the // skyway \\ issue #76 (september 20, 2001) web page at www.theskyway.com send your submissions to skyway@novia.net list guy (say hi to) matt@novia.net subscription info: send in the body of a message to majordomo@novia.net to subscribe: 'subscribe skyway' to unsubscribe: 'unsubscribe skyway' always thanks to bob fulkerson __________________________________________________________________________ 0. Takin' A Ride (m@.) I. Songs and Stories (Chris Coleman, T. Weier, Robert Breen, Rick Reid, Jim De Galley, Cindi Merklee, Carla, Jason, Pat, Kris Richardson, Jeffrey Thomas, Nick, Lotten Strombom, Brady Potts, Thierry Cote, Soapbox, Laura Long, Anthony Morocco, Mark, Josh Davis, Jen) II. Other stuff: Paul's favorite song (Rupe) Twin/Tone promo CD re-release (TJ Smith) Anybody know how to play 33rd of July? (Jeff Wilson) 8/7/89 Detroit show? (Josh Bieber) Sorry Ma linear notes question (Robert Bedi) The sole 'Mats Scotland show (Mark Guthrie) Steve Foley's post-Mats record (Rick) __________________________________________________________________________ 0. TAKIN' A RIDE See, I had this whole intro written. And then that stuff in New York happened. And all the stuff that I wrote didn't seem to matter all that much anymore. I don't know what to say about what happened that hasn't already been said. It dwarfs all the other generation-defining tragedies that have happened at least in my lifetime. It's been a while since the last issue. Since then, I've moved around town, recorded two records, went on tour three times, continued taking Greek lessons, went scuba diving. 28 doesn't seem like a landmark age, but it's supposed to be this whole Saturn Return thing where you do a lot of reckoning. It's true. I sit on my porch more often; I make shorter phone calls. I quit thinking about girlfriends that have gotten married. I got more serious about the bands I'm in. I try to walk everywhere (unsuccessfully). Another watershed was since the last Skyway, I lost my stepmom of 15 years to cancer. It was hardly a surprise; the second time she's had cancer in the past three years, after 60 years of smokin' and drinkin' (that shit will kill you.) But it drove home the whole temporariness of the situation. Culminating with the disaster last week, there's lots of taking stock and random phone calls to people I haven't talked to in years just to say hi. It was a lot easier to sit down and get one of these things out when I lived in Nebraska or Missouri when I was in college, jobless, with no bands or other distractions. But last week I was in London for work where I met Graham Stroud, who I'd traded letters and mix tapes with ever since he signed up to the Skyway...and it was there I realized that since 1993, doing this has probably been the single most consistent and rewarding thing I've ever done. All the friends I've made, all the letters and mix tapes I've traded. I even ended up at the job I've had for the last four years thanks to somebody from the Skyway telling me about the opening! So hey, as I'm writing this, I'm on tour again with The Scaries (www.thescaries.com). If you're in town and you want to see catchy hyper rock, let me know (matt@novia.net) and I'll put you on the guest list. SEPTEMBER 19 Wed NORFOLK, VA - Cogan's 20 Thr BALTIMORE, MD - The Sidebar 21 Fri STROUDSBURG, PA - Cafe Toast 22 Sat CINCINATTI, OH - The Void - 7 p.m 23 Sun DAYTON, OH - Jags - 9:30 p.m 24 Mon PEORIA, IL - 1704 W. Ayres - 6 p.m. 25 Tue MINNEAPOLIS, MN - 7th St. Entry 26 Wed ST. PAUL, MN - Turf Club 27 Thr SIOUX FALLS, SD - 1310 E. 7th St. - 6 p.m 28 Fri OMAHA, NE - Dazy Mazelos 29 Sat BOULDER, CO - Tulagi's - 8:30 p.m. 30 Sun COLORADO SPRINGS, CO - Highlife House OCTOBER 1 Mon GARDEN CITY, KS - The Armory (S. Main) - 7 p.m. 2 Tue KANSAS CITY, MO - El Torreon 3 Wed KIRKSVILLE, MO - Aquadome 4 Thr MURFREESBORO, TN - Red Rose 5 Fri KNOXVILLE, TN - The Pilot Light 6 Sat WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Cystic Fibrosis Fest ...and then I get home for a couple days and go on tour with the other band I'm in, Sorry About Dresden (www.sorryaboutdresden.com). OCTOBER (all shows with Cursive, all shows after 19th with Desparecidos) 12 ATHENS, GA - Engine Room 13 TAMPA, FL - The Orpheum 14 ORLANDO, FL - Sapphire Club 15 JACKSONVILLE, FL - Jackrabiits 16 ATHENS, GA - 40 Watt 17 CHAPEL HILL, NC - Cat's Cradle 18 RICHMOND, VA - Alley Katz 19 WASHINGTON, DC - Black Cat 20 PHILADELPIHA, PA - Killtime 21 NYC - Knitting Factory 22 HOBOKEN, NJ - Maxwell's 23 CAMBRIDGE, MA - Middle East 24 CLEVELAND, OH - Grog Shop 25 CHICAGO, IL - Centrum Hall 26 MILWAUKEE, WI - The Globe 27 MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Turf Club So that's what I've been doing. I truly need to update the Skyway web page. I think I first made that thing in 1997 and it just looks hilariously dated. Oh yeah, for everybody who used to get Mats demos off Napster...try www.audiogalaxy.com. If you get on there, check these bands out: Azure Ray, The Shins, Mollycuddle, Alkaline Trio, Barcelona, Kind of Like Spitting, Pedro the Lion, The Faint. The Faint are on tour right now and if they come to your town, go see that action! If you thought you could never dance, they will prove you wrong. There's been lots of rumors about what's been up with Paul Westerberg, as in new tunes. Hopefully we'll hear something soon! - Matt __________________________________________________________________________ I. HAVE YOU SEEN LUCKY? Date: Fri, 20 Apr 2001 16:55:31 -0700 (PDT) From: Jon Teichman Subject: URGENT! In Search of MIA Skywayer Bard Lowry I'm Jon Teichman, a longtime Skyway lurker. I actually am trying to track down a Skywayer who I lost touch with. We attended an awesome Columbus, Ohio show by Paul Westerberg in July of 1996. Bard hooked us all up with amazing rarities tapes of live and drunk and rare 'Mats music. I hope that you could point me in the direction of where to find these folks. I have a Replacements story to tell. But, it will have to wait for another time. However, isn't it crazy how much more meaningful the songs (all of them) become as you age and mature and grow and live life. Just a thought. Thanks for providing a great home for 'Mats fan from all over. Thanks In Advance, Jon Bard Lowry of Indiana Last email address: blowry@inetdirect.net __________________________________________________________________________ II. WAREHOUSE: SONGS AND STORIES From: "Chris Coleman" Subject: wake-up call from westerberg Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 20:48:22 +0100 Hi. Way way back, we're talking mid 1980's here, I dabbled in the world of fanzines, released a couple of compilation albums, and basically, as I had no musical talent, got my kicks by association with a number of "leading" members of the alternative rock revolution. Some of you guys may know that at one time Paul was a big