______________________________________________________________________________ // // The \\kyway \\ // skyway@novia.net Issue #52 September 1st, 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 ______________________________________________________________________________ All of the alt.music.replacements articles were echoed to the list by the kind work of Duncan DeGraffenreid. Hoo-rah! ______________________________________________________________________________ 0. Stolen band stuff for sale! (M@) I. Wedding announcements (X) II. New (Tiffany Wilson, Seth, Rob, Marc Kreinenbrink, Matt from Australia, Emerson Dameron, Lane Campbell, Chad Werner, Jason, Fernando, Dan, Brent, Bosun, Chris, Katie Gilmore, Steven Smith, Suzanne, Splat) III. Mats (Dez, JE, Brian, RBorja) IV. Paul (Nick Johnston, Lori Dolqueist, ELukas, SB, PJ, Howie) V. Tommy (Pepper Berry, Pointy, Suzanne, Matt Tomich) VI. Stuff (Mark Timmins, Michael, LttlMscara, Tom Lopez, WB, Chad Larson, McPierre) _______________________________________________________________________________ 0. Doh! Okay, here's the best story I've got right now: Two weeks ago, on the Sunday night all the students at UNC are moving back into their school-time residences for another year of academia and brain- damaging debachery, the band I'm in's van gets ripped off a block from the busiest intersection in Chapel Hill. Half an hour after the phone call to the Chapel Hill police department, a cop shows up and decides that maybe they should file a report after all. Two hours later, an APB is put out to all cop cars in a fifty mile radius of Chapel Hill. (At this point, I don't know if you're doing the math, but let's just say that if said car theives are hot-tailin' it to the chop shop on the other side of the Tennessee state line at an engine-busting, white-knuckled, no-holds-barred 20 miles an hour, we might have a chance at ever seein' our van again in one piece.) But regardless, a torturous week later, while performing a U-turn on a side street, we find the van ourselves, in the driveway of an empty house for rent just two blocks away from where it was stolen. With a parking ticket on it. - M@. _______________________________________________________________________________ I. Wedding announcements, barmitzvas, whatever. Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 17:15:00 -0500 From: "A'yin Da'ath" Congrats to Peter Jesperson on his recent wedding. According to MN's beloved CAKE magazine, Tommy was the best man, and Paul was hinted to be in attendance. Congrats, Peter! X _______________________________________________________________________________ II. Heya! From: Tankgeek3@aol.com Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 14:41:41 -0400 (EDT) Well, I've been a member of the Skyway for some time now, but I never got around to doing my little introduction. I'm in a weird mood right now, so excuse any insanity that might shine through my writing. I'm another younger member of the Skyway. I'll be eighteen in two months (not soon enough) and I'm starting the University of Pittsburgh in August. I love listening to music, and I try to play the guitar. I've written some stuff, but it's not very good. I sing a lot, even when no one's listening. Right now I live in a dinky town in New Hampshire, and I have to drive at least a half an hour to get to a decent record store. I've moved a lot in my life and have lived in Ohio, West Virginia, Florida, Washington and now NH. Well, I just graduated high school. I'm so glad it's done. I did well in school and didn't get in any trouble, but I didn't really love high school. I had a really tough junior year, but "Sixteen Blue" helped me through. I'm hesitant to mention this, but I was valedictorian. More importantly, I quoted "I Hate Music" in my speech. At my school, I was known as the smart one. Very few people knew that I liked to go out, wanted to go to clubs, drank alcohol (oh, no!) and listened to loud music. I won "Class Einstein" and "Smartest Senior." Yippee. Few people knew I play guitar. No one took the time to get to know anything about me except my grades. I went to Europe with about 20 other kids from my school and 20 adults, and I shocked quite a few people. I went out dancing and drinking in London and Killarney. Some people had no idea. Sorry about the venting, but I'm still a little bitter about the whole "Smartest Senior" thing. Anyway, on to my Replacements/Westerberg experiences. I first heard Paul on the soundtrack to Singles. I fell in love with "Waiting for Somebody," but I didn't know anything about this cool new songwriter. That was that until 14 Songs came out. I saw it at some record store and I knew the name, so I bought it. I started reading articles about Westerberg and all of them mentioned his former band, The Replacements. I went out and bought Don't Tell a Soul, mainly because I liked the cover. The thing that really struck me was Paul's ability to express emotions, but still manage to do some blow off songs. I slowly began collecting Mats CD's. My faves are Let It Be and Tim. I quoted "Bastards of Young" in my yearbook quote. My most recent acquisition is Stink on vinyl, a rare find from Portsmouth, NH. I actually like Paul's solo stuff, too. It's different, yes, but I still think it shows what's always been great about Paul's writing. Eventually has great wordplay and catchy tunes. I've never met Paul, but I have seen him in concert. A year ago this month, I saw him at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel, in Providence, Rhode Island. The show was so fantastic. It was my first club show (thank god it was all ages) and I got to see Paul up close! My dad took me, and even he enjoyed the show. He thinks most of what I listen to is shit. (Oh, well.) Seeing Paul live was amazing. It was so much better than I imagined. He is such a great performer. I listen to a lot of other music, too. I love PJ Harvey, Liz Phair, Blur, New Order, Pavement, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh, Tanya Donnelly, Weezer, Tori Amos, Aimee Mann, the Violent Femmes, that dog., Moby, the Underworld. I love a lot of "power pop" and "noise rock" or whatever you want to call it. I also have a weakness for new wave and eighties stuff like Echo and the Bunnymen, Psychedelic Furs, B-52's, Til Tuesday. I like early punk, trip-hop, new punk; I can't even get to half the stuff I like. I've seen some great shows. I've seen Tori Amos, the Candy Butchers (great band), Space Pussy (glam, but rocking), Blur, Echo & the Bunnymen, Moby, Less than Jake, Folk Implosion, Morphine, Matthew Sweet, Fuzzy, Coldwater Flat. I hope to see more when I finally turn 18 and can get into clubs. Anyway, I think I've bored you all enough by now. If anyone knows any good spots in Pittsburgh, e-mail me and let me know. Thanks for the venting space. Tiffany Wilson Tankgeek3@aol.com From: LttlMscara@aol.com Date: Mon, 7 Jul 1997 23:18:36 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Hey, look ma, I'm on Skyway I've just joined Skyway, and I see it's customary to write about getting into the Mats. Here goes: I was gonna write about the time my friend Tim and I had to get a ride (by our Moms) to see the Mats at City Gardens in Trenton (Let It Be tour), because neither of us had a license. So we got to the venue at about 3 p.m. and the Mats showed up shortly thereafter in a broken down van and stumbled out. Bob asked where to get beer, and Tommy remarked how Tim had freckles, too, and that he must get the chicks, and how Tim and I looked in the van and realized that the inside wall of the van was the back cover of Let It Be (parrot dink on tap) etc. Bob signed Tim's SPIN magazine with Madonna on the cover and asked, ^ÓWho's that?" Or about the time the P.A. blew out at the Tower Theater in Philly (Don't Tell a Soul tour) and Paul turned the monitors around so the crowd could hear the stuff and then he jumped/fell down into the crowd so he could hear too. He sat behind me in a chair cause he could barely stand and how I was singin' along with him (Cruella De Ville) at the top of my lungs and how he thought that was so funny that he stood up and did a duet with me. Ummm, I did a duet with him, leaning on me, sharing a mic and mostly using me as a crutch. Or the time me and Tim were at work in New Hope, PA and heard the Mats were playing somewhere in Allentown an hour away, an impromptu gig on the way to NYC and how we drove an hour and a half, feigning illness to our employers, to see them and heard them play (mostly sober) three of the best covers that I've heard to date: HAPPY, SEPTEMBER GURLS, ANOTHER GIRL ANOTHER PLANET, NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN...uh, that's four. Or how my first band played LET IT BE almost in its entirety and little else. Or how when LET IT BE was released and I needed everything else ever recorded by the Replacements, and I got the first 3 and stumbled upon WITHIN YOUR REACH, that I played that song about 40 times in a row. Or how when the Mats were opening up for Elvis Costello on the last tour that I bought a $30 ticket to hear a 45 minute set (there were only about 100 of us crowded at the front of the stage), and how I left before Elvis was coming on (because after hearing the Replacements even with Steve Foley on drums, that how could Elvis ever ----um--- you understand) and how the security guard said, "Ya know. There's no re-entry." And I said, "Yeah, I know." And about 10 of us were leaving. We didn't speak to each other, cause it's hard to exactly express it. (But much easier on the internet). Or how mine and my friend Tim's stories differ about when we saw the 'Mats at City Gardens, and they played a bunch of TIM stuff, before the record was out, and Paul was sitting at the bar and we went to tell him that we really dug the new stuff and asked Paul, "What's the new album gonna be called?" And he said, "Tim." And Tim said, "That's my name." And here's where our stories differ, I remember hearing Paul say, "Oh, uh-huh." Tim remembers him saying, "Oh, cool." Or how I thirst for new Westerberg material like it was water. Or how I feel that, percentage wise, the Crapometer (the device which measures the ratio of the recorded output of an artists brilliant songs to crappy songs) of the Replacements is lower than any other artists in the history of music. Pre-rebuttal: "Hey Grandpa, save your Dylan and Lennon stories for someone who gives a shit." But I wa-wa-wa-wa-wa-won't....I'll simply say the following and let it speak for itself: When I was 15, Let It Be was released. I bought it. Seth Date: Tue, 8 Jul 1997 19:11:49 -0400 From: rcsteven My name is Rob. I am 31 years old. I have been a big fan of the Mats since early 1985, when a buddy of mine played me "Here Comes a Regular" off of Tim. That song pretty much said it all for me!!! I went out and bought the album Tim (yes, on vinyl) and in some way or another acquired most of the previously released stuff on tape or what-not. They were very raw in those days, which was half the appeal for someone like myself who had just bought his first electric guitar. I quickly figured out that Paul could write some pretty deep lyrics, even though they were often shrouded amidst the out of tune guitars and feedback from the amps. The beer bottle in "Treatment Bound" is my absolute favorite part of any single song ever recorded. Stupid, but right to the point!!! I spent many a night home alone inside a beer can or beer bottle listening to the Mats, I miss those youthful days. But alas, I am grown up now, and my band has just broken up as well. I can still bring back the memories simply by cranking up Hootenanny, or Tim if you will. If you would like to check out what was ^Ñtil just recently, a pretty coo pop/rock band, that I played guitar in, hit my page at: www.concentric.net/~Rcsteven Great page. You are the man!!!! Rob From: "Kreienbrink, Marc SrA" Date: Mon, 21 Jul 97 15:29:00 PDT My first exposure to the Replacements? It was a Tuesday afternoon, April 11th, 1989 (the same day that The Cure's "Disintegration" came out). I ditched school to spend the