Note: The mailings from this mailing list are meant to be viewed in a monotype font, such as Courier New. (Otherwise the following may look like somebody fell asleep on their keyboard.) ______________________________________________________________________________ // // The \\kyway \\ // skyway@novia.net Issue #69 September 13th, 1999 ______________________________________________________________________________ (c) 1999 Bastards of Young (BOY/BetaOmegaYamma) Productions list manager: Matthew Tomich (matt@novia.net) always thanks to: Bob Fulkerson ______________________________________________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________________________________________________ 0. Hangin' Downtown (m@.) I. Heya. (Garnett Spigle, John Raffaele, Steve Giles, James Brucker, Stefan, Thierry Cote, Scott Shoyat, Eric Gribbin, RReig, Kent Graham, Powerdude, Patrick Roche, Fifkin, Alex Gibson, Brandon DeVault) II. 'Mats-related pics/reviews/MP3's (Charles Ford, John Anderson, Chris Lewis, James Lance) III. Some stuff about CDR's (Dan Johnson, Ralph Bryant) IV. Some stuff about tribute albums (Chrisitna Falsone, Stuart Khan, Mick Chorba) ___________________________________________________________________________ 0. HANGIN DOWNTOWN Last week, one of the bands I'm in played in some guy's hallway in downtown Atlanta. It was a show, it was a party, it was band practice, it was a house show. Maybe fifteen people saw us, a few maybe remember us, and the girl who was the station director at the college radio station maybe listened to the CD that we gave her, and maybe it got added to the station's 100,000 watt rock-propaganda rotation, or maybe not. These three guys who set up the show played before us. No gimmicks, no uniforms or costumes, not even plaid, leather, or flannel. No colored or customized guitars, no rock moves stage show. Played well but no over-the-top flashy fills or leads or solos. Barely looked at or talked to the crowd. Couldn't understand more than a third of the well-sung words through the underpowered band practice-sized P.A. And this innocent looking group of hombres played the best songs I've heard all year. The kind of songs that would make you keep listening through ten more minutes of inane sludge on the radio just so you can listen to the trackback and find out who sang it. Songs that weren't great because the singer has a set of pipes like Bono or the guitar roars like a buzzsaw or the drummer played a time signature that looks like a quadratic equation; just great tunes because they were the kind of songs that you find yourself singing the next day even though you don't know the words. The best band you never saw. They had nothing for sale. And when it was over, they just packed up their stuff, drank some beer, and that night we slept on their floor. Maybe they'll record something and it'll be brillant, or maybe I'll tell some friends to go see them and they'll have a bad night and totally blow. Or maybe next year some A&R guy from DreamWorks will think that they'll be the next flavor of the month and gives them a million bucks. But in the end, who knows? Does it even matter? For one night, they blew away the fifteen people in that hallway, or at least one of them. It's easy to see it all in hindsight and a quarter of a million records later, but how far were the 'Mats from eternal obscurity? Westerberg was a janitor before he was a rock star. They could have all gotten tanked up one night, gotten into a fight, or decided that it was all hopeless or that life was better in Los Angeles or Des Moines, and it all never would've happened. And then some guy in some other bands would say, "There was this one band we played with one night. I never saw them again, but you should've been there, they were awesome. I'm still singing those songs in my head." * * * The rest of the party that night was typical 19-26 yr. indie rock fare. People hanging in the streets, sitting on the porch, on the couch, looking for more beer, talking to the people they already knew, it was somebody's birthday. But oh yeah, this happens at general admission fiestas every couple of years: twenty minutes into the party, some guy decides that the two-person wait for the bathroom is a burden that he cannot bear, so he just whips it out and takes a leak straight off the deck. When the residents of the house ask him to refrain from watering the yard, he puts his fist through two windows and runs off into downtown Atlanta calling everybody fuckers with his bloody knuckles wrapped in his t-shirt. You just have to wonder what goofy, twisted story happened during the first 12 hours of that guy's day to make him want to cap it off with something like that. Girlfriend broke up with him? Didn't get into Georgia Tech? Can't find his TSOL 7"? And what he was going to to say for the next couple of days that didn't make him sound like a total moron? "Hey Joey, how'd you fuck up your hand?" "Well, you know man, I was at this party and I had to take a leak..." The next day was a beautifully styled Atlanta traffic jam. On the way back home to Chapel Hill, the band's van's alternator decided that it had it, and it was three hours before a tow truck could navigate through the zoo to get our crippled unstartable wheels to the local Mr. Goodwrench. So we spent an extra day in Atlanta. We called the guys from the band we played with, hung out that night, and I fell asleep at the bar. The difference between life during and after college is that an unexpected mandatory holiday is more exciting when it doesn't cost a vacation day. And I've got just enough left to go on tour one more time this year. (More on that next issue.) "Ain't got nowhere else to go," m@. In regards to the previous month's entry about people from the Skyway in bands... ** Matt Kelley's band LATE NIGHT TELEVISION is playing the CMJ festival in NYC on at the Baggot Inn on 82 W. 3rd St. (between Thompson & Sullivan streets) on Wednesday September, 15th at 11 p.m. They play catchy power-chord guitar rock. ** A band I'm in, SORRY ABOUT DRESDEN, is playing the CMJ festival in NYC at the Nightengale Bar on 213 2nd Ave. (corner of E. 13th St.) on Thursday, September 16th at 11 p.m. We play our guitars loud and act like morons. ** Probably one of the world's biggest 'Mats fans is Jon Wurster who plays in a band called SUPERCHUNK. All fans of rock music should see this high-velocity band at least once in their lives, and Jon himself is an fascinating-to-watch drummer and a super nice guy. They're on tour right now and dates are on their web page at http://www.superchunk.com ** The aforementioned best band you've never heard is SHARKS AND MINNOWS from Atlanta, GA. They rock. I don't know when and where they're playing again, but you should definitely go if nothing's good on the tube. ___________________________________________________________________________ I. HEY! Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 12:01:31 -0700 (PDT) From: garnett spigle Subject: welcomed to the fold... just puttering around on the net and ran across this great site. and subscribed instantly. i discovered the replacements when i was in high school. and going to high school in southwest virginia necessitates rabid love for bands that "speak to you", or help to relieve the sense that things have gone terribly wrong. as i acquired more and more of their albums, they became the soundtrack to my high school existence. i drove to school listening to "sixteen blue". i smoked cigarettes in my car during lunch break, always listening "alex chilton". i took them to college with me and found our how many others shared my love for these weirdy guys from minneapolis. i started desperately searching for more, more, more...bootlegs, b-sides, videos, articles, literally any little scrap. the less i found, the more convinced i was that i truly loved this band. it was very similar to the crush i had on the guy in my art history class. it became a major quest. and i'm still searching... one of my best replacements memories was the fall of my senior year in high school, a friend of mine told me the replacements were opening for elvis costello in norfolk. she was older and worked at a record store and was too-hip-for-words. so i was floored when she asked me if i wanted to go with her. not fifteen minutes later, i was hyperventilating in my dad's office, trying to explain how crucial it was for me to be allowed to miss school to drive across the state to see my favorite band play. i did not expect to get far. my dad was older than my friend's parents, liked classical music and was rather protective of his baby girl. i made him listen to a few songs (why i thought this would help, i have no idea!) he said yes. it was the best two days of my life. i can't remember many details of the show, unfortunately. all i can remember is forgetting everything except the happiness i felt being there. so i've outgrown most of what i held dear in high school. but i still consider the replacements my favourite band. and i still seek bootlegs and other related stuff. ya'll let me know what you have and what you are willing to copy---i'll send you a blank tape and return postage. best of the best to you all. -garnett From: "John Raffaele" Subject: Old Replacements fan saying Hi! Date: Sun, 7 Mar 1999 20:50:31 -0400 I am an old guy who has the honor of have seen The Replacements well over 30 times in the 80's. I am a vet I guess. I had the occasion to watch this warm up guy, Steve Earle, accompanied by Bob Stinson, in the balcony of the Ritz in NYC in 1986. Anyway, who cares, right? John Raffaele raffaelej@MSN.COM Date: Sun, 23 May 1999 21:55:56 -0700 From: steve w guiles Subject: bands and the love of 'mats i wonder how weird this might sound as i start to write..."hi, i'm a 'mats fan, and i'm also a christian". how's that for different. i don't know how many church goin' 'mats fans there are, but i wanted you to know that i really dig what you do with the newsletter and i dig the band formerly known as the replacements. i thought you'd be interested to know that people from all walks dig the replacements. but you probably already knew that... i have played in numerous bands and listened to a lot of music, but only a few have touched me as much as paul and the gang have. it takes me to a certain place that very few bands take me. i play in a garage band that plays on the weekends. we're all married, so it's not hyper realistic to go on tour. i guess i'm not as rock and roll as some. but i think a lot of my musical output in this stage of my life is greatly influenced by paul's style and attitude. i'm not a big drinker or smoker or whatever substance there is you can abuse, but i do love rock and roll. i don't know why exactly i wrote this...i guess i just felt like it. an actor in the street, steve guiles sguiles@juno.com From: "James Brucker" Subject: Androgynous Date: Tue, 15 Jun 1999 13:01:35 -0700 First off I love The Skyway web site. It might have something to do with the fact that I love The Replacements. I was playing "Let It Be" for some friends. When "Androgynous" started to play two of them freaked. One who is a musician says he was in a band that used to play that song, but he didn't know who originally did it. The other said his girlfriend used to play "Androgynous" all the time. They both want to know if The Replacements covered it from someone else or they did it originally. I told them it was an original. They seemed satisfied with that until "Black Diamond" started to play. James ----------------------------------- Alcohol and calculus don't mix. Never drink and derive Date: Tue, 27 Jul 1999 12:43:40 +0200 From: Liesbeth Rijnierse Subject: How I discovered the greatest RnR band on the planet The first time I heard the Replacements was the day I turned 15, in 1987. The radio was playing "Alex Chilton" ("Pleased To Meet Me" had just come out). And when I heard that song, it was like the singer was begging me to listen to him. I had no idea who Alex Chilton was, or what that song was about, but for 3 minutes I couldn't do anything but sit in front of my stereo, staring at it in total amazement, as if it were a video clip (to the Mats, of course, the sight of a stereo set IS a video clip: Bastards of Young, as if you didn't know). I had my little notebook and pencil ready to write down the name of whatever phenomenom it was that had me under its spell. And when the DJ said: "The Replacements, with "Alex Chilton", I thought: "Shouldn't that be the other way around?" But then I remembered this article about a band called the Replacements in a Dutch rock magazine, a few years back. I knew I still had it lying around somewhere, so I started digging in the piles of magazines that took up most of the space in my room, and found it. Re-reading the article, I remembered how I had felt when I first read that interview: uncomfortable. The things this guy (Paul) was saying struck me as almost "too familiar". That was my life he was talking about. And millions of other adolescents', I suppose, but when you're 15 you think you are the only person in the world who feels that way, and then it is weird to come across something or someone you can actually relate to. So I didn't really have a choice. I had to go out and buy that album. And I did, that very same day. It was the best birthday present I'd ever had. As for the music, it was exactly the kind of stuff I had been looking for, without knowing it. Up till then, I mainly listened to The Ramones, The Clash, The Jam, basically all kinds of melodic punk rock. I also liked stuff like R.E.M., Billy Bragg, Suzanne Vega. And I was a huge Kiss fan (the first band I ever got into). But what I was looking for was something that had a little bit of all these different styles. The Replacements had it all, and more... Every once in a while I saved up enough money to buy another Replacements record and I found out their earlier stuff was a lot louder and more punk than I'd expected. Most of my friends were into hardcore punk stuff at the time. So was Gerton, who is now an avid Mats fan, and a member of the band I play in today. When I played him "Pleased To Meet Me", he was none too impressed. "What the hell is this?", he said, "This sounds like...pop music!" But when I played him "Dope Smoking Moron", off the Stink EP a few months later, he went: "Wow! This rocks! Who are these guys?!" "It's that pop band you hate so much, the Replacements", I told him. Then he bought "Hootenanny", the only album I did not have at the time, and he became a fan for life and even came to appreciate their later stuff more than the early stuff. Back then, we had a band as well. A lousy punk rock band. We tried to cover "Shiftless When Idle" a few times, but the song was too difficult for us, which should give you an idea of how bad we were. Three years later, the Replacements finally visited the Netherlands for a few gigs. It was the "All Shook Down" Tour and I bought a ticket for the last show, in Den Bosch. I was so excited. This was going to be the event of my life. Then I found out the show was on the same day as my sister's wedding. There was no way I could go to that show. So I gave my ticket to Gerton and got really, really drunk at the wedding. Years later, when I played at the same venue, the sound guy told me they had recorded the show on video and I got a chance to see what I had missed. It's not the same, but I was glad I had a chance to see it after all. I did see Paul Westerberg & band on his first European tour, which was great. He did a lot of Mats songs and it was one of the best shows I've ever seen in my life. I even got a chance to talk to him for a while. Well, I did most of the talking, actually, but he was really friendly and all. Now, another 10 years later, I'm playing in a band called Mitch, and all four members are avid Replacements fans, which is great. In fact, the Mats are the reason we decided to get this band together in the first place. We'd known each other for years, but we all played in different bands. We decided we had to do it, because if we didn't, we'd regret it for the rest of our lives. Obviously, our music is influenced by the Mats, but we do have our own sound, although we do play a cover of "Can't Hardly Wait". So far we've released two CD's, and we're currently working on our third. You can check out our website at: http://home-2.worldonline.nl/~megalies/ My personal Replacements top 10: 1) Alex Chilton 2) Here Comes A Regular 3) I Will Dare 4) Unsatisfied 5) Color Me Impressed 6) Talent Show 7) Bastards of Young 8) Can't Hardly Wait 9) Kids Don't Follow 10) The Last That's about it for now, Stefan. P.S. This was in a Dutch magazine, I took the liberty of translating it into a language that is slightly more wide-spread... THE REPLACEMENTS and their "Influences" 1) ALEX CHILTON On their 1987 album "Pleased To Meet Me", the song "Alex Chilton" -one of the finest tracks on it- is obviously an ode to the cult hero of Big Star-fame who listens to that name. Chilton, who didn't think much of the song, by the way, had previously produced the song "Nowhere Is My Home" on the UK compilation "Boink" (Glass '86) and did backing vocals on "Left Of The Dial", which is on "Tim" (Sire '85). He also did some guitar fills on the "Pleased To Meet Me" album. 2) JOHNNY THUNDERS "Johnny's gonna die", from the Mats' debut album "Sorry Mom, Forgot To Take Out The Trash", is about the former New York Dolls-member and allround junkie/troublemaker/punk god Johnny Thunders. Paul Westerberg once said about him: "Johnny was the first artist who scared the shit out of me. He was frightning, in a loveable kind of way". 