the // skyway \\ issue #82 (april 15, 2004) 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 __________________________________________________________________________ April 15, 2004 0. Can't Hardly Wait (Matt) I. Westerberg News (Kathy, Sarah Flynn) II. Aloha! (Eddie McMillan, Scott MacRae, Anton Irvine, Mike Webb, Ralph, Jim Connelly, Kyle Burk/Patrick Healy, Ken Draznik, Josh, Lisa, Daniel, Jason, Greg Mitchell) __________________________________________________________________________ 0. CAN'T HARDLY WAIT Yeah, it’s been a long time since the last Skyway issue. And when you do anything that takes forever to get around to and finish, when you finally do, it’s so fun you wonder why you don’t do it more often. So since the last issue, I toured the entire country twice between two rock bands, and after seven years, I decided I was done. I never thought there would ever come a point I wouldn’t want to be on tour, I could never understand why bands ever broke up. But that line from Can’t Hardly Wait gives a clue about how even a tour van can become as monotonous as a day at the office: "ashtray floors, dirty clothes, filthy jokes". So after releasing seven records and having played every state except Alaska, Hawaii, Delaware, and Arkansas, I quit spending every smoke-filled club weekend sleeping on somebody's couch. The last shows were as perfect as last shows get, playing with our best friends' bands and filled with fans and friends. Sorry About Dresden covered The Alarm and "Left of the Dial", The Scaries covered "Master of Puppets" and the Magnum P.I. theme song. (Sorry About Dresden is still alive and well and may hit your town soon. Meanwhile, if you haven't already, GO SEE THE WRENS.) So since then, I've been getting to use my vacation days to travel. And I took up scuba diving. And have had the exotic experience of sleeping more than 5 hours a night. And now that I'm free, there’s a good chance I’m going to be in England near London for work this July - September. If there’s anybody over there on that side of the Atlantic Ocean that wants to hang out during that time, I'm up for it. Let me know when and I'm there. On the sadder side, I recently found out that a friend committed suicide. There's no good way to find out something like that, but that I found out through a Paul Westerberg interview is even more surreal. Paul talked about how his fans seem more tragic than most, and gave the example of the suicide of a girl whose description was utterly unmistakable. I last saw Mutsuko in Boston when she visited the United States to see several dates of Westerberg's tour in 1996; I last heard from her via a letter from her sister in 1998 that said that she was in the hospital from "exhaustion" and she would write as soon as she got out. Afterwards, her letters went unanswered. I tried looking her up in phone directories before The Scaries left for a tour of Japan. Even the listing to the record store she owned vanished. I always wondered what happened. I have the Japanese copies of "14 Songs" and "Eventually" she sent. I have a pink and turquoise mix tape with the Flaming Groovies and "Nowhere Is My Home" - one side has a sun, the other has a moon, and it all ends with Big Star's "Nighttime." But in hindsight, everything is a serendipitous clue. But how do you get to the point that you could forget that every day as a possibility, and give up the chance to do everything you ever thought you ever wanted to do? We're lucky when we get to choose our goodbyes. - m@. __________________________________________________________________________ I. WESTERBERG NEWS Paul has announced his first show date of the year: http://www.wfpk.org/2004_non_comm_headliners.htm "WFPK-FM has announced the concert line-up for this year's NONCommvention, a trade show for noncommercial radio personnel that includes two concerts in Louisville, KY that are open to the public. Those shows are set for May 14 and 15 at the Brown Theatre. Performing on Friday, in order of appearance, will be: Ben Folds (solo); The Holmes Brothers; Patty Griffin; and Zero 7. On Saturday, in order: The Polyphonic Spree; Paul Westerberg (with band); Patti Smith Group; and Sonic Youth. The line-up is confirmed, but as always, subject to change, said Dan Reed of the Public Radio Partnership. Tickets are not on sale but will be soon. Details will be broadcast on WFPK-FM (91.9) and printed in LEO. LEO is the official media sponsor for the concerts." General admission tickets are available now through the jerks at Ticketmaster at http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/16003881C0568D78?brand=&artistid=842604&majorc atid=10001&minorcatid=60. (Kathy’s Paul Westerberg page (www.paulwesterberg.com) notes that it appears that Paul will be playing solo, not with a band. Alas!) Date: Thu, 29 Jan 2004 17:09:53 -0500 From: sarah flynn from veletrope.com: May be rumor but heard from pretty reliable source that VH-1 approached both Tommy and Paul about that