day with my girlfriend. At around 5 p.m., we had to bail (her folks didn't know that we ditched school and stayed home alone at her house), and I went up the street to a friend's house. As we were watching MTV, we saw the video for 'Bastards Of Young' (I repeat: this was at 5 in the afternoon). That song was kickin', and the video made me laugh so hard that my face hurt. "Bastards..." didn't move me enough, though, to go out and buy "Tim"; I didn't really catch the lyrics. A few weeks later, I bought the "Trouser Press Guide to Alternative Music" and came upon the Replacements. The editor (or whomever) was just drooling over all the 'Mats stuff, especially "Let It Be". I called up Barstow Music and ordered "Let It Be" and "Tim", even though I barely had any cash. Later that week, I got the call that they had came in. I bought those two albums and I have been a die-hard Replacements fan ever since. The 'Mats have always played an important part in my life, and even now, on the verge of turning 25 with a wife, two children, a day job, and a band, they still do. If only I could have seen them live... One more thing: the other day, my son and I were playing Legos out in front of our house and he started humming the guitar riff to "Can't Hardly Wait". He's gonna be a great kid. Marc Kreienbrink Lompoc, CA (actually Vandenberg AFB) kreienbm@vafb5a.vafb.af.mil P.S.: if there are any Cali Central Coast people out there, feel free to write me...especially if you are down with the local music scene (Summercamp, Ataris, Silver Jet, Ridel High) Date: Sat, 26 Jul 1997 06:37:33 -0700 From: Matt & Danielle Subject: the 'mats and me Hiya Matt, it's Matt from Melbourne, Australia. HOW I CAME TO KNOW AND LOVE THE 'MATS by Matt Herbert Yesterday I found the Skyway (site). I came across it at just the right time in my life--I'm going through a career change, planning to get out of my meaningless clerical shift roster in the Customer Service call centre of our biggest new cable TV operator (cable is a new thing here), and into work in my lifelong passion of film. Last night I was s'posed to work until half past midnight, but I pulled the pin at 18h30. I drove to see my fiancee, and I was playing my homemade compilation "Mighty 'Mats Mix". It was at the start of 'Stink'. I drive a 1973 Peugeot 504, and I just put myself further into debt because it needed $400 of work done on it, but it purrs like a kitten now. And I have a pretty kickin^Ò Kenwood stereo which I love best cranked up listening to the 'mats. So I felt better as I drove into the cold Melbourne night, and I thought about how I had stumbled upon your site earlier in the day, and just what the band meant to me. And I thought I'd let you know about these things. I came across the 'mats via Winona Ryder. Via "Heathers". When I was in Uni (college), and I was eighteen, I was the biggest Winona Ryder fan. I saw "Heathers" and loved it. I read these articles on Winona, everything I could, and she talked about this band that I'd never heard of, the Replacements. (I was listening to U2, chart stuff at the time). That was 1989. In 1991 I had a nearly fatal car accident. I sustained a massive head injury, and was in hospital around six weeks. In recovery I had a picture of Winona by the side of my bed, and I developed this major love/lust/infatuation with her. At the same time a friend loaned me some discs to listen to while I was getting ready to come back to school^×one was "All Shook Down". If it had been a record I would have worn it out. I remember looking at its sad sepia cover with the wet dogs facing both ways on an empty street, and the liner pictures of emptiness and loss, and that record takes me right back to that time. It's one reason why I almost never listen to it now. A sad time, but how I loved that record. I remember reading that in the movie "Mermaids" Winona's performance was inspired by a song called... you guessed right, "Sixteen Blue". I thought that by the way she carried on, this cat Westerberg must have been worth checkin^Ò out more. Well, if Winona dug him, so would I. I asked my friend to point me toward more 'Mats stuff (of course, at that point I didn't know them as the 'mats--that came later). He said that "All Shook Down" wasn't that great, I had to listen to their other stuff. Another friend said I would like "Tim"--he knew my previous love for Guns n' Roses, Poison and other glam metal, so he referred me to the big guitar sounds there, but I only bought that album at the very end of my assembly of the 'mats collection. The cover was just too damn ugly. On a Uni holiday at the end of '91 I scanned through the Replacements section of a big record store (I think it was HMV or Virgin) in Sydney. I looked at "Tim" (and rejected it), I liked the look of "Pleased to Meet Me", and had read about "Alex Chilton" before, but I settled on "Let It Be". There it was-- "Sixteen Blue", along with other interesting song titles: "We're Comin' Out", "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out", "Androgynous", "Unsatisfied", "Gary's Got a Boner" and another one called "Answering Machine". (I knew nothing then...) I bought the CD, and a copy of "Hootenanny": I could not resist a song called "Color Me Impressed" (thanks to "Heathers" again). My collection had begun. "Don't Tell A Soul" came in the next Uni holidays, then "Sorry Ma" and "Stink" followed... compilation tapes began. (You may wonder why it was only on my holidays that I bought these records. The reason was that I was studying in a country town called Wagga Wagga, which is half way between Melbourne and Sydney, and there wasn't much to buy there in the way of alt.music then. This was pre-Nirvana, just. I claimed the Replacements as my favourite ever--a claim that remains to this day. I found a copy of "Don't Sell or Buy", again during school holidays, this time at Au-go-go Records in Melbourne, which has to be the site of my coolest musical memories. I was pretty pleased with myself for buying "Don't Sell or Buy", and even more pleased with "Satellite", which would rank as probably my favourite ever 'mats song. (See more below). I say Au-go-go was the site of my coolest musical memories for a few reasons. For starters, it's the best li'l indie rock shop I know. It's the place of my near-to-'mats-ness. Pat, who is the manager, is also a 'Mats man, and he taped me the "Shit, Shower and Shave" booty, which I thought was a cool thing to do. I also saw Archers of Loaf live in-store there last September, along with fifty other people, and I met Eric. Got autographs and great photos too--I was about twelve inches in front of Matt Gentling. (The Archers are my favourite ever still-existent band). Once I was living in Melbourne--which is to say, some time in the last four years--I bought second-hand copies of "Pleased to Meet Me" and "Tim" (at last!) on vinyl, as well as a new copy of the "I Will Dare" 12". Hoo! What a find, thought I. My collection thus far was complete. MATT'S FAVOURITE EVER 'MATS TRACKS as at July 26 1997. I don't think I could honestly do them in order of preference--these are mainly the ones that are in my mind the most, I guess). "Satellite" "Unsatisfied" "Alex Chilton" "Answering Machine" "Another Girl, Another Planet" (I know it's a cover) "Left of the Dial" "Bastards of Young" "Can't Hardly Wait" "Little Mascara" "Kiss Me On The Bus" I would have to mention also "First Glimmer", for the chord change on the first chorus, which truly melts me to the core each time I hear it (so I include solo Westerberg in my list...) Old favourites like "Sixteen Blue", "Androgynous" and "Achin' To Be" couldn't be ignored either, and I loved having "Within Your Reach" on the soundtrack to the less than worthwhile "Say Anything", not to mention nearly jumped out of my seat in "Jerry Maguire" to the unexpected and always delightful pounding of "I'll Be You". Hoo-ee! There for all to see (and hear). I always experience some kind of catharsis (not unlike that I feel writing this mail) when I listen to "Fuck School" (no recess) or "God Damn Job" (heh heh), and everything to track 14 or 15 on "Sorry Ma" is almost always a delight. Ah, hell. I love them. And I haven't even mentioned anything about Minneapolis, my desire to visit it, and how the 'mats led me on to CAKE magazine, which has to be the most enjoyable surprise to open each time I see it in my letterbox in its clear plastic bag. I haven't mentioned Jack Kerouac, or how when I listen to a song like "Hangin Downtown" I can see, I can actually see another life, a life that these cats lived, all unwashed and drunken and it's almost twenty years ago now and I'm getting on, eh. Thanks for your time. See you on the Skyway. MnD:) From: EPDAMERON@unca.edu Date: Wed, 16 Jul 1997 20:47:46 -0400 (EDT) Subject: My Manifesto... Allow me to introduce meself. My name is Emerson Dameron. I live (if that's the word for it) in Asheville, NC. (In case you're thinking of coming here, let me warn you that it is controlled by hippies & octogenarians.) I was in a Mats frame of mind from a young age. In grade school I was prone to sulk in the hump seat (the one above the tire) with my headphones krazy-glued to my head. Over the years I was pinballed between counselors and therapists attempting to make heads or tails of me. I was aware of the Mats early on from reading my Dad's Rolling Stones on the sly, but my first real interaction came when I...um...borrowed Don't Tell a Soul from my cool cousin. I know now that there is better Mats to be had, but at the time I was knocked flat. I was in high school, and that album was one of the first that I felt really spoke to me in my language. In the summer of '93 (a scary transition period for me), I acquired 14 Songs, which grew on my soul like North Carolina kudzu. After a flirtation with punk rock in my freshman year at UNCA, I was ready for the earlier, harder stuff. I hooked up with Pleased to Meet Me, Let It Be (Classics both), and finally Tim, my personal favorite Mats record & possibly my favorite record period, largely because it is bookended with two of my all-time anthems "Hold My Life" and "Here Comes a Regular." My love for the Mats stems largely from the emotional catharsis the music provides. I imagine Westie skidding around on a floor waxed with tears and alcohol, struggling to be noticed by a world holding it's tongue at the top of its lungs. His voice is one of the few in "Rock-N-Roll" that can make me feel like I'm on the Log Flume at Carowinds. Westie's lyrics are also fascinating intellectually in the way he turns cliches in on themselves in practically every song. He may just be one of the greatest, cleverest writers of the century. Of course, I'm biased... My life more or less revolves around music. I'm also an unpublished writer, which I'm starting to think is a requirement for citizenship in this fucking town. My musical poisons of choice, besides the Mats, include: Swans, Descendents/All, Guided By Voices, Blacklight Braille, N.W.A., Robyn Hitchcock, Tom Waits, Husker Du, Ben Folds 5, the Waitresses...I'm always in search of something new. Maybe it's my 15 minute attention span. (Damn TV!) Anyway, if you're in the neighborhood, you know the drill... Emerson Dameron 215 E. Chesnut St. Apt #10 Asheville, NC 28801 704/252/3045 Send tapes and cheap drugs. Piece. 