In the Blogs: Paul gets graded, if Evan Dando looked like Westerberg, and more
By Jodi | Filed under In the Blogs | Comments (5)
Ok it’s not really a blog, but let’s not quibble. The Paulisded Guide to Paul Westerberg, grades Paul’s solo records. There is also some interesting talk about hummers at the end. You will have to visit the link to know what kind of hummers are being discussed.
Jezebel points out a strange Harry Potter-Paul Westberg connection.
Jefito complies a complete idiot’s guide to the Lemonheads, where he compares Evan Dando to Paul Westerberg, and even discusses how Dando might be perceived differently if he looked more like Westerberg or Bob Mould.
blogging for paul!
By scooterboy | Filed under In Love With That Song | Comments (1)
join me, the technophobe, the neophyte, the, well, idiot.
by all accounts, paul is like me: someone who doesn’t listen to the voice of reason, someone who doesn’t “get” blogging, someone who already doesn’t like us. well, i like us, but why would he? we’re blogging for him for christ’s sake. the man doesn’t even have an official website.
*waits for snickering to subside*
i mean, he didn’t like us when we were a scary monolyth. he didn’t like us when we went over the lightside. he definitely didn’t like us when we went dark or when we turned lesbian.
still, we are here, to us this is dear - get used to it.
anyone who selflessly gives us something as wonderful as…
… deserves this i think. i’ll do what i can. i have already surprised myself.
Hey jerky, I wanna write here too. How do I do that? Part I
By Jodi | Filed under Thx the mgmt | Comments (1)
So you got something to say? Sweet! Because here at Paul Westerberg.net you can write your own memories, post your own links (or YouTube videos), whathaveyou, and have it appear right here on the front page. How sexy is that? You aren’t limited to being a member of the comment peanut gallery (though that’s a lot of fun too)!
Don’t worry, you don’t have to be any sort of blogging wizard or HTML supergenius. Nah, it’s totally easy even for people as technophobic as our own St. Paul Westerberg.
Read the rest of this entry »
Reveille Magazine has a Q&A with Jim Walsh about ‘The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting’
By Jodi | Filed under Books, PW News | Comments (10)
The awesome, new Twin Cities music magazine, Reveille has a preview of Jim Walsh’s forthcoming The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History (due out in November).
In the piece, Andrea Myers interviews Walsh about the first time he ever saw the ‘Mats, the book, and staying in touch with the boys from the band, including Paul Westerberg. Here’s my favorite bit:
Walsh: Paul and I stay in touch over the cosmic transom. We trade phone calls now and then. We’ve been through a lot together—weddings, parties, births, divorces, deaths, everything in between. I love him, always will. He saved my life so many times, through his music and his sense of humor, and just letting me know I wasn’t alone in feeling alone in a crowd, etc. I always look for Chris at Twins games; I was there last night. Slim is a touchstone for me, I can call him up and get a dose of grounding/wisdom/love. I’m in touch with Tommy’s ex-wife and girlfriend more than him, and they are aces. Beautiful, dark-haired Scottish/Irish lasses.
No one has seen the book but me, my wife (speaking of dark-haired beauties), my editor, Dennis Pernu, and the folks at Voyageur Press.
They’re waiting in the darkness
By Wolfdog | Filed under Seen Your Video, Westerberg Memories | Comments (1)
…and they call out “Where am I?”
There has been many moments where I have been emotionally affected by a performance. Here Comes A Regular in Milwaukee 2005 and Crackle & Drag at the 1st Guthrie night 2002 for example.
But what really got me was A Star Is Bored near the end of the 3rd night at the Guthrie in 2002. It was a song I had previously never gave much of a listen to. There seemed to be such a purpose to singing that song at that time. No flubs, no jokes, no giving up (as there was in many songs that weekend) There was a feeling and a message being relayed, and I felt it. Won’t forget it.
Thanks to whoever originally taped it, and to Blasty for posting the video….
Take your place in back with the loud mouths
By Jodi | Filed under Westbergesque, Westerberg Memories | Comments (2)
I discovered Paul Westerberg and The Replacements at a time in my life where every single song I heard by Westerberg seemed to be about me. I worked at a gas station and spent my entire 3 - 11 shifts listening to each of the CDs in succession and writing in my journal (it wasn’t a very busy gas station) about how I was sure (and please forgive the 22-year-old melodrama), and I quote “Paul Westerberg had cracked open my heart and put to music what he found there.”
Being sort of a lonesome loner, Westerberg’s music clicked inside of me like nothing else had before. But this is more than about the music. This is about what the music has brought to my life. Because with music, comes music fans.
My first ever Westerberg fan memory came when I had just very recently discovered The Replacements. I was alone at a bar, having arrived earlier than all my friends. I sat there with a beer and sang along with, I believe it was “I’ll Be You.”
“Are you singing The Replacements?” A guy asked me.
“Yeah,” I said. “I love them.”
“Wow, another ‘mats fan,” he said. “I think I need to buy you a drink.”
