It's Memorial Day Weekend, Stop Staring at Screens and Ask Yourself, "What Would Mungo Jerry Do?" - by Colin G.

Ah yes, summer is here and the Memorial Day weekend weather is shaping up to be damn near perfect. Though we run a pretty tight ship here at Pencilstorm, let's face it, our hearts aren't really in it right now. We are all just sitting around the office staring out the windows counting the seconds until happy hour. So I'm making an executive decision, everybody can get out of here. Pencilstorm is closed this holiday weekend.  Go have some fun. Even you, Hassler. It's time to disconnect from the electronics and get serious about some old school Ch-Ch-Chillin'. Sure, I could sneak in a plug the new Watershed Kickstarter pre-order HERE, but I won't. 

So no updates at Pencilstorm this Holiday weekend. Turn off those computers & phones and get a little sunshine, why don't you? If you find yourself lost without your imaginary digital friends, remember WWMJD? Mungo Jerry rocked the summertime harder than anybody and he didn't even have a Myspace page. Be like Mungo. Thanks for checking out Pencilstorm and see all of you suckers next week. CG.............is...............................................................................................................................OUT!

(cue beercan cracking open)

This video clip was made in 1970, and is the original Mungo Jerry line up that recorded In The Summertime, this is not to be confused with the version that has been posted by AMIMEDIA.

I'm a Guest on "The Not So Late Show" with Johnny DiLoretto Thursday, May 26th at Shadowbox - Colin G.

Yours truly will be a guest on a taping of "The Not So Late Show" with Johnny DiLoretto, Thursday May 26th, 8 pm at the Shadowbox Backstage Bistro. Click here for tickets and more info.  Come early for drinks and dinner and enjoy the show. I have no idea what I am in store for but it's sure to be a blast. - Colin G.

Below is an interview we ran with Johnny before his debut show in March. The house was packed and the reviews were glowing. Check it out. 

-- So tell us a little about the show and what people should expect?

First and foremost, people should expect to be entertained and I promise a lot of entertainment for five bucks. But, honestly, what people should expect is classic talk show fun: live music, comedy, interviews with local celebrities and live performances from the city's deep pool of talent.

-- In practical terms, how similar is it to a proper talk show? Do you have writers ? Do you do a rehearsal before the actual show? Will a sidekick warm up the audience?

Very similar. The only difference is for right now the only way you can see this show is LIVE on stage at the Backstage Bistro. As we work out the kinks and polish the production, maybe someday it'll find a home online or on local television. But, I'm not interested in that right now. I just want to do a live show for a live audience. And I want to be able to drink... 

Uh, yes, I have writer. And that's not a typo. One writer -- local stand-up comic, Sommer Sterud. She's also the sidekick-slash-producer who will roam the audience and take questions from the crowd. So, that's another difference -- there aren't any rules. Somebody in the audience has a fun or tough question to ask a guest? They can have at it.  All bets are off.

-- Landing MoJo Flow as the house band is a big score. How did that come about?

MojoFlo and I have worked alongside of each other a few times over the years, notably at the past couple Highball Halloween events, and we have a great rapport. As you know, they are incredibly talented and just full of energy and life, so I'm honored they agreed to do this. Basically, when I brought it up to Amber and Walter, they were completely thrilled about the concept -- because they'd actually been thinking the same thing I was thinking: that the city needs its own talk show and they wanted to be the house band... It was perfect timing because I want to be the city's talk show host.  

-- Gary Shandling recently passed away and he was a man who not only hosted the real Tonight Show filling in for Johnny Carson, but created his own brilliant parody in Larry Sanders. I mean, come on, that's just crazy talent. Were you a fan of his work?

Absolutely. Garry Shandling was a genius. Of course, he had more than one writer... 

-- Who are other talk show hosts you look to for inspiration?

In my opinion the two best interviewers in the business are NPR's Terry Gross and, my own personal hero, Howard Stern. Expect a blend of those two styles... A high brow, low brow mash up.

-- What hosts and talk shows do you hope to avoid comparisons?