8) Date: Sat, 12 Jul 1997 02:51:42 -0400 (EDT) From: "Lane G. Campbell" To: Replacements mailing list I'm new to the list so I thought I'd give y'all a quick rundown of why I'm here, etc. I stumbled upon the 'Mats in about '91 or so, saw them open for Petty, which didn't really impress me all that much, and really got into them while living in Minneapolis from '92 to '94. Favorite ^ÑMats album is definitely "Tim." Fave song is either "Left of the Dial" or "Sixteen Blue." I kinda like Paul's solo work, although it's clearly not up to his best standards. Hopefully the whole Grandpa Boy thingy will wake him up! Lane ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- reply to : campbelg@taft.law.uc.edu ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 16:02:07 -0500 From: Chad Werner Subject: I'm new, you freaks, I'm new! I have no "I got pissed w/the 'Mats when they were in their heyday" stories to tell. I live in Mpls. Got into them in high school (7 years ago - yikes). Luv everything they have ever done; including all solo work. Am currently jazzed on Perfect. Have seen Perfect twice now; once in Milwaukee at a fantastic bar called the Unicorn and just recently here in Mpls. at Lee's Liquor Lounge. Have seen Paul twice. Bash & Pop once (funny story about this show - got to go backstage & hang a bit w/ Tommy and his revolving band which, at the time, included Marc Solomon who is currently in Perfect - whew!) A few things I'd trade which should be of great value to you and yours. I dunno. Maybe I'll write in all complete sentences next time (maybe not). Write back if inclined. From: Zinc5 Date: Wed, 11 Jun 97 22:20:07 PDT Hi. I'm a huge Mats fan. I live in Arkansas where nobody hardly knows who the Replacements are (at least in my town). I'm 18 years old so I was to young to go to see the Replacements in concert. I have collected their tapes and CD's since I was 8 years old. I met Paul Westerberg this past summer after one of his shows, which was the best concert I have ever seen. I told him that I grew up listening to his music and reading his interviews and since I grew up without a Dad around I should be sending him Father's Day cards. He just smiled and put his arm around my shoulder and said, "How ya doin' son." He brought me up into his bus and got me some bottled water and he just talked to me and some other people. He was so nice. I can't wait till I meet him again. Write me and tell me about your experiences. Jason From: DeadMlkmen@aol.com Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 19:39:24 -0400 (EDT) I first got into the ^ÑMats when I was in LOVE with Husker Du and all the other Mpls. hardcore bands of that time kinda hit my spot. I never saw any of the bands live since I'm only 17 and was "unhip" at the time when these bands were in full swing. The first album I got (naturally) was "Sorry Ma..." and it became my anthem for getting thru high school. The next one I got was (naturally again, keep in mind I do love punk rock) was Stink, which with even greater enthusiasm got me thru school! =) Although I do think that their punk rock tunes were simply awesome, my favorite album by the ^ÑMats is "Let It Be", yet my favorite song is Customer. I also enjoy Paul Westerberg's album "Eventually". It's really good. Other bands I enjoy are: Green Day, HUSKER DU, Loud Fast Rules, Soul Asylum, The Lemonheads, Negative FX, Dead Milkmen, Young Fresh Fellows, Sloppy Seconds, Symposium, Pogues, AOD, Chixdiggit, Clash, Screeching Foster, Screeching Weasel, Tav Falco and his Panther Burns, Russel Scott and His Red Hots, Paladins, Meteors, Demented Are Go, Gene Vincent, Suicide Commandos, Sugar, Bob Mould...the list goes on and on and I could fill an entire mailing list with it. Now, on for some questions... Did The Lemonheads EVER play with the Mats as I've heard? Does anyone like The Lemonheads, and their early stuff? If so, is anyone familiar with Ben Deily's latest band, The Pods? I'm searching for information and recordings by this band because I love Ben Deily... Thanks all! I'm Fernando. Pleased to Meet Me. From: DuszaD@aol.com Date: Fri, 8 Aug 1997 16:50:37 -0400 (EDT) well here goes! I don't want to sound theatrical but the mats are easily the most important band (in terms of affecting my life) that I've ever heard. At this point it goes without saying, that Paul is certainly one of the best songwriters ever. There was always a sense of angst, and outright honesty in every lyric. Even if it was emphatically depicting his hatred for school in "F-School" from the Stink CD, or all of the different meanings "Unsatisfied" takes on for an individual listener. I've seen the Mats in Providence, R.I. at the Living Room, and Veterans Memorial Auditorium, The Orpheum (Boston, Mass) and road tripped out to toads place in Conn. (the hell with that parentheses and capitalization crap) All were great shows and real memories.... Fave songs..."Unsatisfied" and "Nowhere Is My Home". I really like how you can hear the Mats evolve from trash punk on "Stink" to a more mainstream sound on "Don't Tell A Soul". I love Paul's solo stuff but there is clearly something missing without the rest of the band. If you remember the All Shook Down CD the only song that the whole band played on was "Attitude" and that had a great sound, really stood out. I'm from Providence RI, currently living in Virginia Beach VA, and am thrilled to have stumbled upon this site, Mats fans were pretty hard to come by a few years ago and I'm afraid. We're a dying breed, I remember being about 14 (I'm 25 now) and having a big blowout with my father and telling him "you may 'be a father but you sure ain't a dad'", and then stormed out the door only to realize I didn't know what the hell I was doing. As a freshman in college it was really clear that my dorm roommate and I didn't have a whole lot in common, but somehow, we had a few beers, listened to Hootenanny, and then he got into all of it and wound up going to a couple shows, and then we caught 3 Westerberg solo shows, to this day he remains one of my best friends and the Mats bring back so many memories of our crazy college daze....Kev's actually gonna be the best man at my wedding.... Man I'm rambling! I'm yet to come across a quality Mats boot. I've heard "Shit Hits The Fans", "Inconcerated" and one other that had "rat" in the title and the quality is not there... Well happy to have met you all!!!! - dan duszad@aol.com From: MrDey@aol.com Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 22:29:42 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Replacements.... I'm totally serious about this! Wouldn't it be great if there were a movie about the Replacements? It could track their early career (the wild days) and end with Bob's sad and tragic death (every great story has a tragedy in it). Think about it! No other band from the 80's deserves a movie more than the 'Mats. They were the quintessential college rock band and the music they made was so...honest! This movie would have everything... everybody has a funny Replacements story...also, it would show what the true spirit of rock and roll is all about. Let me know what you think about this idea. I'm totally serious! I do film and video production for a living, and think this could be pulled off. The toughest part would be doing all the research, which I guess would involve long conversations with Mr. Paul. If enough people get interested in it, I'm sure something could happen. My e-mail address is mrdey@aol.com and my name is Brent. From: bosun@erols.com Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 21:57:06 -0700 Subject: [Fwd: Your Wisdom:REPLACEMENTS] To respond to [from issue #51]: "Not that I'm complaining! I strongly believe the secret, solitary pleasure derived from cherishing--in virtual isolation--the greatest, saddest repository of unheralded rock songs only intensified the appreciation I have for the 'Mats. Wouldn't "Bastards of Young" be, personally, less meaningful if the Homecoming Queen knew all the words? Or if you'd grown up with entire gymnasiums slow-dancing to "Skyway"? The anonymity of the Replacements--for better of for worse--allowed isolated (but not alienated) fans such as myself internalize the Replacements as much more than a couple Minnesotans who made records." What I think: I believe that your commentary hits the nail on the head. Some other bands offer a similar experience: I suggest that you try to see Jonathan Richman Or ALL. There was never any danger of the mats having a mass appeal. a> Uneven quality of shows. b> Erratic behavior of band c> To appreciate, must listen actively. I first saw the Replacements in 1986. No one ever heard of them. Any attempt to introduce others to the MATS has always been a failure. My wife claims to appreciate the music, but I think she is just humoring me. From: Caracalas2@aol.com Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 14:00:03 -0400 (EDT) I guess it is customary for new visitors of the Skyway to say a little something about how the Replacements came to affect their lives...well, for me, it goes back about 12 years to when "Tim" was first released. I was a Junior in college and I had never heard a song by the Replacements up until that point (which is understandable since they received zero airplay). Anyway, I happened to read a review of "Tim" in Rolling Stone that was so positive (I can't even remember what it said) that I ran out and bought the cassette without ever hearing a song. Well, that one purchase made up for the countless other stupid "blind" music purchases I ever made in my life (not to mention any I may still make in the future). I was hooked from track one. When Westerberg sang "Hold my life...until I'm ready to use it", he was using words that I'd obviously never thought to utter, yet they were words that summed me up perfectly. I was a nervous college kid who had no idea what my life had in store for me and here was someone who I could connect with. Well, needless to say, I became a Replacements/Westerberg fan for life and he remains the only songwriter I've ever been able to "connect" with. I look forward to future offerings of the Skyway. Chris San Jose, CA Date: Mon, 18 Aug 1997 19:02:05 -0400 From: Katie Gilmore I'm one of the younger 'Mats fans (15), and I didn't have the joy of ever seeing them in concert or buying the albums as they first came out, I'm sorry to say. The name was vaguely familiar to me, but I didn't really know who they were. Then, about 4 or 5 years ago, I was at my mom's friend's house, looking through his CD^Òs, when I happened upon _Inconcerated_. I took the CD to him and said, "You like the Replacements? Are they any good?" He looked at it and said, "Never heard of 'em- you can have that, if you want it." So, in the back of my mom's car, headed home, I popped that dusty old "Promotional only" CD into my Discman, and my whole life changed. I wouldn't have recognized Paul if you had put him right in front of me then, but I knew that he was a genius. That was my first 'Mats CD, and probably my favorite. Since then, I've collected most of their CDs, including _Boink_, plus Paul's solo stuff and one CD by Perfect. Without the Replacements, and the guy who inadvertently introduced me to them, I wouldn't be the person I am today...I owe everything to the Replacements!! TTFN, Katie Date: Sun, 24 Aug 1997 23:09:29 -0700 From: steven smith hello, my name is steven smith, i^Òm a 34 year old social worker from vancouver canada who was browsing the net tonight [I just got a computer] and I thought I would punch in the name of my all time favourite band, you guessed it the mats, I became a mats fan in 85 when I bought let it be, they were hard as hell to find in canada back then but fortunately when they came through town around november 5 of 85 they played a small club here and I was lucky to see them, for the first of five times, that night with about 150 other people, paul asked me for a cig and when I gave him one he said "these are gross, I need an american one." I also took pictures of them that night playing live, bob was still in the band and I still have the pictures somewhere, at the time me and a few friends were the only people we knew listening to the mats, we would go to parties and play them and get into fights when people tried to take them off, at the time you could call 411 and get any city in the world^Òs directory info so we called minneapolis and got paul^Òs number and called him a couple of times, he was polite but changed his number soon after, we were phoning a few bands at the time including sid griffin from the long ryders and a few others, I wrote soul asylum around this time and they sent back a personal letter signed by all the members, I still have it, anyways I^Òm rambling and I have a ton of these stories and now I have to go to work but would be interested in trading some stuff for some rare tape copies or live stuff or whatever i'll write again when I have more time and please subscribe me too skyway thanks callned2intergate.bc.ca From: "Keigh" Subject: Up in the Skyway (finally) Date: Wed, 27 Aug 1997 11:15:26 -0500 OK, I've subscribed for more than a year to the Skyway (thanks again for it, Matt!), gotten some great tapes from other Skywayers and read many people's expressions of powerful emotions for a band that broke up six years ago. So it's past time for me to follow the tradition of this list and explain why *I'm* here. I did it backwards: I discovered Paul as a solo artist first and got into the Replacements almost immediately after seeing him on tour last year. Considering I'm over 30, live in the Midwest and love loud, rude, sincere rock music, I'll admit that's hard to figure. I first heard about them in 1985. Someone at a party raved about seeing them in either Chicago or Minneapolis. But I got confused by what she said was her favorite album of theirs, Let it Be. What kinda band would rip off the name of a Beatles record for one of their own? In my own defense, I wasn't completely clueless; I liked X, the Blasters and even the Dead Milkmen, but somehow the 'Mats fell through the cracks of my musical consciousness. Fast-forwarding a few years, a friend sent me a mix tape with "Silver Naked Ladies" on it. She'd written comments by each song title on this tape in a separate note, and by SNL she had, "--from '14 Songs.' BUY THIS RECORD!!" I didn't, but while reading Rolling Stone's "Future of Rock" issue two years later, I remembered her endorsement when I saw the Paul Westerberg 1-page interview. So I read it, and to my surprise I related to the guy. I admired his closing quote about the future of rock music ("Plug that fucking guitar in, give me a backbeat and it *lives.