new Reunions show...and Tommy and Paul both told them to go f*ck themselves on camera. Now, that's the TV footage I'd like to see! From: geoff Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Here's the text from the poster that appeared in the June 1996 issue of Guitar World: Paul Westerberg's 1962 Gibson Melody Maker by Alan Paul Paul Westerberg may be known for his bittersweet lyrics and forlorn melodies, but his sentimentality certainly doesn't extend to his guitars. "I generally play Gibsons and really like SG's and Melody Makers but I don't get attached to particular instruments," says Westerberg, former singer/songwriter/guitarist for post-punk legends the Replacements. "Guitars are just tools. Sometimes I feel I'd be better off with a shovel or a rake strapped around my neck. I think of them like that; they're all tools to do what needs to be done, whether it's move earth, rake leaves or get a song across. "I got this one in Florida while touring with the Replacements. I smashed a Melody Maker I'd had for a really long time on stage and sent a roadie out to find me a new one because I hate music stores and try to never set foot in them. He came back with this. I used it on the last few Replacements tours and records [Don't Tell a Soul (Sire, 1989) and All Shook Down (Sire, 1990)] and on both of my solo albums [14 Songs (Sire, 1993) and Eventually (Reprise, 1996)]. "I decorated it one rainy afternoon when I was bored and there was nothing better to do with myself. I used paint and old gold fillings, a few pesos, whatever was laying around the house. Now it's perfect. It's light, it's versatile and it's a tough little piece of shit. It would, in fact, make a pretty good baseball bat in a pinch. A multi-purpose tool, if you will." __________________________________________________________________________ II. ALOHA From: "eddie mcmillan" Date: Thu, 18 Mar 2004 08:43:31 +0000 Only saw the Replacements once in Dublin in April 1991 on the All Shook Down Tour, but have seen both PW and Tommy Stinson in London. At the Dublin gig - met Tommy for the first time in Dublin at a pub called the 'Dark Inn' next door to The Olympia were they played what was truly a fantastic gig. He was cool as usual, very chatty and he wanted to swap his [if I remember correctly, red and white stripped boating blazer for my mates' tuxedo - but no deal!! Anyway we had a drink and shot the shit for a while - he was with another guy who I did not recognise but who said he was their manager and who complained that he was trying desperately to get them to stay together but as we all know too well, obviously failed!!!! What followed was truly one of the best rock'n'roll shows of my life, although the set list has melted into the mists of time my overriding memory of the show was an amazing version of Androgynous which Westerberg stopped singing saying 'you do it better than me' or words to that effect. It did help that there were a number of ex-pat Americans in the audience!!!! What I really want to say is that there is not a day goes by that I don't play something by the Replacements, whether on a compilation in my car or at home relaxing, when I found this band my life changed in a similar way as when I discovered the New York Dolls, The Stooges or current faves Marah. The Replacements have affected me in ways I still don't understand - all that matters is that they have made my existence more palatable. I understand fully when you say, "finding the recording catalog of the Replacements was sort of like finding some sort of enlightenment". I know very few Replacement fans in the UK apart from my immediate circle and even then my friends don't have the same enthusiasm I do - I met a guy recently called Patrick Wilkins who I think subscribes and it was truly refreshing to be able to talk with and share a deep rooted and considered appreciation for a truly great band. Regards Eddie McMillan From: "Scott MacRae" Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 10:04:41 -0500 I live within blocks of Slim & Steve Foley (Bryn Mawr) area of west Mpls. and every once in a while they will offer a classic untold story or comment...most recent credit goes to Slim: "Ah shucks, Paul hasn't written any quality lyrics since he went on Prozac!" Nothing vicious, just humble Slim's look on life! Scott From: "Anton Irvine" Subject: Hi! Date: Tue, 07 Oct 2003 23:22:18 +0100 Just thought I'd introduce myself, my name is Anton and I've been listening to the 'Mats for a few years now. I'm from England and hadn't really heard of them before I read Gina Arnold's 'Road To Nirvana', at about the same time that I got the 'Singles' soundtrack... I was struck by how much I wanted to hear these songs that she was writing about, wondering if they were as good as she said, if they were as sweetly hopeful/hopeless as the two Westerberg songs I possessed. I was just surfacing from a teenage infatuation with all things metal and needed something new to believe in, something