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Post by folker on Jun 30, 2023 14:09:23 GMT -5
I'm kinda late to the party, I know, what with time only going forwards... but I'd heard it from somewhere on Reddit (probably the Mats' subreddit itself, if I'm honest), that Westerberg was pretty much finished. I figured if anyone would know it'd be you guys on here. I honestly think it's incredible this forum is still up after 20 years - the tabs have been a great resource.
But yeah, pretty much what it says on the tin... I mean, the guy's almost 64 now. Wouldn't mind one final hurrah (no pun intended) if he's still got it in him.
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Post by Hagbard on Jun 30, 2023 20:35:31 GMT -5
I remember hearing Bob Mehr being interviewed a short while back. He said Paul is basically retired at this point. There was also a rumour that he was hanging out, painting with Chris Mars.
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Post by folker on Jul 1, 2023 12:37:07 GMT -5
That's a shame. Ah, well... he's earned a retirement. Still, a man can dream.
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Post by Hagbard on Jul 1, 2023 23:21:18 GMT -5
That's a shame. Ah, well... he's earned a retirement. Still, a man can dream. I think Paul’s probably sitting on a ton of unreleased material he recorded in his basement. Who knows what some of that’s going to sound like? Hands Together, that he released a few years ago, is fantastic imo. Could be a gold mine, could be trash. Probably both. |
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 2, 2023 9:21:55 GMT -5
I've said this before in previous threads but it'd be a shame if he didn't go out with a bang. I mean, I get why he'd go for retirement. Perhaps at some point he hit a wall and feels he's really got nothing left to say for an audience, It wouldn't be the first time an artist just kind of slowly fade out. So, he's just writing and recording for himself, an ingrained hobby/compulsion of his and living off royalty checks for the time being.
But then again....you never know. He could drop like a triple CD of solo stuff on us as his last hurrah and final farewell. Or not.
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Post by curmudgeonman on Jul 2, 2023 14:36:01 GMT -5
I remember hearing Bob Mehr being interviewed a short while back. He said Paul is basically retired at this point. Doesn't surprise me one bit. I'm convinced he likely will never tour again, it seems his experience with the Replacements reunion wasn't all that swell. His various comments about the money going to Warners, and not him, likely scuttled any chance of them playing again. Royalties...I don't know. A whole bunch of popular classic rock artists have already sold their song catalogs simply because royalties have basically dwindled away to nothing. But hey, he is old enough to draw from Social Security (I get my first payment next month), so that is something. And I'm hoping his people maintained a retirement account of sorts, something to keep away from Warners accountants., and something he can draw from now. A couple of months ago, I did some research on Westerberg's real estate holdings, basically the house he bought in the mid 90s, and it hasn't been sold yet. But doing a check, it appears he bought a smaller, far less expensive house a couple of districts away one year ago. My wild-ass guess- he moved to the much smaller house, closer to downtown, and rented out the larger one at a good rate, with over 25 years of equity in it, if he did not get a 2nd mortgage on it. Who knows- maybe he did pay it off by now. So maybe, he or someone advising him, is making his assets work for him financially and support his reclusive lifestyle; a non-driver who doesn't hit the road anymore, who seems happiest at home. If true, good for him, I wish him all of the best. I have the feeling that he thinks the current music business is something he doesn't want to bother with anymore, and I don't blame him at all. |
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Post by anarkissed on Jul 4, 2023 7:38:58 GMT -5
Paul hung up the guitar as soon as he walked off the stage of the last reunion show...
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 4, 2023 10:03:15 GMT -5
At this point, I don't expect him to tour anymore and I'm okay with that. It'll be sad not to see him perform anymore, but such is life. And the guy has paid his dues being in the trenches and on the road a lot.
but there's nothing preventing him from still being involved in music other than his own mindset or motivation. Whether it's him producing some other artists he finds worthy of supporting, writing songs for film or other artists, he could still have a music career, if he wants it, since his performing days are done.
As for his home ownership, good for him---I certainly do hope that someone is advising him on his finances. Holding onto an asset like his original house is good with the equity he's built up in it. Even better if he's renting it out as part of an income stream as he heads towards his mid 60's, Medicare eligible and social security! I mean, nobody wants to see the guy eating cans of dog food off of a hot plate as he gets older.
Ok,that was a gross exaggeration, but you get the point.
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Post by curmudgeonman on Jul 8, 2023 15:05:38 GMT -5
Paul hung up the guitar as soon as he walked off the stage of the last reunion show... Well, no...not really. He did record The I Don't Cares thing after the reunion, and recorded some videos with Hatfield and Freese. But that record, his last stab in the music business, was released at the start of 2016, going on 8 years ago, basically the same time period of The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be. Time flies. Fast. |
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Post by con on Jul 9, 2023 0:30:30 GMT -5
Paul hung up the guitar as soon as he walked off the stage of the last reunion show... Well, no...not really. He did record The I Don't Cares thing after the reunion, and recorded some videos with Hatfield and Freese. But that record, his last stab in the music business, was released at the start of 2016, going on 8 years ago, basically the same time period of The Beatles from Please Please Me to Let It Be. Time flies. Fast. Frick! |
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 12, 2023 8:28:46 GMT -5
Time flies tomorrow, indeed..."and tomorrow will make a day since we met" (I know a lot of fans hated that song and didn't care for "Eventually", but I dug it).
You know, I think his playing days are done---like a Paul Simon or an Elton John retiring from touring and playing. But as far as any more music? Never say never. I'm still gonna hold out hope that there is one last goodbye coming from Paul. I just can't see him going out like this, giving us more than just a few, few minutes of silence.
