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Post by Kathy on Feb 19, 2016 9:30:53 GMT -5
Amazon started shipping this week, my copy came yesterday!  |
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Post by wecantgetanybetter on Feb 19, 2016 10:52:08 GMT -5
Bought my copy at Magers & Quinn bookstore in Uptown, Minneapolis, on Tuesday. It had just arrived.
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bside
Star Scout
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Post by bside on Feb 19, 2016 12:06:02 GMT -5
I just checked and had pre-ordered this on September 17, 2012 when it was announced. Quite anticipated!
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Post by jess on Feb 19, 2016 12:36:14 GMT -5
Still waiting for mine to ship... impatiently waiting!
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Post by pm on Feb 19, 2016 14:53:40 GMT -5
Mine just arrived : )
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Post by vonkresse on Feb 19, 2016 15:36:20 GMT -5
Quick question to wecantgetanybetter regarding Magers & Quinn - did you pre-order to pick up there? Just called and they didn't have any.
Thanks!
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Post by wrtson1boy on Feb 19, 2016 16:37:29 GMT -5
I don't think the typeset in this book could be any smaller
my eyes are going to be in severe pain after trying to read this
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Post by oldmatsfan on Feb 20, 2016 11:39:34 GMT -5
Mine is supposed to arrive from Amazon on 2/29/16. Not sure why it's arriving so much later that those who've already received theirs from Amazon.
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Post by Stegman on Feb 20, 2016 22:06:15 GMT -5
I'm two thirds of the way through and have mixed feelings about it. Mehr did a fantastic job with it. It's Impeccably researched and well written, but it's a warts and all look at the band and Paul and Tommy were even bigger dicks than I imagined. Westerberg comes off as a callous bully time after time. I certainly knew he had the capacity for that, but I didn't realize it was such a cornerstone of who he is.
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patty
Second Class Scout
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Post by patty on Feb 21, 2016 14:05:55 GMT -5
Wow, I can't wait for my book..I am looking forward so much to the inside story. My dad is a HUGE Mats fan and I've bought it for him
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 21, 2016 20:54:56 GMT -5
I'm two thirds of the way through and have mixed feelings about it. Mehr did a fantastic job with it. It's Impeccably researched and well written, but it's a warts and all look at the band and Paul and Tommy were even bigger dicks than I imagined. Westerberg comes off as a callous bully time after time. I certainly knew he had the capacity for that, but I didn't realize it was such a cornerstone of who he is. I haven't read the book yet, but don't you think warts and all is better than if it was just idol worshipping? Because then a book like that would be dishonest and not a real objective (as much as it can be) perspective. Of course, I don't like hearing bad stuff about artists I admire, and as long as it isn't exploitative and tabloid-ish, it is an honest portrait of who these people are/were though, and I accept them for being flawed like everyone else. Can any of it be seen as the arrogance of youth? I'm sure that almost everyone has moments in their life they are not proud of. And it's obvious that Paul has those moments too: "The first set of formal interviews we did for the book and after the first day, he was, by the end, when I went to sort of get together with him the next time it was very strained and awkward. He pulled out a letter he had written me and sat me down in his basement, in his studio and read me this letter where he had taken some shots at me. ‘What are you trying to do here. You’re trying to make me a villain.’ When it was over and he had read this whole thing, he just sort of sighed and slumped and said, ‘oh, I got that out of my system. What do you want to drink?’ I think he thought I had come with some agenda and he was uncomfortable with the process of reflecting on his life in a way he hadn’t done." Bob Mehr www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2016/02/11/he-wrote-the-definitive-bio-of-the-replacements-and-got-paul-westerbergs-tooth/ |
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Post by curmudgeonman on Feb 21, 2016 21:35:13 GMT -5
It's Impeccably researched and well written, but it's a warts and all look at the band and Paul and Tommy were even bigger dicks than I imagined. Westerberg comes off as a callous bully time after time. I certainly knew he had the capacity for that, but I didn't realize it was such a cornerstone of who he is. As you posted, impeccably researched The 'Mats, especially Westerberg, WERE assholes back in the day. But "the nicest assholes" you'll ever meet. Part of the charm of the band. Back in the day, euphemistically labeled "difficult"  . Hard truth trumps apple-polishing any day. My book arrives Monday. Look forward to reading it. |
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Post by Hagbard on Feb 22, 2016 7:21:18 GMT -5
Mine arrived today! Not ashamed to say I nearly cried reading the introduction.
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who?
