the // skyway \\ issue #73 (may 23, 2000) 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. Talent Show (m@) I. Latest 'Mats news (Brian Phillips, Jason, John, Static Faxi) II. First time (Wullie Hunter, Chris Kemp, Jeffrey Thomas, Andy McLaughlin, Christina Falsone, Brian White, Adam Westhouse, Fay Kim, Doug Walker, Patrick Chiron, Nina Ekholm, Dan) III. 'Mats cover bands and albums (Ian Underwood, Elaine Pan) IV. Vaguely unlawful recording trading notices (Alex) __________________________________________________________________________ 0. TALENT SHOW I'm writing this in a tour van, wearing ear plugs because the guy whose turn it is to drive has the stereo up so loud it's blurring my vision. Last night we played a show in a house in Johnson City where there was this kid who was obsessed with Japanese wrestling. They had a huge trampoline in the front yard and this kid would jump on it off the roof of the house, demonstrating his favorite moves. Sometimes when doing something menial (driving to work, mowing the yard) you think to yourself about people like that, thinking that they must exist somewhere. And sometimes you actually get to meet them. Hey, I finally registered the Skyway with it's own fancy, short URL: http://www.theskyway.com. But it's the same web page that I made back in the winter of 1996 during a blizzard when I was stuck in my parent's house in Nebraska for a week. If somebody has a sec and wants to do a totally swank job of redesigning it, I'll hook them up with all the 'Mats stuff I can offer! One reason I haven't had time is that last month I was wandering around Italy, which in my limited experience, I think is one of the most beautiful places in the world, especially in the Spring. Just flowers and pastel colors and the Mediterranean blue sea everywhere. I made it down to Sicily, which when I told other Italians that I thought was the most amazing part of Italy, got the reaction if you told somebody from Boston that 'Bama was one of the cultural highlight of the U.S. But it was full of friendly people, from a Roberto Benigni clone that gave me a ride to some Greek ruins on Easter when the buses weren't running, to the kids I played soccer with at the train station. There were some sketchy moments, like cleverly getting shortchanged $7 by a amazingly swift card shark at the cash register in a gelato (like ice cream but even better) parlor in Sicily that was much more obviously utilized as a money laundering joint. And while changing my clothes in a stall in a bathroom in the Milan airport, somebody reached underneath the stall and grabbed my money belt. (Hint: never take off your money belt. That's why it's your money belt.) Less than 24 hours later I had all my travelers checks and passport replaced and all was fine. I still have the map that they gave me at the American Consulate with five arrows marking pertinent locations: number one, the consulate; number two, the hospital; number three, the police station; number four, the American Express office; and number five, the local internet cafe. One stop shopping for the line of disencumbered Americans like me at the passport window at the consulate. Some amazingly honest Dutch couple found all my stuff in another bathroom, where somehow the thief completely missed the second pocket that contained everything but a couple bills and loose change. Total loss: $5. Yay for the Dutch! The best story I have from Italy is when I was in this restaurant in Rome. I was winging speaking Italian from what Spanish I knew, and it was enough that the waiter brought the same thing that I thought I was ordering. Once, after dinner, the waiter said, "Hey, you want to learn some more Italian? Well, if you're at a restaurant and you're really happy with the service and the food, when you get the bill, tell the waiter 'Stagatzi'." So the next time I get the bill at a restaurant, I said "Stagatzi"...and the waiter just gave me a confused look and walked off! I figured I must've pronounced it incorrectly or something. So next time I did it again, and the waiter marches to the back of the restaurant and starts yelling at the Maitre D. Eventually I got to ask a friend from Canada who was living in Milan what the heck "stagatzi" meant. She busted a gut laughing. "It means, like, 'shit, I got screwed!'" I wouldn't know what to make of the whole 9-5 existence if I didn't have these rock tours to increase the stimulus level of life. As I've written before, so little of touring is the actual show. You spend most of the day travelling, on the road, in the van, at the gas station, in the restaurant, moving the equipment, waiting in the club, hanging out in the hotel room or somebody's living room, waiting to go to sleep or somebody to get out of the shower. There are lots of crazy moments inbetween, the shows themselves, hanging out with your bandmates (my best friends and surrogate family) and the people you meet. One band I'm in, The Scaries, has a pretty youthful following. The first any sort of 'fan mail' I got from the band was three summers ago from a fourteen year old named Andrea Huffman who lived on the coast of North Carolina in Morehead City. It was simple, like, "I love your band. I listen to that song 'Why You Went Away' all the time. You guys rock." But it was the first time that somebody felt that they needed to write down and let us know that they liked us. She ended up seeing us a couple times, so I actually got to meet her. She was a funny kid, the kind that seemed totally confused wherever she was, and then suddenly out of the blue would say something totally hilarious and dead on. She didn't see any reason to pass algebra and didn't want to know how to drive, but she'd make hilarious web pages, crack dead-on jokes, and wanted to move to New York and start a rock club. Last year, she read a Scaries interview in a local 'zine where I had said that my favorite album ever was probably "Let It Be" by The Replacements. She wrote that she read that and went out and bought it and loved it; her favorite songs were "Favorite Thing", "Sixteen Blue", and "Unsatisfied". In February, we'd played on the coast during her best friend Jessica's birthday. Afterwards, Jessica's parents got us all hotel rooms on the beach, and all of us in the band and at the party stayed up all night having pillow fights and hanging out on the beach. Andrea was 17 and had already been held back a year in school for blowing off her sophomore year. "It's so boring, dude. Everybody is so lame. Whatever." Spoken like so many people here when talking about that time. 