fan of a band called the Jacobites, especially Dave Kusworth and in particular their album "Robespierre's Velvet Basement" and namechecked them regularly in interviews etc. They were at this time signed to Glass Records, run then by good friend and guiding influence Dave "Elvis" Barker. Nikki Sudden and Dave Kusworth were and are to this day The Jacobites and I'd known Nikki since 1980 when he rang me as a local-to-him saddo fanzine editor in the heart of England. Nikki's brother, the late Epic Soundtracks, and I reckoned ourselves to be the only fans of the Replacements in the whole of the United Kingdom, but Nikki despite knowing Paul's fondness for his music, did not reciprocate, and just couldn't get the Mats. So Epic and I trumpeted the magic of the Mats to anyone who'd listen, I made contact with those very generous folk at Twin/Tone who generously furnished me with all manner of Replacements goodies (including THAT TAPE) and other bits and pieces that Twin/Tone released. Inevitably I eventually confessed to the folk at Twin/Tone that I knew Nikki and Dave, and was asked to act as some kind of unofficial representative in approaching them on behalf of Twin/Tone who were keen to release what eventually became "The Ragged School" by The Jacobites on Twin/Tone. Now, and no disrespect to my good buddy to this day Mr. Nikki Sudden, the real thrill of this for me was the reciprocal step taken kind of on my recommendation for Glass Records to release the very first UK edition of a record by The Mats, namely "Boink" which came out in 1986, and included the then unreleased "Nowhere Is My Home" produced by that other hero of mine, L X Chilton (but that's another very long story). Now where is this leading us other than to universal recognition of the importance of my role in the career of Paul Westerberg...?? (I jest, of course.....). Well, leading up to all this, I was in fairly regular contact (by post and phone) with Lori Bizer at Twin/Tone in the hope that I could get a solo track, "Pour Little Kim", (which I never got to hear) from Paul for one of my albums, though this was proving a little difficult as the band had just signed to Sire......and so it came to pass one night somewhere in Minneapolis that Paul Westerberg was getting merrily plastered, and decided to make a transatlantic phone call. I was living with my parents at the time, and 6.30 am one morning, I'm dead to the world when my mother wakes me up with the news that someone called Paul is on the phone....still half-dead I pick up the phone to hear this distant echo of a voice announcing himself as Paul Westerberg calling to say Hi and to find out more about that man Kusworth....I've always been a little in awe of musical heroes when I've met or spoken to them and this was no exception. 16 or 17 years later, the details of the call are no longer recalled, but suffice to say, I dined on the tale a coupla times over the years. Anyway, "The Ragged School" did okay in the States, "Boink" very well over here, Dave Barker no doubt getting the better side of the deal, and no doubt failing to pay money (lovable rogue that he is) owed to Twin/Tone before he eventually joined up with Alan McGee at Creation. I'll happily write more Mats related stuff, but in conclusion just say that I will always love the Mats, and whenever I listen to their stuff, I will always think of my great friend, much misses, Mr. Epic Soundtracks. Play it for Epic. Chris 17 From: "T. wEieR" Subject: Pardon my idiocy! Date: Fri, 9 Mar 2001 22:35:40 -0000 I'm an old Mats fan. I started digging them when Let It Be came out and saw them once in 85-86 at Amelia's in Iowa City (sure wish I could hear that show again!). I'm not a Mats freak with shrines or anything, but I really do enjoy them and whatever I've been able to find (e.g. a few bootlegs). This is probably asked about all the time, so please forgive my ignorance. I know very little about Bob Stinson's bands after the Mats. I guess there were 2 and the one I remember hearing about is Static Taxi. I'm extremely curious as to what this band sounded like and if it had any resemblance to the Mats. One place I thought of checking for it was on Napster, but I haven't seen anything in the last six months! Is it even "worth" checking out? Was he totally "gone" in this period? One more question. Is there a definitive Mats book out there? Any info would be greatly appreciated! Thank you very much. <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> T. wEieR, creator, sandwich lover, and mysterioso. Spungifeel Comics * Somedaze Daily * Salamander Bits Wacko fun for everyone! Comics you'll crave every day! http://www.somedaze.com mailto:artist@somedaze.com <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><> From: "Robert Breen" Subject: New Subscriber Adds Two Cents Canadian or $.014 US Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 06:47:57 My name is Bob. My discovery of the Mats was in London, Ontario, Canada in 1984. One day at the local "Dr. Disc" I saw a copy of "Let it Be" on the rack, the only record I've ever bought because I thought the guys on the cover looked cool. I likely wanted to be them and indeed spent most of the late 80's in plaid. "There were a lot of cold horses..." They were REAL - vulnerable, honest, funny, stoopid. They rocked their faces off. This is why there is a "Skyway", right? We all care about them as if they were older/younger brothers. It pleases me the rest of the world has caught up, making scores of imitator and influenced bands millionaires. It makes me feel like I was maybe hipper than I thought I was as a teenager, 'cause goodness knows I was the ONLY grunge kid in Southern Ontario in 1986. Most of the Mats' music sounds a little dated to me now. It was a perfect soundtrack for a troubled youth, but harder to relate to as an adjusted thirtysomething. Or maybe I'm disillusioned 'cause let's face it, Paul's solo stuff DOES suck. If he's an artist, as he insisted when 12(14?) Songs came out, I'M A GRAPE. It doesn't rock (not really). It isn't witty. It isn't charming. It isn't ANYTHING that made the Mats great, and I thought he WAS the Replacements. Is it just me or has there been a complete transferrence of his talent and humour (Post-Mats) to Tommy Stinson? He's become my all-time rock hero, even if he is Duff right now, because he's still everything the Replacements always were. If you're reading this and you don't own his solo output, go buy it. (a related side story - while I was working with Los Super Seven recently as a studio assistant, Steve Berlin noticed Bash and Pop in my CD case and remarked "If I could be anyone else, I'd want to BE Tommy Stinson. They asked me to join the Replacements for their last tour and I regret not doing it. I was touring with the Go-Go's at the time." I later sent him a copy of "Squirrels.") Anyway, I'm