______________________________________________________________________________ // // The \\kyway \\ // skyway@novia.net Issue #62 October 1st, 1998 ______________________________________________________________________________ (c) 1998 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 ______________________________________________________________________________ + m@: Hootenanny! + Tomara Fleury: "Well, here I am again, obsessing over Replacements information when I should be doing 500 other things..." + Don Quan: "i had a couple weeks off from my job, and decided to drive to minneapolis solely for the purpose of visiting bob stinson's gravesite." + Jimmy: "The woman Bob was drinking with dragged him to the Michigan Theater to convince him he needed to be on stage." + Mike Monello: "Bob's Barber Shop: 8 new Mats tunes" + Mars: "I just got the new Cracker CD and Stinson plays on one song." + Jeff Levin: "I saw one of Bob Mould's last electric performances at Irving Plaza last night . . ." + Mark Timmins/Mkilling: hilarious Goo Goo Dolls reviews + Dave Fresco: Tommy Stinson interview "Replacements: `We're Over. Forget About It. Get a Life'" ________________________________________________________________________________ HOOTENANNY Hey! That was quick, huh? If you check out the lyrics (http://www.novia.net/~matt/sky/lyrics.html) section of the Skyway web page, there's been some update and additions. Check out the one-liners from the classic Westerberg rarity "Don't Get Married" (I haven't heard the recorded bootleg tape that's floating around either, but yeah, the words are great.) Check some of the old album lyrics out, because there's been a deluge of new and additional interpretations to some of the those less-than-decypherable lines to your favorite `Mats songs that people (like yourself) have sent in. "What the hell yah sayin'? I don't know." Hey, next week I'm off on another hellride tour with the power pop punk band I'm in, The Scaries. If you're not doing anything and we're playing in your town, drop me a line before Monday and I'll put you on the freebie list and you can come see some 20-something young adults sing, rock, fall down, break equipment, and try to sell T-shirts. We can hang and swap stories and wander. Fellow `Mats fan(atic)s rarely have to even attempt to find common ground. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ the scaries' "outdoin' sherman" fall southeastern tour `98 (sponsored by those awesome sheetz travel plazas) bring earplugs: mon oct 5 - clemson, sc (@the wired cafe) tue oct 6 - pensacola, fl (@sluggo's) wed oct 7 - spartanburg, sc (@ground zero) thr oct 8 - chapel hill, nc (cd release show@go studios) fri oct 9 - roanoke, va (@no phase art gallery) sat oct 10 - charleston/dunbar, wv (@the dragon's lair karate dojo) more stuff at ---> http://www.novia.net/~matt/rock.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ More insipid babble when I get back! m@. ________________________________________________________________________________ (begin) From: "Tomara Fleury" Date: Fri, 18 Sep 1998 20:29:45 -0500 Well, here I am again, obsessing over Replacements information when I should be doing 500 other things... I eat up all the stories that everyone posts, and I can't wait to have time to go through the archives. My name is Tomara Fleury (T.J. to everyone I know). I am a fairly recent fan...like another person who recently posted, I got into them right around the time they played their last. I wish I could go back in time!!! The only story I have related to the Mats is a short, not very exciting one although it was definitely a little weird at the time. One day two summers ago, I was driving through town (oh yeah, I'm from a tiny town in Indiana called Culver), and for some reason I felt compelled to stop at this yard sale, even though I don't normally stop at these things. I was looking around at all the usual junk, and noticed a box of tapes. I love music, so I started digging through it (you never know when you'll come across a gem) and found four Replacements' tapes! This was good because I did have the CD's already, but I only have a tape player in my car. There was alot of tapes from the eighties, some pop, some rock, and four Mats tapes. I got a weird feeling for some reason, like why are all these tapes in great shape being sold? I for some unknown reason felt like this person who owned these tapes was dead. I thought it was just a weird thought, and forgot about it. Then when I went up to pay, I couldn't help commenting on the tapes and the person's great taste in music, and asked why they were selling them? I figured it was because they got a CD player or something, but the women told me that they had been her son's who had died on an accident the previous summer. So it was a little strange. I got into The Replacements through a friend, who now doesn't even like them near as much as I do. Doesn't that seem to happen alot? They are