*"). But I still didn't buy "14 Songs." Then last year I heard "Love Untold" a few times (and only a few) on the radio. I loved it--so when I heard he was touring I knew I had to see him. I did, and you know the rest. Bought the old 'Mats reissues, searched the Net for 'Mats links, yada yada yada. It's been cool reading other people's takes on the songs, stories about seeing the band at their best and/or most wrecked, etc. After a year of listening, I'm still awed by Paul's musical abilities (yeah, even on the solo and Grandpa Boy material). I've liked the other ex-Mats' solo records, too. I work at a library, and I've heard there's other "Midwestern rocker librarians" who subscribe to the Skyway. Where are you? And since I'm here, I'll grovel publicly for a copy of Shit Hits the Fans or the 11/5/85 show in Iowa City. If you want to do a trade, let me know by email. Thanks for reading part or all of my "how I discovered the Replacements" essay! Suzanne "Knowledge is your power/Got your books, go read 'em." -- Paul Westerberg From: Splat12591@aol.com Date: Sun, 31 Aug 1997 23:37:20 -0400 (EDT) Hi there......I am, always have, and a always will be a huge fan of the Replacements. I discovered them when my very musically hip sister turned me on to Let It Be. I thought it was great, but not not really get into them until I went to college in Oregon. Suddenly, there were so many folks into great music, and they knew who the 'Mats were. I bought everything I could get my hands on and was in heaven. They could really kick it, but then play a mellow song in a heartbeat. That reflected so much of how I felt about myself. I fell in love with E, and guess what? He was an even bigger fan than me. We also discovered other bands in from Mn.... saw Soul Asylum at the Satyricon in Portland before, well, you know. I think seeing them was amazing!! I only wish I had made tapes... Now I am a little older, and don't get to go to shows too much. I have kids and have to do the mom thing. But, I saw them one last time in New Haven, CT.(91) It was incredible, and I was so bummed that it was the final show I would see. The 'Mats are amazing memories for me, they take me to a place I always want to go. _______________________________________________________________________________ III. The '/\/\ats From: dezbot@ix.netcom.com (Font of All Important Info ;)) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: sorta 'Mats related Date: Sat, 16 Aug 1997 21:22:14 GMT Joan Jett's new album, "Fit to be Tied," will be released soon. The first single off the album will be Joan's cover of "Androgynous." In case anyone wanted to go get it =) dez ....a pistol-hot cup of Dez... "Why do little blue midgets hit me with fish? See! Mysteries abound!" --The Tick Date: Sun, 1 Jun 1997 18:31:43 -0500 From: Rock Subject: Lyrics To Red Red Wine The line where you've got: "Red red wine on Sunday Just like Martin said" This is a reference to Martin Zellar of the Gear Daddies (another band from Minneapolis.) The story as Martin related it to me is that they (Paul and Martin) were at a party once talking about visiting their grandparents when they were young. Martin told Paul that every Sunday he would go to his grandparents and be allowed to drink a glass of wine for the occasion. Anyway, that's the story as I understand it. JE From: bjones@srminc.com To: postcard@listserv.servtech.com (Uncle Tupelo and related mailing list) Fairly sure that the following is the track listing from the 'Mats double out 10/21 Nothing For All: ---------------- Can't Hardly Wait (Tim outtake with Bob Stinson) Birthday Gal (great) Beer for Breakfast ^ÑTil We're Nude (both above are PTMM outs) Cruella de Ville Date to Church Another Girl, Another Planet (from the live Inconcerated promo) Satellite Like a Rolling Pin (both above from the Don't Buy or Sell... It's Crap promo) Who Knows (ASD outtake) Election Day Jungle Rock (both above from import Election Day 12") All He Wants to do is Fish (PTMM out w/Mar vocals) We Know the Night (DTAS out) Portland (DTAS out) Wake Up (DTAS out) All Shook Down (Demo) I Don't Know (Demo; hidden track) All For Nothing: Left of the Dial, Kiss Me on the Bus, Bastards of Young, Here Comes a Regular, Skyway, Alex Chilton, Ledge, Can't Hardly Wait, I'll Be You, Achin' to Be, Talent Show, Anywhere's Better Than Here, Merry Go Round, Sadly Beautiful, Nobody, Someone Take the Wheel Most of the unreleased stuff is not unfamiliar to the conscientious bootleg/tape freak. The Inconcerated promo is offered fairly often in Goldmine magazine and is extremely worth the $25 it still seems to go for.. great live versions of "Here Comes A Regular," "Talent Show," "Answering Machine," "Another Girl, Another Planet." It's also been bootlegged. No Twin/Tone stuff, but it's coming eventually. Jesperson doesn't actually own Twin/Tone, although his Medium Cool label is a T/T affiliate. Paul Stark, Charlie Hallman (until recently a sportswriter for the St. Paul Pioneer Press) and Peter started T/T. Restless now owns Twin/Tone. TRG (a separate label) is now what most people mean when they speak of the Minneapolis Twin/Tone, I think. Confusing, made all the more so b/c Restless is parent of Peter's label, but he has office space at TRG. Brian. From: "rborja" Date: 8/21/97 Ex-Replacement Not Looking Forward To Retrospective SonicNet Daily Music News Reports: Former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson isn't the most sentimental guy in the world, especially when it comes to the legendary Minneapolis band he joined as a teenager. But, in the case of the upcoming two-CD Replacements retrospective at least, he has his reasons. "I'm not into it," said Stinson, who currently leads the band Perfect. The set, which features a rarities disc called Nothing For All (Oct. 21) and a greatest hits companion dubbed All for Nothing, comes way too early as far as Stinson is concerned and doesn't offer enough of an overview of the band's growth. "It's just not the most timely time to put something like this out.," he said. "We haven't been broken up that long and you usually do that kind of thing when you want to do the complete thing. This isn't the complete thing because it doesn't have the Twin/Tone stuff on it," he added, referring to the band's seminal work on the Minneapolis label co-founded by Peter Jesperson, the man credited with discovering the band in May of 1980. Jesperson currently runs Medium Cool Records; earlier this year Stinson signed a five album deal with Medium Cool, and Jesperson plans to release a new Perfect album in early '98. Jesperson echoed Stinson's remarks about the Replacements' compilation in an interview this past May, saying, "They [Reprise, the label releasing the set] contacted me and asked for my two cents," Jesperson said, "but it's interesting that they never broached the idea of doing a combined project." Considering the band recorded what most fans consider to be their magnum opus for Twin/Tone, 1984's Let It Be, in addition to their 1981 debut, Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash and two other albums, The Replacements Stink and Hootenanny, Jesperson said that in some ways he's "kind of glad" Reprise has left him out of the loop. "Dealing with all the corporateness of it all would be a big pain in the butt. When we compile the Twin/Tone stuff it will be a lot of fun. We've got a lot more stuff than Warner's [Reprise's parent company] does." Michael Hill, however, the A&R man who worked most closely with the band during their tenure at Reprise, and who also toiled on the double-CD set, sees it differently. "Once you hear the new mastering on this stuff, you'll be amazed," he said. "It just sounds really good and I think producer Bob Ludwig did an exceptional job while being faithful to what the songs were. It's a clarity that fans won't be bummed out about. For example," Hill said, "the [Pleased to Meet Me] song 'Skyway' sounds so clear and intimate in the most wonderful way. It was like blowing a layer of dust off of something." Hill worked from what he described as "a draw full of tapes" that he kept in his office, fearing that some sessions might be lost forever due to the band's proclivity for erasing material. "They went through a period where they were trying to erase things right and left because they didn't want any outtakes to surface." Hill explained that the tape-erasing frenzy came in response to the pre-release bootlegging of Pleased to Meet Me, that "really offended and pissed-off [singer] Paul [Westerberg]." And despite the fact that former drummer Chris Mars was alerted, but not involved in the project, and Westerberg and Stinson were asked for input, Hill said the majority of the detective work in finding the rare tracks [see the Aug. 5 music news album preview for full listing] was up to him. "In the end, Paul took a more laissez faire approach than you would expect, because there were certainly some things he would have vetoed," Hill said. "Fans should thank him for that, because he would have probably wanted to change or eliminate some tracks." Despite his excitement about the project, even Hill acknowledges that Stinson was the most reluctant to have this happen. "Tommy really questioned whether it was the right time for this," he said. The second CD has songs on it that weren't necessarily finished, Stinson said of tracks such as a stripped-down demo of "Can't Hardly Wait," from the Tim sessions. "This kind of thing would have made sense when the band was broken-up for a while, or one of us had a hit, but it seems vague now," he said. "They wanted to make their money back, I guess." What Stinson said he would like to see down the road is a complete box set encompassing the band's career on Twin/Tone and Reprise, where he thinks fans would see "a much bigger growth in songwriting, at the very least." ____________________________________________ IV. St. Paul From: Dammarie@aol.com Date: Thu, 5 Jun 1997 08:16:11 -0400 (EDT) TIME TO COME CLEAN ABOUT WHY PAUL WESTERBERG SAVED MY LIFE One of the nice things a lot of Paul Westerberg fans say is that they've grown up with their hero. With "pop" as we know it being so fickle and anchored around who has the cool video or haircut or hit single or glitzy 'concept' tour, it's an old-fashioned concept to grow with your rock'n'roll