a new Skyway subscriber because I still carry a torch for these guys. I'm sure most of you understand this - I really give a crap about what happens to them. I'm in LA working at a local studio (Ocean), and I hear stories from time to time. I'll pass those on if you like. Take Care you BOY. From: "rick reid" Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2001 13:58:41 -0700 Hi my name is Rick Reid, I'm 16 yrs old and reside in Edmonton Alberta. I'm sure you guys have heard this one before, but I'll say it anyway. How I discovered the 'Mats is pretty surprising considering their current cult status and the fact that I live in a different country. Last year I was really into the Goo Goo Dolls and Soul Asylum, among others, and I always saw a reference to the replacements in nearly every article involving those bands. CD reviewers were always dismissing the Goo Goo Dolls as rip offs of the 'Mats, so I decided to check this band out. I happened to find Tim and 14 Songs at the local library, so I checked them out and popped them into the CD player. By the end of Hold My Life I was hooked. It was like one of those epiphanies or revelations you see on cheesy TV movies. I could not get enough of this band. I'm in a band as well, so when I heard these songs I thought that these are the songs that I should be writing. Since that fateful day about a year ago, I have become obsessed with The Replacements and collected all of their CD's, Paul's solo work, and I have 4 70+ minute burnt CD's of live and rare Replacements songs from Napster. This band has honestly changed my life (along with Catcher in the Rye) and I only wish more people could experience the music and that I hope to see Paul live, although that looks doubtful at this point in his career. I wish I could have been there during the glory days, but the CD's are enough to keep me happy for the rest of my life. I guess I owe it all to the Goo Goo Dolls. p.s. If you guys have any info on how to get a Replacements shirt, or any of their music videos or live shows on vhs or these outtakes: Job Country Make This Your Home (a couple of others off of the ptmm outtakes) ...it would be greatly appreciated. my email is hushdagger@hotmail.com thanks, rick. From: "Jim de Galley" Subject: Replacements Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2001 13:51:18 -0500 I am pretty new to this whole internet thing and upon my search for Replacements and Westerberg info, I found you. My name is Jim and I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have been a Mats fan since 1989. When I got to HS I meet a guy who shared a familiar satirical view of things that I did and we immediately bonded. The first Saturday that I went to his house we began to discuss music and our favorite bands and songs. At the time I was more or less listening to very little "good" music. My collection consisted of bad bands like Warrant, Tesla and Exodus. My friend was on the verge of asking me to leave, until I mentioned that I also was a big fan of the Sex Pistols, the Pixies, Husker Du and the Outfield. Upon mention of these bands, he decided to let me into the world of the Replacements. The first time I heard Paul yell, "god what a mess on a ladder of success" shook my very soul. He has since been my best friend that I have never met. I am now married, have a wonderful son and even a dog. The only downside to all of this is that I do not listen to music as regularly as I would like and I have fallen out of the music loop I guess. The fore mentioned friend is still my best friend and tries to keep me updated, but as I'm sure you know it is not easy. When I read a list of some of your favorite bands, I was taken back a bit...these are the same bands that I love and hold to a high standard. I have lost (or had stolen at some point) many records. The Small Factory albums hurt a lot since I can not find them anywhere. Too Much Joy wrote some of the best laugh and get drunk songs that I have ever heard. Uncle Tupelo wrote the epic "Gun" and transformed into one of my true favorites Wilco. I recently got a copy of a song by the old lead singer of Archers of Loaf now on his own as Crooked Finger (I believe) and cried as I heard the song "A new drink for the old drunk (I think that is the name). I know I am all over on this e-mail, but my life by some standards has become boring and this is a great day for me to find this sight. Anyway here are my favorite Mats songs, in no order of course: Color Me Impressed Customer Bastards Of Young...I have heard Paul hates this song? Skyway Can't Hardly Wait I'll Be You Swingin Party Left of the Dial Within Your Reach Achin To Be Androgynous Nevermind This list could go on and on... Other bands that I enjoy that you did not list... Whiskeytown/Ryan Adams - The second coming some say. Buffalo Tom Jayhawks Chris Mills The Beautiful South Blue Mountain Marah Jason Faulkner Thanks for reading this and I really hope I hear from you. Take care, Jim Date: Tue, 03 Apr 2001 23:39:21 -0300 From: Cindi Merklee Subject: Why has it taken me this long to find you!!!! Ok, so I am completely blown away by this site. Nowhere is my home??? Not anymore - it's right here! Here's how I was essentially spoon-fed The Replacements: I grew up in the suburbs of New Jersey. Despite the fact that I was brought up listening to the good stuff (Beatles, Kinks, The Who, The Pretenders, et al.) when I got into high school I listened to CRAP music. Little did I know how much that tore my two older brothers apart (11 and 15 years older than me). While I was wasting my time listening to bands I'm much too ashamed to mention here they were checking out Husker Du, The Pixies, and yes, The Replacements. In the summer of 1989 Tom Petty was touring and having listened to his music since I was a little rugrat I asked my brothers to take me. They loved the idea and promptly handed me all of their Replacements records (on vinyl - not CD's), a blank tape, and a list of songs as suggestions saying little more than "Here, this is the opening band. Listen to this." My life has not been the same since. After the Petty show I saw them open up for Elvis Costello in 1990 at the Garden in NYC and was blown away when they pulled out "Hootenanny". About a year or so later in March of '91 I saw them back to back nights - first at The Ritz in NYC and then at Rutgers - Cook College in New Brunswick, NJ. The details of that weekend are fuzzy but I still get chills thinking about it. One thing I do remember vividly is Slim stopping in the middle of a guitar solo to flip the bird to a photographer who was trying to take his picture. I love that man. My musical epiphany didn't stop at The Replacements - from there I stumbled across and threw myself into Husker Du, Big Star & Soul Asylum (back then they were great). I threw a band together my senior