one of the few bands I never get tired of listening to. I am hard-pressed to name a favorite song or CD. I love them all! I guess some of my favorites are Unsatisfied, Within Your Reach, Waitress in the Sky, Valentine, Customer.....there are too many to choose. Till next time, Tomara From: "don quan" Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1998 19:32:28 PDT being from the canadian prairies, i never got the chance to see the 'Mats play live. last spring, i had a couple weeks off from my job, and decided to drive to minneapolis solely for the purpose of visiting bob stinson's gravesite. purely by chance, the hostel i stayed at was about two blocks off of nicollet avenue, where twin-tone records' offices were. it was a saturday, and the offices were closed, so i wandered down the street looking for record stores. i happened upon Garage D'Or, where apparently the 'Mats used to do in-stores on the little stage at the back of the store. I asked the clerk if he knew where bob's gravesite was, and after a moment's hesitation, he told me that bob was cremated, and carleen (his ex-wife) had his ashes. i guess i was kinda disappointed, having drove all that way, but just the whole vibe of being in that store, with posters on the wall of very young looking Replacements (and Husker Du) made me feel a bit better. i drove around downtown minneapolis with "let it be" cranked on the stereo for the rest of that afternoon. i am looking for a videotape of the 'Mats first Saturday Nite Live appearance. anyone with info pls e-mail me at hvq@hotmail.com don quan saskatoon, saskatchewan From: jimmymac80@aol.com.woo.hoo (JimmyMac80) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: re: Bob Stinson Date: 22 Sep 1998 03:44:18 GMT I know you all may not want to hear this, but Bob became an irresponsible asshole and deserved to be fired. Paul and Tommy debated the decision at Tommy's mother's house and she said to them, "You boys know what you have to do." When the album Tim came out the Mats were just starting to make money, just getting noticed. Being broke sucks. Touring in shitty old vans that breakdown whenever it rains sucks. When you play big money gigs, you need to show up on time and Bob never figured that out. Here in Ann Arbor the Mats were scheduled to play the Michigan Theater (Tim tour). Bob was drinking beer with one of the gals from the record store when the band was supposed to be on stage. Paul Westerberg actually asked ME if I knew how to play guitar! No, unfortunately, I don't and had to say no. I suggested my roommate. Paul came on stage and asked him to come on down and play. He ran from the balcony as fast as he could. He was too late. I had been talking to Billy Sullivan before the show and mentioned that I had seen one of the security guys in a band do a cover of I Will Dare (using stupid fake English accents). Billy said something to Paul and the band went on stage using a security guard to play guitar because Bob was over 45 minutes late (sitting around drinking in the U of M diag). The woman Bob was drinking with dragged him to the Michigan Theater to convince him he needed to be on stage. When he heard the band was playing he ran over security, through the crowd to the stage. When he finally did arrive the crowd went crazy and Tommy had one of the great lines of the day, "Don't cheer for him, he's late!" Later that night at a party Bob signed a Mats poster on a wall with a note asking for forgiveness. This was not an isolated incident. This was becoming common place. Bob knew he was going to be fired and he got what he deserved. None of us could do that shit and expect to keep our jobs. Having said all of that, I really liked Bob personally. I had the pleasure of knowing the band personally for several years (going back to the Hootenanny days).On the Let It Be tour with X, I brought a cake to on stage to Tommy for his 18th birthday. Bob was one of the first members of the band to just sit down and chat with me. I never saw him use his "rock star status" to get anything. He even asked permission before raiding my liquor cabinet. I'll never forget him walking out of my apartment with a large plastic Burger King cup filled with a fresh made screwdriver. Paul was concerned about my liquor disappearing and asked Bob what he was doing. Bob looked like a mischievous schoolkid and giggled, "he said it was okay." (pointing at me) Within seconds everyone had a drink to go! Bob Stinson was a decent human being and a nice guy. I'm sorry he's no longer among us. Jimmy Mac From: mikem4@magicnet.net (Michael Monello) Subject: Bob's Barber Shop - 8 new Mats tunes Date: 28 Sep 1998 03:15:18 GMT I've finally updated Bob's Barber Shop for your listening pleasure. 