that, ideally didn't have all its songs in E minor. Little did I know that each second-hand store purchase and Napster-hosted gem would lead me further down a path to, well, wherever I am now. Any compilation tape I do has to have a 'Mats song on it. Any time I find myself a little lost I have an emotional map and compass to orientate myself with. Any time people say they don't understand why I think this odd little band is so great I can smile, I figured out you don't have to love The Replacements but some people need to, wistfully and wisely like any true love. I play a little myself but I just don't have the people skills to be in a Band. I keep laughing when the others start talking about presentation and identity, or when the only two people who turn up are sleeping with the singer already. I have a bad job already, why I'd want another one is beyond me. So I record my own stuff and wish I could sing, (when I do my party trick of playing Skyway and Here Comes A Regular people are, well, sympathetic is the word I'm looking for) and wait for people who understand when I say "You be me for a while".... Hope all is well with you, may your valves last forever and your strings never warp, Anton From: "Mike Webb" Subject: Mystery Mats photo on 2Walls.com Date: Tue, 2 Sep 2003 23:28:09 -0400 My friend Mike Walls just posted a story about the Mats on his website 2Walls.com. I thought it was pretty funny and wanted to see if anyone on Skyway might know where the photo came from. It's a long shot I know, but why not throw it your way: http://www.2walls.com/Music/replacements.asp Mike Webb A Replacement for The Replacements September 1, 2003 by Michael Walls I lost a Replacements CD. Not just any Replacements CD - my favorite Replacements CD - Don’t Tell a Soul. It happens. You move CDs around, from the house to the car to the office. You loan them out or they simply fall behind the entertainment center or the couch cushions. After a good-effort search, I determined it was gone. Not really a problem. I’ve had it for nearly 10 years and it was probably worn out from being in continuous rotation all those years. So it was time for a replacement for my Replacements CD anyway. Ebay is usually my internet tool of choice for purchasing older CDs. I figured I could probably pick it up for $5 or $6 plus shipping. I had mixed emotions upon seeing a list of about a dozen copies of Don’t Tell a Soul for sale with nobody bidding of them - each priced at $1. First off, what kind of deaf music listener would sell a Replacements CD? And second - for anything less than $5? It was all I could do to keep myself from buying all copies for sale and handing them out as Christmas gifts to all my tone deaf co-workers and family members. It seemed like a crime against art, but I went ahead and purchased a random copy of Don’t Tell a Soul from some Ebayer for a buck. After shipping, the total cost ran me about $2.60. About 7 days later my new used Replacements CD came in the mail. The same day, I was taking a shop-vac to the family minivan and sucked up my original missing Don’t Tell a Soul CD from underneath one of the seats. So now I had two copies of my favorite CD. I promptly stuck the new used CD on my shelf and left my old copy in the car. A full year went by and one morning recently, I grabbed some CDs off the shelf to restock my truck. I grabbed Don’t Tell a Soul. It was the Ebay version, which I could tell because the jewel case was in good shape and the disc was nice and shiny. Sitting in my truck in the driveway, I opened it up to play it and a photo fell out onto my lap. The white backside had a stamp that read POLAROID with a number on it. When I flipped it over I saw this photo: a picture of Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson holding guns to their heads. Apparently, just goofing around in some sort of studio photo shoot, of which this was probably a Polaroid test print. I was pretty surprised and realized I had never even opened the CD when I bought it. I did a search through my email and Ebay account to see if I could track down the seller and find out some info about it, but it was too long ago. I doubt the seller even knew it was in there. I’m sure there’s an interesting story behind the picture, but for now it’s my own Replacements souvenir - that cost me $2.60. (Michael Walls is a volunteer staff writer for 2 Walls Webzine.) Date: Mon, 12 Apr 2004 08:34:48 -0700 (PDT) From: Ralph H I'm looking to do a quarterly magazine that will focus on rock 'n' roll's obscure vapor trails: the tentative title is FRIDAY STREET. I plan to start w/theme issues on overlooked personalities, of which Bob Stinson will be one. I need anecdotes, flyers, photos and press clippings, which you may send to: chairmanralph@yahoo.com, or my partner, Don Hargraves, at: hunza1@yahoo.com. I am also working on an article for VINTAGE GUITAR that will focus on the making of PLEASED TO MEET ME, plus a sidebar on Bob's main post-Mats