year with some like-minded musicians and we entered a "battle of the bands". Every band that entered was playing covers, our set list included The Pixies, Wire, Soul Asylum, Husker Du & The Replacements. Needless to say, in 1991 when the big sensation was Metallica (which, by the way, the winning band covered) no one knew what to make of us - so much so that we had the plug pulled on us. And yes, a fight ensued, the cops broke it up and we were immediately banned from playing in town again. So back we went to our rehearsal space in my basement and hit the bottle, paying homage to our heroes while feeling somewhat impressed with the reputation bestowed upon us that night. Sadly, we never played again. My brother's band recruited me shortly after that incident when they needed a bass player - we wound up playing together for about 4 years releasing two EPs independently (on vinyl no less - I've got boxes of them in my closet if anyone is interested - the second one is dedicated to Bob Stinson, Sterling Morrison & Vivian Stanshell - we lost them all in the same year). The most amazing compliment I ever got was someone asking me after one of our shows "You're into that '80's Minneapolis scene, aren't you? I can tell." Our music didn't sound anything at all like what was going on in Minneapolis but he pegged my influences. I was in my glory. So here I am, 27 and a working stiff. I put my music away for a while but it's kicking me in the ass now on a daily basis. I've seen some amazing shows in the past year or so - including Guided by Voices, Kristin Hersch, The Soft Boys & the Young Fresh Fellows. Some other favorites are The Geraldine Fibbers, Uncle Tupelo (as well as Wilco & Son Volt), Dan Bern, Ani DiFranco, Blue Mountain. . . .I could go on for hours but I'll stop here. That's my story - in a nutshell. This is a great site - I just wish I found it sooner . . . .and I wish the Replacements lasted longer. Regards, Cindi From: "* carla *" Subject: replacements stuff Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 10:24:58 -0400 i'm new to the skyway list and i guess sorta a new replacements fan as well. i listened to them in high school but i never bought any of their albums cos there was a local radio station that played them all the time (i had no money ya see.) but of course no one plays them anymore so for the past few years i've been buying the mats stuff - and being quite annoyed with myself for not having bought them sooner!! well, anyway, i am now a huge fan and i would really like to have a replacements t-shirt or pin or some such thing. i've found some on ebay but i always get outbid. does anyone know of a store where i can buy mats stuff? either online or a real store in the nyc area? otherwise i'm gonna have to resort to making my own.. which maybe isn't such a bad idea.. but well, whatever.. carla ahnatta@hotmail.com ******************************************************************* this is a song for the young believers who woke up and found themselves neither ~my favorite From: "Jason" Subject: Hey... Date: Tue, 20 Mar 2001 09:25:34 -0600 I've of course been a 'Mats fan forever, and could spend hours discussing them...but I won't, the following discussion is long enough. I wanted to say two things, though both will probably be SO old by the time the next Skyway comes out, but oh well. First, I've just got a new job in Denver, where I don't know a soul. So if anyone wants to drop me a line/hint/etc, that would be greatly appreciated. The second was something 'Mats related that caught my eye recently. These days it's hard to find a decent band still out there, but over time I've became a fan of a band from my hometown (Dallas) that's grown to have fans all over. Let me start out by showing my country-phobic roots, how I loathe what passes for mainstream country. However for some reason I like the bands that have a touch of it, such as Wilco and in this case the Old 97's. I don't consider them country but I do know their albums of the past had a bit of a hint of it. At any rate, I was hitting the website http://www.old97s.com/ when I came across their guitarist talking about their new album, and while saying he wasn't comparing them at all to the 'Mats, he makes a reference saying he feels like them when they hit their stride with "Tim" (of course it might have helped that he was in Minneapolis at the time). This struck me, for as good as the Old 97's are, I will always love the 'Mats first and foremost - Hell, I came of age with them. Anyone ask me who my favorite band of all time is I wouldn't miss a beat saying their name (though current ACTIVE band would have to be the 97's). I really don't think they sound at all alike, but then I started to think about it. For instance how the 'Mats started out very punk-y and matured by the time they got to "Tim", the 97's have also lost most of their early country-esque sound. Of course I love all the 'Mats' albums, all their stages, but I do consider "Tim" to be the high point (though "Let it Be" comes in a close second). No, the Old 97's are not the new Replacements, and I'm not trying to say they are and everyone MUST listen to them. But it's refreshing to see a good band out there with a great sense of songwriting, who has a unique but simple sound, and isn't like every pretty-boy band out there on MTV. ...And isn't that what The Replacements were all about? Jason jason@garrecords.com "Try and teach a whore about romance" From: PatGeo001@aol.com Date: Sun, 15 Apr 2001 08:23:38 EDT what can i say but that i've read this for five years now? always scared to say what thought about this great band. the happy times, the sad times, when i needed to hear them, and really need to hear them. making people listing to them. i am a paramedic and i beg radio stations to play them burn copies for them to play. show up and the say yes, yes, yes the mats. but the radio format want let me do it. big pisa I must say. yes napster has saved me, and brought i knew birth in the live songs. thank God for this. i must say i have one helena of a mats file. once again thank God for this. i wish slim, tommy, chris, and paul get the show back on the road. it is about time. The music scene is dead, gnr is dead, even with tommy. who was, and is, the true uncut rock cream of untap strength paul still has a pure untapped pen of songs. Chris is Chris....to smooth the back in a grove. slim i think he can still rock. so many souls lost in the mtv world of the zenith in there prime so smart people overlooked it all. they were funny, sharp, drunk, stupid all in one night. they took the 80's by the balls and beat there own heads into to just make music. against up hill formats where the radio and mtv steers the course of bands while pure music suffers and is left only in our hearts and radios and pc's as i download as much mats