8 new Mats tunes, culled from Miraclo's CD's. They are: I Wanna Destroy You Don't Get Married Learn How to Fail Gas Station Attendant It's Hard to Wave in Handcuffs Mama Said P.O. Box (Empty as Your Heart) Street Girl (2nd take) You'll need the VivoActive plug-in (there's a link from the page). Point your browser to http://www.magicnet.net/~mikem for all the action. Enjoy! -Mike remove "4" from return address to reply to this message __________________________________________________________ h a x a n | f i l m s | o n l i n e - http://www.haxan.com __________________________________________________________________ b o b ' s | b a r b e r | s h o p - http://www.magicnet.net/~mikem From: "Mars" Subject: Stinson Date: 30 Sep 1998 10:40:23 PDT Anyways I just got the new Cracker CD and Stinson plays on one song. I wish he would join the band permanently and forget all about that G&R crap. The album is great so go buy it. Date: Sat, 26 Sep 1998 15:43:14 -0500 From: Jeff Leven Subject: 'mats and mould Just wanted to check in and say that I saw one of Bob Mould's last electric performances at Irving Plaza last night. He was incredible - rarely see anyone throw themselves into a guitar like that. The best part of the night, though? When they put the video of "I'll Be You" up on the screen in between sets and the sold-out crowd broke into spontaneous cheering!! Good to see the boys get ovations even now. Just thought I'd share, -J ******************************************************************** Jeff Leven Princeton University (609) 258-8692 http://www.princeton.edu/~jdleven "I'm not as complex as I look." - Mike Tyson "Such a fine line between clever and stupid.." - Nigel Tufnel, Spinal Tap ******************************************************************** Date: Thu, 01 Oct 98 12:33:28 -0500 From: mark_timmins@mail.cbpi.com Subject: Goo Goo Mats? The latest Replacements, er, I mean Goo Goo Dolls album, is reviewed in this week's Boston Phoenix. http://www.bostonphoenix.com/archive/music/98/10/01/OTR/GOO_GOO_DOLLS.html **1/2 Goo Goo Dolls DIZZY UP THE GIRL (Warner Bros.) It's easy to resent Buffalo's Goo Goo Dolls for having achieved phenomenal commercial success with a sound that never brought the Replacements anything more than critical acclaim. But then, nobody ever choked under pressure like the Replacements (except, perhaps, Paul Westerberg's hero, Alex Chilton) -- certainly not the more well-adjusted Goo Goo Dolls. And the pressure was surely on this time: having already scored a massive midsummer hit by putting Dizzy's "Iris" on the City of Angels soundtrack, the Goos had to come up with at least one or two more good reasons for fans to buy their sixth album (which, of course, features "Iris"). So singer/guitarist Johnny Rzeznik puts on his best "Here Comes A Regular" voice, which is sounding more and more like Tommy Stinson's Westerberg imitation every album, and croons sentimentally about a "young man sitting in an old man's bar waiting for his turn to die" on the plaintive "Broadway," gets all clumsy and romantic about a girl named May on the hooky "Slide," and then falls for the girl that "a thousand boys could never reach" on the semi-acoustic ballad "Black Balloon" (a string- embellished song aching to be "Achin' To Be"). Let's just say that "Iris" fans won't be unsatisfied. -- Matt Ashare From: mkilling@vt.edu Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Mats name-checked at MusicCentral Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1998 11:37:49 -0400 This review for the new Goo Goo Dolls record was taken from the Microsoft MusicCentral site (without permission but credit given) and I thought it would be of interest to some people in this group who've debated the Goos vs. Mats: "Before their hit single "Name" knocked them out of obscurity three years ago, this Buffalo-bred, Replacements-worshipping band had played America's choicest dives for more than 10 years, patiently waiting for payback time. It finally came full tilt with this year's "City of Angels" soundtrack smash, "Iris." Full of "Party of Five" pathos and sweeping strings, that emotive song quickly made them the summer's rock-radio darlings. Of course, their sixth effort features "Iris" along with a parallel power ballad, "All Eyes on Me," which comes up a bit short on the sob scale. You want to respect the Dolls for achieving song success the old-fashioned way - writing tunes with honest hooks. But the scrappy spirit they showcased on Superstar Car Wash and A Boy Named Goo seems to have suffered in the process. Now, predictable guitar and bass riffs, melodramatic lyrics and hefty reverb on John Rzeznik's bittersweet vocals don't give those hooks any place to go. If you like the Goo Goo Dolls' sound, you'd do much better picking up Tim or any mid-'80s Replacements record, since this trio is still 25 cents short of the Paul Westerberg dollar." - Charlie Amter (Big ass interview physically sent in by Dave Fresco All mistakes thanks to OCR by Matt Tomich) yeah, yeah, yeah #10 (1997) p. 18-21 Replacements: "We're Over. Forget About It. Get a Life." Interview & story by Kris Nicholson PART I: THE TOMMY STINSON INTERVIEW The Replacements