'Your age is the hardest age, everything just drags and drags. One day I know you'll see it through.' Last Saturday night, Jessica and Andrea were driving around the coast when Jessica's Honda Civic ran out of gas. They laughed about it, wondered what to do, and got out and started walking along the unlit county road to any gas station they could find. A truck came flying down the road and didn't see them. Jessica got a few scratches but Andrea was thrown in a ditch and knocked into a coma. She died in the hospital two days later. The different between somebody who is seventy dying and a person who is seventeen is the difference in the loss of potential. Andrea never had a boyfriend, never got to drive a car, never got to see New York or Rome. But I didn't think that it would be the last time that I'd get to hear what's up with Andrea. There's always a last time that you do anything. Sometimes you know when it is, and sometimes you don't. You just always have to make sure that it's all said; that just in case it is the last time, you've said it all. The night before I found out she had died, I was packing for tour. One of the first things I packed was a mix tape she sent right before I left for Italy but I hadn't had a chance to listen to. That's the one thing that I won't get a chance to tell her thanks for. But if somebody told me that I had just three weeks left to live, I think I'd still be on this tour, in this van, writing this, and that's what I'm doing right now. What are you doing right now? THE SCARIES summer tour dates may 19 - chapel hill, nc (@ go) may 20 - johnson city, tn (@ house show) may 21 - nashville, tn (@ next generation) may 22 - warrensburg, mo (@ warrensburg community center) may 23 - kansas city, mo (@ el torreon) may 24 - omaha, ne (@ the cog factory) may 25 - colorado springs, co (@ 1229 n. weber - 719.632.5828) may 26 - denver, co (@ 15th st. tavern) may 27 - tempe, az (@ house show w/pollen) may 28 - arizona may 29 - lake elsinore, ca (@ flithy's record store) may 30 - san francisco, ca (@ the cocodrie) may 31 - oakland, ca (@ the stork club) june 1 - ashland, or (@ su arena at southern oregon university) june 2 - corvallis, or (@ uncle hungry's record store) june 3 - east bremerton, wa (@ masonic temple - 11th + perry) june 4 - spokane, wa (@ ichabod's north) june 5 - great falls, montana (@ center stage) june 6 - bismarck/mandan, nd (@ the midtowner) june 7 - minneapolis/st. paul, mn (@ the turf club) june 8 - des moines, ia (@ hairy mary's) june 9 - columbus, oh (@ 2147 indiana ave. - 614.299.7948) You can hear noise at http://www.mp3.com/scariesrock or see stuff at http://www.thescaries.com (If you come to a show, come up and say hi! I'm the short bass player.) And oh yeah, last time I wrote about going head over heels for somebody. What became of it? We're still friends, we hung out in Italy together. Love is like some sort of Buddist karmatic experiment not unlike reincarnation: you're doomed to repeat it time and time again until you get it right. It's like a mystery flavor blow pop...never what you expect, different every time, sugar high, sugar low, stuffed and hungry at the same time. C'est la vie. See you next time. - m@. __________________________________________________________________________ There's a new club on Yahoo! for Replacements fans. Check it out at: http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/thereplacementsarecool __________________________________________________________________________ I. Latest 'Mats news http://www.cdnow.com/cgi-bin/mserver/SID=1012464905/pagename=/RP/ALLSTAR/article.html/fid=194724 Paul Westerberg Gets Dumped By Capitol Records March 15, 2000, 1:40 pm PT Sources at Capitol Records have confirmed that Paul Westerberg is no longer signed to the label. Although reasons for the move were not specified, it's worth noting that much of Westerberg's original motivation for signing with the company in 1995 lay in the understanding that his career would be managed by then-label president Gary Gersh. As it turned out, within months of the deal Gersh left Capitol to embark on such projects as co-founding the artist management company, G.A.S. The one album Westerberg released on Capitol -- 1999's Suicaine Gratifaction -- met with disappointing sales. No word yet regarding future plans for the former Replacements frontman. -- Neil Chrisley From: "Brian Phillips" Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: What I reported... Reunion Date: Tue, 2 May 2000 22:26:21 -0400 Mats freak and radio dj Brian Phillips checking in from "reputable and sometimes good" cd-101. I feel bad having something to do with getting everyone's hopes up too much. A source (music writer) told me the guys are kicking around together in LA with the possibility of a fall tour. This source didn't mention any recording to me. Timing makes sense... Tommy's contract with Axl ends this summer/ Westerberg doesn't have a solo deal. It's far from a done deal though so I'll sit tight and see what happens. I have to admit I got so excited the other day I played "I Will Dare" and "Unsatisfied" back to back. My favorite album of all time ya see. Long Live The Young Fresh Fellows! Bp Date: Thu, 11 May 2000 09:57:02 -0500 (CDT) From: jasonscrch@aol.com (JasonScrch) Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements Subject: Saw Tommy Stinson today at market I live here in Los Angeles and occasionally, I do see Tommy Stinson and his girlfriend (man is she hot!!) shopping. While I am a big fan, I never take the time to say anything to him. He must live in the area. Anyway, saw him last night and I couldn't resist...I introduced myself and said the usual mumbo jumbo to get on his good side, anyway, I just flat out asked him about the Mats reunion. His reaction was: "where did you hear that?" I said it's all over the net and stuff and he said he never pays attention to computer stuff. He then laughed and said: "Man, word gets around fast! Don't believe everything you read". I said to him, "well, is that a yes or a no", he then said: "I'm not sayin' a word, but hope for the best, we'll see what happens" He then said "later on" because his girlfriend was yelling at him to "hurry up". I almost wasn't even paying attention to him, his girl is on fire. Anyway, there you go folks, more complicated answers. I get the impression that their (West and Slim) testing the waters and he doesn't want to spill the beans in case it never happens. Oh well, guess we will see. From: JohnFA2@aol.com Date: Mon, 27 Mar 2000 10:23:05 EST hey, i meant to tell you, two cool people i ran into while in austin for sxsw last week (within about an hour of each other, to boot) - tim quirk, who's now managing editor for listen.com (and no, tmj has not broken up. quote: "too much joy will never break up"), and peter jesperson, who was at an in-store checking out one of my new favorite bands, marah -they're from philly, i love 'em, jesperson loves 'em, and you do too ... even if you don't know it yet. RUN out and buy their just released second album, "kids in philly," and see what i mean- anyhow, my friend paul and i, after going back-and-forth over whether or not we should approach jesperson ("how often do you think people walk up to him and wanna talk about the 'mats? he's probably sick of it), we finally did, and he was super-nice. his love of the music just shined through in our brief discussion. unfortunately, it doesn't sound like we'll be getting the box set anytime soon ("end of next year" is probably the best-case scenario), but he's talking about a whopping FOUR DISCS, so it should be worth the wait. he's going through over 70 DAT's of material, plus they're also going to "bootleg the bootleggers" again, and include some live cuts from better sounding boots. evidently, none of the band members are really willing to put forth any effort towards the project (save for paul, who apparently just says "no" to peter's suggestions regularly) since they're all busy doing their own things these days. "paul's got his kid, tommy's got guns 'n roses, chris has his art and slim has his music...") anyhow, wish the news could be better on the whole, but there's at least a little bit of an update. best, john From: "Travco Sunshine" Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2000 13:42:05 CDT [Here's the web page for STATIC TAXI and their new release, the last recorded project of Bob Stinson:] http://home.earthlink.net/~thare/2000/thankyou.html __________________________________________________________________________ II. This is my first time doing this. From: "wullie hunter" Subject: Replacements hit Scotland. Date: Sat, 20 May 2000 20:54:57 +0100 I first got into the Replacements in 1985. I heard 'Bastards of Young' on the radio and bought the album Tim. It's still my favourite album along with Husker Du's 'New Day Rising'. I still wonder how immense it would have been if the original version of 'Can't Hardly Wait' was on it. Doesn't matter much anyway. It's funny how you know that you'll never hear any band as good as them again, but at the same time its depressing that they are not around. I think if I had to pick a favourite song it would be 'Answering Machine' or 'Unsatisfied', but then the last part of 'Left of the Dial' or the downright weariness of 'Here Comes a Regular' takes a lot of beating. In Scotland it was always difficult trying to pick up their records (still can't get hold of a copy of Boink), but between us, my friends and I managed to get most of them. You inquired about favourite Replacement stories, well beat this. In 1991 The Replacements decide at last to come to Britain, and there is one gig in Scotland, where we manage to get tickets. In those days my mates and I used to draw straws for who took the car, and who got wasted, and Dave and I drew the straw of getting wasted, which was much to our relief. Big Tosh had to drive and he was less than impressed as you can imagine. The build up to the gig was excellent (all day drinking) and we arrived at King Tuts Wah Wah Hut an hour before the support band go on, completely wasted. There is a bunch of about 20 tickets left on the counter, and as the place fills up they start to disappear. Suddenly they are all gone, and 4 Irish guys walk in after travelling about 100 miles via ferry, road and train. I've never seen disappointment like that in my life when they knew they couldn't get in. Anyway, the support band kick off (somebody says they are called The Goo Goo Dolls!, but we can't remember and don't really care) and we carry on drinking. Even though this gig was on the back of the 'All Shook Down' album, The Replacements play a greatest hits show. Whatever was asked for, they played. I shouted for 'Answering Machine' and I got a full band version, while Dave shouted for 'Here comes a Regular'. We were having a great time (apart from the sober Tosh) and after 2 hours they left the stage. They