Jer
Beagle Scout
Posts: 1,182
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Post by Jer on May 14, 2019 9:34:40 GMT -5
Paul might be done, but Tommy brought it last night in Chicago. Just one guy and a guitar, he held a room of a couple hundred people. Reminded me of the solo stuff that Paul did years back. I take it Tommy was opening for the Lemonheads in Chicago? How were they? Tommy is part of their tour. I think they were in Minneapolis on Saturday. Anybody catch it?? ...Anybody record it? I've been hearing mixed reviews of the shows. Friends in Detroit said Tommy's set was ok, but a bit disjointed. His set in Toronto started well but fell apart as it went along and was a mess by the end. From what I heard Chicago and Minneapolis were good. This is all second hand, but from people I know and who's opinions I trust. Sounds like Lemonheads/Evan are keeping together better than they have for some time.
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Post by anarkissed on May 14, 2019 12:50:47 GMT -5
Is Tommy's set just him alone or does he have a band? That tour is coming to Houston at the end of June.
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nyc1lkg
First Class Scout
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Post by nyc1lkg on May 15, 2019 10:43:33 GMT -5
Listening to this interview of John Mellencamp, by Sammy Hagar, got me thinking about this thread and Paul's possible mindset about touring, playing hits, recreating studio recordings, etc. I've always found Mellencamp to be a fascinating artist. www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4WMrt5pByw
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Jer
Beagle Scout
Posts: 1,182
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Post by Jer on May 15, 2019 10:54:45 GMT -5
Is Tommy's set just him alone or does he have a band? That tour is coming to Houston at the end of June. Tommy solo. No Chip, no band.
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Post by Veets on Jul 9, 2019 20:19:25 GMT -5
An old Replacements interview from the Spin archives circa 1987 surfaced (link below) and this quote seemed to fit into this thread. I guess Paul either got chicken or he doesn't think he can do better than what's on the radio these days. ;-) "“If I were to quit,” he says. “I would come home to my job and turn on the radio and think, ‘fuck, I can play as good as them,’ or somethin’ like that. And that’s the thing that drives me. I think that if I quit now, how far could I have gone? What song could I have written? And I have enough of that in me that’s going, ‘don’t be a chicken, see what you can do.'” www.spin.com/featured/the-replacements-1987-feature-growing-up-in-public/
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Post by thematsarealive on Aug 9, 2019 16:51:20 GMT -5
I think Dr. Tommy Stinson nailed it when he diagnosed Paul with "demo-itis." Either he can't accept other people putting their spin on his songs, or he just can't be bothered to move beyond his first messy take of an idea. Pretty sure this was all in the Uncut article leading up to those last UK shows, when they were still trying to make a new Replacements record. Paul says they spent a bunch of time on "Wear Me Out Loud" as a band and it just wasn't working...fast forward to the I Don't Cares record and it's such a straightforward rocker I can't imagine how that Mats lineup wasn't nailing the song. But Paul just didn't like it. Tommy even says that he begged Paul not to "officially" demo his songs anymore, just go back to writing them how he did in the old days and bring them to the band to flesh out. Sounds like Paul just couldn't bring himself to do it. Too bad. Is there any free online edition of that article that you know of? I could not find one
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Post by towilmusic on Aug 11, 2019 9:01:57 GMT -5
News is....be has retired from music.
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Post by oreo137 on Aug 11, 2019 15:43:58 GMT -5
News is....be has retired from music. Is there a link or source for this news?
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Post by rkearney on Feb 17, 2022 16:20:30 GMT -5
Excellent point and one that I'm behind. The I Don't Cares CD came out in 2016, just 2 years ago. Paul must be chuckling and shaking his head, thinking, "I just gave you folks something and you're still begging for more?" I mean, doesn't it take a band an average of like 2-3 years to put out another album? This songwriting stuff is hard, it takes time. This is true. Just to offer a simple comparison: I went and had a look at Paul Simon's solo output between the release of his first album in 1972 (not counting that 1965 Songbook thing) and his most recent release of new music in 2016. So within that span of 45 years (1972-2016) Simon released 12 albums, or an average of one new album every 3.75 years. Now let's look at PW: If we exclude EPs and singles and soundtrack work and the Dry Wood Garage project, PW has released 10 albums of new music over 24 years (1993-2016), or an average of one new album every 2.4 years. And he's obviously as serious a songwriter as Paul Simon. So yeah, he might very well be done (although I reckon he has a LOT of unreleased stuff that is as worthy as your favorite tunes on Wild Stab), but while he was at it he was certainly chugging away.