were always the band on the verge ... the band most likely to . the band so far left of the dial most people never even knew who they were. Now, with the release of the two-disc All For Nothing/Nothing For All, a collection of highlights from their four Sire albums and a hodgepodge of live tracks, alternate versions, and several of their infamously quirky cover tunes, the chances of any of that changing are slim. At least that's what the band's bassist Tommy Stinson, thinks. What are Paul Westerberg's thoughts on the subject? Perhaps his silence speaks louder than anything he might have to say. More on that later. In the meantime 'Mats fans, it's up to you to spread the word. Now, read on and revel in the wit and wisdom Tommy Stinson has to offer on the little band that could but never did - the greatest rock hand of the '80s. The Replacements. Y3: How do you feel being the spokesperson for All For Nothing? TS: I'm not really being the spokesperson for it. I guess because Paul won't speak - which is very hypocritical in a way because he did the whole thing - I'm the one people are talking to. Y3: You think he should speak. TS: Well he did help put it together... Why not? Y3: Did you participate? TS: Hell no. I didn't think it was a good idea. I didn't think it was the most timely thing to put together at this moment; not that I'm totally against it. What makes this the best time? We haven't been broken up that long and there isn't anything going on right now. Now, if some group was singing our praises as they sold two million records, that would be cause to do something like this. Y3: Kind of like what the 'Mats did - on a small scale - for Big Star with "Alex Chilton." TS: Yeah. There are just times to do something like this. It's just that this collection is only our last four albums. For a lot of people it ain t gonna cut it. It's only half the picture. Y3: Are there plans for the Twin Tone era 'Mats records to have something similar released? TS: I heard that they're going to do something, but they might do it in the year 2000. The turn of the fucking century. I think it's (the Reprise collection) a fucking great idea, The thing that bothered me, really, was the timing of it. Putting it out at this time of the year - I mean I can understand the want for something at Christmas time but come on, there's a zillion dinosaur records coming out. Have you got a copy of it yet? Y3: Yeah. TS: So you know that the second CD is crap. Y3: You think Nothing For All lives up to its title. TS: Exactly. Y3: Can you recall one of your fondest memories with The Replacements? TS: Oh no, you're not gonna ask me to do that? There were lots of good things; but to try and conjure up a fond one right now at this hour of the day is kind of hard. Y3: You've said you feel unhappy with the collection because it excludes the early years, but are you happy with the choices they made from the records they had to choose from? TS: Not really. Y3: What would you have included that's not on there? IS: I'll tell you what I wouldn't have done, only because they asked me sort of after the fact. I wouldn't have included "Anywhere Is Better Than Here." I wouldn't have put "Someone Take The Wheel." I probably wouldn't have included "Nobody." I don't think those are the strongest songs on the planet. I think there are better songs. Y3: What would you include instead? TS: I don't really know. That's going a little far. But if you're asking me to critique it, I wouldn't have put those on. Y3: Every time I read about you, Bash and Pop, or Perfect, The Replacements are always mentioned. Does that bother you, or are you happy to come from that place? TS: It really doesn't do anything to me either way, Obviously I've been doing this since I was 13 so I'm probably not going to suddenly sound like the Chili Peppers. When You grow up doing something, pretty much that's what you do. Not like I'm a one-trick pony or anything - I figure I got my education at that school, so. Y3: I've read where people say Perfect is more like early Replacements and what Paul does is like late Replacements. How do you feel about that? TS: Whatever. Comparisons don't really matter to me. I don't give them a lot of credence. I think what I do is probably what I've always done. That's not to say I'm stagnant or I've stopped growing. I just think there's a certain thing that I learned that I love to do, and I still do it. There's the pop music that I grew up on that The Replacements sort of emulated ... sort of emotional pop music with some kind of a twist I guess. Y3: How much did Paul influence your songwriting? TS: 100%. 