bands, Static Taxi, and the Bleeding Hearts. The article should come out some time this summer. From: "Jim Connelly" I haven't written to the list in a long long time, though I have continued to enjoy the issues of the Skyway that show up in my email box. It's a nice connection back to my very very early days on the Net a decade ago, where one of the first things I did was search out other Replacements fans. All I do anymore is lurk on alt.music.replacements. Anyways, the reason I'm writing is that I've found a Replacements-oriented thing that I thought I might share with the list: an original review of "Let It Be" that I wrote for my college newspaper. It's from April, 1985 - quite some time after the album came out, but I wrote it because they were playing for the first time in Fresno that evening. I thought that it was lost forever, but an old friend was recently cleaning out a closet and I guess that I'd mailed it to her. Anyways, she gave to me, and I've transcribed it an put it on my Web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~barefootjim/writing/reviews/replacements_letitbe_orig.html I've written better things before and since, but I guess that it's a bit of an historical artifact. Thanks! P.S. Here is my latest review for the new Paul Westerberg album. http://neumu.net/fortyfour/2003/2003-00188/2003-00188_fortyfour.shtml ********************************************** Jim Connelly jim@pandemic.com http://home.earthlink.net/~barefootjim/ "How many more people have to die before no one ever dies again?" -- The Onion From: "Kyle Burk" Subject: Westerberg Story Date: Sun, 22 Dec 2002 13:06:18 -0600 It seems even Paul has forgotten yet another of his lyrics. But as well all know, over the years, he would sing various alternative lyrics. A few brain cells down and pushing 20 years later, I am surprised that he even thinks he still knew the intention of the line. Makes for a funny little story though. I have extracted the line so you can decide for yourself. Listen to attached. Sorry Paul, but I hear no fingernails...it might have been a better line. Thanks Patrick kb From: "Patrick Healy" From my teenage years on I had the indecorous desire to lead a less healthy lifestyle. My rock n' role models were the Replacements, and my inspiration was the band's singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg. The band was shit-faced drunk in almost every image I ever saw of them, and their studio recordings were as glorious, clumsy and passionate as the fourth beer of the day. They broke up when I was in high school and I never got to see them play live, but the live recordings I had heard were sometimes as glorious, clumsy and passionate as the fourteenth beer of the day. Westerberg's songs to me communicated the difficulty of communicating with other people, and then celebrated that frustration. His were anthems about being the sons of no one and ballads about other people's winds blowing out of key with your sky. And they were performed with such boozy bravado. On "I Will Dare", the lead off track from their 1984 classic, Let it Be, I heard him sing, "bacon and cigarettes [are] a lousy dinner." To me that line represented everything the band was about, and everything I wanted to be about at the time. I took it to mean that you know you're doing something that's not good for you, but you do it anyway because it's fun. On baptismal Replacements mix tapes I made for friends I would title Side A: "Bacon and Cigarettes" and Side B: "A Lousy Dinner". I even believe I sang the line to myself as I prepared that same meal several times during this period of self-imposed debauchery. Hey, I thought, somebody else has been this unhealthy and has gotten through it, so can I. Years went by and I gradually stopped drinking myself blind every night. It's sometimes as simple as realizing that the reason you feel so bad the next morning is because of how good you thought you felt the night before. I bought Westerberg's first solo album when it came out, and enjoyed that quite a bit, but he was definitely older and not as risky. I lost track of him after I sold his second CD, Eventually, back to the store after two listens. I never stopped being a fan of the glory years though. Even though I didn't live it quite as much anymore, it still touched the same nerve it had touched before. Last May I got to meet the man who had informed my diet during my late teens and early twenties. I bought his newest two-disc album Stereo/Mono the day it came out at the Boston Virgin Megastore, which earned me a wristband to stand in line and meet him after his in-store appearance the next day. I liked the two discs too. They have that raw risky feeling that I felt had been missing in much of his post-Mats work. I brought with me my vinyl copy of Let it Be. After the performance, which featured stellar readings of the new songs and some surprising gems from his past, I stood in line with likeminded music geeks and we became fast