idol. More common for other generations who had the Stones and the Beatles or Elvis to grow up with. The span of a fan's interest is remarkably short these days. For me, the day I first heard a Paul Westerberg song, almost exactly ten years ago to the day, I knew I'd found someone in the world who understood the maelstrom in my head. I lived in a very small town and there was the obligatory one record store from which I'd bought Alex Chilton's 'High Priest' from. I got it because R.E.M.'s Peter Buck kept name-checking him. I walked home with it and found it was warped and wouldn't play. I took it back and had to exchange...in the racks was a new album called 'Pleased To Meet Me' which had just come out (they told me), by The Replacements. I got it and it too, was warped but I re-ordered this one and finally circa the beginning of June 1987 I had my first 'Mats record. I turned 17 about then too and realized over time that I had found a lifelong friend, one who would survive all the phases and eras with me. Paul Westerberg's songs have been a soundtrack to everything in my life. At times I would say that his music offered the only reason to get out of bed in the mornings. The 'Mats played in June 1987 near to me but I had school exams and my parents wouldn't let me go (there was no means of transport into the city unless they drove me to a station) because I was already seeing two shows during exams (Iggy Pop and Husker Du). Supposedly Westerberg arrived in the city and wandered around on his own drinking a bottle of vodka. I met someone recently who was there: supposedly the show started really late and Westerberg had to be carried onstage where they set up a stool for him and tried to prop him up on it. The show apparently turned into one of the cover version disasters but everyone loved it. My identification with the songs was soul deep. I felt terrified, out of place, lonely, lost. By the time I bought that copy of 'Pleased To Meet Me', I had already begun a dangerous relationship with alcohol of my own. The next eight years were a personal mess. It would be true to say that Westerberg's songs took on a more sinister tone with time. I remember listening to 'Here Comes A Regular' one night during college and suddenly realizing that it meant something totally different to before. One particular stretch saw me listen to 'Rock'n'Roll Ghost' on headphones on repeat late at night while I got blasted. I didn't know I was sick then, I just thought I was trying to keep from drowning. I got to see The Replacements play twice in April 1991. Paul Westerberg signed my cigarette packet, Tommy and I talked for a couple of minutes, Slim told me Paul was having a hard time. I knew Paul was trying to quit drinking, so I realized that the 'hard time' was related to that. Throughout both brilliant shows, Paul looked at moments, terrified. When he sang 'Here Comes A Regular' on the second night I knew what was going on. When the 'Mats split or quit or whatever they did, I was heartbroken but I knew Paul needed to escape the band in order to stay sober and start over. As one critic put it: "Paul Westerberg stopped trying to save rock'n'roll and decided to save himself." It made sense or so I thought. I grew up with the Paul's songs. My own problems with alcohol addiction stole my youth and there didn't seem to be anyone left who cared in my life when my own excessive lifestyle finally came close to killing me. I wound up in the emergency room and still know today that I'm lucky to be alive. Really lucky. When I got out of hospital I didn't really know who I was or where I'd been since I was sixteen. All I did while I recovered was listen to PW. His songs all sounded different. Now I know that Paul's songs have so many different layers, so many different levels of appreciation and soul. They're simple and stark but also (with time) deep and complicated. Someone once said they all sound like half finished sketches. I felt that I had no one to cry out to, no one who understand what was going on in my head. I got a pen and paper and wrote a long letter to Paul. It was a desperate, sad, fan letter. I sent it off convinced that it would get lost in his record company's in-trays. Instead when I was just past two months sober, I received the first of two remarkable letters from him. Two letters that contained such heartfelt and beautiful advice that I can quote nearly every line by heart. I was blown away by his advice. There is still rarely a week that goes by when I don't think of one of the lines he wrote. He really understood. Looking back on it, his music and letters were a huge factor in me turning my life around. Otherwise, I would be dead now. What can I say? 14 Songs took on a whole new resonance for me: 'Even Here We Are' still gives me the chill bumps. 'World Class Fad' still sounds like a song about following the day you quit an addiction all the way back to the first day you started that addiction. A self-knowledge song if you like. I wasn't sure about 'Eventually' when I first heard it. I knew I loved 'Angels Walk' and 'Good Day'. It's crept up on me since. Without realizing it, I've been playing that album every day now for months and months. It fits into my life perfectly. In light of the move to Capitol, I also now realize that it's the end of an era for PW. That record was his quiet time record. The aftermath of all his lifestyle changes. As he said: it's a real grower. I'm playing it more than any other of his records at the moment. In short, Paul means it, he's a true individual, and a person with extraordinary talent and sensitivity, but then you all knew that. I grew up with his music, will always grow with his music. After I cleaned up I quit the job I hated and started doing what I really wanted to do. I owe a lot to Paul Westerberg. If he should ever read this: thank you Paul for helping to save my life. "A good day is any day that you're alive." Nick (Johnstone) Date: Thu, 28 Aug 1997 13:59:48 -0500 From: Lori Dolqueist Subject: Paul news Star Tribune (Minneapolis, MN) August 26, 1997, Metro Edition SECTION: Variety; Pop musing; Pg. 3E Quick Spins: Minneapolis singer-songwriter Paul Westerberg is recording with producer Don Was. From: elukas@dickinson-wright.com Date: Mon, Jul 28, 1997 2:45 PM Subject: Westerberg, a.k.a. Grandpa Boy Dear Brothers Grimm, The word is that Grandpa Boy's five-song CD is available on August 1 from Soundproof/Monolyth Records in Boston. The two songs on the vinyl single will not be on the CD. The CD should be available in stores, but take no chances. Act now by sending a check in the amount of $8.00 to Soundproof/Monolyth Records, P.O. Box 990980, Boston, Massachusetts 02199-0980. From: s.o.blackink@globalserve.net (blackink) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Re: Throwin' us trunks as we're starting to drown... > CraigNine@webtv.net (Craig Cholette) wrote: > > >Is it just me...or does the song "All Shook Down" sound exactly like a > >Sunday morning hangover??? Talk about 'mood" music, geeeez! I dunno, but your header reminded me of an interview I have (with Paul) done just after the Tom Petty tour ;) Anyway, the journalist asked Paul how it was to play such a large (for them) tour and he said 'Oh man, it was awful...I mean, we were up there singing songs about killing ourselves, and people were leaving to go and get a coke.' sb From: wabn@naxs.com (WABN Radio) Subject: From PJ Date: Wed, 23 Jul 1997 02:09:25 -0400 Has anyone taken notice that PW is only one degree of separation from a number one hit? Josh Freese, who played on Eventually--the album and the tour--has done work on about a trillion albums in the last year, including Magnapop, Thermadore and Slider. This week the new Number One song is "Bitch" by Meredith Brooks, and the drum work on the album is by . . . Josh Freese. That particular song has a drum loop, but I assume the original beats were laid down by Josh. Paul Westerberg, to Josh Freese, one degree of separation from the top of the pops, better than nothing. Maybe. PJ Date: 29 Jul 97 14:23:24 -0700 Subject: PW interview in RS 6/24/93 I thought it would be nice to save some more interviews for posterity on the net so I transcribed an old article that was lying around. This one is right after 14 Songs. I thought you might like to stick it on your sites for general consumption. If you do, could you do me a favor and leave off my name and email, this is my work account, so I'd rather not have it floating around. If you're interested, I just got some Creem articles circa 1987 from NahNahNah@aol.com that I can probably transcribe when I have time. Thanks, Howie Achin' To Be Understood: The Rolling Stone Interview with Paul Westerberg by Chris Mundy Former Replacements frontman Paul Westerberg, the man with the rap sheet of an anarchist and the soul of an artist, is wandering in and out of record stores in downtown Manhattan, chain-smoking and fielding questions with a crooked smile and straight answers. When those questions turn to whether he has always identified with the noble loser, Westerberg replies that he relates to the title character of an old British movie, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner. In the movie, the main character is a working-class kid who is thrown into prison only to have the penitentiary officials coddle him - banking on his ability to win a cross-country race against a prestigious prep school. The runner, however, has a different idea. "I'm going to let them think they have me house trained," he says. "But they never will, the bastards. To get me beat they'll have to stick a rope around my neck." Nearing the finish line, out anti-hero, clearly the most talented runner, stops just shy of the victory tape, stares at the prison warden with a piercing smile and lets the rest of the field finish in front of him. "It affected me that he won the race for himself but he wasn't about to win it for the cause or for the team that he never felt a part of," say Westerberg. "But I get the feeling the record company doesn't expect me to go all the way. If I place or I show, that's good enough." With his solo debut, 14 Songs, a definitive statement of his enduring viability, Westerberg has proven that he still has the ability to lap the field. And at least for now, he's still running. In the beginning, Westerberg and the Replacements were supposed to save rock & roll. They were the scream of a generation that didn't even know why it felt like screaming - attacking the status quo with equal parts drunken abandon and divine inspiration. Now, twelve years later, Westerberg is alone and the Replacements legacy - songs simultaneously tuneful and intimidating - is alive in a slew of young bands playing ultra-heavy guitar pop and residing in the upper echelon of the charts. The other Replacements, meanwhile, have projects of their own: Bassist Tommy Stinson fronts his own band, Bash and Pop; Bob Stinson, the group's original guitar player, who was fired in 1986, plays in various groups in Minneapolis; Chris Mars, who parted ways with the Mats, as they were known to their fans, in the band's final stages, has released two solo albums; and Slim Dunlap, Bob Stinson's replacement, has just put out his first solo effort, The Old New Me. Westerberg's 14 Song comes three years after All Shook Down, the album that proved to be the Replacements' undoing. That record, originally conceived as Westerberg's solo coming out, instead marked not only the group's demise but the breakup of Westerberg's marriage and an end to the booze-soaked lifestyle that had become the mats' modus operandi. When the lights came up and the smoke began to drift away, All Shook Down ended up being the Replacements' last shot. Instead of saving rock & roll, Paul Westerberg decided to save himself. CM: You used to write so much about the band itself ["I Don't Know", "Bastards of Young," "Talent Show"," for instance]. Does it make you feel lonely now that you're solo? PW: No, the opposite. I feel more free because I used to have the entire world to write about and I chose to write about me and my three