1 didn't know how to write songs before I met him. He's a total influence. Who better to learn from than Paul Westerberg. I mean, come on, he's written some of the greatest songs of the '80s. People will remember these songs for years to come. I'm proud to be part of that legacy. I think, beyond all the shenanigans and shit, the songwriting really holds up well. Y3: Lots of people say that The Replacements were the original alternative rock ... you paved the way for a lot of bands that became more successful than you. TS: That's a biggie. It's not like I have any grudges because it didn't happen to us. To have had anything to do with being the start of all "that is now" kinda thing; I think that's huge. Way huger than selling a million records once. Y3: Would you choose being influential over selling a million records? TS: I wouldn't say that. I would say, given the cards that we were dealt, our legacy is all we got. Y3: Sometimes I think Thle Replacemerits got too much respect and not enough success. TS: I agree. Y3: Do you think this compilation will effect that at all? TS: Hell no. Y3: Why not? TS: Cause there isn't a hit on the record. There's nothing that sold major amounts of records, so why should it now'? Y3: What do you think it was about The Replacements that was so special? TS: I think it was the songwriting and the attitude of the band at that time. At that time everything was about MTV hair rock. You know we really weren't conforming to anything that was going on because it all sucked. Y3: Do you think The Replacements ever went too far? TS: Everyday. Y3: Would you say that was your downfall? TS: Uh huh. I think we took it too far at times when we could have made a better impact or could have gotten more help from people trying to help us with our career. Y3: When I first heard Pleased To Meet Me I really thought that the songs would get a lot of radio play. Then when all the alternative stuff became successful I thought that if you went back to a lot of earlier 'Mats albums, you could fit a lot of songs in with what was going on at the time. I guess it just wasn't meant to be. TS: I guess we just weren't the most timely thing on the planet. Y3: Why did the band break up? TS: We ran our course. We just got to the point where we said, "OK, now let's do something else." Paul felt that way more so than the rest of us, but certainly I was right there. I was very undertanding about what he wanted to do and I quickly jumped to my own thing. It wasn't like we went home and cried in our beer. Y3: I know that you stay in touch with Paul; and you've played on each other's records - a though you seem to be a little out of sorts that he's not speaking about this record. TS: No no. Not at all. I understand why. He started putting it together and realized it was lame (laughing) and he bailed. That's what he did. Y3: Why will you speak about It? TS: Because I sort of have an opinion, and I guess it he's not going to get to talk I guess I have to talk to someone. Y3: It would be i shame if nobody said anything. TS: Yeah. I don't want to be an asshole about it. I'm not really adamant for, or against, anything. It's just sort of what he did. Y3: You've said you don't see you and Paul getting The Replacements back together again. Some of your best 'Mats moments were with your brother and that era, and of course that can never happen again and that's kind of sad. TS: Exactly. Y3: Do you see you and Paul ever working together again? TS: No. For one simple reason, why would we bother trying to do it all better? Y3: It doesn't seem like the bands that reform try to do it all better. It seems like they just put together a greatest hits package, maybe with one or two new songs, and basically they try to make money on something they've done before. TS: I think if you can't do it better why bother. Y3: You think it's pointless to get together to play the old tunes? TS: Hell yeah. Paul's already been playing all that old shit for years. And I haven't missed it yet. Even the Sex Pistols were ... least they were very honest about why they were doing it. Y3: For the money. TS: Fuck yeah. It was like, "OK we're gonna do this for the money and if you guys are going to be idiots enough to pay us again, for for it. And every promoter in the country lost their shirt. Y3: The Replacements couldn't exactly get back together for the money. TS: No, 'cause that wasn't our M.O. so why would we bother to make a mediocre splash and play the same shit. Y3: I understand that you and the band Perfect are about to go into Ardent Studio with Jim Dickinson producing. Would you say that it was the good experience in the past, recording Pleased To Meet Me, that led you to take this route? TS: Yeah. I did have a good experience with Jim Dickinson, and he's a lot of fun to make a record with. And those are reasons enough for me to make a record with him. I think he's great for our project. Our project ... oh my god. Y3: You're working again with Peter Jesperson (who once managed The Replacements) and I know you got together after you met at your brother's funeral, and it's kinda hard to talk about... TS: Why? Y3: The loss of your brother... TS: Oh, I love talking about my brother, I have great memories of my brother. Y3: What's your fondest memory with