Actually, "e.i.b. negative" is a slam on Rush Limbaugh. I listen to a lot of talk radio, and we have this talk radio station in town that has some really cool hosts. And then Limbaugh would come on, like in the middle of the day, and I'd just sort of leave it on and listen to it -- as much as I could take. Just to kind of see what the extremists were talking about. And I just, I mean blech! Obviously it went way against my grain. So I decided to do a little ditty about it. Goldmine: Do you agree with the commonly held maxim that drummers are the least respected people in rock? Chris Mars: You know, I never really thought about it that much. I remember hearing jokes like "Drummers are just people who hang around with musicians," and all that stuff. I was aware of it, but I always like drumming. Up to a certain point, anyways, until I got sick of it. But it was my instrument, so I didn't really think about what people thought. I'd just sort of bang away. Goldmine: If you hadn't joined a band around 1980, what do you think you would have wound up doing? Chris Mars: Wow! I probably would've gone more headlong into art, and maybe kept music more of a sideline. Maybe I would've gone to art school. I don't know if I would have done that , to tell you the truth. Maybe I'd have just turned into a big, drunken bum. I don't know. I was drinking pretty heavily around that time. I mean, my life has changed quite a bit since then. I probably would've been bangin' around in some band, if it wasn't the Replacements. And drawin' pictures, pretty much. That's sort of what I did. Goldmine: Has making records gotten back to being more fun and exciting for you than it was for the last couple of Replacements albums? Chris Mars: Oh, definitely. Especially now. I have a little home studio that I did the last two records on. And you can do all right with it. It's 16 tracks and as far as making the records, I think that's what I always liked about the business, anyways. Up to a certain point, I loved playing live. And then the "frat-boy" phase sort of wore off, when I got into my mid-to-upper twenties. And then the road became a big pain in the ass. But I still like makin' records. I always did. I always liked the studio. there was just a lot more room for discovering and learning, and trying out new things. It was more of a natural approach for me, anyways. Especially makin' my own records, I really had a great time. Because makin' The Replacements records, obviously, there was some collaboration, but not nearly as much in the later years. So I was more limited there. It's definitely been great to be able to do my own stuff. Goldmine: A song like "Janet's New Kidney" on the new record sounds like it was influenced by some of Tom Waits' later work. Is that so? Did that come from working with him [in The Replacements, "Date to Church," 1989]? Chris Mars: No, I don't think it came from working with him, although I like Tom Waits, I like his stuff. I think the song, more than anything, just came out the way it came out. I think, with that one, I was thinking of doing a little instrumental or something, and I just had this kind of scary-sounding lick that sort of runs through the song. And I added words later, since it was intended to be an instrumental. I don't think I was [aware] of any influence or anything like that. I just went with that I felt was the direction the song should take. Goldmine: What is the angle, employed in the packaging of "Anonymous Botch," of not really wanting to reveal names of people on the record? A lot of these people really didn't want to be identified? Chris Mars: Actually, that's just a joke. I did all the stuff myself. And that was just to kind of go along with the theme of the name of the record. Kind of an "anonymous" sort of thing. But really there's nobody there, except for one guy. There's one guy [Chuck Whitney] that's credited, that played some guitar. And he's the only guy that did anything. Goldmine: But who did sing with you on "Janet's New Kidney"? Chris Mars: Oh, actually that's right! That's the other person. Excuse me for forgetting. That was my wife! [laughs] Goldmine: There's a contrast between Tenterhooks and the new record. Tenterhooks ends with kind of an "up" song, "New Day." And the new album kind of ends with a downer, "I'll Be Gone." And there's a couple of other songs which are maybe more pessimistic, like "It's A Long Life" and " Black Days." Were you in kind of a pessimistic frame of mind writing some of