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Post by anarkissed on Feb 18, 2022 10:25:58 GMT -5
I started this thread three and a half years ago...He is done...
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Post by con on Feb 19, 2022 14:51:21 GMT -5
Missed this news in the landslide of pandemic-era stories, but I know Paul was a fan (of his Jacobites records, at least), and if Paul’s done, at least he’s not done done. Dave’s music is a love-tipped arrow straight into the heart. RIP.
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Post by curmudgeonman on Feb 21, 2022 11:17:16 GMT -5
I started this thread three and a half years ago...He is done... Yeah, in a Covid world, I'd say he is. The last thing of substance, The I Don't Cares, was 2016, six years ago. And before that, not counting the little digital releases, was Folker in 2004, 18 years ago, his last for Vagrant Records. And he's not the only one either. The music industry, which used to enjoy a yearly 50 billion dollar payday has been down 60-70% since Covid started. Countless major artists have already said "fuck it" and sold off their song catalogs. The music industry has taken a drastic change in direction in the last two years.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 22, 2022 10:03:52 GMT -5
Excellent point and one that I'm behind. The I Don't Cares CD came out in 2016, just 2 years ago. Paul must be chuckling and shaking his head, thinking, "I just gave you folks something and you're still begging for more?" I mean, doesn't it take a band an average of like 2-3 years to put out another album? This songwriting stuff is hard, it takes time. This is true. Just to offer a simple comparison: I went and had a look at Paul Simon's solo output between the release of his first album in 1972 (not counting that 1965 Songbook thing) and his most recent release of new music in 2016. So within that span of 45 years (1972-2016) Simon released 12 albums, or an average of one new album every 3.75 years. Now let's look at PW: If we exclude EPs and singles and soundtrack work and the Dry Wood Garage project, PW has released 10 albums of new music over 24 years (1993-2016), or an average of one new album every 2.4 years. And he's obviously as serious a songwriter as Paul Simon. So yeah, he might very well be done (although I reckon he has a LOT of unreleased stuff that is as worthy as your favorite tunes on Wild Stab), but while he was at it he was certainly chugging away. Nice analysis there. I recall reading some interview with Paul Simon some years back---can't find the damn article now---but he said that he felt he was coming to an end. He said at some point, he had nothing left to say, nothing to inspire him, nothing left to communicate to the listener that he hadn't seemingly done before. Then he went on for another 10 years or so recording and touring! So Paul might not have "anything to say to anyone anymore", but still. Even if he's run out of things to say, or he's said it all, we've got him singing about birds (Love on The Wing), or hawks ripping at your throat, coffee (Come Hither), etc, there is an entire world out there changing right before our eyes everyday. Now, he can go ahead and churn out his basement songs about being not being a country boy, or Mrs. Beethoven, or what the gym couldn't do stuff and write about various things that strike him as topic worthy. But has he anything artistically left to say that connects to the fans? He's already written about love, death, the bigger topics in life that everyone can relate to. He's had a huge cultural reckoning in his own backyard with the George Floyd stuff, the big political divide tearing at us all, a global pandemic. But I know he's said he is not about anthems/movement songs and about politics. I know he's an observer and sentient being, capable of expressing what may of us feel but can't quite articulate in some way. You would think he's been affected by world events to write or get inspired by something here. But maybe he has and chooses to keep it to himself, he alluded to some stuff in "Country Boy" though. And in that sense, if he's writing stuff about Mrs. Beethoven, and hawks, and birds, it is seemingly apparent he's writing for himself and his own need to amuse and express himself. He is done writing for an audience and his fans. (of course, he could fool all of us and drop a bomb on us and release a bunch of new material any day now! 😁 )
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Jer
Beagle Scout
Posts: 1,182
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Post by Jer on Feb 23, 2022 20:56:01 GMT -5
Time has a funny way of changing things. People run out of money, get nostalgic, get motivated by age, find a late-life burst of creativity, run out of money...did I mention money? Who can say for sure what will happen. I don't think he wants to do anything that involves the public, but I wouldn't rule it out. I certainly wouldn't put money on it.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 24, 2022 10:59:28 GMT -5
Very true, Jer.