him in The Replacements? TS: Again, the brother things I conjure up aren't band related, so I won't go into that. But I miss him to death. Y3: Have you written a song about the experience? TS: I sort of avoided that 'cause I didn't want to write a "Candle In The Wind" kind of thing. All of my thoughts about my brother are very private and I'm not ready to share them in a song with anyone. The day I do it will be for my own reasons. Y3: Let's go back to my earlier topic ... fond memories of The Replacements. You must have several. TS: Heh, heh. Well, really, truly, honestly one of the highest points I can conjure up right now is - only because this guy is playing around here this weekend - is while we were doin' All Shook Down there was a guy who Paul and Slim admired for a long time, Terry Reid, a singer from England. He came into our session to meet us and hang out because our guitar tech was his roommate and we were just blown away. He sat down in the waiting room of the studio and he sang us this song called "Mayfly" which is on one of his records that we always listened to. He sang it to us with just an acoustic guitar and it was so moving that we were all balling at the end of the song. His voice was just so incredible. That's probably one of my fondest memories that, and during the same session, meeting Bob Dylan. He was recording down the hall. He flagged me into this lounge area and started asking me all these questions about the Minneapolis area. So we sat and talked about Minneapolis for about forty minutes, talking like the average Joe about nothing important or great. Y3: Was he familiar with your music? TS: Uh huh. Y3: Was he a fan? TS: I don't know if he was a fan or not, but he brought his two kids, Jakob and Anna, to meet us and hang out. Y3: You're lucky to have been playig music for so long and still be so young. You were in The Replacements at the age of 13 and now you're only 30. TS: Yeah, I've done this over half my life. It's kind of a neat thing. Y3: What keeps it exciting for you? TS: Oh boy. ..the girls? Y3: Well, I guess the songwriting, for you, is still in the early stages. TS: Yeah, that's exactly it. I haven't really written long enough myself to he bored with it. Y3: What inspires you? TS: God, riding the bus. Lots of things that are very intangible. Y3: What inspired "Alternative Monkey" on the Perfect CD? TS: Hanging out in a nightclub watching all the groovy ghoulies just kind of freak out and be all pretentious. I kinda laughed it off. And that song is really actually kinda funny. It really isn't a serious thing. It's just a commentary of a bad night out. If you listen closely you can actually hear me giggle in that song. Y3: We talked earlier about Twin Tone putting together a collection of early 'Mats songs. If they do it will you be participating? TS: Hell yeah. I probably would because of Peter (The 'Mats former manager and Tommy's current one). Y3: So then that infamous story of The 'Mats destroying all their Twin Tone masters isn't true. TS: It's true we threw the tapes in the river, but they weren't actually tapes of any worth. Y3: You probably will never get to have the last word on The Replacements because people (including myself) will always bring them up. But if you could, what would it be? TS: : We're over. Forget about it. Get a life. PART II: PAUL WESTERBERG Paul Westerberg is not talking about All For Nothing/Nothing For All. The man once labeled as "the soul of rock 'n roll" by Spin Magazine, is currently in the studio at work on his third solo LP. (He's also been busy doing the side project Grandpa Boy, which has allowed him to unleash the more loose and reckless side that everyone thought he'd long since put away.) Nevermind his silence. I managed to dig up a few quotes from interviews I had done with Paul when he was still in The Replacements. The interviews took place shortly after Pleased To Meet Me, Don't Tell A Soul and All Shook Down were released. All you long time fans can revel in the spirit that launched a thousand alt-rock bands while those of you who are newcomers can catch a bit of what it was that made the original rebels without a clue so memorable. The year was 1987, the album was Pleased To Meet Me, the place was New York City's Beacon Theater, the singer was Paul Westerberg, and the song was "The Ledge." He introduced the number as their big sellout. In an interview shortly after that occurrence, Paul confessed, "I don't really think the song is a sellout at all. Did I say that? Well, if I said it then I certainly didn't mean it." In fact, the song never led The Replacements to any kind of success that might cause longtime fans to feel as if the band was going against their principles. Over the course of The Replacements career there was always a struggle between playing and writing good songs and living up to the rebellious anti-corporate attitude that fueled so many of their songs and antics. "It's hard to please