did 3 encores that night including 'Like a Rolling Stone' and 'Another Girl, Another Planet', then disappeared never to return again. Its really sad that they split up, but I still think they did at the right time (same as Husker Du). The Replacements were ahead of their time, but they belong in another bygone time. I think they were in the right place at the right time, and you had to be of a certain age and disposition to like them (normally fucked up, permanently wasted and lonely). However, their music is still as great today as it always was and if they were around now they would probably be massive, but I'm older now and I don't know if they would affect me as much. Anyway I'll never forget them, that night, or them doing 'Talent Show' on the Elvis Tribute TV Special. Keep up the good work, and maybe any of you can get me a copy of Boink. Cheers, Rams. From: "Chris Kemp" Date: Wed, 8 Mar 2000 21:37:29 -0500 Well, let me say that I am only 18, meaning I have never seen the Mats live, and was still listening to top 40 stations when they were around. But their is music has affected me like very little else. There are so few bands of their quality today. I picked up All For Nothing, Nothing For All a few years ago after hearing 'I Will Dare' on a local college radio station. I was expecting it to be good, but I was blown away. These songs speak to you, it amazing. I wonder how many times I've listened to Bastards of Young and am never sick of it. Anyway, just figured I would write something after being subscribed for a while Chris Kemp From: "Jeffrey Thomas" Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2000 15:19:31 -0700 I really don't have much to add or post to the site or newsletter. I'm 32 now, and have to admit that I was actually more into the 80's metal scene during the heyday of the 'Mats. It wasn't until about 1989 that I finally saw a wonderful video for "I'll Be You" on MTV. That is actually pretty weird, as I've never seen either the Replacements or Paul Westerberg live, nor heard or either. That will always pain me. ;-) Actually, I knew so little about the band at the time that I thought that Tommy Stinson was actually Paul Westerberg. (He did get a lot of time on that particular video) Naturally, I had to find another Replacements CD other than "Don't Tell a Soul". Unfortunately, that CD was "Stink", which although it was a cool CD to have, it was not as "polished" by any means as the latter CD's. I am re-discovering Paul and the 'Mats just these past two years. I wish I had not missed them in their heyday (for what it was). It's truly a shame they never reached the status or popularity of many other mainstream bands then and now. Take Nirvana, Soul Asylum, or the Goo Goo Dolls. All good bands, but definitely not The Replacements. Anyway, before I drone on and on, I wanted to give you praise for keeping this site up and keeping the faith if you will. I've become a big fan of both Paul and the 'Mats. And yes, I still thing "All Shook Down" is an excellent CD. I remember listening to "Bent Out of Shape" over and over when I first heard it. Have a great day, Jeffrey Thomas thomas_jeffrey@hotmail.com From: Dumpingacid@aol.com Date: Mon, 13 Mar 2000 21:51:19 EST Subject: Customary Spill My Guts My name's Andy McLaughlin and I too love the Replacements. I must admit though I never heard one of their songs before the break up. The first song I ever heard of theirs was "One Wink at a Time" way back in 1990, the year I graduated high school, while coming home from a party in Boulder. The next day I went out and bought the album. Since then it's been a wonderful ten years acquiring their music. Favorite song, definitely "Can't Hardly Wait (Tim version)", that's pure rock'n'roll man. In 1993 I moved to Albuquerque, NM to go to UNM. And on a warm summer night in 1996 I got to see Perfect play at the Dingo (sadly, now closed). The show was perhaps the loudest show I had ever been to. Tommy was wailing that night. The show was pretty short. They played about eight or ten songs but the songs were great. Afterwards I spoke with Tommy and some of the guys. I got to say Tommy Stinson is an alright guy. Among the fan fare of the show he actually took about ten minutes or so and just bullshitted about this and that. Definitely a high for 1996. Actually I got the poster from that show which I can have my bud scan and send to you. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up the way I should with The Mats. I snatched up all of the bands solo efforts after the end. Bash and Bop really captured a lot of those great sounds and Dunlop's effort was one I still play all the time. Well I think that's enough spillage. -Andy McLaughlin Date: Thu, 16 Mar 2000 21:48:20 +1000 From: Christina Falsone This has been a long time coming...actually three years coming...I've finally gotten around to writing my little piece. I'm 21 years old, so I guess that qualifies me as one of the younger generation of 'Mats fans. Like many others, I heard about them through the praises of other artists and also when the occasional record reviewer threw in a reference to a Replacements song, or Paul's voice. So one day, around 7 years ago, I chanced across Pleased To Meet Me for a low price at a dodgy record store. I bought it on a whim, took it home, eagerly put it on, all prepared to be blown away by their genius. It sounded so....80's. The song that first got me was Alex Chilton just because it was so catchy. Then the next day I decided to give it another go. I sat down and put my head to the speaker, wanting to catch every word. THAT's when it hit me, all of it. I'd never heard anything like it before. For once, here was a band and a voice that didn't remind me of anyone else. Needless to say I acquired every other album as quickly as possible. The problem was, here in