pals. It's like I broke out of a little cocoon. It was one-dimensional, writing about the band against the world. Now it's me, but I'm not against the world. CM: Somewhere between 'All Shook Down' and now, you severed ties with the past. Was this intentional? PW: Yeah, to me that's obvious. In a way, I've wanted to take the spotlight off me as the singer in this group and put it on what I do. Start over. "Ladies and gentlemen, this guy writes songs." CM: You said the record 'All Shook Down' was the sound of someone having a breakdown. Do you still think that's true? PW: Yeah. It was, essentially. without stopping long enough to really look at it clearly, it was the end of many things. My band. My marriage. My excessive lifestyle. They all came to an end, but I made the record before I dealt with any of it. CM: So what is the sound of '14 Songs'? PW: It's just me. It's the sound of a thirty-three-year-old guy who lives alone and enjoys it. I'm not part of a group. I'm comfortable with where I'm at. CM: You were always intensely loyal. Were you afraid of leaving the other Replacements hanging? PW: I was afraid of life and everything that goes with it. And to a certain extent I still am. But my fears were much deeper than offending someone in the band. All I can tell you is I feel good now, and I worried back then unnecessarily. There wasn't anyone in the band who was a real positive thinker or an uplifting guy. We were all kind of defeatists and kind of played with the idea of being the failure as hero. And we all fed off each other. We all escaped individually but not as a group. CM: Booze used to be what you used to quell self-consciousness. What do you use now? PW: I'm just not as self-conscious as I used to be. Thinking of alcohol as the answer to the problem ... when you look at it in the clear light, you realize it is the problem. If it's not the root, it feeds the problem. Eliminate that and the problem shrinks. I'm much more confident now. CM: Do you miss the camaraderie of drinking? PW: No. If that's what it took to be pals or to have a good time, then your good time was worthless. There's fun to be had once you stop. I don't want to preach, but this is ten times better because it's real. It might now be wild, but it's better, definitely. CM: Do you think the Replacements would have been as good if you didn't drink? PW: We would have been better musicians. It depends what you like. We would have been well-adjusted young men. CM: Has there ever been anything written about you that was harmful? PW: We reveled in that legendary shit. I guess if things weren't true, it would have hurt me, but we lived very excessively, and that was a fact. CM: Did the Mats really dump their Twin Tone masters into the Mississippi River because you felt cheated on royalties? PW: Not enough of them. Because they're releasing them now in Europe. We didn't get what we wanted. I think we threw out the original "Can't Hardly Wait," the one produced by Alex Chilton - which was kind of good. Oops. Of course, it was Tommy who talked to the receptionist, Chris and I actually did the deed, and Slim sat outside with the motor running. He had a car and a rifle, but we don't want to talk about that. CM: Do you ever use interview settings as the place to mend some damage you've done? PW: I have no regrets or apologies. I'm not going to use this as a forum to say, "I'm sorry about the time we ripped the wallpaper down." That's what we did one time. We played this club that was notorious for its graffiti, and we tried to get the roadies to go out and get some wallpaper. We were going to wallpaper the dressing room - over all the autographs: CHECK BERRY, 1968. But instead we just neatly tore all the wallpaper out. Avant-garde destruction. I'm not sorry for anything we did like that. We never hurt anybody, and we always paid for it, and we more often than not broke our own stuff. CM: Do you regret the lifestyle you used to live? PW: Sure, I regret anybody I might have hurt unnecessarily. I'm sure there's a bunch. I made it, I'm fine, I'm alive. I don't regret that the band didn't go further. I think we did exactly what we were supposed to do. We were probably supposed to die. I guess we should have died. That would have ensured that our legend was intact. CM: Did the Replacements have an "us against the world" feeling as a band because each of the members felt it individually? PW: I would say that's fair. I think that's why we became friends. I don't think a well-adjusted class president could have made it to play lead guitar for us. There was not a high-school diploma on that stage. We all had something in common. CM: But you actually finished school. PW: I went twelve years but never got the diploma. They wanted me to come back to get it. But I didn't want one. CM: Because the Replacement took such a strong anti-establishment stance, doesn't any promotion you do now make people think you've sold out? PW: Yes. And a lot of time, we used that [attitude] as a shield. The real reason was fear or plain old laziness. CM: Who is your biggest "them" these days? PW: Guys who wear suits. Guys who look down at musicians and think they have a free ride. I'm not saying what we do is more important than what they do, but if they don't respect us, what the hell do they expect from us in return? CM: Turning back to your new album, "World Class Fad" is its first single. Did you want to make sure that one of the rock songs got out there first? PW: Yeah. Maybe to reintroduce myself. Bottom line, I'm a rocker. I can write ballads, but I would rather be known as that than a balladeer that dabbles in uptempo music. CM: Are you worried that people are going to think the album is too wimpy? PW: Hell, no. There's nothing wimpy on that. Quiet music is not wimpy. Wimpy is trying to be too cute. CM: You write on acoustic guitar, so it would figure that you'd be writing more slow songs. PW: I did, in fact. And I didn't have a band or any musicians to play with for two years, so when I got into the studio and met everyone, within three minutes we were playing "Down Love." For some reason that never happened with the Mats. CM: Which song on '14 Songs' is closest to you? PW: I would say "Even Here We Are," in an odd way. "Runaway Wind," although it's poetic to the point where I don't paint myself into a corner. I mean, that song is me through and through. "Something Is ME," even. As silly as that is, that says a hell of a lot about me: "Something goes wrong eventually. Something is me." CM: In "Even Here We Are" you talk about the most beautiful flower being the one that grows wild in the garbage dump. Is that autobiographical? PW: Yeah, it is. Every damn line could apply to me or I won't sing it, as a rule. CM: What do you want the record to communicate that's not implicit in the songs? PW: I'm not offering an image of an attitude. It's an old-fashioned concept here: A guy who writes songs. CM: If you had to make a representative three-song sampler of the new album, which three would you choose? PW: Probably "World Class Fad," "Even Here We Are" and "Runaway Wind." CM: That is basically, then, one total rocker, one constructed poem and one very self-reflective ballad? PW: Sort of sums it up. All the others are based on that. CM: And somewhere in the middle that's you? PW: Yup. It's all me. CM: What would you want to do if you had to give up music? PW: I can't think of that. It's like what would I do without my limbs. It's like imagining what it would be like to be blind, although actually I seem to be on my way. CM: Do you feel like you were trying to make '14 Songs' all things for all people? PW: No. All things for me. My sister listened to it and said, "This is the first time you've made a record that you would actually listen to." And that's true. It felt indulgent. Who's going to like both "Even Here We Are" and "Silver Naked Ladies," let alone back to back? But I don't like just one thing. CM: There are two different songs on '14 Songs' that have the same line about "the suicide you're on." PW: Those lines just kind of came out. We weren't going to keep them both on, but hey, I just thought it was a neat line. CM: You also wrote "The Ledge," on 'Pleased to Meet Me,' about a kid contemplating suicide. Is suicide something you've considered? PW: Sure. I think about it and have thought about it, like anyone else, probably more than most people. Or at least more than people are willing to admit. But if you write it down, people think you have a problem. I can't even say how much was true depression and I thought suicide was a viable alternative or how much of it was me liking the glamour of someone thinking I might be that far on the edge. I think I stopped talking about it when I was afraid I might be dangerously close. By the end of All Shook Down it seemed very real. CM: Have you ever been to a therapist? PW: I went a few times. I kept feeling like he was looking at his watch, like he wanted to go on lunch break. It was depressing. You'd talk, and he'd just kind of nod and smile. It didn't last long. CM: Who do you turn to for support? PW: No one. I just put it down, I don't carry it. My songs have taken on a new life for me. I've written songs for lack of having someone to talk to, and it's gradually gotten to the point where if I have a problem, I sit down and get my feelings down on paper. But I don't really use them on the record. I don't want to be known as the king of sad rock. CM: Bob Mould has made a pretty good career out of writing really good dark songs. PW: Yeah. I like Bob. I haven't talked to him in years. He used to come over to my house occasionally when I was married and have dinner. We'd play around the living room, dulcimer and banjo. I'd play him my new songs, and he'd play me his, and we'd both be like "Yours sounds great." "Yeah, so does yours." And we're both thinking, "Oh, mine blows yours away." CM: Do you write fiction or poetry? PW: I kind of write, and then one day it will become a song. I have things written down, and one day I'll look for them if I need a line. I don't have a diary or a book of poems. I just have pages and pages that say things like "Buy milk. Go to the store. The man is the sea is the birds." I think, "What the fuck is this, is this lyrics?" CM: Where do you write? PW: In the living room, which is a new wrinkle. I used to write in the basement ever since I lived in my parents' house. It dawned on me a year or two ago when I moved into a new place and grabbed all my gear to go down to the basement. I thought: "Why the fuck am I doing this? This is my life, it shouldn't be hidden downstairs. It should be right up here where I live." CM: Have you ever written anything for any publications? PW: They asked me to write liner notes for my album, and I tore them up in the middle of the night. I just thought it was giving too much away. I had explained everything to the point where it left no mystery. It's like "Nah, these go in the trash." CM: They could be a collector's item. PW: Maybe. Trash collector's item. CM: Do you donate much to charity? PW: I don'^Òt stand for causes, I don't do benefits. But if a guy comes up to me on the street and needs help, I give them what they need. I've emptied my pockets for guys. I've had like a hundred dollars that I give away and then bum around myself for the next two days. CM: When you think back on your childhood, was it fun? PW: It was quite ordinary, middle-class Middle America. Maybe that's where the frustration came into play. CM: Did you spend as much time alone then as you do now? PW: My mom was always encouraging me to go out and play, but I tended to want to be alone. It's the way I've always been. I'm comfortable with it, I guess. CM: Do you go on vacations? PW: No. I never did as a kid, so it probably holds over until now. The first time I ever went out of the state was on tour. Cm: What does your apartment look like? Are you a pack rat or is it very sparse? PW: It's kind of a classy dump. It's a house that I rent, and it's sinking into the ground, and it slants. If you put a gold ball on one side of the living room, it