all of the people all of the time," Westerberg said. Continuing, he stated, "Everyone expects something different. One person wants us to jump off a stack of amps and cut our heads open and another wants us to play 'Skyway' and be all heartfelt." This struggle became part of the band's legacy and eventually contributed to their demise. In 1987 Westerberg explained The 'Mats' situation: "Basically we're a fun loving band and when things get dull, if there's nothing to do or no fun is being had, we'll always find a way to stir up a bit of mischief. We can't function as a band if everything runs too smoothly. Most bands strive for that state of existence. With us, there has to be a bit of friction. Something has to go wrong. Mostly things haven't gone too smoothly. so we're OK." It you take tire time to dust off Pleased To Meet Me and listen to the words of "I Don't Know", you'll hear a link that's sorely missing from the current best of, if only because it connects so deep into The Replacements' ethos just as much as the title of their latest best of, All For Nothing/Nothing For All. The lyrics to "I Don't Know," are a direct attack on the idea of selling out for success at the expense of principles. Paul expands, "That's a song about too many people telling us what to do. We'd all roll our eyes back in our heads, throw up our bands and say, 'I don't know!' I don't know what we're supposed to do at all. Sometimes I think we're supposed to fuck up because a lot of our fans identify with that aspect of our personality as a band. People at the label want us to have hits. Are we supposed to do that? Neither way feels comfortable. Then again, if we were to have a hit it would be great. We could turn around and purposely try to fuck it up so we could please the record company and the fans." Several years later on the eve of the release of Don't Tell A Soul, the subject of selling out came up again, and Paul had the last word on that subject: "For me it would be doing something unnatural. It would be doing something we were against just to make money. We're not in this to make money but it' we ever do become successful, people are going to say we sold out anyway." Another topic at this time in the band's career was their so-called new found maturity. On this subject Paul said, "The label is pushing that aspect of it. Maturity is just a euphemism for growing older. We all grow older. The 'Mats have grown. Keep the 'old' part out of there. We've learned more and we've become more comfortable doing things that don't make us look like fools. If we were any other band there wouldn't be all this talk about maturity. It's just that no one ever in their wildest dreams imagined that The Replacements would last more than a year or two. They thought it was a joke - that we would just disintegrate and never do anything worthy of critical acclaim or mass appeal." By the time The Replacements release All Shook Down it was obvious there was something wrong in paradise. Paul wrote most of the record on his own, and even he couldn't deny the problems. "I won't skirt the issue and say, 'all is fine,"' he commented. As writers continued to sing Paul's praises he would still resort to humor and irreverence. In response to the accusation that he was the greatest songwriter of our time, he quipped, "I'm shooting for the greatest dance song of our age." The Replacements called it quits following a brief tour after All Shook Down's release. Perhaps the one thing that best describes the band's legacy is the line from "Someone Take The Wheel." It reads like this: "We're standing in the shadow, forever on the brink." Funny ... that's where they still stand today. PART III: THE WAY THEY WERE: A REPLACEMENTS DISCOGRAPHY Sorry Me, Forgot To Take Out The Trash (1981) The punk as fuck debut. Eighteen songs, and most of them suck. As an officially-reIeased-at-the-time document of the birth of a great rock and roll band, though, it's perhaps unmatched; it sure beats the hell out of The Beatles With Tony Sheridan. Nihilistic portraits of small-town boredom delivered at a breakneck pace by a Midwestern four-piece with a bassist not yet old enough for a learner's permit. Includes a jab at hometown rivals called "Somethin' To Du." Hilarious track notes by Paul: "'Kick Your Door Down' - 1st take, written 20 mins after we recorded it." Pleased to meet you, boys. The Replacements Stink (1982) The eight-song follow-up EP, titles like "Dope Smokin' Moron" and "Fuck School." The birth of the slacker generation? The whole mess blows by in less than 16 minutes. Hootenanny (1983) A subtle shift begins. Though the breakneck "Run It" would have fit on either of the first two records, the first steps toward maturity were taken here. "Color Me Impressed" is a perfect power pop moment, and "Heyday" and "Willpower" are emotionally affecting sketches. "Within Your Reach," perhaps the most anomolous track in the band's entire career, is just Paul, a