Sydney, I could only find them in second hand sections of shops. So I had to wait a while for someone to part with their precious copy of Tim. Thing is, I've always been a sucker for heartbroken tales, the things left unsaid, undone, missed opportunities. Drunken songs of heroes who never get the girl, because all my life I've been in the wrong place at the wrong time, lacking the confidence to make myself heard, to tell people how I really feel. So, like many others, Paul not only spoke to me, echoed my failed attempts at teenage love, but I could also imagine the heartbreak of situations I had never experienced myself. Anyway, it's all been said before, and much better than I. But one thing I'd like to say is that for years I loved the 'Mats because they were MY band. No one else I knew had even heard of them, let alone liked their music. That was my teenage "alternative" phase. I hated all the people I knew and what they stood for and by liking the Mats I was able to prove to myself that I wasn't like them. Now I'm older and I appreciate the Replacements for many different reasons. Mostly because it's still fantastic music, and like someone said last issue - there is a song for every possible emotion I encounter or turn my life takes. Anyway, now I'm finding that I don't so much like the fact that no one I know has heard of the Replacements. I've tried so many times to share my love for the Mats with friends, boyfriends, family etc. but - as has also been said before - you either get it or you don't, that is, this love of everything the 'Mats wrote, played, did and stood for. So if there are any Australian Replacements fans out there (and I know there are), drop me a line...I would love to know you. That's about it - not too eloquent, not too pathetic - Christina Falsone cfalsone@mail.usyd.edu.au From: "brian white" Date: Sun, 26 Mar 2000 00:38:07 -0600 My name is Brian and I currently live in Houston. I just signed up to Skyway today and thought I would introduce myself. I read alot of stories today from other people about the times they saw "the 'Mats" or how they came to find their music, but I did not see one like mine. Hopefully it will bring a smile to some of the members. I had always heard people talk about "the 'Mats" as an influence or Paul in particular, but I had never checked them out for myself. When I woke up this morning, I did not own a CD from the 'Mats or Paul. At lunch, I went out and bought Let it Be. After work, I bought Tim, PTMM, 14 Songs, and Suicaine Gratifaction. It is a little after midnite, and I just got back from the record store downtown (2 1/2 hr roundtrip w/traffic) after purchasing "All Shook Down" and "Eventually". What can I say? I am hooked. I have to admit that during the late 80's and early '90's I was listening to alot of Beatles, Sabbath, Nugent, Rush, Stones, and yes dammit, even some heavy metal. Thankfully several years ago, I came across this little band that I am sure you have all heard of called "Wilco". Like I said, I had always read interviews with Mr. Tweedy in which he cited the 'Mats as a big influence. I can definitely hear that now. Obviously if I bought 7 CDs in one day, I found the music enjoyable. To me it was like finding 7 Wilco CDs that I had never heard. What a find huh? Well, that is enough for tonite. If anyone would like to converse off the list, please feel free to write. I don't have any tapes of the 'Mats to trade, but I do have about 70 Pearl Jam boots that I would gladly swap. later, Brian From: "adam westhouse" Subject: throwin' the mats a dime Date: Sat, 15 Apr 2000 23:38:10 EDT Guess it's only fair to begin by introducing meself. My name is Adam and I'm a freshman at Michigan State University. I've been a rabid Replacements fan since my first year of high school, and have been aware of the Skyway for some three years now. Needless to say, the Skyway is a godsend, and fills such a tremendous void for fans who can't get enough of the band. Right now its a Saturday night in the dorm and I've once again opted to be hermit in my room, stuck here with plenty of junk food, one lone cigarette left, and the sounds of "All Shook Down" pulsing through my speakers. And I guess now is as good a time as any to contribute my two cents. Bear with me if you must... I really don't have any great stories to tell of the band, which is not surprising when you take into account the fact that I was born the year when "Kids Don't Follow" and "Go" were first being pressed onto vinyl. Yeah, it pains me to think that I discovered their music only after they were long gone, and I guess the only good thing to come out of missing the boat was a greater sense of wonder and mystique about them. The summer of '95 was when my awareness of the Replacements began to take shape and fate intervened. I was kinda getting bored with the whole 'alternative' music thing was in search of something different. It just so happened I permenantly borrowed a Guitar World magazine from a friend with Soul Asylum on the cover, who were one of my favorite bands at the time. My attention was quickly diverted from S.A. to the Minneapolis scene article, and some no-name band called the Replacements really grabbed my attention. A month or so later I purchased the cassette (I didn't have a CD player yet, go figure) of Pleased To Meet Me, but with the exception "Skyway" and "Can't Hardly Wait", nothing made much of an impact on my ears. To me it just sounded like a bunch of wiseasses singing about beer and partying, something I had yet to identify with. Heh. How I overlooked "Alex Chilton" or "Never Mind" the first time around is anyone's guess, but after a spell of gathering dust, the album was given another shot. This time, I paid more attention and wound up really enjoying it. I hadn't fallen in love with the Mats yet, but PTMM was good