Star Scout
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Post by who? on Feb 22, 2016 11:49:40 GMT -5
Mine arrived today! Not ashamed to say I nearly cried reading the introduction. Same here, only it was at the photos taken during the Midway show that my wife and I were lucky enough to attend. I remember that fuckin smooch they planted on each other! Looking forward to reading. |
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Post by anarkissed on Feb 22, 2016 14:32:30 GMT -5
Can any of it be seen as the arrogance of youth? I'm sure that almost everyone has moments in their life they are not proud of. And it's obvious that Paul has those moments too I was thinking along the same lines - the arrogance of youth, possibly compounded by massive alcohol and drug abuse...Wasn't the drug of choice back in those days cocaine? Never came across a single person, including me, who wasn't an asshole while on cocaine...Alcohol doesn't have that effect on me, but a lot of people are "mean drunks"...I think it was made even worse by their whole philosophy, which seemed to place a high degree of ethical value on being "contrary" and "difficult" to show they weren't "pandering" or "selling out"...Little bit of schoolboy punk rock fantasy going on there... |
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Jer
Beagle Scout
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Post by Jer on Feb 23, 2016 9:22:32 GMT -5
...Paul and Tommy were even bigger dicks than I imagined. Westerberg comes off as a callous bully time after time. I certainly knew he had the capacity for that, but I didn't realize it was such a cornerstone of who he is. I think this is the case a lot more than people realize in bands. Someone takes the reins, becomes the "leader," makes the hard decisions, and people are inevitably left with a lot of resentment. There's no shortage of stories about that behavior in a million bands - from Wilco to Oasis to The Beatles to The Eagles to Hüsker Dü and tons of others. It's not the case for every band, but it happens all the time. The truth is often that without that person doing those things, that band wouldn't have gone where they did. Bands - like families and companies - have roles, and like Jeff Tweedy said in their movie, at the moment that maybe made him look the worst, "a circle can only have one center". He's conceptually right, but the human element makes that concept really difficult to maintain gracefully. It was certainly the case with The Replacements. Bob hated having his band taken from him, didn't agree with a lot of the direction and choices, but in Bob's hands they would have barely left the basement. But Bob naturally felt more and more bitter as his role was diminished, and it became a circle of resentment-exclusion. Plus, like Freerider said, arrogance of youth, substances, plus money, women, outside parties and a number of other factors start to weigh in. It's almost an impossible situation to maintain gracefully. Things are said that shouldn't be, some end up in print, people look like assholes. That's the way it is in rock and roll. I'm just a few chapters into the book and really enjoying it. It's always so sad to revisit and get more insight into the tragedy that was Bob Stinson's life. How many messed up kids are like that, or worse, but don't end up in legendary bands, and never have their stories heard? |
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 23, 2016 10:24:06 GMT -5
still waiting for my copy but excellent points there, Jer.
I've known guys in bands and resentments DO indeed fire up. From the guy who takes on the responsibilities of getting the band booked, getting paid by the club, to the band member who feels his song contributions are cast aside or always voted down, to the guy who likes to party too much, etc...my one friend in a swing/jazz band was asked by a club in NYC to play but the rest of the band members didn't want to drive to NYC and came up with excuses not to go. My friend was pissed---he was the band manager and the drummer and trying to get them more exposure. The rest of the band probably thought he was being an asshole.
But as you pointed out, those are the roles and responsibilities. Someone has to do the dirty work and keep the band functioning and everyone in line. I haven't seen it with my friend's band since it's really not a rock band (although he was in a few previous to his swing band gig), I'm sure the booze and drugs thing messed up everyone's judgment too.
Like annarkissed mentioned, some people become mean drunks too when they get in their cups.
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Freddy
First Class Scout
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Post by Freddy on Feb 23, 2016 19:44:58 GMT -5
My copy was waiting on the kitchen table when I came in from work!
As for Paul and Tommy being "dicks", well that's the case with a lot of artists, especially those that have something they feel strongly about and want done their way. I would imagine it's hard to be an artist and constantly feel like you have to channel your vision through other people. Eventually, it stops working and that is when you see so many bands dissolve. Paul/Tommy/Chris/Bob....those guys were social malcontents and shrugged off authority and conventionality, which yeah, would make them come off poorly, especially when there was quite a bit of alcohol abuse going on (as previously mentioned). For me, it would be shocking if they WERE'NT dicks! Ha Ha....
Everyone enjoy the book! Freddy
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Post by mudbacktodirt on Feb 23, 2016 22:17:01 GMT -5
My copy of the book . . . still hasn't arrived.
Amazon sent me an e-mail update about a week ago saying it would arrive around February 22-23 (which I thought was weird because I thought the book wasn't coming out until March 1). It's still just the 23rd so I shouldn't complain.
So . . . the book should still get here before I originally thought. Who knows? Maybe I'll take Friday or Monday off to get some extra reading in. Looking forward to it.
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Post by anarkissed on Feb 25, 2016 23:21:57 GMT -5
Got my copy today...Just a few pages in...Eye-opening...Didn't know Bob and Tommy were "half-brothers", which seems like a whole different dynamic...Always thought Paul just had a sister, not a slew of siblings...
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