I had no idea that this kind of generosity and kindred spiritness was standard operating practice for ‘mats fans.
Not long ago a bunch of Westernerds gathered in St. Paul for 89.3 The Current’s Fakebook with Laurie Lindeen. Before the show, a few of us had gathered at Wolfdogg’s house for a few beers.
It was a gorgeous Minnesota day with sunshine and sweet Georgia breezes. Ohio, Wisconsin, and Oklahoma were all represented. We sat and ripped on each other, gossiped about other Westernerds who couldn’t attend, and reminisced about Westernerd Hootenannys past.
As we snarked and talked about what we hoped the evening would bring, a dark-haired man walked up the steps. All conversation stopped.
“Uh,” I said. “We have a guest.”
“RJ!” Heather, Wolfdogg’s wife, shouted.
He had flown in from LA as a surprise. Nobody had expected him to come, he hadn’t mentioned a thing. But here he was. The night had become magical and we hadn’t even left the yard. At that point any sort of Westerberg was going to be gravy. Really.
See, that’s what Westerberg’s music does. It quite literally brings people together. And I am sure I don’t need to mention to you that Paul Westerberg fans really are the most intelligent, sensitive, good-looking, creative people on earth.
Westerberg’s music has introduced me to a community of amazing people that I would have never known had Kelly McKnight not forced me to play “Merry-go-round” in the (very aptly named) Camaraderie all those years ago.
Petal Pusher review round up
By Jodi | Filed under Books, Westbergesque | Comments (6)
Check out Lindeen’s Booknotes essay over at Largehearted Boy. He’s also got a whole slew of reviews and Petal Pusher related links.
Erika Schickel gets snarky in the LA Times, calling Lindeen’s prose “irksome” and complaining about being held at arm’s length (and I totally agreed about that part).
Chrissie Dickinson says in the Washington Post, “In this memoir of indie-rock youthquake, Lindeen tries to make you laugh out loud. To paraphrase the title of a Wilco song, she is also trying to break your heart. She succeeds on both counts.”
Idolator readers weigh in, calling it an enjoyable read.
Sumigirl tried to savor Petal Pusher but couldn’t put it down.
Good stuff
By Jodi | Filed under asides | Comments (0)
I am totally digging on the whole First Paul Westerberg/Mats memories post. But you really, really should read Placemat’s Comment.
As *blank* is to Paul Westerberg….
By Wolfdog | Filed under Westbergesque | Comments (2)
A listing of the past week’s journalistic comparisons to PW.
Jesse Malin. Gregory Gaston of Cincinnati’s City Beat: Malin and his music also resemble one of his idols, Paul Westerberg, the former lead Replacement whose solo career has often been criticized for reflecting a more “mature” vision compared to his wild days of yore.
Wendy (of Prince’s Wendy & Lisa fame?!?!) Danny Sigelman of MPR’s The Current: The show peaked when Larry Graham and Wendy Melvoin (who I mistook for a second as Paul Westerberg) joined the band and tore through an extended medley of Sly and the Family Stone tunes.
Ryan Adams (always an easy target) Peter Bothum of the Delaware News Journal: But at least he didn’t cop someone’s act, like Ryan did with his Xerox job on Paul Westerberg’s schtick — the flaky behavior, the disheveled hair, the cigarette dangling.
Cabin. Jeffery Lee Puckett of the Louisville Courier-Journal: “Dance With Me” is a reflection on first love that positively aches in all the best ways, like the way a good, sappy Paul Westerberg song will (think “First Glimmer”)
Ryan Adams (again) Jon M. Gilbertson of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel: With lush vocal sweetness reminiscent of Anne Murray’s early recordings and fragility lifted from Paul Westerberg’s wry woe, Adams eases into the dawning hope of “Goodnight Rose,” the slow grit of “Halloween Head” and the soft heartbreak of “Two Hearts.”
Matt Fisher And The Telephone Junkies. Joe Master of the Asbury Park Press: Taking his cues from the likes of Sir Paul, Joe Jackson and Paul Westerberg, Fisher has managed to navigate between power-pop bliss and art-rock noise with the very same shrewdness that his rock and roll heroes rode straight up the zeitgeist.
Spoon. Jim Farber of the NY Daily News: Singer Daniel’s husky voice can remind you of Paul Westerberg one minute, John Lennon the next.
In the Blogs: KCRW set, b-sides & rarities, and 10,000 favorite songs
By Jodi | Filed under In the Blogs | Comments (2)
Carla is searching for new sounds a Westerberg loving Brooklynite might dig.
The Feeb remembers discovering Please to Meet Me.
The Daily Blizzard posts Westerberg’s KCRW set from 2002.
Alisha explains how The Replacements are part of her fate.
Way back in March, Heather posted a slew of Westerberg and ‘Mats rarities and b-sides. It’s a stunning collection, I even managed to pick up a few I didn’t have before.
Glenn Case is listing his 10,000 favorite songs, Alex Chilton comes in at 300.
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