the songs for this album? Chris Mars: I think I might've been, yeah. Because I think when I wrote Tenterhooks, that was before Bob died. And I think after is when I started writin' songs for the new record. And I was kind of in a funk after he died, I remember. And so I was, Maybe. I would say that that's accurate, that I was in little more pessimistic mood. Although, then some of the songs I wrote quite a bit after [Stinson's death], when I was sort of bouncing back. So there's some more upbeat stuff on there. But yeah, I think that's pretty accurate observation. Goldmine: Did you see Bob much in later days? Chris Mars: No, I didn't. After he left the band, you know, I would see him around here and there. We toured pretty extensively after that, so I just did what I had to do with the band, and we sort of parted ways, the band and Bob. And I would just run into him every once in a while. I'd talk to him on the phone, see him at clubs. but we just sort of drifted apart. I think, at that time, everybody sort of drifted apart, at least emotionally. I [drifted] away from the band, even though I was still in the band. Do you know what I mean? It was just kind of one of those things, like I was talking about earlier, where it just sort of ran its course, and we stayed with it a little longer than we should've. And so, it wasn't out of any sort of [animosity]... Bob developed his own scene and circle of friends, and I did my own things. It wasn't out of any dislike. You know, I always loved Bob. And I still miss him. I think about him. Goldmine: How important is it for a songwriter to have his or her own publishing company? Chris Mars: I think it's a good thing. I don't think publishers do a whole lot for you. I think what they do is collect money. Your average publishing deal is gonna be like a fifty-fifty split. And I just figured, "Why?" [ergo, Chris Mars Publishing, Inc.] I think maybe, in some circumstances, they might promote, or try to get your songs on soundtracks, or something like that. I don't think they do a whole lot of that. I think they just sort of buy things up and then sit on it. And if something happens, they collect. They reap the benefits. I just thought, "Why do that?" Goldmine: What ever became of Golden Smog, and how long did that last? Chris Mars: Well, I don't know what they're doing now, to tell you the truth. I heard their last record. I think it started out as more of a joke thing, when I was in it. Just kind of a fun gig here and there type of thing. And then it got a little more serious. I had just got out of The Replacements, and I had no intentions of wanting to get in another band, really. Unless it was kind of low-key, like the Golden Smog started out to be. But then it got a little more serious and they were talkin' about touring. And I just said, "No, I'm gonna get out of this." And they got some other members and kept on goin' and released a record, and I think did some tours. Goldmine: Do you have much, or any, contact with Paul or Tommy these days? Chris Mars: Um, no, I don't. I really don't. And it's just, again, one of those things where, you know, I think maybe...who's to say, in the future, what will happen? We may see each other, maybe be friends again, or we may never. It's kind of like, I mean, it was a job -- that's the way I look at it. I worked in the band for as long as I did, and we were close at one time. But people drift apart, and that's just something that happens in life. And so, basically, that's kind of the status right now. I don't talk to them, they don't call me. So it's just one of those things. Goldmine: What are two or three of you favorite things you did with The Replacements? Chris Mars: You mean as far as records? Goldmine: Yeah. Chris Mars: I think the earlier stuff, you know, when we were more in, as I say, our frat-boy phase and we were pretty boisterous and spirited. Those records. I don't listen to my records, and I don't really go back and listen to The Replacements records. But, from what I remember of the times of the band, obviously when Bob was in the band and we were the "true" Replacements -- right around that time, in the earlier days. Up to about, like whatever -- Hootenanny or Let It Be. I think around Tim [1985] things kind of got a little goofy with the band. But yeah, the earliest days, those records are the most memorable and enjoyable to remember. ____________________________________________________________________________ VI. TRIBUTE SHOW/CD/HOOPLA Date: Fri, 07 Feb 1997 02:21:59 +0900 From: Daniel Contreras Hi Matt and fellow Skywayers! Hope things are going well for you! Here's some news: A bunch of Twin Cities bands did a live CD of Replacements covers! They are having a CD release party this Friday at the Turf Club in St Paul. I am definitely attending! The Fans Hit Back Part III? I will let you know how it goes. I attended an acoustic show tonight featuring Dan Wilson of Semisonic and Slim Dunlap. Slim put on a fabulous set, doing songs like "Hate This Town" off 'Times Like This', which I never had heard live, and "Ballad of the Opening Band". He mentioned he had written "Opening Band" while on tour with the Mats opening for Tom Petty, and the song is really about how it can suck to be the opener. It is a great tune off his first album 'The Old New Me'. This guy is just great to watch live, I can't encourage you enough to get out and see him! Thanks Dan Contreras Date: Sat, 08 Feb 1997 14:03:41 +0900 Here is my review of the 'Swingin Party ' CD and the Release Party at the Turf Club in St Paul, MN 2/7/97: I did go to the Turf Club last night, it started out really cool. I walked in to strains of a bootleg "Johnny's Gonna Die" on the sound system. The place was decked out in Mats Stuff - pictures and enlargements of CD art, and there was a bootleg video from the All Shook Down Tour playing on a big screen TV. The first band to go onstage was The Mammy Nuns, and they were fantastic. They started with "Mr. Whirly" and they also played "Can't Hardly Wait", Johnny's Gonna Die", and "Black Diamond" They were really tight on Black Diamond. They also stumbled through a couple covers without finishing...which I thought was a nice touch. "Takin' Care Of Business" was one of the sloppy covers. These guys were just great. After the Mammy Nuns, things kind of deteriorated. The next band that came on was a 3 piece (cant remember their name). They were pretty much loud with a ton of distortion. They played about 4 songs...They didn't play any Replacements. I was like "What was that?". Then the em-cee, Rob from the Mammy Nuns, came on after their set and said "We told the bands they did not have to play the song off the CD or any Mats tunes, but there will be some Mats stuff sprinkled throughout the night" Whoa...'sprinkled'??? I wasn't real happy to hear that. The next performers were 2 guys, one on acoustic guitar and one doing vocals. The guy on vocals pretty much sang everything like the guy from AC/DC, which was interesting with and acoustic guitar. They played 4 or 5 tunes...no Replacements stuff. By now, I am one unhappy camper. Now, I like seeing new bands and I have a pretty open mind, but tonight I wanted to hear the Mats. I looked at the schedule, and The Rank Strangers, who I kinda dig, weren't scheduled to come on till after midnight. So I bought the CD and a cool t-shirt, and split. I kind of wanted to stay, but I just could not deal. The CD, on the other hand, is really good! It is a recording of 17 Mats tunes by about 15 different bands. There is also a Chris Mars tune "Outer Limits" and "September Gurls", by Alex Chilton. It is very cool, and I am glad I bought it. There is also a short speech from Carleen Stinson, which is very sad, recorded 4 months after Bob died. The CD is basically a recording of a night of live music on 6/22/95, the sound quality is average. It is sponsored by SPMC (St. Paul Music Club). You can contact either of the following to get a CD...If you can't, let me know and I will get you one. They are $10 and well worth it. Ear Illusion Records 1601 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55104 or St Paul Music Club 1601 University Ave. St. Paul, MN 55104 I know, the addresses are identical, but that's the way they are listed on the CD. Later on, Dan _____________________________________________________________________________ VII. RUMORS From: NPVP03E@prodigy.com (MR JAMES MCCARTHY) Date: Thu, 30 Jan 1997 17:47:57, -0500 Subject: I don't know if this is bullshit or not!!! If it is true, we all better get typing quick!!!! Duck wrote: >Reprise has posted an official inquiry in the AOL Westerberg folder >asking for fan input on a possible ''Best Of'' Mats compilation. > >If anyone from the internet wants to throw in their two cents, the >Reprise email addresses are FizzTwo@aol.com and/or HowieRep@aol.com. From: Lewisifer9@aol.com Date: Sun, 16 Feb 1997 11:48:24 -0500 (EST) 1) Paul met with Interscope Records in his quest for a new label. 