rolls all the way down. It's funky. Kind of New Age log cabin with no hippie vibe whatsoever. And nothing matches. I've got green chairs, a red rug and a blue painting and a black piano that's out of tune. CM: Are you ready for the wear and tear of a tour now? You've been inside for two years. PW: I woke up this morning, and I didn't know where I was. It's only been two days, and I already don't know where I am. We used to play a game with the mats on the bus, and it would be really quiet, and all the sudden you'd point at someone and yell, "Month, day, city, year!" And people would be like "February, Philadelphia, '92" And it was like march 3rd, '91. And it was serious. CM: What makes you laugh these days? PW: Myself. CM: So, you're saying that you're basically an island, is that it? PW: No, I have a handful of friends. I've traveled a lot, and the majority of my good friends are people who don't necessarily live in Minneapolis. CM: Are you seeing anybody now? PW: Yeah, I have a girlfriend. CM: Has it been difficult to step back into bating life after your marriage broke up? PW: No, this is a whole Enquirer-esque situation. You're asking about me dating again, like I ever stopped. I wasn't the best husband. We had a good thing, and I don't think I was really ready to be married. I thought I was, made a mistake and wasn't. But once that was over, oddly enough, I didn't want to go out on dates. I didn't want to go out and pretend I was nineteen again. And oddly enough, I ended up with a girl I had known for along time, someone I knew seven or eight years ago. CM: In "First Glimmer," you say, "I used to wear my heart on my sleeve, I guess it still shows." Are you trying to say you don^Òt anymore? PW: Oh, no, quite the opposite. It's there. I'm not about to change. I'm not about to become suddenly overly guarded. I'll still spill my guts. CM: Do you want people to comment and tell you about your songs? PW: Absolutely. In a word, yes. And people always come up and say, "You wrote this just for me." And I say: "Yeah, I did. I don't know you, but I knew you were out there." CM: Do you listen to other confessional singer-songwriters? PW: I went through a phase where I was very into that - Joni Mitchell being the epitome of that - about four years ago. When I'm down, I tend to listen to that stuff, and then I get a little more positive and aggressive and carefree and looser. CM: You're a very solitary person, so isn't it likely that the solo work will be incredibly introspective? PW: I'm a firm believer that my mind can travel farther when I'm surrounded by four walls than it can when I'm out in a crows surrounded by people. There's no limits to my imagination. CM: Do you talk to yourself? PW: yeah. I carry on entire conversations. I ask people, "Do you ever talk to yourself?" And they say yes, and I say, "Do you ever have full conversations?" And they just stop and look at me. I have to say, "Oh, me neither." But sure I do. CM: A lot of bands will use pop culture as a base to sing about. Why have you never done that? PW: I won't even have a phrase in a song that reeks of the moment. I want to say things in the most traditional manner possible. If I have one of those phrases, I get rid of it. CM: It's like waking up in five years with a Bart Simpson tattoo. PW: Exactly. Or a record that's groovy. It's like with videos. People say things like "It should be in your face." To me that's like it's 1967. CM: How do you approach videos now, you hated them for so long? PW: I still do, I hate 'em. I hate the fuckers. And I know that now on this album they're going to be coming to me to do things like The Tonight Show. I might just have to say no. After playing a few tours, like the [Tom] Petty tour [in 1989] where we were playing to people who didn't know us, didn't like us and didn't care - I've come too far to be playing for people who don't care. CM: Isn't that still just biting the hand that feeds you? PW: No. It's simply not wanting to perform in that sterile environment of a studio where you're playing to people who have come on vacation and just want to get Alec Baldwin's autograph. There's an evil darkness that lurks inside of me that always wants to get out in those situations. Cm: You've said before that you never really give 100 percent? PW: I think I read that and then adopted it. And as a band we were treated like a feather in the label's cap. We were a band that was cool. CM: So what are you now? PW: I don't know. I think I'm in transition because I haven't proven myself yet. I think that they do see me as a very talented artist. They have artists who sell a lot of records who maybe aren't that talented, I won't mention any names. But they don't expect that of me. And on one hand I wish they would. CM: You'd want to be treated as a commodity? PW: No, be treated as someone who should sell a lot of records, and if I don't they're saying, "Hey, what's wrong?" CM: Do you like the idea of being famous? PW: I like the idea of it. I don't know if I actually like being it. But I don't know if I am yet. CM: But don't you write your music wanting as many people to hear it as possible? PW: I tend to separate my music and myself. I would love for my music to be world renowned, but I don't necessarily want to go along with it. I can't even think of any example. Would you recognize Leonard Bernstein if he walked by? It's a bad analogy, but that's what I would like. I would want to be able to say, "Yes, I did write this." I could dig that in a big way. But it's a really bad analogy, because he's dead, isn't he? CM: Do you have anyone you'd like to meet or anyone who makes you feel like a little kid or a star worshiper? PW: Most of them are dead. I've met Dylan and Van Morrison and Keith. There's three right there. I don't have a lot of heroes. I never realized I had any. CM: Those guys seem like the exact people whom you guys were kicking against for so long. PW: That's what we were supposed to do. We listened to the Rolling Stones throughout the career of the band , even though we pretended they were the enemy. I mean, I couldn't give two shits about John Lydon now, but at the time I thought he was the greatest thing ever. Well, yes, I could give two shits about him. One and a half. CM: Why has it been easier to focus your career and music without the rest of the band? PW: We weren't clicking as a group. The only time we did things together were destructive things from the early days. It was "All for one and one for all, let's break this table." We ran out of things that we do well together. I lived in constant fear of retreading what we'd already done. And I sensed it around the time of Pleased to Meet Me [1987]. And Slim came along then, so that helped, but we should have stopped then. CM: You once said, "if all this falls to hell tomorrow, I'll still have three friends, and that's enough for me." PW: When did I say that? CM: After 'Tim' came out, not all that long before Bob got fired. Does it seem strange that in the end, two of those three friends ended up getting fired? Is there any friendship left with Chris or Bob? PW: I'm friends with Tommy and Slim, and the three of us are good friends. People change and grow. But Bob didn't change or grow, which was bad. Chris did, which was good for him, but it was maybe bad for the band. When we started off, we were getting bottles and cups and cans thrown at us. I had my teeth chipped. Nobody wanted to be the singer. Then you get a few nice reviews, people want to talk to Paul, and voila, everybody kind of wants to be the frontman. I resented the fact that the other guys wanted to step into my role. CM: Was there one breaking point that got Bob kicked out of the band? PW: I grew to like his style of playing, but from Day One I never was in love with the way Bob played guitar. I hear his guitar everywhere now - Dinosaur Jr. wherever. Whether they know it or not, Bob was doing that in 1980. But I don't think it's fair to talk about Bob. If he wants to talk about himself, fine, but I don't even think it's fair for him to talk about us. CM: Do you ever see him? PW: I visited him in the hospital. he had a wisdom tooth that got infected. He had a tube in his throat, and it was strange because he couldn't talk. But I sat and talked with him for a half an hour. That was the last time I saw him. CM: Does it seem strange that a lot of bands that are big now are riding on your coattails? PW: I think that's a credit to us lasting that long. If we'd been hugely popular right off, we probably would've cracked immediately. CM: What do you think was the difference between the Replacements and a band like R.E.M.? Both of you guys had a huge fan base, great reviews, you toured a lot. PW: Management [laughs]. They did all the right moves, and we did all the wrong moves. To be fair, they're an excellent band, and they made all the right moves. CM: Are there any young bands that you look at now that you think are carrying the mantle? PW: Not that I've heard, but I think I have a selective memory. The thing that always catches me is the guy's voice - not what he's saying, what the band sounds like, what they look like, but the tone of his voice. I can tell when somebody means it and when somebody pretends to mean it. CM: Would you be comfortable with you bands coming and asking you for advice? PW: Sure, then hanging up. "Get a life!" No, I think I would, in a constructive way. I remember trying to tell Charles Thompson of the Pixies once that he shouldn't open up for someone like Sting. And the next day I remember thinking, "Who the fuck am I to tell him what to do?" CM: Do you feel connected at all to music in Minneapolis? PW: No, not at all. But even in our heyday, we never did. We were loved by the audience but hated by the local bands, because they sat in rehearsal halls and learned how to play and got their act together. We'd get up there, swill a bunch of beers, tell a couple jokes and go down a storm. They hated us. So we were always outcasts. CM: So is it strange now being considered an elder statesman? PW: It's weird because when you're in the midst of it, you want to be looked up to, and you're not, because you simply don't warrant it. And then when years pass and there's maybe some credence to "Yeah, we started this thing, I should be looked to as an influence over these bands," I just don't care. ------------------------------- Pick of the Litter (a supplement to the interview) Paul Westerberg never listens to old Replacements albums - not even the way other people look at scrapbooks. Even so, he will admit to favorite songs. "I like 'Achin' to Be' [Don't Tell a Soul] and 'Here Comes a Regular' [Tim]," says Westerberg, "And I've always loved 'Answering Machine.'" Here, we offer our own, excluding Westerberg's chosen few. 1) "Left of the Dial" (Tim): Possibly the loneliest song in a canon full of desolate and desperate stories. It is the true-life tale of Westerberg hearing the voice of his friend (guitarist Lynn Blakely, who toured with Let's Active) on the radio only to have the station fade moments later. "You tend to wallow when you're on tour because you look out the window and you're missing everyday life," says Westerberg. "It's hard to make anything last out there." 2) "Unsatisfied" (Let It Be): As straightforward as any song ever written. When Westerberg screams, "I'm so unsatisfied," there's no doubting it for a second. 3) "Color Me Impressed" (Hootenanny): The song that set the boozy, thrash-happy standard that the Replacements perfected. 4) "Alex Chilton" (Pleased to Meet Me): The Eighties' most talented misfits wailing about the Seventies' most talented misfit. And it has a killer chorus to boot. 5) "Within Your Reach" (Hootenanny): Poignant and plain-spoken. Along with Let It Be's "Sixteen Blue," it was one of the first songs that offered a glimpse of the poet underneath the pose. "I could live without your touch. Die within you reach." 6) "Little Mascara" (Tim): Only the Replacements could make isolation this universal. "You and I fall together/ You and I sleep alone.../All you ever wanted is someone to take care of you/All you're ever losing is a little mascara." 