3) KISS The sublime 1984 album "Let it be" (Twin/Tone '84) features a trashy version of the Kiss classic "Black Diamond" (1973). Kiss was one the band's main influences when they first started out. 4) MARC BOLAN /T-REX The B-side of the 12" version of "I Will Dare" features a cover of the Bolan track "21st Century Boy" 5) TED NUGENT The Replacements stole the riff of Nugent's "Cat Scratch Fever" for their song "Gary's Got A Boner" on "Let It Be". Westerberg about Nugent: "We used to play a lot of punk venues back in the day, and all these kids would go on about how great MDC, or whatever, were and we'd go: yeah man, and then we'd go back into the bus and listen to Ted Nugent." 6) THE BEATLES Whether the Mats were really influenced by the Beatles is to be doubted, but they did call their third album "Let It Be", although it was not meant as a tribute. "My brother said: you can't call your album "Let it be". Someone's already done that! It's stupid. Then I knew it would make the perfect title.", Westerberg said. 7) HUSKER DU "Something to Du", on the Mats' debut album, is a reference to Husker Du, who are also from Minneapolis and toured with the Mats in their early years. When Bob Stinson died, Grant Hart, ex-Husker Du/Nova Mob member, dedicated the song "She Floated Away" to him, during a concert at the Byrant Lake Bowl, in Minneapolis in 1997. 8) THE ONLY ONES The Replacements frequently played The Only Ones' "Another Girl, Another Planet" live. A live recording of the song was on a flexi-disc that came with a magazine called "The Bob". 9) THE RAMONES Musically, the Replacements were probably influenced by the Ramones in their early days, like so many other punk bands. But the link here is former Ramones drummer Tommy Erdelyi ("We called him Tommy Elderly, cause it's easier to pronounce", Paul said), who produced the 1985 Sire album "Tim". Paul about Erdelyi: "We asked him because he used to be in the Ramones, which is cool. He didn't do a very good job. He didn't really listen to us. But he's a cool guy." 10) R.E.M. R.E.M. guitarist Pete Buck is a great fan of the Replacements and played a solo on "I Will Dare", the opening track of "Let it Be". Also, on the live cassette "The Shit Hits The Fans" the Replacements play a cover of R.E.M..'s "Radio Free Europe", but then again they cover almost every tune known to mankind on that tape. Paul about R.E.M: "Another band that helped us out. And regretted it." 11) HANK WILLIAMS The aforementioned "I Will Dare" 12" also has a ragged live version of William's classic "Hey Good Looking" on it. 12) GOLDEN EARRING Before the band started writing their own material they played covers. One of their favourite bands at the time was the Dutch rock band Golden Earring, probably best known for its 1973 hit "Radar Love", which (among other songs) the Mats covered. They never recorded it, but they did play it live every once in a while. This list is probably far from complete...feel free to add things! Stefan. ---------- check out the Mitch homepage (that is, the Dutch band Mitch): http://home-2.worldonline.nl/~megalies/ Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1999 21:16:33 -0700 (PDT) From: Thierry Cote Well, I've been reading this newsletter and going to the Skyway pretty regularly for a few months now, but every time I start writing these "ok, this is me, everyone" few lines of aimless and quite pointless rambling, I always seem to drift off and never finish it... I think this time it's the good one, though. My name is Thierry Cote, and I'm from Ottawa, Canada. I'm a student in poli-sci (doing a Masters...aleady got a masters in econ. and business), a writer, a speechwriter, a music critic, a tennis instructor, etc, etc. I'm turning 23 next October, and I've been aware of the existence of the Mats for about 4 or 5 years now, although I've been a full-fledge addict for about 2 years now. I first heard about the Mats from Paul Westerberg's solo soundtrack work, specifically Dyslexic Heart, on the Singles soundtrack. But to be honest, besides the fact it was an incredibly catchy song that I couldn't get out of my head, and that the lyrics seemed to touch exactly on what my feelings were at a time. But at the time, I didn't look further into the guy's music...until I bought Wilco's debut, A.M. I literally fell in love with that record, and heard some Replacements comparisons again...And finally, I listened to the Friends' soundtrack at a friend's house, and there they were...head and shoulders above everything...Sunshine, and Stain Yer blood. Again. Paul Westerberg. I started to look for the records, having heard people like Wilco, Soul Asylum, the Jayhawks, Matthew Sweet mention them, but in Paris (where I lived at the time) they were pretty hard to find. And then one week, someone must've sold his complete Mats' collection (HOW COULD SOMEONE DO THAT??) cause I found Let It Be, Tim, Don't Tell A Soul, All Shook Down (which ranked amongst british mag Uncut's best "depressed" albums, with Big Star's Third/Sister Lovers, and others...), 14 Songs and Eventually. From that moment, my life just seemed...better. When I started listening, every song fit a moment of my life...a feeling...a thought...an emotion. From "Answering Machine", "Unsatisfied", "Androgynous" to "Here Comes A Regular", "Bastards of Young", "The Ledge", to songs from Eventually like "A Good Day"...it just hit me. Paul Westerberg spoke to us all...he told our life...in words we never could have used. How many times have I asked myself..."how do you say I love you to an answering machine?". How many times have I felt like that boy on the ledge? And yes, "the ones love us best are the ones we'll lay to rest, and visit their graves on