I'm no mind reader so I can't question what motivates Paul, it's all speculation. I'm sure he has his reasons and rationales. Yet---economic necessities forces one's hand a lot. And we don't know exactly what kind of hand he was dealt. I had forgotten that during the reunion thing that they still owed Warner's a lot of money for studio time, etc....and they came collecting. Now is Paul poor mouthing a bit about how much the accountants and bean counters at Warner's came calling to collect? I dunno, I have no reason to doubt him. So who knows if he and Darren and his publisher try to get more of his songs put into movies or TV or whatever to get an income stream. or probably easiest is to release some more solo stuff.
But as far as writing tunes for the fans? Maybe he's run out of steam, like the way Paul Simon felt in that old interview. Or maybe he's hit his songwriting peak? But he could write for others or for film, I'd think, if he's not writing stuff for the fans. He's still a very talented writer and if he called up Cameron Crowe and asked Cameron if he could get him in contact with others in the film industry for film scoring stuff, I'd think he'd have a job. But again, who knows? I'm just speculating.
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Post by Veets on Feb 24, 2022 21:59:34 GMT -5
Has anyone ever done an unsolicited Kickstarter for an unwritten album? It could be fun to see how much $ fans could pre-commit for any new PW album, and see how he responds.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 25, 2022 11:27:03 GMT -5
Crowd funding his next album, eh? That would be a fun experiment. Maybe the first 100 fans who chip in X amount of dollars will get like bonus tracks and a performance video clip, the next 100 fans who chip in Y amount of dollars, will get like 15% off the CD, vinyl, or downloads and a poster, etc... I mean, hell, why not? He gets some profit and a chance to get some of his songs out there to the fans, gives him a goal to shoot for other than just writing and recording for himself. Just as long as the songs aren't all like Oompa! soundcloud.com/user-964848511/oompa😛
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Post by ClamsCasino on Feb 25, 2022 13:05:40 GMT -5
Crowdfunding somebody who could get a record deal with one phone call? I don't think Paul's silence is due to a lack of financial support.
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Post by curmudgeonman on Feb 25, 2022 14:47:11 GMT -5
Crowd funding his next album, eh? That would be a fun experiment. Maybe the first 100 fans who chip in X amount of dollars will get like bonus tracks and a performance video clip, the next 100 fans who chip in Y amount of dollars, will get like 15% off the CD, vinyl, or downloads and a poster, etc... I mean, hell, why not? He gets some profit and a chance to get some of his songs out there to the fans My bold. I kind of doubt it with this scenario, it is "hobby musician" territory. I agree with Clams- he could do it. If he applies himself, if he really wanted it. And comparisons to Paul Simon; I'm sorry to say, is like comparing a major league player to a weekend player (and I'm not talking about talent). Yes, Paul Simon has a slow, but steady output of proper albums. But the big difference is that the guy tours constantly. Simon, with the exception of a few scattered years, has toured, played concerts, puts himself out there, every single year for decades. Shit, he has even played concerts during Covid. The guy is a work horse, rivaling Dylan and his work ethic. Like many of his contemporaries, he does not put out a lot of new content, but plays for his fans year after year to stay relevant. To beat a dead horse, there is simply no money in royalties alone. Westerberg's JD Salinger act is running out of steam. All I can hope is that he is somewhat happy in life.
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Post by FreeRider on Feb 25, 2022 16:18:49 GMT -5
there was no comparison between the two Paul's. I was merely commenting on Simon's quote about not having anything left to say anymore as a songwriter and suggesting that perhaps that is where Westy is as well. He's run out of steam with nothing really left to say. But that doesn't mean every song has to have significant artistic meaning, just that perhaps he's already mined the material from topics regarding love and death, angst, etc... Does he really have much financial support with one phone call? Are we talking major labels again? He's done that already and I don't think he's gonna go that route anymore. Indie labels? Maybe, but how much are they going to put behind him for a cultish figure who doesn't tour to support the release? Even an indie label is going to want to get a return on their investment. The major record labels and industry are seemingly super risk averse and won't really get behind new bands anymore according to this one essay: www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/01/old-music-killing-new-music/621339/An excerpt: Old songs now represent 70 percent of the U.S. music market, according to the latest numbers from MRC Data, a music-analytics firm. Those who make a living from new music—especially that endangered species known as the working musician-—should look at these figures with fear and trembling. But the news gets worse: The new-music market is actually shrinking. All the growth in the market is coming from old songs.
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