7) "Sadly Beautiful" (All Shook Down): A quiet and disturbingly start look at love lost, it was the most chilling song to grace the Replacements' final album. 8) "I Will Dare" (Let It Be): This album opener defined the Replacements' attitude - "We'll dare to flop, we'll dare to do anything," Westerberg once said - at the same time that it served as a desperate, plaintive plea for love. "Meet me any place at any time....If you will dare, I will dare." And no less important, it needed to be played loud. 9) "I'll Be You" (Don't Tell a Soul): A winner because it contained the line "left the rebel without a clue" well before Tom Petty, um, appropriated it for his enormous hit "Into the Great Wide Open" two years later. (The Mats toured as Petty's opening band after the release of Don't Tell a Soul.) 10: "Can't Hardly Wait" (Please to Meet me): This song scores a sympathy victory over "Androgynous" (Let It Be) and "Swingin' Party" (Tim) if only because the original version is today floating somewhere in the Mississippi River. _______________________________________________________________________________ V. Perfect Tommy From: editor@noize.com (Pepper Berry) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Another PERFECT update Date: 17 Aug 1997 09:17:24 GMT Well, Dave Phillips is officially the newest member of PERFECT and will probably be moving out to L.A. after the new record is finished which he will be on. Also, Tommy's going to be finishing off a solo song tomorrow with his ADAT. He still owes Restless that solo album that he's been putting off, but now they want at least a single for this CD sampler. So, Tommy's gonna have to cough one up for them. They want it now, and he has to give them one. Tommy and Marc will be playing solo acoustic sets at Jack's Sugar Shack on Saturday the 23rd. I got stuck working. Pepper Berry Editor-in-Chief noiZe Magazine www.noiZe.com Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 20:09:11 -0700 (PDT) From: dumyhead@millennianet.com (Adam Gimbel) Subject: Red Kross interviewed by Tommy Stinson! http://www.noize.com/v01n04/kross.htm Adam o,o The Artist Who Just Met A Beatle `-' (don't get too excited, it was Pete) i oo @____|_____// Visit: | // "Adam & Summer Are Dumyheads" http://millennianet.com/dumyhead/ |drumstix home of the coolest sites on the net for: / \ Jellyfish, Jason Falkner, & producer John Leckie / \ From: Lonely Planet Boy Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Tommy Bites Big Apple Date: Thu, 17 Jul 1997 23:05:20 +0930 Just got a report on the Perfect show in NYC from my man Pointy. It gave me such a laugh I had to share it with you: "Wednesday Night, crowded bar, around 11:00 p.m...Perfect is getting set up to play. (No roadies, only the house sound guy). Tommy hops up on the stage with his guitar case in hand. Flops the case down, digs out his Gibson Melody Maker. Pulls out a long chord, plugs it into the amp. Gersh is fwapping his high-hat and tom-toms, assessing the damage from the previous band's drummer. Mark is already bouncing around getting rowdy (too many babes near his part of the stage, so he has to show off). Tommy scratches his head as he's looking around, then leans over into the crowd and asks "I need some tape! Anybody got any tape?" Gersh finally ends up tossing him some duct tape. Tommy tells the crowd "Hi, we're Perfect, and we'll be playing for ya just as soon as I tape a few things up". Show highlights - - Somebody yells out "Kiss me on the Bus". Tommy laughs, then looks straight at the dude and says "you fuckin' idiot!" - Tommy breaks a string second song into it, then asks a crowd member to come up and change it for him, while he borrows the axe of the previous band's guitarist. - Mark proceeds to play "Tommy's Tunin' Up Now" while Tommy does just that with the new string. - Tommy starts a tune from the EP (can't remember the name, but it's slow to start out). He's playing the slow part, the crowd's kinda quiet, the lighting comes focused on him, and he says, inbetween lines "Oh, I feel so stupid right now!" He appears much relieved when the band slams into the fast part (which was one of the high points of the set). When it goes back to the slow part, he has a big smile on his face, as if to say "Look at me, I feel like a wanker 'cause this part sounds kinda like a Bryan Adams song!" - Tommy decides to play bass for a number, so he switches with Robert, who proceeds to get into a guitar duel with Mark during the song and consequently tangles his chord up with Mark's. This is resolved by the tune's end, much to the amusement of Tommy, who calls them "fuckin' rookies!" - Mark sings a tune towards the end (thus ceasing his whirling gyrations as he has to remain fairly stationary in order to sing), and Tommy plays absolutely ferocious lead. At one point, he drops back almost leaning against the bass drum, bent over like vintage Page. Wish I had a camera to capture a couple of the poses and facial expressions. - Last tune they do is "Jet" by P. McCartney - it ROCKED!!! postscript - despite Mr. Stinson's suggestion that we all get drunk and enjoy the show, I did a personal test and consumed only one Red Stripe (pre-show). I wanted to see if it was as good as when I was on my fifth pint of Murphy's. Suffice it to say, they were perfect in their imperfection, and are arguably the band with the best spirit presently playing today (well, Foreigner is still the best, but that goes without saying). Surprise of the night - how tight Gersh and Robert were, and how huge Robert's bass tone was (he has a new bass rig - nice cabinet, Bob!). That's all she wrote..." Pointy From: OLIVER@CRPL.CEDAR-RAPIDS.LIB.IA.US Date: Tue, 22 Jul 1997 14:48:35 -0500 (CDT) Subject: Tommy Stinson/Perfect factoid of the day Former Replacements member Tommy Stinson and his band Perfect played a unusual show last Tuesday (July 15) while in New York for the Intel music festival. Decked out in sailor suits, the band took to the deck of the retired air craft carrier The Intrepid, currently moored in the Hudson River, and played a set of new songs and covers to a private party in town for a convention for their label's distributor, BMG. Perfect, set up on the flight deck with the New York skyline behind them, played a 30-minute set during which they unveiled the new tunes "Don't Look Down" and "Seven Days a Week." With New York mayor Rudy Giuliani looking on, Perfect also offered up runs through "Alternative Monkey' and "Makes Me Happy" from last year's debut EP, When Squirrels Play Chicken. They ended the set with a cover of AC/DC's "Have a Drink on Me" and a tongue-in-cheek tear through "Don't Rock the Boat." Perfect enter the studio in September to record their full-length debut... (ATN's Senior Writer Gil Kaufman compiled this report.) _________________________________________________________________ Copyright 1997 Addicted To Noise. All rights reserved. Date: Sun, 1 Sep 97 7:48:12 -0500 From: Matthew Tomich Subject: Latest Perfect news! I just read something from Peter Jesperson that said that Tommy's finished recording his first solo track: it's called "Hate It" and it's "very pretty, excellent words" and should "surprise lots and lots of people." He said that the track will be released this fall on a Restless/Medium Cool label sampler. Also reported: Tommy is playing bass again! Dave Philips from Athens, Georgia, whose name you might recognize from Jack Logan's albums, has offically joined as Perfect's second guitar player. The Perfect full-length is now due to be out next spring. - M@ _______________________________________________________________________________ VI. Stuff Date: Wed, 6 Aug 97 13:35:24 -0500 From: "Mark Timmins" Subject: The Fans Hit Back, yet again Many of you are aware that there have been two compilation tapes to date which I have put together of music performed by fellow Skywegians. The idea occurred to me to create a _Fans Hit Back_ CD. This would be a co-op sort of deal, where everyone involved would underwrite the cost of producing the discs. If we got enough people involved, we could keep the costs to less than $100 per band. I was just involved in a project led by Ted James (a fellow Skywegian) and each of the 24 bands on the project paid $75 and got 30 copies of the final product. After you give a copy to everyone in the band, you have enough left over to sell and recover your costs or give to people as presents! So, I'm wondering if anybody would be interested in getting involved in such a project. Because this is a twist on what I've done to date and because we want as many different people as possible to participate, those of you who have appeared on the two tapes are definitely invited to participate. As before, I was thinking that this would be a forum to showcase original songs, but covers are also welcome. This, however, is not intended as a Mats' tribute album, but rather an album of music performed by fans of the Replacements. So, who's interested? -Mark From: MyclARC@aol.com Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 03:10:54 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Mats iron on I wanted to know if anybody'd be interested in an iron-on t-shirt transfer that I did of the Mats. I converted an art project I did this summer into an iron-on, ready to be put on a t-shirt. The picture is of all the boys [from the 1984 shot from USA Today], with the words "The Replacements " running down the left side, and on the right side it says "the Art of Falling Apart". I'm asking $8.00 to cover the paper and printing cost. *This is only a t-shirt transfer, you must provide the shirt.* What you get is : * 2 iron-on's (in case you mess up during the transfer process) * Complete instructions on how to transfer it to a shirt successfully * Paid return postage Let me know if you are interested. -Michael From: LttlMscara@aol.com Date: Wed, 9 Jul 1997 10:58:13 -0400 (EDT) HEY OUT THERE. Seeking tape from Sunday, 9/15/97, Westerberg at the El Rey, L.A. Also a really good recording from the previous night. But less important as I already have the 14th (it's crappy, but I gots it). I have great quality to trade. Thanks! From: Tom Lopez Date: Fri, 11 Jul 1997 15:16:06 -0400 I would like to find a copy of "When the S#@$ Hits the Fans" and I have had no luck in locating the cassette. Was this ever an LP? I don't think so but... Thank you for your efforts [Nope, sorry, _When The Shit Hits The Fans_ was a Twin/Tone cassette-only release. -- M@.] Date: Thu, 24 Jul 97 11:41:34 -0500 From: Perfect Sound Forever Subject: Paul Westerberg "Let's Do It" Promo CD I have this 'Mats related title available on my latest sale list: Paul Westerberg "Let's Do It" (duet w/Joan Jett) promo CD w/color PS MB $6; Please send inquiries to: ///////WB willb26@earthlink.net From: Chad J Larson Date: Fri, 1 Aug 1997 15:20:17 CDT Subject: hi to all Hey, I'm hoping someone can help me get a tape of a Mats' show at Amelia's in Iowa City on approximately 11/5/85. Supposedly they let some drunk guy sing the Replacements--one of my uncle's friends. If you can help in any way, I'd appreciate it. Thanks. cjlarson@iastate.edu From: Mcpierre@aol.com Date: Sun, 6 Jul 1997 17:42:19 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Mats on SNL: any copies? Mike here in Boston. My VCR did not record the SNL show on Comedy Central as I had instructed. Did any Skywayers tape it and can you put me in touch with a copy somewhere? Thanks. mcpierre@aol.com fin. ________________________________________________________________________________ The //Skyway\\: The Replacements Mailing List (digest only) http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html The //Skyway\\ | c/o Matt Tomich | 311 S. LaSalle #43g | Durham NC 27705 | USA ________________________________________________________________________________ Webnoize: What's your favorite breakfast cereal? Bob Pollard of Guided by Voices: Let's see. What's this shit called? (picks up box, reads loudly) Honey Bunches of Oats. You ever eat that? Honey Bunches of Oats? You're makin' me want a bowl right now.