friends based almost entirely through our appreciation of his work. Westernerds. The camaraderie afforded to independent music fans can sometimes be as close as I imagine the Masons to be. I was nervous as we got closer to the autograph station, because I have been starstruck many times before by people whom I admired less than him. In third grade I followed a local sportscaster into the bathroom at the beach for an autograph. As my turn was called I walked up to the table and he asked me to hang on a second while he cut and lit another cigar. "How long have you been smoking stogies," I asked, if for no other reason than it was the first thing that came to my head. I wanted to know how long he had been smoking stogies. "About four years," he replied. "Do you still smoke cigarettes," I asked, wondering whether or not he was still holding onto any of his vices/foodstuffs from the early days. His abstinence from alcohol was well publicized enough that I knew not to ask him about drinking. "I quit smoking cigarettes about five years ago and started smoking those little cigars, but all I'd do was inhale them so I began smoking these," he held up the fat, hand-rolled Cuban for me to observe. Just then I remembered that I was talking to an idol of mine, so before I could get nervous I dropped my copy of Let it Be on the table in front of him. He examined the picture of himself and his other misfit friends sitting on the roof like hoodlums looking over the city to see where they could raise the most trouble. I said, "Could you write, 'bacon and cigarettes, a lousy dinner'?" He looked up at me through those thick blue Lennon glasses that have become his solo career trademark, and asked, "What song is that from?" "It's from 'I Will Dare,'" I reminded him. At first I thought he was bullshitting, but he just stared at me with a confused look on his face. His eyes like vacant little commas behind blue cough drops. The silence became uncomfortable so I sang the line to him. "I ain't lost yet, so I gotta be a winner, bacon and cigarettes, a lousy dinner." As he looked at me his puzzled look was washed away with a relieved expression. "No, no, that's not what I say," he said, like he figured out the answer to a riddle we had been working on together, "I say, 'fingernails, cigarettes, a lousy dinner.' You know? Like you're nervous and you're chewing your fingernails and smoking?" He opened his eyes wide and made a motion like a nervous cartoon character with his teeth chattering on his fingers. "Oh," I said, and my entire scope of perception shifted one degree to the left. I was also slightly amused that my case of lyricosis was remedied by the actual songwriter. "It's a whole different meaning, isn't it," he asked. "Yeah, I thought it was an ode to unhealthy living," I admitted. "Nope," he said, seeming excited that he had set me straight. As he wrote the correct lyric on the album jacket, I asked what his formula for good songwriting was. He said, "if it scares ya, you know you've written a good song. If it gives you chills." I nodded my head and said, "Thank you for saving me during my teenage years." We shook hands and I realized, although I thanked him for saving me, my own lyricosis and misinterpretation of his words could have damn near killed me with the lifestyle it advocated, putting roadblocks in my arteries and paving my lungs. Either way bacon, fingernails and cigarettes are all lousy dinners. (Pat Healy is a founding partner at the small indie label Handsome Records (www.handsomerecords.com) and he writes songs, sings and plays guitar in a band in Providence, RI called International Pen Pal.) From: Ken Draznik Date: Mon, 10 Mar 2003 10:00:37 -0600 Thought you might be interested in this recent article about a song I wrote while a member of the Vertebrats, called Left in the Dark. The Replacements used to play it live for awhile, and it ended up on The Shit Hits the Fans, incorrectly listed as Left Here Right in the Dark, I think. Cover versions are being released by Uncle Tupelo and Courtney Love. Ken Draznik http://www.pioneerlocal.com/cgi-bin/ppo-thisweek/diversions/ah (If this doesn't work, go to www.robertloerzel.com and click on "clips". It's at the top of the next page.) From: "Josh" Date: Sat, 27 Dec 2003 15:53:52 -0400 My name is Josh Salter and I live up in Halifax, Nova Scotia. I am 16 years old and am tempted to make a joke about long walks on the beach. Anywho I first heard the Replacements last year sometime when I saw the video for "Bastards of Young". Thankfully the show I watched was hosted by Frank Black which also introduced me to the Pixies. About a month later I was in a record store looking for a Replacements CD to pick up. That was to no avail and upon leaving I asked if they had anything at all by the Mats. They had the two solo albums and "Tim" on record, so I bought Tim (my first vinyl) and headed home. So I thank the Replacements for making me track down my record player and transport it