enough to convince me to look for other albums. Moreover, if it weren't for PTMM, I might be listening to Matchbox 20 and Third Eye Blind instead. Yikes! "Let It Be" soon followed (I think I purchased a Goo Goo Dolls album the same day, ironically enough) and I guess the rest is history. "We're Coming Out" and "Gary's Got A Boner" both provided gut-wrenching laughs, while "Unsatisfied" pretty much solidified the album (and the band) as a keeper. I went back and gradually got all their albums, plus Westerberg's solo outputs and all the bootlegs I could get my hands on. The obsession with the Mats hasn't receded at all in these four-and-a-half years, as I almost never go a day without popping one of their discs into my stereo. I'm still amazed at how perpetually in awe I remain of their music. The staying power of Westerberg's lyrics is simply incredible, it seems as though for every situation or feeling I go through, there is a song or a couplet to match...all the colors of the emotional pallete, as I like to say. Though its next to impossible to single out a favorite song, "Unsatisfied" is probably the one that moves me the most. That's definitely one where "the goosebump factor" kicks in. Paul basically wrapped up everything I feel into a few couplets and a fantastic vocal performance that sounds like a possessed Janis Joplin injected with some testosterone. Other faves: Left of the Dial, Can't Hardly Wait, Within Your Reach, Rock N Roll Ghost, Nowhere Is My Home, The Last, Shiftless When Idle, Little Mascara, Regular, Skyway, Who Knows, Things, Lush and Green, and Waiting For Somebody. I'm still a stalwart follower of Westerberg's solo career, and also am pretty familiar with Tommy, Chris, and Slim's post-Mats efforts. Yeah, maybe on record Paul doesn't rock as much as he used to, but what forty-year-old in their right mind would want to be writing "Bastards of Young" over and over just to please a certain crowd? The man has more balls and honesty to carve his own artistic path rather than milk his Replacements reputation for all its worth, and I don't see how anyone could hold that against him, whether or not they like his solo stuff or not. Speaking on a personal level, his songs still strike an emotional chord as much as they always have. I mean, my God, how can one not listen to "Lush and Green" and not get at least a little choked up? I just hope the guy finds his love of performing again, 'cuz I could die a (somewhat) happy guy knowing I saw Saint Paul in concert. And, if you can find 'em, I'd suggest getting a Mats T-shirt to anyone out there. You never know when you might bump into a fellow fan. I managed tomy hands on a shirt with the "Sorry Ma" cover printed on it. Once I had a girl at a gas station in the middle of nowhere tell me how she loved the Mats, and this other guy at a record store was stunned when he saw my shirt...apparently the Mats are his favorite too (hey Jim!...if you ever read this). Better yet, my high school English teacher saw my shirt and told me of when he saw them open for R.E.M. at the Fox Theatre in Detroit sometime in the mid-Eighties. The first thing I asked him was whether they were drunk or not. He responded in the affirmative and told me they were doing all Zeppelin covers that collapsed midway though (sounds like a fairly typical Mats show to me!). "It was the worst concert I ever saw", he said and shook his head with a hint of disgust. I could do nothing else but chuckle. Still, he knew all the original members by name and later told me he witnessed their final show in Chicago also! Oh, the envy that consumed me when I heard that! Egh, I reckon I'm just babbling about these fan encounters because its so rare I get to speak with someone person-to-person about Paul or the Replacements. I certainly don't have any good friends that are into them, so its really frustrating. Some of you out there can probably relate. And about those bootlegs I spoke of, I have: Unintentionally Shit Shower & Shave Live at CBGB's (1984) Live at the Aragon Ballroom (Chicago, 1989) Sad Songs Is All I Know (Westerberg live, 1996) A Lot of Songs -- Not For Sale (Westerberg live, 1996) If anyone wants a tape of any of these, I'd be more than willing to make one up. Anything for a fellow fan! Just drop me a line. Well, this has been a long write-up! I feel like a real asshole for taking up this much space; I hope I can be forgiven. Before I make my exit, I'd like to thank Matt and the whole Skyway gang for giving me the opportunity to vent and share my love for this band. The Mats are my cathartic life preserver, that's for sure. Thanks again. Your humble narrator, Adam Westhouse From: "FAY KIM" Subject: New to this Date: Mon, 17 Apr 2000 22:14:41 -0700 Just recently came across this newsgroup/ website...it looks kinda neat. I'm damn near forty and been goin' to 'mats shows since 1984, and I do miss that. Been thru the record (remember those?) collecting stage, seeing all shows passing thru the Bay Area. I've seen some godawful shows (b. stinson being a shit...) and some good ones (when they came onstage w/ matching jumpsuits and shaved-off eyebrows was really funny; they looked like cancer patients.) Thank god they quit when they did; you all know they would be a joke if they stuck it out for a few more. Very few bands quit on time (unlike the Stones). Don't listen to them much anymore since my 2 year old would rather listen to the Beach Boys. But I'll have to visit this site more often...the mid-late 80s was a grand ole time to be a 'Mats fan and it will always be the musical highlight... From: "Doug Walker" Subject: Paul Westerberg Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2000 16:00:43 -0700 I'm new to the list and in reading the back issues of Skyway I'm glad to see there are still a lot of Mats fans out there, especially younger