holidays at best. The ones love us least are the ones we'll die to please." I'm still looking for that girl to pick up with the lyrics from "I Will Dare". Passion, reckless abandon, youthful energy, desperation, advanced stages of alcohol abuse, love, hate, breakup, makeup, falling in love, falling out of love, drinking yourself to sleep, waking up feeling old...all this is encompassed by the Mats. And so much more. Later, I picked up All for Nothing/Nothing for All, Grandpaboy. And that was the first time I actually saw the Mats "in motion"...and they definitely had that "thing", that aura of cool very few bands have. Actually, MuchMusic played the infamous "speaker" video the other day. I don't think television has ever made me happier. From that point, the Mats got me into so many more bands...I had to delve into the world of power pop, where I discovered Alex Chilton and Big Star, who are now my favourite artists besides the Mats, and from there I stumbled into the Posies, Teenage Fanclub, Brendan Benson (check him out if you don't know him yet, you'll love it!), the Raspberries, Badfinger, Matthew Sweet, Jellyfish, Jason Falkner...all the so-called No Depression alt-country bands, like Uncle Tupelo, the Jayhawks, Whiskeytown, Wilco, Son Volt, all inspired by the Mats, and all the bands from the Minnesota punk scene... My musical tastes are very ecclectic, but needless to say the Mats, Big Star and powerpop are of big part of my every day life (what's the point of living if there isn't music to score the movie of your life?), whether it's listening to the music or playing the songs on my guitar. I don't have a Mats/Westerberg/Stinson/Dunlap/Mars story, per se, although when I got this job as a writer for the summer, the first person I met in the office had a brilliant last name...Westerberg. Like I said, the Mats are everywhere in my life. I think that's pretty all there is to know about me... I never had the chance to see or listen to a live gig, have never seen any bootlegs around, and I've never met fans of the Placemats here in Ottawa. But I know we're everwhere, like that guy said in the last newsletter...little pockets all around the world. So this is also a cry for help, guys. ;) If you can help me with tapes or cds of shows or unreleased songs, demos, etc. or if you're just a fan from around Ottawa, Canada...I'd love to hear from you... Anyway, my email is tcote76@yahoo.com if being afraid is a crime, we hang side by side. Thierry Cote From: "Scott A. Shoyat" Date: Sat, 31 Jul 1999 11:06:16 -0500 Just wanted to drop a line really quick and let everyone know that the Replacements are a amazing band. I used to work with Chris Mars down at a special effects studio in downtown Minneapolis and he was a great guy, very creative. Scott Date: Wed, 4 Aug 1999 16:19:56 -0700 (PDT) From: Eric Gribbin Subject: hey I just discovered your site today. It's funny, I spent most of my life in Durham (including law school at Duke) and as soon as I move away I find out there were other Replacements fans! (I'm in California now, soon to move to Chicago). I discovered the Replacements in 1986 when I was a junior in high school. I got extremely ill and spent a few weeks home from school. I had bought a copy of "Tim" right before I got sick solely based on good things I'd heard about the Replacements (at that time I was living in a tiny town in the mountains of Virginia---I can't remember exactly how any word of the Replacements had gotten that far)---I'd never even actually heard the band play a note. Anyway, as I spent like fifteen days in bed, I listened to that tape over and over and over...thus beginning my love for the Replacements. I still can't hear a song from "Tim" without seeing indelible images of me with a fever of 102 with headphones feeding these wonderful songs into my ears. My dad probably wondered why the hell I was smiling so much when I was so awfully sick. I only saw them once, in Raleigh in 1988, and I must say it wasn't a very good show because they were so damned drunk. Westerberg threw his shoe into the crowd and then stopped the show for a long time because whoever caught it wouldn't throw it back. But it was still cool to see them. Eric From: RReig43926@aol.com Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 01:46:20 EDT Hey man, I was Bob Stinson's best man at his wedding in April of '86. I was 20. We formed a band called Static Taxi in '88 to '92 that nobody outside of Minnesota knows about. Bob called it 'Art Blues' and we recorded about forty originals (the tapes R hidden) no one would sign us because of his reputation at the time. If you would like the whole story let me know. Just stumbled onto U'r site 2-nite kinda by accident. From: Kent Graham Date: Fri, 13 Aug 1999 09:06:49 -0400 Here's a cool e-mail response I got from Ken Bethea of the Old 97s (a great band for Mats' fans if anyone on your list hasn't checked them out yet -- their new disc, "Fight Songs," is awesome). Kent Graham > ---------- > From: Ken Bethea > Sent: Friday, August 6, 1999 9:50 AM > To: Kent Graham > Subject: Re: Hey 97s............ > > We play at the Magic Stick from time to time. I love the Replacements. > > Favorite line: > > Everybody at your party they all look depressed > Everybody's dressing funny, color me impressed. > > That's my favorite line in ANY song ever. > > Kent Graham wrote: > > > Heard about "Fight Songs" via CMJ. Bought it. Love it. Especially "Jagged," > > "Lonely Holiday," "Indefinitely," and "Oppenheimer." (CMJ compared you to > > the Replacements, and I'm a pathetically huge Mats fan). > > > > Ordering "Wreck Your Life" and "Too Far To Care" today. > > > > Hey, how about a Detroit show soon? We'd love to see you here... > > > > Kent From: Powerdude1@aol.com Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 02:24:47 EDT Subject: Jesus rides beside me Paul Westerberg was playing 3 shows in LA for the Eventually tour and like a dumb ass I only bought a ticket to one show at the El Rey. After seeing the first show which awesome, and had Robert Hilburn putting Paul's mug on the cover of the Calender section of the LA Times, I decided to try to get a scalped ticket at the show at the El Rey the next night. There were a bunch of people out there looking for tickets including one dude who had a card board sign on his chest that said "will work for a ticket". Unfortunately there were no tickets to be had so I was just listening to Mannequin Shop outside when a guy comes walking out and hands me and this girl I was talking to 2 tickets and I just shake my head, somewhat amazed, and went in. Several nights later I thought I would try my luck getting another scalped ticket at the Troubador. It turns out to be a repeat of the El Rey, no one selling, and even more people mulling around the ticket counter. At least this time a local radio station was outside broadcasting the concert live. Then, out of the blue this same guy comes walking out of the Troubador, recognizes me, and says "I got you into the last show and I'll get you in tonight." He has his buddy go up to the counter and his buddy comes back and hands me a ticket. There must of been 50 people outside desperately looking for tickets and some of the expressions on their faces were interesting. I tried to act like it was all planned, and didn't get excited, but I had no clue. I asked this guy's buddy who this guy was. It was Don Muller, the road manager/agent I guess. Thanks Don if you are out there!! I hope this wasn't too boring of a story but what a stroke of luck. Date: Sun, 12 Sep 1999 00:15:51 -0700 From: "patrick roche" Well here goes. The first time I ever heard the Replacements (or heard of them) was in 1986 when I bought a beat up 1975 Chevrolet Nova and the previous owner had left a cassette of "Let it Be" in the glove box. It wasn't the commercial release however, just a tape (with no label) recorded off of the vinyl. After listening to it for about two weeks constantly, I started playing it for friends (nobody liked it, I mean Whitesnake was popular) to see if anybody knew who it was. Nobody did. So, I took it to a record store where a clerk was like "oh, that's the Replacements." Who? Off to the Replacements section, and sure enough I recognized the song titles I had been mesmerized by on the back of "Let it Be." ( I still think that cover is the coolest picture of them.) A few minutes later, I walked out with vinyl copies of Hootenanny, Stink, Tim, and even a 12" single of "I will dare" with "20th Century Boy/Hey Good Lookin'" on the B-side. They didn't have "Sorry Ma" apparently, but I found that one a couple weeks later. So began my love affair with the Mats. I just somehow related to Paul's words and the angst in the music. It was like, this is what I've been waiting for. It's weird, but it's like "Unsatisfied" felt like it was written for me when I first heard it. Then, boom, "Here Comes A Regular;" if that wasn't me in 1986, then it wasn't anyone. I won't even talk about "The Ledge." Somethings always happening and there's a Replacements/PW song on the next album basically detailing and making sense of it. It's goddamn eerie. A girl I was once engaged to sent me an invitation to her wedding to someone else about six months after I had last seen her which about killed me. Two months later I heard "Nobody." You tell me. Well, thanks for this cool site, gotta go I need more cigarettes. From: Fifkin@aol.com Date: Mon, 23 Aug 1999 00:22:21 EDT Brings me back to Duffys "no ID" nights in 81-82. I imagine Tommy didn't have his drivers license yet. Later, I got hit by Bob in the Entry at what must have been one of his last concerts (the one where someone in the crowd finished the set on guitar). I'm feeling a bit old tonight thinking of the Mats and all the shows I saw in the eighties. From: "Alex Gibson" Subject: Me and The 'Mats (I just subscribed, so bear with me) Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 03:18:49 +0100 I hated the Replacements when I first heard them. I read that there were only four good things about the '80s, Husker Du, REM, the Pixies and the 'Mats. So I bought All Shook Down. And it sucked. Boy was I wrong. Later, with money to burn I bought All For Nothing for the usual no reason. If you don't like that record you don't deserve to have ears. The four Reprise records are hard to get over here, but I tracked them down. The others are slowly being tracked down using my new machine and my trusty Visa card. Like all the best bands, I wish I'd never heard of The 'Mats so I could discover them all over again, though I still have at least three Twin Tone records to hear. Favourite record - Don't Tell A Soul Favourite songs - too many to list but Talent Show, Rock n Roll Ghost and Alex Chilton spring to mind. I just remembered where I first heard Paul. It was on the Singles movie soundtrack. Those two songs sound like nothing else he's ever done. Maybe that's why I didn't like the rest of the stuff when I first heard it. Dyslexic Heart sort of struck a chord with the 17 year old me. I still don't listen to 14 Songs and Eventually, but the latest one is a fantastic return to form. Anyone know the name of the last (and strangely enough nameless) song? Never got to see them live, and Paul doesn't seem to make it to northern Scotland if he tours, but anyone with enough taste to be on the list and so reading this should go see a Scottish band called Mogwai live if they get the chance. They've released 3 records so far, but IMHO they haven't captured their live sound yet on record. They were THE highlight of Glastonbury this year. Don't know if they've made it to the States yet though. Run out of things to say, so thanks for "listening" out there. Alex Gibson Aberdeen Scotland [Mogwai is on tour of the US right now with Ganger, also from Scotland. - m@] From: "BRANDON DEVAULT" Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 00:26:33 -0400 There are three things in my life that I love: my fiancee, Ohio State football, and The 'Mats. See you on the Skyway, Brandon DeVault CINCINNATI, OHIO ___________________________________________________________________________ II. 