Mississippi river born in ‘59

By Jodi | Filed under 'Mats Memories, In the News | Comments (11)

Today’s Mr. Paul Westerberg’s 50th birthday. Yesterday the Strib ran a nice piece about the old man.

“Starting in the 1980s, the Replacements injected a much-needed dose of mischief into a musical environment close to being overtaken by poseurs and synth-rock. Westerberg and his bandmates Tommy Stinson, Chris Mars and Bob Stinson took their direction from romantic songwriters and glam bands from the coasts — sentimental troubadours like Eric Carmen and Neil Diamond and party hounds like Thin Lizzy and Kiss. Ambitious, skilled, and swaggering but not stupid, they were the Clash without the notion that they had something important to say.

“Originally content to play simply fast and loud, Westerberg’s often comic and daring music grew increasingly more ambitious. By the band’s third and fourth albums, he was throwing off evocative tales of heartbreak, pain and confusion at a level that most bands would be lucky to stumble upon once in a career. Commercially, the Replacements mostly went nowhere, but you have to remember, this was the decade of Phil Collins.”

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Permalink | December 31st, 2009 |

11 Responses to “Mississippi river born in ‘59”

  1. MIKE Says:
    January 1st, 2010 at 11:39 am

    HAPPY BARFDAY

  2. Jake Says:
    January 1st, 2010 at 1:23 pm

    Wait a minute…..kindergarten flashback.

  3. One Wink at a Time Says:
    January 3rd, 2010 at 2:32 am

    Happy Belated Birthday to Paul. And many more, but on time…

  4. Sam Greenspan Says:
    February 1st, 2010 at 5:12 am

    i just read that paul had a hand in a leatherwoods album for twin tone in 92. Anyone know if its worth a look?

  5. Jake Says:
    February 23rd, 2010 at 11:28 am

    It’s been two or three months since we heard anything. Paul has to be getting bored by now.

  6. Jonathon Hackett Says:
    February 24th, 2010 at 9:01 pm

    i’ve been speculating about his creative process lately, and here’s what I came up with. I haven’t read many interviews with the guy so if any of this seems way off base, correct me.

    I’m almost sure Paul writes regularly, if not daily. I’d venture the guess that he only records when he feels absolutely compelled to, which is why he’s been recording things at home and releasing them sporadically. He’s not signed to a label and therefore doesn’t have any obligations to put out full length albums, record in a studio on a schedule, worry about the quality of a take, or tour. The publishing deal he just set up will definitely bring in more cash on a consistent basis. To me, this is a signal that he is content with the way things are right now. A record label couldn’t offer him anything that he needs. Barring a natural disaster or an act of God, I think we can expect the internet releases to keep going for a while. Which is just fine with me.

    All that being said, baseball season starts up soon, and if that doesn’t get him back to recording, I don’t know what will.

    Thoughts?

  7. jay Says:
    February 25th, 2010 at 9:15 pm

    I think we will be surprised. Sooner than later.

  8. Jake Says:
    February 26th, 2010 at 10:28 am

    Lets hope so….I think we all go through Westerberg withdrawal after awhile.

  9. Neil Says:
    March 1st, 2010 at 10:48 pm

    How great would news of a new album arriving in spring be with a summer tour?! C’mon, Paul!

  10. Jake Says:
    March 3rd, 2010 at 11:52 pm

    Hell Yeah!

  11. Jake Says:
    March 7th, 2010 at 10:33 am

    Are we ever going to get a Stereo/Mono burst of creativity again? Discuss.

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