2) Westerberg Street was submitted last week as a street name in Las Vegas. Date: Mon, 24 Feb 97 11:14:51 PST From: Anna Gerber and Nick Johnstone A friend in NY got in touch with a friend who works for Sony in NY to ask about PW. The friend implied that a deal is going through with Sony or at least being negotiated right now. He would not comment though, but it looks as PW will end up with a better deal than the Reprise/Sire one. Apparently Sire had been despairing at how to "market" him and had decided that he had no obvious "market". Too old for alternative, too alternative for the Tom Petty/VH-1 crowd. So they kept pushing for sales and a hit single rather than just let him make albums. If the Sony deal happens it will be a Bob Dylan affair...lots of albums and tours, no pressure to make singles or plug gimmicky pop shit. I say fuck Sire, he's better off without those assholes. Nick ------------------------------------- "The world is held together by the wind that blows through Gena Rowlands' hair." -- Mark Date: Wed, 5 Feb 1997 21:08:00 -0600 (CST) From: "Tony R. Buechler" Subject: Paul Writing with Carol from allstar http://www.allstarmag.com/news/database/Archive/9702/05 Paul Westerberg Writing With Carole King Paul Westerberg's management company, Gold Mountain, has confirmed rumors that he has been collaborating on songs with Carole King, but denies that the two have any intentions of recording together. The two songs, which were written between November 1996 and January of this year, have been published by Warner Chappell Music and are intended to be recorded by other artists. As for any future collaboration between the former Replacement and the woman who brought us such pop staples as "It's Too Late" and "I Feel The Earth Move," it appears that the two friends simply enjoy writing together when Westerberg is in New York, and are not looking at this as a business venture. - Bill Snyder Date: Tue, 11 Feb 1997 14:02:17 -0600 (CST) From: "Tony R. Buechler" From http://www.addict.com/html/hifi/MNOTW/ on Feb 11th: Joan Jett Readying New Album For Fall Album to feature a cover of the Replacements' "Androgynous." Addicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: Leather pants rocker Joan Jett is getting ready to re-enter a studio this month to finish work on her still-untitled 12th album, which should see the light of day sometime in the fall. The album, which will again pair Jett with her long-time backing band, the Blackhearts, is being produced by Ted Templeman (Van Halen) and is slated to feature a duet with Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hannah on a tune called "Tube Talking," as well as a cover of the Replacements' ballad "Androgynous." According to a source at her label, Jett has finished close to half of the album, although it's unclear if the material (nearly enough for an entire album) she recorded with producer Bob Rock (Metallica, Veruca Salt) last year, will be included. _____________________________________________________________________________ VIII. SWAPPIN' From: "Lynn Winthrop" Subject: junk monkeys Date: Thu, 6 Feb 1997 00:38:46 -0800 anyone remember a band called the junk monkeys? they sounded somewhat like the 'mats, put out 3 albums that i'm aware of, and then vanished. i'm new to the net and i'm looking forward to being a part of this list. i've been a huge 'mats fan since '86 or so, and have followed everyone since the split. if anyone has info on the junk monkeys, or just wants to talk, you can reach me at kingpin@inu.net. thanks. From: "ralph bryant" Date: Thu, 13 Feb 1997 15:25:23 -0600 Does anyone know any information about the song "Ace of Spades" from Barefoot and Pregnant? I have never heard this and would like to...as it is the only rarity I don't have. Any information on this song is appreciated as information about the movie. I've seen a number of Mats set lists that contain that song, is it live? Anyone willing to sell or copy? I have lots of great stuff to trade..... Also, I have an extra copy of the I Will Dare 12" if anyone's interested. It's in excellent condition. Last, but definitely not least, what is the real story (if anyone knows) with Westerberg? Did he get dropped from Reprise? Has someone picked him up? email me at ralph@marshmallow-tree.com Date: Sun, 26 Jan 1997 09:31:13 -0500 From: Greg G Subject: Pleased to Meet Me T-Shirts for sale I found I ran across this catalog that you might want to let the Skywayer's know about. This company sells a good looking t-shirt