musician magazine | NIGHTCLUB JITTERS

The words I thought, I brought…

Posted on April 24, 2015 by lova33b

A 1987 issue of Musician featuring an article on “The Real Replacements.”

Opening spread of 1987 article on The Replacements.

Digging through my archives, I found a July 1987 issue of Musician magazine, featuring an article on our beloved ’Mats by Bill Flanagan. I wanted to share the damn thing because it’s been collecting dust AND it marks some key changes for the band:

The release of Pleased to Meet Me: “The Replacements’ shot at the big time,” says Flanagan.
Bob’s departure: “It’s tough,” Westerberg concedes. “Tommy wanted to see Bob straighten up, but he wasn’t and he wouldn’t and he’s gone.”
Slim joining the band: “The reason I wanted Slim in the band was to replace my brother. We couldn’t have some guy from L.A. with hair down to his butt come in. It had to be someone I liked,” says Tommy.

Flanagan visited the ’Mats in Minneapolis, just after they infamously threw the Twin/Tone tapes of their early albums in the Mississippi River. The overall tone of the article is intimate, a little dark, but also funny and raucous. Hey, kinda like the band themselves!

Download a PDF of the sidebar, in which the boys talk guitars and amps etc.

If there’s enough interest in this article, I’ll get off my ass and fix my scanner and post the whole article. Or, as I just discovered, you can buy the magazine on eBay. I’ll never let my copy go!

“The words I thought I brought I left behind, so NEVERMIND!”

The last, best band of the 80s

Gallery | Posted on April 1, 2015 by lova33b

What a great cover. There’s the band, in all their ragged glory.

I bought this issue of Musician magazine in 1989, as soon as it came out. Years later, I learned that Jon Bon Jovi wrote a letter to Musician, asking, “How can the Replacements be the best band of the 80s when I’ve never even heard of them?”

Jon — you answered your own question, ya knob! Go fuck yourself.

But seriously now, this cover story remains significant as it tells the band’s coming of age story—from their early days in the Minneapolis punk/hardcore “scene” to “Professional whats, I don‘t know,” as Paul quips during the interview. I’ve read this story about 50 times, and with each read I learn something new. And I still love staring at that photo of Tommy “shootin’ dirty pool.”

It also marks a turning point for the band. When this issue came out, Don’t Tell a Soul just hit the racks. The Replacements were seemingly on the verge, and this article served to give them a push. Too bad it didn’t work. Or is it?

Coming soon, scans of the full article, so you can actually read the damn thing.