to my room. So that is how I started on my journey for Replacements music and knowledge... My favorite album is a tossup between Tim and Let It Be (I'll go with Tim because of the first album factor) . Picking between songs is difficult but Here Comes a Regular probably comes out on top. I could go on about bands forever but right now I like The Pixies, Sonic Youth, Nirvana, Weezer, Matthew Good, Husker Du, Muddy Waters, Led Zeppelin, Dinosaur Jr., The Clash, The Strokes, The Beatles, Joel Plaskett, The Inbreds, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, Ben Kweller, The Mars Volta, Sloan, and many more. I play bass and guitar, live in an area with lots of talent but no scene for all ages. Only venue just got shutdown last month and now everyone is scrambling to find a new one. My life revolves around music so I kick myself everytime theirs a band I cant see because they are playing at a Bar. Merry Christmas From: "Lisa -" Date: Mon, 05 Jan 2004 21:37:47 -0500 Hi. I'm Lisa, I'm 14 (as of last week), and I don't even know if I'm submitting this right. I'm also supposed to be either studying for midterms right now or sleeping or at least trying to coax my cat back inside from the garage (I've already tried...he's hiding under the car). Instead, I'm doing this. And I don't even know if I'm doing this right. I'm a newer Replacements fan, which I guess makes sense considering that I was a year old when they broke up. I have this feeling that I'm going to be severely hurt or at least reprimanded for this, but I actually first heard of the 'Mats through the Goo Goo Dolls. They've said a lot of good things about them...like how "Left of the Dial" is the most perfect rock song ever written. So I went and found out some stuff about the 'Mats, and I got sorta drawn in (although I'm not quite sure what I mean by that or how it happened or anything...I can never figure this sort of stuff out...). I got Tim for Christmas. I went to Barnes and Noble because I'd seen some good stuff there. I held Tim in one hand and Pleased to Meet Me in another, and stood there for quite some time trying to decide which one I wanted. I put Tim back and started walking to the counter with Pleased to Meet Me, and then I stopped after a few steps, went back, and switched so that I had Tim instead. (So yes, I bought my own Christmas gift...but my mom paid for it. So I guess I really didn't, I just chose it. Yeah.) Well, I really liked it. And I was reading through some more of these Skyway issues, and something freaked me out about them (in a good way, in a good way). I'd already subscribed a few months ago, but I didn't really plan on writing in, just reading. But I guess I'm doing both, now. And I really hope I'm doing this right and that I'm not just wasting bandwidth or anything, although I guess I am because I don't make much sense and then I ramble on about why/how I don't make much sense...I guess I'm sorta strange that way. Well, I hope you all don't mind too much. Thanks in advance. -Lisa From: DanielMN@aol.com Date: Mon, 29 Mar 2004 16:00:35 EST Subject: Found: Replacements in '81 In cleaning out my parents' house, I came across some live cassettes my brother and I made in the early '80s. One was a performance in early '81 of The Replacements opening for Curtiss A on Valentine's Day. The show took place at the Walker/Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (if you go to the Twin Tone web page, you can see the 'Mats first "official" photo shoot was on the Walker/Guthrie stairs). I remember we went to record Curtiss A but asked Bob Stinson if he minded if we got them, too. It's still in brilliant shape, with great sound (this was no bar gig), and has NEVER been reproduced or traded. (Check http://www.22designs.com/foshaytower2/index_net.html for a list of the recorded shows in circulation.) I don't think there's any rarer 'Mats memorabilia out there. The price is $1500. I can even take PayPal, if you want to use a credit card. Before I list this on eBay, I thought I'd approach some real fans... Let me know if there's any interest. -Dan Date: Tue, 3 Jun 2003 14:50:26 -0700 From: Jason Sikes Subject: smokin' and drinkin' After hearing the Static Taxi album [with Bob Stinson], I was inspired to design a Bob Stinson t-shirt for myself. And then I thought other fans might be interested too. Post the site if you like. http://www.cafeshops.com/m85stuff.6208401 Thanks. Jason Date: Sat, 18 Oct 2003 00:52:08 -0400 From: "Greg Mitchell" Good to see Mr. Hammel on Skyway. For those of you who don't know Ed is a VERY fine songwriter, occasionally saddled with the 'witty' label, though there is a lot more to him, opening up for Ani Difranco on her new tour... Heard you on KUT in Austin Ed, great songs, doesn't surprise me that you are a Mats fan. Good Luck. Can't hardly wait for the new Westerberg stuff... Grub Dog Austin, TX fin. "Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand." -- Margery Williams, The Velveteen Rabbit