fans who have discovered the Mats. I started listening to the Mats back in the mid-80s, and loved their raw sound, yet intelligent and clever lyrics. When they released their last two albums I was pretty disappointed, feeling they had lost their "edge". But as I've matured, it seemed Paul Westerberg's writing did also. Now, at this stage in my life I don't listen to my old Mats CDs as often, but listen to 14 Songs and Suicaine Gratifaction constantly. In fact SG has grown into one of my favorite all time albums, and I'd have to put Paul Westerberg up there with John Lennon and Matt Johnson (The The) as my favorite singer/songwriters as well. From: Patrick Subject: a french fan Date: Sun, 26 Mar 00 09:56:58 +0200 Hello! I'm a French fan of the 'Mats. I saw the band live the both times they played in Paris (Pleased to Meet Me tour and All Shook Down tour). Great concerts with a few American fans but mostly just a few French fans. The Mats and Paul Westerberg are almost totally unknown here! I discovered the Mats at the end of the eighties. I bought a sales vinyl at the "puces" open market in Paris, after reading some good reviews of the album: "Let It Be". I soon became a fan. I bought all the older albums (including a great British compilation called "Boink", a collectable now) and today I continue to follow the career of Paul. Paul Westerberg is always and still my favourite songwriter. I don't really understand the words but it doesn't matter. The last album of Paul's is a rebirth. I was a little disappointed with his two preceding albums. I listen a lot of rock music. My favourite are, following the Mats: Wilco , XTC, Neil Young, Bob Mould, Pearl Jam, Jayhawks, Big Star, Tom Petty. bye Patrick at patrick.chiron@voila.fr From: "Nina Ekholm" Date: Thu, 04 May 2000 10:31:20 EEST I came across The Replacements when I one day went to the library, swiped a CD of a bad designed shelf, picked it up (rather quickly) and it was... 'Pleased to Meet Me' by The Replacements. I had never heard of this band before. But there was something with the record that made me borrow it. Went home, put it in the player and MY GOD it was wonderful!! This was about three weeks ago. I'm an original R.E.M. fan (been for many years)just as you know. (they're just so...) But The Replacements are slowly climbing up the charts in my head, and they're sneaking around the top spots. (of course it all depends on what mood I'm in...) So, that's my story. Looking forward on getting my hands on more 'Mats albums. If you're wondering about the bad spelling and the misusing of words, I'm from Europe, Finland. And if you know a person called Mike Pelusi (he's made a site about the guys) please tell him to get in touch. Finally, a quote from a cab-driver on VH1 "music is the heart, the soul of my being" Hugs, Nina From: "Daniel Generous" Subject: Hello Date: Sun, 07 May 2000 22:12:51 EDT Hello my name is Dan. I came across the Skyway site through the unofficial P.W. web page put together by a Mats fan named Kathy. Many of you probably already are aware of this site. It is very well done, and for the last few years has been my primary resource for Mats news. After a couple of years of hearing about Skyway I finally visited the site. I don't know what took me so long but I'm glad I'm finally here. I feel like some sort of twelve step program participate who is overjoyed to find that there are others like him out there. I grew up in Connecticut and attended the University of Hartford in the first half of the 80's. Anyone who spent any time in CT then could tell you that commercial radio was still stuck in the 60's and early 70's. I thought I was hip cause I was into Midnight Oil, The Psychedelic Furs, and The The. A few months after graduation I shared an apartment with a guy named Rob. He had a punk show on WWUH the U of H station. He also had a record collection that of over 2000 titles. This was the definitive beginning of my musical education, despite the fact that at the time I thought I already knew it all. This is the first time I heard the Replacements. I couldn't tell you in vivid detail a story of the first time I heard Let it Be. Or being knocked of the couch with a "WWWWWhat is THIS!!". In a ten-month period I was introduced to and inundated by bands like Husker Du, Mission of Burma, The Dickies, the Buzzcocks, the Minutemen, TSOL, the Descendants, the Adolescents. I could go on for awhile. After ten months in underground boot camp I moved to Boston. I was pleasantly surprised to find a commercial station (WFNX) in town that was playing much of the same music that I'd recently discovered. The following spring the Replacements released Pleased to Meet Me. FNX had the Ledge and in heavy rotation. Remembering that I liked what I had heard from them previously and hearing Alex Chilton only once, I ran out and bought the album. On a rather pleasant Saturday afternoon I ran out and bought a 12 pack (Labatts - I don't know why I remember that) PTMM and a Fishbone EP. I got home cracked open and beer, unwrapped PTMM and went right for Alex Chilton. This song killed me. I lifted the needle when the song ended and played it again, and again, and again, and again. After five times I guess I needed to clean the palette and put on Fishbone's "Party at Ground Zero". But as soon as that was over I was back on Alex Chilton, like a crack addict on a lit pipe. I spent the better part of the afternoon on this five AC's and one Fishbone rotation. Maybe six complete cycles. I'm in love, what's that song...indeed. I even switched to headphones 'cause I didn't want the neighbors to think I was insane. Well that was just the beginning ladies and gentlemen. Yes, I did listen to the rest of the album that evening. I think that only other freaks that subscribe to this newsletter can appreciate how the Mats have