as i can. i bought another pc and i am only going to have the mats music so i can trade, beg, download, is it so hard to say tim stayed in my tape deck for a year. so hard to hear bands that rip them. i think only the fakes make it. the mats were so smart in not being fake....why else would you play shit faced drunk...why because you were real. no shopping mall, noooo molly ringwald, bands sell out just for the money. ask tommy, slim, chris, how much...like bob not a damn thing but a lot of great songs pumped out by Paul. someone needs to kick music in its ass i think bring the mats back. From: "Kris Richardson" Subject: Finally, the internet serves a purpose Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 11:25:38 -0500 I don't feel old. Heck, I just turned thirty-six, can't buy a beer without getting carded and still can't grow chest hair. Still, I can't help but feel like a relic from a bygone era when the barely post-teens I work with talk about what they consider 'good music'. Hey, I'm not talking about living in the past. I'm more than willing to give the benefit of the doubt to some of these neo-punk bands and rap-metalheads. I really think some of them might have their hearts in the right place. You gotta figure that some of these guys must draw inspiration from and have respect for the headwaters, including what in my small world is the Greatest-Rock-Band-In-History, the Replacements. Where I draw the line is when these kids dismiss what came before as irrelevant. I had one 22 year old 'music critic' describe the Mats as 'bubblegum pop' while extolling the virtues of Limp Biskit. Now you've got me mad. You can understand how cool it feels to read your last issue of Skyway and see emails from younger fans and those who have recently discovered the Replacements. Maybe it's not a lost generation after all! My brother gave me a cassette of Tim about 16 years ago. I was a typical suburban kid and after spending most of my childhood being drowned by arena-rock and hair bands I was open to just about anything. I was sick of three slickly produced power chords and an anthem-like chorus. I was willing to give anything different a try. Ska, pop-punk, even some English electronic bands (nah, not really) at least seemed to be a change in some way. I still remember how I felt when I heard Bastards of Young, Left Of the Dial and Little Mascara. Rock and Roll was not dead! I still consider Pleased To Meet Me to be the single finest album of all time (I know, I should pick the Stones or the Beatles, both of whom I love, but for me PTMM still grabs me by the heart and swings me around). I've tried to distill why I like the Mats so much. Yeah, I think the drunken irreverence thing is kinda funny (St. Andrews Hall in Detroit. Chris counts off the song, the Mats just roar about 8 bars in when Paul starts yelling, "Tommy. Tommy, man! You're playing the wrong song!') but that's not my lifestyle. Actually I'm a pretty reverent person. It's just the fact that they are the most honest band I've ever heard. I own a guitar. I've played in bands. I can copy most of the riffs on any Mats album, but I never could have written them. I can't throw flames one second and make people want to weep the next like Bob. I listened to 'the Ledge' yesterday for the first time in quite a while. It's not overdramatic, it's not an apology, but it puts you right inside of the head of someone who thinks entirely differently than you do. And without being pretentious. I can appreciate a song like that, but I sure couldn't write one. OK, anyway this waste of bandwidth is my way of saying I'm looking forward to your letter and I'm really just happy that it exists. Kris From: "Jeffrey Thomas" Subject: 'Mats mentioned in "Stuff" Date: Mon, 19 Mar 2001 15:23:57 -0700 The April 2001 issue of "Stuff" Magazine has an article titled "Stick This In Your Ear" which is a rather interesting list of 50 "must own CD's". #25 (and rightfully so) is The Replacements "Tim". Comments... "Before garage bands got put up on blocks, these guys -- led by hygienically challenged Paul Westerberg -- ruled. Tim screamed in pissy singles like "Bastards of Young". This predated grunge by six years. If Westerberg had killed himself, the Replacements would have been huge." There were actually some decent choices in the list. Anyway, it was nice to see. All 'mats fans feel free to e-mail, Jeffrey Thomas Billings, Montana Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 14:54:24 +0100 (BST) From: elvisbowie@yahoo.co.uk Subject: The Greatest Band Ever My name's Nick. I live in London but was born in Cardiff in Wales. I of course worship The Replacements. I will never forget the day in early 1992 when at a small record store in Cardiff I bought Pleased To Meet Me and Don't Tell A Soul on tape. I loved them straightaway. I'd been reading about the Mats in Melody Maker and other music press from about '88 and always thought they sounded like My Kinda Band. A few months later on a trip to London I bought the first four albums on LP. I loved them too. Over the next few months I got the other albums. Funnily enough I loved them all too. My attempts to see Westerberg live in '93 were unfortunately unsuccessful - I got back to London from Europe 5 days after the show that I hadn't previously known about! I went to the Reading Festival for one day purely to see him but he cancelled at the last minute! I was rather sad. And he hasn't played a UK show since then! My fave album is All Shook Down closely followed by Pleased To and Let It Be. I'm currently in the middle of seeing 5 of my musical heroes in the space of 3 months! I've seen Sparklehorse, Red House Painters and Tindersticks. I'll be seeing Mark Eitzel and Elvis Costello. Oh and Lambchop. Nick Brown From: HChinaski001@aol.com Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 22:06:19 EDT Subject: interesting motherfuckers http://www.forbisthemighty.com/acidlogic/im_stinsons.htm From: "Lotten Strömbom" Date: Sun, 10 Jun 2001 18:54:33 +0200 Cheers. (Or something. I've never been too good at introductions.) Anyway. My name's Charlotte, and I'm writing from a very distant place called Sweden. (Ever heard about it? I am being ironic by the way, so if you truly haven't you'd better not tell me.) And yeah, I guess you could say that I like The Replacements. (I discovered their music pretty recently though. I'm only 18, so I guess it would be pretty impossible to convince people that I am a true, old Mats-fan.) Anyway - the thing is that I feel this urge to write a few words to Paul Westerberg - the person who always gets the top-position in my CD collection. And I was kind of wondering if you could help me. Is there any way I can reach him? (fan-mail, whatever?) I mean, my distant location makes it rather impossible to check out concerts etc. in the states, so mail is pretty much the only way I guess. And I would really like a word with him. (PS. If you help me, I promise not to stalk him or piss him off. And Swedes are always truthful, you know that right?) Well, that's it I guess. And yeah, I would appreciate an answer. A lot. Thanks for taking the time to read this. (I'm aware of the fact that my English isn't exactly flawless. I hope you got most of it anyway, though.) Charlotte aka Lotten PS. Please, please, please. Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 03:35:07 EDT From: CharlieDillinger@aol.com Subject: Mat's anecdote Hey, my name's Brady, and this is my first post... I live in Memphis (about two blocks from Ardent, actually) and came across this story from a friend who used to work there. Back when they were doin' PTMM apparently they were bored in the studio. Which is easy to be, cause that's where I am right now, and mixing is a royal, royal bore, especially at 2:30 a.m. So anyways, they're bored and somebody gets the idea that what would be really fun would be for everybody to vomit into their hands and see who could toss it the highest onto the wall. There's these fabric wall hangings to soften the sound when it bounces on the wall that made good targets. You can still see, if you look very close, the stains. I was impressed by the fact that they puked into their hands instead of trying to be "cool" and vomit straight onto the wall. They just wanted to see how high they could get it to stick. My heroes. Brady Potts Memphis, TN From: Thierry Cote Subject: more on the 'mats reissues (and BOX SET possibility) Well, it seems like the box set will be coming in some (near?) future. It's nice to have some good 'mats news, considering how bad the past few months have been (no sign of anything new from Chris or Slim, Paul still without a label - besides the usual "elder statesman of American indie-rock" or the old "voice of a generation" ones - and barely a peak at Tommy with GnR, as well as on the - finally! - released Whiskeytown album). They've promised all of this unreleased stuff before...now if they could only get their act together! Hopefully you'll find something of interest in this little piece I saw today on www.canoe.ca Thierry >From Jam! Music: The classic early albums by the influential '80s grunge prototypes The Replacements are to be reissued, with a box-set of previously unreleased material also planned, Rolling Stone reports. The original albums -- "Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash" (1981), "Stink" (1982), "Hootenanny" and "Let It Be" (1984) -- were all originally released on Minneapolis-based Twin/Tone Records. The new versions -- out July 24 on Restless Records -- have been remastered but won't contain any bonus tracks or artwork, the report said. During a dispute with Twin/Tone, band legend has it that the group purloined their master tapes from the label's vault and tossed them into the Mississippi River -- which for years have been cited as the reason for the albums not being reissued. But Twin/Tone founder Peter Jesperson told Rolling Stone that the label in fact had back-up copies of almost everything the group dumped in the river, and that the new versions are a dramatic sonic improvement over earlier CD editions. After splitting with Twin/Tone, The Replacements went on to sign with Sire Records in the U.S. A two-CD memento of those years titled "All For Nothing, Nothing For All" was released, but Jesperson told Rolling Stone he has already compiled 70 hours of unreleased material for a proposed box set of the Twin/Tone years. Jesperson said the set will include the band's 1980 demo tape, which was submitted by group leader Paul Westerberg before they signed with Twin/Tone. Among the rarities earmarked for the box set are 1981's "Junior's Got A Gun," "Off Your Pants," "Like You" and "Skip It"; the "Hootenanny"-era unreleased cuts "Don't Get Married" and "Lookin' for You"; a different version of the "Stink" track "God Damn Job"; and the "Let It Be" outtakes "Who's Gonna Take Us Alive," "Street Girl," "Look Like An Adult", and "Temptation Eyes," Rolling Stone said. Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 09:00:53 -0700 From: Soapbox In The Foothills Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: "File Not Found" b/w "Twin Ditties" A couple of hours ago, I simultaneously joined alt.music.replacements group and Skyway. It was 5:30am PST. The behavior smacks of a possible troll, wouldn't ya say?! Doing a web search for The Replacements is like looking for friends on a street you haven't lived on in ten years or so. There's nobody there anymore. My ass is sore from sitting on this hard, oak chair, which hasn't a proper seat cushion, and I'm wearing nothing but my underpants. The bedroom windows are cracked ever so slightly, to let in the Sierra Nevada morning air, and the image could be unsettling. I'm even shaking ever so slightly, but am unwillingly to pull on a T-shirt, and because there are things I must get off my chest, I press on. Ditty #1: For a guy who first heard "I Will Dare" on Rodney Bingenheimer's (sp?) "Rodney On The ROQ" show (it was either '84 or '85), you'd have thought I'd have "caught the Mats" wave back then!?! One of my closest friends at the time, Jeff Lewis, was head long into them. What was the song he used to always play..."Red Light, Red Light, RUN IT!!!!" Don't know the title, and I can't remember what the song goes like, but I remember how Jeff would sing it. He was always playing the Mats, as well as the Smiths. In fact, if you'd have asked me back then, I would have confused "Color Me Impressed" and "Androgynous" as MEAT IS MURDER tracks. Hell, I didn't give a shit about either of those two groups back then. I was a full on REM freak at the time (thought they should have stuck with Don Gehman, but that's another story) with a good dose of Split Enz, Joe Jackson, and I suppose Simple Minds taking up my turntable. I wouldn't begin to dig the Smiths until the final years ("Last Night I Dreamt Somebody Loved Me"), and as for the Mats, it wasn't until I heard "Achin' To Be" that I bought my first Mats album. Ditty #2: A few years back, I was talking to this guy I'd met through a mailing list. We were talking about the Raspberries (I'm a big fan) and in the course of conversation this guy asked me what I thought of Alex Chilton and Big Star. I was like, "Big Who"? I told him...all I know about Alex Chilton is that he used to be the singer for the Box Tops, and that I'd heard some third hand story about how the Mats song "Alex Chilton" was about this Chilton guy, who had had a couple of Top Ten's with the Box Tops, was now washing dishes in some Memphis restaurant. For years, this is what I thought the song "Alex Chilton" was all about -- the guy who sang "The Letter" was now a dishwasher in some Southern dive. It seemed