guitar, some cheap electronics, and one of the more heartfelt lyrics of the decade-which Cameron Crowe noticed, as he used the song to death a few years later in "Say Anything." Even the throwaway tracks - "Lovelines," in which Paul reads personal ads over a bluesy backbeat - are charming and worthwhile. A breakthrough. Let It Be (1984) Inspired genius. Or maybe not so inspired. In any case, it begins with "I Will Dare," a bouncy roots-rocker with shouted Paul vocals and a guitar solo by guest Peter Buck, and it ends with the disturbing, distorted tape loop denouncing an "Answering Machine." Inbetween, you get their great slacker anthem ("Unsatisfied"), great straight up rockers ("Favorite Thing," "Gary's Got A Boner'), and the band's quirkiest lyrical and musical moments ("Androgynous," "We're Coming Out"). And you get the mostly-instrumental anti-'80s rock manifesto "Seen Your Video." And you get a great ballad, "Sixteen Blue." And the perpetually hilarious "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out." And their only cover released on an album-and it's Kiss' "Black Diamond," no less. And on and on and on. Fab. Tim (1995) Song for song, their major-label debut doesn't quite match up with Let It Be, but damned if they didn't come close. Westerberg's songwriting from here on out is a bit more mature, and while that sacrificed a certain rawness which made the band's first few records so spirited, it also brought into the mix a more reality-based kind of songwriting. As opposed to just playing it fast and hard most of the way through, suddenly things are less clear-cut. There's an offhanded joke - "Waitress In The Sky" - but most of the rest is as earnest as all get-out, and in a more believable way than the early, more punkish material. "Left Of The Dial* and "Bastards Of Young" are among the classics present and accounted for, as well as their best pure pop song, bar none, "Kiss Me On The Bus." A minor classic, despite containing their worst-ever song-the metal-wannabe "Dose Of Thunder," as well as spotty mid-'80s production by Tommy Ramone. Pleased To Meet Me (1987) Status quo, except the production's better, and the band's mainly three-piece with a few guests. Would `Alex Chilton' have been their big hit single had it been about something other than, well, Alex Chilton? O.K., probably not. Nonetheless, in the tradition of "Sir Duke" and "Jackie Wilson Said (I'm In Heaven When You Smile)," it's one of the great musical tributes from a current master to one from the previous generation. Basic pop thrills abound, "Never Mind" and "The Ledge" among them . "Can't Hardly Waif' adds a horn section as well as guitar fills from the aforementioned Mr. Chilton. The boys go lounge in "Nightclub Jitters," while the gorgeous "Skyway" is Westerberg's nearly successful attempt at rewriting McCartney's "Yesterday." Few bands have a better third-best album. Don't Tell A Soul (1989) The formula was not exactly stale at this point, though it would be a stretch to say they broke new ground here. In retrospect, though, while Soul took somewhat deserved flack for being a tad slicker than previous outings, that's just nitpicking about The Replacements' fourth consecutive 11-song mini-masterpiece. "I'll Be You" and the rootsy "Achin' To Be" almost were hits, but weren't. "Talent Show" was basically a rewrite of "Alex Chilton," but they did get to play it at some awards show. Whatever. This album got them a tour slot opening up for Tom Petty, who promptly thanked them by stealing the line about "a rebel without a clue" from "I'll Be You" for his own "Into The Great Wide Open." All Shook Down (1990) The criminally underrated swan song. Just how much Paul, Tommy, Chris, and Slim play together as a unit on this is a matter of some dispute. Regardless, most bands would give a hell of a lot to bow out with such a classy, great-sounding set of well-crafted songs. No less than seven pop/rock gems which could have cracked the top five in some really cool alternate universe reside here. A sign of age: "When It Began" finds Paul looking back in a way that was truly unimaginable on Sorry Ma. There's also the achingly pretty "Sadly Beautiful" with John Cale on cello, a duet with Johnette Napolitano from Concrete Blonde, and a pair of perfect two-minute character sketches, "Attitude" and "Torture." The set, and the band's recording career, closes with the piano ballad 'The Last," proving once and tar all that the guy who wrote "I Hate Music" is really one hell of a sentimentalist after all. 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 ________________________________________________________________________________ "Charlie Brown is the one person in history that I can identify with. He wasn't even the star of his own Halloween special. He was blown off the screen by Linus and did what most people do with their lives: instead of having fun, he sat and waited for some shit that never came." - Chris Rock