changed the way I listen to music. I could go on for hours explaining what the Replacements mean to me, including some mildly amusing close encounters. Now that I have the forum, I'm just crazy enough to do it. Dan __________________________________________________________________________ III. People and bands doing 'Mats covers Date: Tue, 29 Feb 2000 23:55:22 +1100 From: Ian Underwood Subject: 'Mats speak on 'Mats tribute! Hiya all! The Replacements tribute album 'I'm in Love With That Song', that Tomboy and Antfarm Records put out last year, has gone great guns both here and overseas. There has been a lot of interest in the record and it's outsold our expectations. We're so bloody chuffed! But probably the best thing to happen was the fact that we made contact with Peter Jesperson, the founder of Twin Tone records and former Replacements manager. Basically, he loved the album and offered to pass it on to the guys from the band and other interested parties. He also named it in his top albums of the year in a recent industry poll, putting us up there with Wilco's 'Summer Teeth', Tom Waits - 'Mule Variations', Supergrass - 'self titled' & Paul McCartney - 'Run Devil Run'. Here's what he said about us and what his 'pals' said as well. Various - I'm In Love ... With That Song 23 Australian bands pay tribute to the genius of the Replacements (Antfarm/Tom Boy import). Collectively these bands (and the fans/label heads who put it together) seem to conjure the spirit and humor of The Replacements and constructed an infinitely listenable and loving tribute to a band who's songwriting continues to astonish. - P.J. What the others said... >From Tommy Erdelyi (Ramone): "Thank you for sending the Replacements tribute, I think it's great. A record like this should be a huge hit, if only people got a chance to hear it. The songs are so good." >From Bill Bentley, ('Mats and Paul's publicist at Warner. now at Reprise): "I LOVE the Replacements tribute album. Many thanks." "Paul Westerberg called and said he received it, thought the package looked cool, was very flattered but when I asked if he thought he'd listen to it he said not likely. I almost could have predicted that but wanted to wait and see. I'll keep nagging him though. He also said he thought maybe the reason the band was revered down there was that they never went there and spoiled their reputation by letting people see how crappy they really were!" "Spoke to Slim (Dunlap) on the phone last night who said to give you all a thumbs up. He says he's enjoyed all the tributes but thought "some of 'em are just like 17 people trying to sound like Paul. This one has some people giving the songs their own twist which I like." "Tommy Stinson came over last night and picked his up. He was looking it over with an amused look on his face... the band guys never listen to their old stuff so don't know what they'll make of this!" "I had dinner with Tommy Stinson on Saturday and he said he's been eyeing his copy from across the room but hasn't played it yet. "And, lastly, Jim Dickinson just called while I've been writing to you to say thanks and that he listened to "his songs" (the Pleased To Meet Me material) and was knocked out, especially by Skyway. He said from what he's heard, "This is a REAL tribute record." Said he always liked Australian rock bands. And that he would listen some more." Well that's all the good news for now folks...for more info check out the website for the release. http://www.ar.com.au/~hac/replacements/ cheers Ian. From: Elaine Pan Subject: Replacements Cover Night Date: Fri, 17 Mar 2000 09:16:45 -0800 Last night I went to a "Replacements Cover Night" at the Crocodile Cafe here in Seattle. It actually was kind of cool. Nine bands played and each of them did anywhere from 2 to 4 Replacements covers. I think half of the people in the audience were band members. Some of the more popular songs that people covered were "Skyway" and "Swingin' Party". The bands played a wide variety of songs - everything from "Treatment Bound", to "Nobody". My favorites were this jazzed up version of "All Shook Down", and renditions of some of the older Mats tunes - stuff like "Mr. Whirly", "Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out", "I Hate Music", "Sixteen Blue", "Favorite Thing"...I think it was the first time I had heard "Nowhere is My Home", live.... . A couple of the bands stayed pretty true to the sound and feel of the original songs. There was even one band, that kind of looked like the Mats: wearing cheap polyester suit jackets and the bass player had the same hair and makeup that was so reminiscent of Tommy- it was kind of freaky... Growing up in Edmonton, Alberta, there was no way that the Mats would ever come close to touring there so it was pretty neat hearing some of the songs that I will never get to hear the original band play. I have seen Paul on his solo tours but I know it just isn't quite the same as seeing the Mats belt out those tunes that we all know and love. It may not have been The Replacements, but it's as close as I'm going to get.... - Elaine __________________________________________________________________________ IV. Trade/Swap/Buy/Beg From: ChipNet1@aol.com Date: Mon, 6 Mar 2000 19:01:42 EST Subject: Mats boot trading on CD-R, 2:1? Anyone out there with Mats CD-R bootlegs, like the 81-82 solo piano/electric guitar and Mats rarities collections that have been going around, that would be interested in doing 2:1's with me since I have nothing? Please! Let me know... Thanks! Take care, Alex 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 ______________________________________________________________________________ I long for eternity because there I shall meet my unwritten poems and my unpainted pictures. -Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) [Sand and Foam]