a tragic story and right for tellin'! "Oh my God! That guy in the back with the apron on....he was in that old 60s group, The Box Tops. They sang that one really popular song....what's that song??!!??" To this very day, I have never heard a single Big Star song. I've read many complimentary things about them, though... More than I ever see written about the Raspberries, dammit!!! About The Author: 2001 has been a banner year in my Replacements curriculum. I own more of their recordings now (three) than in previous years. I recently acquired ALL FOR NOTHING and assumed it was a new release -- just a couple of hours ago, while checking out the unofficial Paul site, I saw that AFN came out in '97. More About The Author Than We Cared To Know: The more I listen to ALL SHOOK DOWN, the more I'm convinced it's a masterpiece. It's the Mats ABBEY ROAD, isn't it? It's a helluva lot better than the spotty DON'T TELL A SOUL. I recently left my cassette copy at work; it has since disappeared. Perhaps it will serve as a catalyst for an unsuspecting Mats fan. About the only song I think I'll miss from it (that isn't on ALL FOR NOTHING) is "Back To Back". Incidentally, ALL SHOOK DOWN works great at the gym. If you like those slolom-ski type machines (I do!), you can do a good thirty minutes with Side One. Work up to a cardio frenzy (160) which peaks with "Bent Out Of Shape" (by then, you've been on it for almost twenty minutes), then, take a slower, steadier respite with "Sadly Beautiful", and then work it back up for the final sprint and cool down on "Someone Take The Wheel." For those of you who thirst for more, do 30 minutes of weights with Side Two. You'll be huffing on those final reps to the strains of "will this one be your last?" I need to wake my ass up now, so I'll be going. Thanks to those who read this far. Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 17:48:46 -0700 (PDT) From: loraaw Subject: A Skyway Ghost I've hadn't read The Skyway in way too long, when I had on Eventually tonight and it reminded me of all the great shows I saw in 96 and all the really cool people I met (Cleveland, Columbus, Cinci, Washington, Philly, Minneapolis ... and maybe a few more). I've lost track of all but one or two of you. Any of you folks still out there? It was one of the best summers of my life. Drop me a line. I vow to start reading again and will live vicariously through Matt with his trips to Africa and touring various cities (sorry I missed ya in Tampa! Next time). Laura (White) Long loraaw@yahoo.com From: "Anthony J Morocco" Date: Sat, 28 Jul 2001 01:19:54 -0500 I'm Anthony, and I turned 25 about 30 minutes ago. I got into the Mats by having an older brother with really good taste in music. I remember hearing "Sorry Ma" and "Hootenanny" and being blown away. I got the chance to see the Mat's in '91 in New Jersey at Rutgers, still have my ticket stub. It was the first show I ever went to, and it was pretty nuts. I remember walking in, and the Rutgers staff had put these blue wrestling mats all over the place, on the floors, on the walls, everywhere. There weren't too many people there from what I recall, but my memory is a little fuzzy. What really shocked me was that the band I had heard sing "Run It" and "Kick Your Door Down" - at this show sounded to me more like REM. Even though they didn't play a lot of older stuff (like I was expecting), I still walked away amazed. And looking back, that was a tall order to fill with me, being all young and musically ignorant. The thing that still to this day gets me about the Mats is the lyrics. How can one band simultaneously sound like they don't care about anything, and write lyrics that are really thought provoking and compassionate? Well, maybe not all of the lyrics. I think we fans can all say that if we walked away with anything - it's the knowledge in the words. Well, I moved to Minnesota last year from Jersey, and I live about 2 minutes away from Buck Hill. I now understand the song "Skyway". I've played "Here Comes A Regular" on the jukebox at the CC Club. I still haven't gotten rid of the "joisey" accent though. I'm in a band out here, and I play bass. If anybody reading this lives in or near the cities and wants to start a Mat's tribute band, please email me. I have a secure practice space 24/7, equipment & transportation. Drink some Leinenklugel's, play out here and there, have some fun. We'll call the band "Whistler's Mammy". Haha. Favorite lp = Hootenanny Favorite songs = Left Of The Dial, Run For The Country, Color Me Impressed, Hold My Life, Bent Out Of Shape anthony_morocco@msn.com From: Buk21@aol.com Date: Tue, 31 Jul 2001 19:11:05 EDT Subject: me, i guess i love the replacements. i loved them a lot around 89 too, and then i guess i drifted off to other things like drinking and getting nowhere. and now i'm back to loving the mats full time, i mean i never stopped liking them. the album that turned me on to them , all shook down was always in constant rotation in my TAPE DECK THANK YOU VERY MUCH but i saw the mats in 19?? open for tom petty and they sucked and i had not heard of them at that point and did not want to, but now i love them and i can say i saw the mats but not w/ bob, i know but what the hay, i saw them. and now i find myself a lot like what i guess bob was, god rest his soul. i got to the drinkin ya see, pretty hard but i think it's the only way i can go, right now. but i just bought this best of mats, all for nothing......nothing for all and what can i say it rocks. here comes a regular, i came to this site to read the lyrics again and i signed up for skyway. and here i am, just one thing............oh maybe two, there's a stinson in guns n roses?????? and where is Paul anyway? peace, mark If I should fall from grace with god Where no doctor can relieve me If I'm buried 'neath the sod But the angels won't receive me Let me go boys Let me go boys Let me go down in the mud Where the rivers all run dry --shane macgowan From: "josh davis" Subject: what rouch peace Date: Thu, 02 Aug 2001 22:40:01 -0400 i'm a skyway subscriber (usually at andnostar@hotmail.com) who's just become published. there are bios and info at: Bio- http://www.nbizz.com/tailtellers/listings/24.html Book- http://www.nbizz.com/tailtellers/listings/23.html Press Releases- http://www.emailwire.com/cgi-bin/news/db.cgi?db=ads&uid=default&ID=1413&view_records=1 http://www.prweb.com/releases/2001/7/prweb26835.php please give it a look. anyone who likes hi fidelity/james joyce/indie music/etc would probably enjoy reading it. cheers-- -josh From: "Jen" Subject: Hi! Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 15:30:49 -0400 I'm a 19-year-old student at UMD College Park. My parents liked some Replacements songs when I was little, so that's when I first heard them. I think I had only heard songs from "Let It Be," so when I was a little older I bought some more of their records and really started to get into their sound. I think I like them more and more with every listen. Some bands, even some of the best, start to sound dated years after their albums were first released. The Mats somehow escaped that trap--I could easily mistake any one of their albums as having been put out just this year. My favorite Mats songs are probably "Unsatisfied" and "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out." "Unsatisfied" is one of those songs that really stands out, along with "Born in the USA" and "Lay Lady Lay" (my dad is a Springsteen and Dylan fanatic), in my earliest memories. "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out" is another one of those songs--I remember thinking "Wow, that's so cool!" everything I heard it. Some of my favorite musicians/bands are: The Pixies (and FB and the Catholics), Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, the Velvet Underground, Roxy Music, Morphine, Pavement, Bruce Springsteen (don't forget the E St. Band!!), Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, The Smiths/Morrissey, The Misfits, Dinosaur Jr/J Mascis, Billy Bragg, Fugazi, Shudder to Think, Tom Waits, Blondie...and countless punk/local bands that I'll spare you the pain of reading through. As one of the younger Mats fans, I was excited to read the "hello's" from other young people like myself who are into the music I love. It sometimes gets discouraging when your age bracket is constantly being targeted by the "entertainment" industry, and so many of your peers eagerly buy into it. With all of the new technology that's around, I'd assume we get more crap shoved in our faces than our parents' and grandparents' generations combined. It's refreshing to be reminded that even if the majority of kids my age see nothing wrong with what's going on, a lot of kids are still willing to dig a little deeper and find something that's meaningful to them. XOXO Jen III. PEOPLE ASKING QUESTIONS, ETC. Date: Fri, 09 Mar 2001 13:38:46 EST From: Rupe33@aol.com Subject: A guess on Paul's favorite song... <<- Paul said his favorite song was something with the word "Grass" in the title by a band named something like "Friends of Distinction." I was unfamiliar with the name so I am probably way off.>> I have a guess.... "Drive That Fast" by Kitchens of Distinction; an excellent tune indeed. Not necessarily for 'Mats fans, but their record "Strange Free World" is superb for those of you who like the guitar wash of early-'90s UK shoegaze bands! Cheers, Rupe From: "T.J. Smith" Subject: Twin/Tone - More Hits From Mid America Date: Fri, 25 May 2001 09:49:05 -0700 A promotional CD with the subject title was released in 1992 (TTPRO-001) on Restless Records. This Promo CD includes The Replacements' "Kids Don't Follow" as the first song. This is the only listed Mats song on the album. However, the 18th and last song by Ween, "Squelch The Weasel", has some blank time tagged on to the end of it. This break is then wonderfully interrupted with none other than "If Only You Were Lonely". Precious on CD. Tim From: "Jeff Wilson" Subject: song needed..... Date: Sat, 26 May 2001 00:09:27 -0400 As a long time reader, I have to make one request for the next newsletter... Is there anyone out there who knows how to play 33rd of July... Please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wilson Date: Fri, 30 Mar 2001 13:00:15 -0800 (PST) From: Josh Bieber It would mean a lot to me to get a copy of the 8/7/89 Detroit show (opening for Petty). Thank you, Josh Date: Fri, 13 Apr 2001 14:10:26 +0800 From: Robert M Bedi Subject: Question on sorry ma, in the liner notes it says stole alot of words for "don't ask why." i used to know who he stole from but forgot. do you know? thanks From: "Mark Guthrie" Subject: Only Scottish 'Mats Show Ever - On Tape!? Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2001 04:59:44 +0100 I was at The Replacements' one and only gig in Scotland, ten (my god) years ago this month, at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow (still have my ticket stub somewhere). King Tuts is a great club, The 'Mats are one of my favourite bands of all time, and the gig is quite possibly the best rock'n'roll show I've ever seen (and several of my pals who also attended agree). I always wondered if anyone had taped the show, but had never found any positive proof to suggest this actually happened. However, I've just been perusing the 'Known Recorded Shows' page on The Skyway - and, lo and behold, there it is - from 18th April 1991! I would dearly, dearly, dearly love to have a recording of this show, so if you can help me at all, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get in touch - I will be eternally grateful!!! Yours in great anticipation Mark Guthrie PS If you've heard it yourself, I'm the audience member shouting (with increasing desperation, as the set progresses) for 'Unsatisfied'! PPS I talked with Slim for quite a while after the gig - what a nice man. Then I made a dick of myself by raving about it all to Paul and Tommy, who were not quite so enthusiastic! Again, hope to hear from you soon. Cheers! Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 00:35:16 -0500 From: hffilms@bitstream.net Subject: Steve Foley If you go to www.sursumcorda.com you will see an album by Big Trouble House called "Killing & Drinking Songs" which was orginally recorded in '96, now finally available via the internet. Steve was in that band '95/'96. The band broke up in '96. Here's the album info: 1. 8 lb. Hammer 2. Bullet For A Bad Man 3. Graveyard Hill 4. Hundreds Of Refugees 5. Alice 6. Guilt Trip 7. God Damn, She Was Beautiful 8. Wrecking Ball 9. Hang On Rudy 10. Lover's Lane 11. James 12. Goodnight 13. L-Shaped Room Tracks 1-3, 8, 10-13 Recorded at Third Ear, Mpls.,with Tom Herbers Phil Harder - guitar, vocals Pat Langreck - bass Steve Foley - drums Greg Haugesaug - trumpet on "Lovers Lane" Nathan Dungen - lead guitar on "L-Shaped Room" Tracks 4-7, 9 Recorded at Ultra Suede, Cincinatti by John Curley and Greg Dulli Phil Harder - guitar, vocals Pat Langreck - bass Steve Earl - drums Greg Dulli - vocals and lead guitar on "Hundreds of Refugees" Greg Dulli - backing vocals, Rick McCollum - slide guitar on "God Damn, She Was Beautiful" Mastering by Dave Wesley at Sursumcorda, Mpls. I thought you'd like to know. Rick fin. ______________________________________________________________________________ The //Skyway\\: The Replacements Mailing List (digest only) http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/skyway.html Matt Tomich | 408 E. Rosemary Street #2 | Chapel Hill NC 27514 | USA ______________________________________________________________________________ "Waiting, done at really high speeds, will frequently look like something else." - Carrie Fisher