Paul & Tommy

[Kathy]

from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/music/jan05/294548.asp

Thanks to Shellee for sending this to me. Click above for full article, here's the Paul & Tommy in the studio part and mats stuff:

Guns N' Roses bassist finds his way back to Midwest

Q. In the Replacements, the band's few ventures into major labeldom were notorious for the discord they created. Can you envision that happening again?

A. There had always been pressure to do specific types of songs in the Replacements. They wanted us to come up with singles. But Paul (Westerberg, the Replacements' front man) couldn't do it, and I didn't know how to do it. But I don't see that happening in this situation. We're on a label familiar with my music, and that's what they're expecting.

Q. What's the difference between touring with the Replacements back in the '80s and touring now?

A. Ten, 15 years ago, I and other musicians I was associated with were in a much different place: the days of sex, drugs and rock and roll aren't as intense today or out front today. Maybe they're just hiding, but the lifestyle certainly isn't as glorified as it once was. Basically, a lot of it merely involves us growing up and not being dumb kids anymore.

Q. When's the last time you communicated with Paul Westerberg?

A. I had recording sessions with Paul last Monday and Tuesday; he's doing songs for the soundtrack of some animation movie for Sony. It was fun catching up and working together. I hadn't seen him for a while.

Q. Will the Replacements ever reunite?

A. I can't see it happening any time soon. For me, the next couple years are booked, and from what I see, there's no need to do a reunion. Or at least no one's been banging on my door requesting it.

[FreeRider]

That's cool that they're speaking to one another now, unless their spat played out in the press was an orchestrated thing. Is it possible that Paul and Tommy have been having a laugh at us over their "spat"?

[liam studebaker]

Kathy said:

there's no need to do a reunion. Or at least no one's been banging on my door requesting it.

Interesting comment seeing that Paul has said that he tried like hell to reunite the Mats for Karl's benefit gig.

Hmmmph.

[cellarfullofnoise]

liam said:

Interesting comment seeing that Paul has said that he tried like hell to reunite the Mats for Karl's benefit gig.

Hmmmph.

Tommy's right on a technicality ... Paul was trying to kick kick his door down.

[Kathy]

liam said:

Interesting comment seeing that Paul has said that he tried like hell to reunite the Mats for Karl's benefit gig.

Hmmmph.

I assumed he meant marketplace-wise, i.e. no one was trying to get the mats together for a Pixies like reunion.

[allshookup]

It sounds to me like when Paul talks about any reunion of the Replacements, large-scale or small, he means Tommy and Chris.

Does anybody know where (or if) Slim fits into all this?

EDIT: I just listened to the Jim Rome thing again, and Paul DID say "eight cold feet", so it sounds like he meant four guys. But I think anything else I've read, he always says "Tommy and Chris."

[FreeRider]

Kathy said:

I assumed he meant marketplace-wise, i.e. no one was trying to get the mats together for a Pixies like reunion.

I thought Paul said during the Jim Rome interview that someone offered them a million bucks to get the band back together. However, I don't think he said it was a Pixies-like tour, but rather a few nights at Madison Square Garden. I'm curious to know who was willing to put up that money to have the Mats get back together.

[Brad]

Kathy said:

from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
www.jsonline.com/onwisconsin/music/jan05/294548.asp


A. I had recording sessions with Paul last Monday and Tuesday

I think this is the most exciting sentence in the whole article! Were they just messing around or was Tommy helping Paul with the soundtrack? Either way it's great to hear that.

[liam studebaker]

Kathy said:

I assumed he meant marketplace-wise, i.e. no one was trying to get the mats together for a Pixies like reunion.

Call me isolated if you want, but I never heard ANYONE calling for a Pixies reunion. The bands that seem to top the yearly reunion lists repeatedly are the Smiths and Soundgarden... and Soundgarden hasn't even been gone that long.

To me it seemed that everyone heard that they were going to do a little club tour and it snowballed into this huge welcome back wagon.

I think the coolest idea Paul's had was to retrace the "Winter Dance Tour," or whatever it was that turned out to be Buddy Holly's last tour with the Replacements.

Hell, I think I'd even settle for a package tour of all the members playing their solo stuff and revolve the headliner every night.

[cellarfullofnoise]

liam said:

I think the coolest idea Paul's had was to retrace the "Winter Dance Tour," or whatever it was that turned out to be Buddy Holly's last tour

Agreed. It's that time of year again. They shoulda done it.

[FreeRider]

RJ said:

EDIT: I just listened to the Jim Rome thing again, and Paul DID say "eight cold feet", so it sounds like he meant four guys. But I think anything else I've read, he always says "Tommy and Chris."

Interesting. I don't think he'd leave Slim out of a reunion, do you? But I do remember Paul saying that Tommy has to be in on it, that it isn't right without him there. I thought that was pretty obvious but I guess Paul wanted to stress that point.

I agree too that the "Winter Dance" idea is not only cool but very creative and in some ways an homage to those three forefathers of rock and roll.

[scoOter]

at the show saturday night, tommy made repeated nice comments about paul. to paraphrase:

*handling his normal sparkly electric guitar*
"never stays in tune... should expect it, though. it's paul's" (hoots, boos, etc. from crowd) "i'm just kidding. he's a nice guy. i think he wants the guitar back..."

"saw him for the first time in 8 years. it was nice. he's a fun guy..."

"... had a recording session with him..."

so, there you have it everyone. for what it is worth, this makes me very, very happy.

[Kathy]

liam said:

Call me isolated if you want

liam is isolated

[FreeRider]

scooter said:

so, there you have it everyone. for what it is worth, this makes me very, very happy.

yeah, that makes me happy too. it's very cool that they're back on good terms again for now.

[Monkey]

scooter said:

at the show saturday night, tommy made repeated nice comments about paul. to paraphrase:

*handling his normal sparkly electric guitar*
"never stays in tune... should expect it, though. it's paul's" (hoots, boos, etc. from crowd) "i'm just kidding. he's a nice guy. i think he wants the guitar back..."

"saw him for the first time in 8 years. it was nice. he's a fun guy..."

"... had a recording session with him..."

so, there you have it everyone. for what it is worth, this makes me very, very happy.

This is great to hear, although I'm moderately furious that I thought Tommy's show was this coming Saturday rather than last Saturday. Balls.

[scoOter]

Monkey said:

This is great to hear, although I'm moderately furious that I thought Tommy's show was this coming Saturday rather than last Saturday. Balls.

i thought about reminding you.

[Monkey]

scooter said:

i thought about reminding you.

I'm just the worst fan ever. Time to laser off my Tommy Stinson face tattoo.

[earthdog70]

That's cool Paul and Tommy are doing a session together.

I would think that Slim would be included in any reunion but who knows?

I think The Mats need to know that according to a recent Washington Post article-The Pixes grossed 14 million on last year's tour. As Frank Black (half) joked-he has some kids to put through college.

Not that The Mats should do a reunion just for the money, but if that's a motivating factor to benefit from all the hard work they did in the past-then so be it ;D

[bigbak]

Jan 26, 2005 17:16:26 GMT -5 earthdog70 said:

I think The Mats need to know that according to a recent Washington Post article-The Pixies grossed 14 million on last year's tour. As Frank Black (half) joked-he has some kids to put through college.

Think that kind of money was realized on this tour for the 'Mats?