'MATS From: cford@vnet.ibm.spamproof.com (Charles Ford) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Re: Tommy/Liberty Lunch Date: Mon, 19 Jul 1999 18:21:35 GMT Charles Ford writes: >Did anybody see the picture of Tommy in last Thursday's XLent section of the >Austin American Statesman paper? There was a retrospective on Austin's >soon to be torn down Liberty Lunch club where the Mats played many times. >One page contains a bunch of photos of the club's heyday. If you look closely >one picture is Tommy Stinson riding on somebody's shoulders (Bob's?) while >merrily playing his bass. Circa 1986 I would guess. > >I'd never seen that one before and it would make a cool addition to somebody's >website if we could get it.. > >Charles The picture I mention is online - go to: http://www.austin360.com/entertainment/xl/features/1999/07/15lunch_80s.html Then click on "collage of pictures." Tommy is at the lower left.. Charles From: JohnFA2@aol.com Subject: quirk's "suicaine gratifaction" review [The following is a not-fan-friendly review of Westerberg's latest solo album by avowed Replacements fan Tim Quirk, previously of the cleverly raucious superpop band Too Much Joy.] http://www.bayinsider.com/entertainment/music/quirk_westerberg.html -john Date: Mon, 9 Aug 1999 20:39:32 +1200 From: "Chris Lewis" A friend of mine found a place with a Mats MP3 on it for a song called "PO Box", it's a 1986 rehearsal recording. It's pretty cool. here's the link, there's also some real audio stuff as well. http://www.imagebusiness.com/mikec/altrare.html Enjoy CL [This song is great! Anybody else bummed that it never made "...Nothing For All"? - m@] From: James Lance Subject: movie news Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 10:51:29 -0700 Just read on the web that there is production about to roll on an upcoming movie starring Keanu Reeves. I almost swallowed my heart upon seeing the title. "THE REPLACEMENTS" And no, it's NOT about our favorite band. Here's the site: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0191397 It was slightly nice when they used "I Will Dare" in "Feeling Minnesota" (another Keanu flick. Could Keanu be a 'Mats fan?). It was nauseating to see "Can't Hardly Wait", a benchmark of a modern pop song, used as a title (and song during the ending credits) in a Jennafah Hate Blewitt flick. And now this? Was it worth all those drunken, rebellious, rambunctious nights oh so long ago in a galaxy called the 1980's to now have one of the best and most highly UNDERRATED bands of all time, have their name and/or songs utilized in movies such as this? I know and realize to what most Skywayans hold near and dear to their hearts is in the past; Plus, to see Paul, Tommy, Chris and Slim/Bob (if he was still around) doing "Gary's Got a Boner" drunk off their asses at almost 40 years old would be a bit extreme. Yet, to see the "cerebral rape and pillage" of our heroes' name be associated with such overhyped and undertalented "thespians" (or should I say "thes-pee-ons) is quite disheartening. As always, I thoroughly enjoy reading every installment of The Skyway and hope it lasts a lot longer then The Replacements (AND I'M TALKING ABOUT THE BAND.....wink-wink, nudge-nudge) ever did. James Lance [The 'Mats lasted ten years. The Skyway has been around for about six. I don't know what the hell to do for the tenth anniversary party. Hold it in Chicago on July 4th and get tanked and blow shit up?- m@] ___________________________________________________________________________ III. CDR's (CD's that you can copy music onto) From: "Dan Johnson" Subject: Apology to Mats fans everywhere Date: Wed, 8 Sep 1999 01:04:50 -0400 I was hoping you'd let me address your readers in the next issue of Skyway. I've been selling Replacements CDRs over the last year or so and have made many people wait a long time to get their discs because of my lousy business dealings and being so overwhelmed by the gigantic amount of orders that I wanted to apologize to everyone. Thanks, Danny AN APOLOGY TO MATS FANS EVERYWHERE I had this crazy desire to make the ulti-Mat live bootleg. A double disc of a full concert rounded out with bonus tracks from the same era of kick-ass Bob-period stuff. I went through many tapes trying to find the right show and was lucky to get this supposed master tape of Hoboken, New Jersey 2/4/86 from an undisclosed source. I don't know if it really is a master but it sounded better than other tapes of the same show and I decided that I had the "Destroyer", if you will, of Replacements boots. I named it "Maniac" and packaged it in colorful "hootenany"-like art with an old movie poster front cover similar to "Beat Girl" put a posting about it on the Mats newsgroup and got the most unbelievably incredible response immediately. I couldn't count or keep up with the daily email and I quickly got way behind. I paid to have a ton pressed up and but they all had glitches so I got held up even longer. Many people got angry and branded me a "bad trader" or "fraudulent seller" on more than one newsgroup. They apologized and cleared my name when they got the discs and even ordered other titles from me. But the orders kept coming at an amazing rate. I've sent additional discs and even pre-release tapes of Westerberg's latest album earlier in the year to many to make up for the wait. To make myself feel better about keeping people waiting I've likened it to