He may be comfortable with retirement and whatever royalty checks he's getting for now and feel no need to do a solo CD or digital download release. Hell, I'm no longer working and put my papers in a few years ago when covid was raging away. Former co-workers tell me they can get me back on contract, but I just don't have the motivation anymore to deal with commuting into the city and all that crap again.
And I may be in the minority here or an outlier, but I kind of think the re-mixes and releases of old material are kind of a money grab for them. And that's fine, I'll support the band. Still, I can't help but think I'm going to buy, again, songs that are like 35+ years old. Granted, a clearer and fresher sounding "Tim" is welcomed, but I'd really love for the guy to get back with Tommy and crank out something new and fresh. Ah well, it's just a dream...maybe one that's just too tired to come true. 😕
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Post by twicks1 on Jul 12, 2023 13:40:06 GMT -5
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but more rock stars should knock it on the head at 50 (which is basically what Paul did, no?)
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Post by FreeRider on Jul 13, 2023 9:03:25 GMT -5
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but more rock stars should knock it on the head at 50 (which is basically what Paul did, no?) well, there's something to be said for not becoming an oldies act. I remember Grace Slick advocating for rockers to quit at a certain age, but I thought "why not continue, who says you gotta stop rockin'?" And then every now and then, you see some aging bands just kind of get into the oldies routine and not growing old gracefully. If an artist is still producing new material that holds up well, I'm okay with seeing them continuing to get onstage...but seeing like The Who now? Daltry straining to belt out some songs like he used to? I loved The Who but I just can't see myself going to see them now unless someone had an extra ticket maybe. |
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Post by curmudgeonman on Jul 13, 2023 15:21:03 GMT -5
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but more rock stars should knock it on the head at 50 (which is basically what Paul did, no?) Not as unpopular as you think. Years ago, I turned down a free stadium ticket to see the Stones on their Bigger Bang Tour; I had, and still have, no interest in seeing them on stage in their old age. And when The Mats reunion came to town, I did not go- partially because I did not want to bother driving in traffic across the bridge, finding parking, staying up late, etc. But also I was reluctant to see them in their 50s, past their prime, singing songs written when they were in their 20s. Plus I had been fortunate enough to have attended many of their original shows in the 1980s with both Bob and Slim, including their last tour in 1991, so IMO better left as a past memory. I admire Grace Slick's retirement from the business at the age of 50 because I mostly agree with her assessment that rock n roll in particular is really a game for the young. The true spirit and attitude of rock n roll in its rich history is derived from youth. Not only does is it seem odd to me for 60-70 year olds to vainly attempt to look like their younger selves, but it is a stretch to see someone like Mick Jagger perform songs that have no relevance to their present day selves, and without any real emotional ties to those songs other than that they were hits decades ago. ALL of these older classic acts have stated in their youth that they would NEVER play Las Vegas, a place where relics performed their oldies. And yet they are "playing Vegas", just in different cities on the road. |
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Post by con on Aug 1, 2023 21:17:07 GMT -5
Time flies tomorrow, indeed..."and tomorrow will make a day since we met" (I know a lot of fans hated that song and didn't care for "Eventually", but I dug it). Probably my favorite PW record, front-to-back. Every song is a 9 or a 10, in my opinion—even “Trumpet Clip.” Critics largely panned it too, but David Fricke in Rolling Stone was, I think, spot-on: “This is a record of real poignance and often deep waters.” Just watched an interview, released yesterday, Rick Beato did with Jimmy Webb. I recall PW saying long ago he envisioned a second act as a Jimmy Webb-like character—are we certain PW has hung-up his guitar? I mean, is it possible he’s writing for the Glen Campbells of this day and age and we’re none the wiser? |
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Post by anarkissed on Aug 4, 2023 8:16:55 GMT -5
It's over. He's done.
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Post by brianlux on Aug 8, 2023 1:42:50 GMT -5
Well, who knows. Paul wouldn't be the first musician to come out of retirement after a long break. And 63 going on 64 is not that old (Hell, that sounds young to me have just turned the page on 72). But I'm not second guessing anything. It would be great to hear something new from the man, but it's not like he hasn't already amassed a huge amount of work.
So for me it's a matter of always going back to favorites or digging up things I've listened to less often, but it's all great anyway. And I still play my little acoustic renditions of things I like playing like "Once Around the Weekend", a much subdued "Left of the Dial", "Achin' to Be", "Wonderful Lie", and my favorite one to play, "Portland" (gotta love that little monkey).
This stuff is timeless. So if there's nothing new, timeless will do!
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heyoka
Second Class Scout
Posts: 33 
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Post by heyoka on Aug 8, 2023 14:43:06 GMT -5
There's something to be said of performing songs that you wrote 30+ years ago and not being able to them relate anymore. As many have said it's a bit silly seeing the Stones adequately playing 60 year old songs that they aged out of quite some time ago. At this point you're paying to just to see them as legendary rockstars. I saw the Replacements nearly a decade ago and had no expectations that it would be like the 80's, but I wasn't around then so I was going to take what I could get and I'm glad I went. Now I just look forward to when Tommy rolls into town.
Paul did have those tracks on soundcloud in 2017, but not a peep since.
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Post by currympeople on Aug 29, 2023 8:18:42 GMT -5
No way Paul/Grandpaboy goes out with a whimper. This has to be the last tour... www.surfballroom.com/wdpHistory.htmlI wish he would have done this for the Stereo/Mono tour but it would be better as a final goodbye to making music. |
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