with the Pleased To Meet Me album cover on it for about $16. I have never seen one available before so you might want to pass the word along. The company is ARTROCK Gallery and the phone number is 1-800-262-7249 for a free catalog. C-Ya Greg From: "Midnight Rider" Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 18:34:31 +0000 Subject: Looking for 1/28/91 ... Hey folks ... I'm looking for the above New Orleans show from the last Mats tour. There are a few songs from the show on the "Last Show" boot CD, so there's a clean copy out there somewhere. I've got plenty of Mats/Paul as well as much other stuff to offer, etc. ... pretty please? http://www.dfw.net/~richl Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1997 22:44:57 +0000 From: Troy Stoppel I live in Minneapolis and we have a great radio station - REV 105. It is nothing like that run-of-the-mill Edge shit the set up in every town. About 2 to 3 months back, they played a 2 hour Replacements special that was very cool, but unfortunately I did not tape it. I am wondering if anyone else in Minnesota taped it. I am also looking for live stuff, and is the a collection of videos?? I will pay. Thanks for your time, Troy Stoppel brainwerk@earthlink.net Date: Sun, 19 Jan 97 10:50:41 -0800 From: jmhuff@plix.com (Huff, J Michael,) I am looking for the 8/18/89 show at Orange County Speedway, NY. It was when the Mats opened for Tom Petty. Also, I am searching for Westerberg on Leno, any album outtakes that someone might have, and other rarities. I have a collection of videos to trade. Nathan Huff jmhuff@plix.com Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 16:39:26 -0800 From: "Alan K. Crandall" To: Matthew Tomich Subject: Replacements Video Well, farting around the KFJC Record Swap this weekend, I came across a Replacements video I hadn't heard of yet. The label identifies it as "Middletown New York, 1989," but the title card of the video claims "Orange County Speedway 1989." Couldn't say for sure myself. Anyway, it's great. Of course, it's a who-knows-how many generation dub, so it's grainy, but the camerawork is actually real good ... very mobile and you can see all of them at one time or another, and it's shot head on, not from some weird angle. The 'Mats themselves are in great form; ragged-but-right, too drunk to fuck but not too drunk to play. It opens up with a kind of blues jam while Tommy slowly removes Paul's several layers of jackets and shirts. They end up running through stuff from all the albums, plus some covers ("Another Girl Another Planet," "Knockin' On Heaven's Door" and one I couldn't identify). We get about an hour of this performance, plus the videos for "Left of the Dial," "Holdy My Life," "Bastards of Young" and "The Ledge" (which I actually hadn't seen before) and bunch of 30-second promo spots of Paul and co. talking about who Alex Chilton is, who they are, and teenage suicide. An interesting side note --- at the beginning of both of the "Tim"-era videos, we see that mysterious figure flipping through a small stack of albums before selecting "Tim" to slap on. So far, I've identified the following titles among that stack: The Young Fresh Fellows "Topsy Turvy" The Pontiac Brothers "Doll Hut" an album by Nikki Sudden and the Jacobites one other that I haven't ID'd yet. Cool stuff! The Pontiac Brothers are the greatest band of the 80's that wasn't The Replacements! AKC! Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 23:36:26 -0800 From: "JEFFREY S. ANDERSON" <"jsa@stic.net"@stic.net> To: matt@novia.net Subject: interesting in any tape containing unreleased tracks i am a huge mats fan. i have several boots with some unreleased stuff but i am missing most of the stuff you probably have. i will trade or gladly pay for any tape that you can make with these hard to find songs. thanks alot, jeff anderson fin. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The //Skyway\\: The Replacements Mailing List (digest only) To subscribe, send a letter saying "subscribe skyway" to "majordomo@novia.net" http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Maria: Can you stop watching TV for a moment? Matthew: No. Maria: Why? Matthew: I had a bad day. I had to subvert my principles and kowtow to an idiot. Television makes these daily sacrifices possible. It deadens the inner core of my being. Maria: Let's move away, then. Matthew: They have television everywhere. There's no escape. And besides, you won't leave your mother. - "Trust" [directed by Hal Harley]