Prince's (or the Artist) "Crystal Ball" 3-disc set that people ordered over the internet to have to wait several months or longer for it's arrival. Maxwell's '86 is such a great recording that I really wanted it to be out there and become a legendary boot. I do not make much money on it because I split the take with 2 others that put it together with me and with the color copying and cdr prices we aren't really living high on the hog. I believe I have caught up with all the orders now but if there's anyone who hasn't gotten their copy please email me with your address. I do still take orders for "Maniac" plus other Mats boot-cdrs like "Beat Girl", "DTAS & ASD Demos", "Mats' Last", and the Westerberg non-album tracks collection "You Don't Have To Shine Or Nuthin'" but now I send them out first and people send payment upon receiving. I wanted to again apologize to all Mats' fans for such a long-ass wait for these discs. Thanks, Danny cookieco@sprynet.com From: "Ralph Bryant" Subject: mats bootlegs for trade Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 20:42:19 -0500 I have recently acquired a new computer complete with CD burner and have made copies of the following bootlegs: The Shit Hits the Fans (11/11/84) Live at the Lingerie (10/26/84) Shit, Shower, and Shave (Various '89 and Inconcerated) Putting on the Ritz Goodbye Bozos (More '89 and 7/4/91) Boink (various demos) How Did the Vomit Get Up on the Ceiling (various demos) Beat Girl (b-sides) It Ain't Over Till the Fat Roadies Play (7-4-91) While I know some of these are fairly available I would like to do some trading for shows/things I might not have. I am particularly interested in the double boot of the 2-4-86 show at Maxwell's (on CD please). If no trade, I would be willing to work something out. Please reply to pwig@revealed.net Thanks! ___________________________________________________________________________ IV. TRIBUTE ALBUMS GALORE Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1999 17:57:24 +1000 From: Chrisitna Falsone Subject: Replacements tribute album I'm a subscriber to the Skyway and thought you might like to know, if you don't already, about a new Australian 'Mats tribute. It's called 'I'm in Love With That Song' and was released this week following a huge launch in Sydney on the weekend. Here's the ad from my local indie (in the true sense of the word) record shop: REPLACEMENTS TRIBUTE A long-time in the making and a real labour of love for all involved. 'I'm In Love With That Song' features Celibate Rifles, Golden Rough, Love Me, Bluebottle Kiss, John Reed Club, You Am I and lots more, all covering Replacements tunes. The album features mostly independent Sydney and Melbourne bands, you may have heard of You Am I, doing well-known and more obscure 'Mats tracks. Anyway, I'm not sure of distribution details at the moment as I'm yet to score a copy for myself, but I can find them out if you're interested or you may be able to find out from Waterfront Records, the aforementioned indie record store at Waterfront@iform.com.au Just thought you or anyone on the list might be interested... See ya, Christina Falsone Date: Wed, 08 Sep 1999 20:54:07 +1000 From: Stuart Khan Subject: Australian Replacements Tribute The recently released Australian Replacements Tribute "I'm In Love...With That Song" now has a HUGE website devoted to it: http://www.ar.com.au/~hac/replacements You will find lots of info on The Replacements, the bands that contributed, the release, the reviews, the labels, MP3's to download, lotsa pictures, and info on how to get a copy of this release in your hands! Check it out and tell us what you think! Tomboy Records tomboy@ar.com.au Antfarm Records s.khan@unsw.edu.au From: facedown@ix.netcom.com Date: Sun, 8 Aug 1999 13:38:54 -0500 (CDT) "In my waxed up hair and my painted shoes, got an offer that you might refuse..." FDR (Face Down Records) is putting together a tribute CD featuring the best power pop bands of the 90s covering one of our favorite bands from the 80s - The Replacements! FDR is a new independent label from NJ that has 11 releases (5 CDs & 6 7"s) mostly in the pop genre. The label is run by Mick Chorba from the power pop band Dipsomaniacs. To learn more about FDR please go to the web site http://www.facedown.net The CD will feature 15-20 tracks and will try to focus on the "pop" sensibilities the Replacements had (which were great and many!). Bands will be responsible to pay for the recording of their song. The CD will be non-profit - FDR is exploring a variety of charities to work with. FDR plans to sell the CD through the usual pop distributors (Not Lame/Jam/Miles Of Music) as well as through the FDR site and a variety of interested record stores and other distributors. The CD will be sent to a select list of writers/publications and radio stations for promotion. Also, each band will receive a limited number of CDs for their contribution. As the project starts rolling more details will be available. If you think you may be interested in submitting a song drop an email to Mick at FDR - (facedown@ix.netcom.com). FDR would like to know: 1. your band's name 2. your band's contact name & address 3. if you know which song you're interested in submitting include it in your email. "We ain't much to look at so, close your eyes and here we go..." NEW ADDRESS Mick Chorba Face Down Records PO Box 1733 Burlington NJ 08016 http://www.facedown.net fin. ___________________________________________________________________________ The //Skyway\\: The Replacements Mailing List (digest only) http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html Matt Tomich | 117 Green Street | Chapel Hill NC 27516 | USA ___________________________________________________________________________ Nothing contributes more to peace of soul than having no opinion at all. -Georg Christoph Lichtenberg