You know, I really haven't kept up with all the new talk shows. I've only seen bits and clips of Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert's shows. And, of course, those guys are giants. I don't expect to be able to compare to either of those extraordinary hosts and those productions. I just want to create a small, fun, live show that celebrates the people of Columbus. The only show I hope to avoid being compared to is the really awful one Chevy Chase hosted. 

-- Sounds like a blast. Where to get tickets again and should people show up early to get liquored up or is this a serious affair?

I hope it's a blast. The first show is tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Backstage Bistro. Two more shows are planned for Thursday, April 28 and Thursday, May 26. And, conveniently, here's that link again: http://www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/the-not-so-late-show

Hopefully, we'll get a good running start at keeping this thing going. And, you know, what would be awesome? If you agreed to be a guest in May... You don't even have to perform. You can be like one of those legendary talk show guests who come on first and just get to take a seat...

--Thanks, I'd love to do it and I'll bring my guitar just in case.

Sing Street - by Ricki C.

Okay, I’m bringing this in at less than 300 words, so there’ll be none of my usual point-belaboring: Sing Street is the new movie by John Carney, who directed the pretty great Once in 2007, and the not-so-great Begin Again in 2013.  Once was great partially because of the filming-by-the-seat-of-my-pants/no-stars-musicians-pretending-to-be-actors/quasi-documentary feel of the movie.  Begin Again was a frothy, big-budget Hollywood mess of a movie starring Keira Knightley and Mark Ruffalo – both of whom I really like – but they just didn’t work in the music biz tale to be told.  Too much glitzy rom-com action, not enough heart.  (Plus the songs written for the movie sucked.) 

Sing Street returns Carney to his roots of shooting on the streets of Dublin, Ireland with a cast of unknown kids, and the result is maybe my second-favorite rock & roll movie – after Almost Famous – of all time.  (I realize that’s a Big Hype Statement that might backfire on me, but I’m gonna chance it.  I love this movie.)  (Previous contenders for second fave r&r movie: 1991's The Commitments and 1978's Cotton Candy.)  

The story couldn’t be simpler: a nerdy 15 year old singer/songwriter kid in a new, rough school develops a crush on a 16 year old neighborhood girl with modeling aspirations and asks if she’d like to be in a music video.  She says “Yes” and said kid has to write a song, form a band and shoot a video by that Saturday.  And then various other rock & roll-ness ensues.

Simple, priceless, beautiful, charming, heartfelt: go see it. – Ricki C. / May 13th, 2016

(ps. Keep in mind: the band that gets formed in Sing Street is Irish kids with guitars essentially playing English synth-pop, my third least favorite sub-genre of music after bluegrass and reggae, and I still love the movie.  Now THAT’S film-making.)

Sing Street is playing at AMC Easton Town Center 30, Lennox Town Center 24, Marcus Crosswoods Cinema and the Gateway Film Center just south of campus.

NBA Conference Finals Preview - by Ben Galli

Neither conference got the premier match-up most fans wanted.  We didn't get LeBron going up against his old team in the East.  You remember, the team LeBron left his current team for in 2010, the latest dramatic embarrassment on the national stage for Cleveland*.  We didn't get a match-up of the 2 best teams (and arguably 2 of the best teams of all time) in the West between Golden State and San Antonio.  But what we got, we're good with.  For the following reasons:

*At the time.  Sad, sad Cleveland.

Steph is Healthy

Steph Curry made his return from the MCL sprain that sidelined him for 6 games and he did so with a vengeance, pouring in 40 points (in 38 minutes) including an NBA record 17 in overtime. Now the doubt lingers as to whether Curry will remain healthy with his history of leg problems, but when he's on, he's the best show in sports.  And it's always a plus for the NBA when the first unanimous MVP in league history is able to play in your most important games.

Russell Westbrook is Russell Westbrook

The 2 biggest reasons why the Thunder are perennial contenders are: 1A. Kevin Durant and 1B. Russell Westbrook.  They have the luxury of having 2 of the best 5 players in the league on the same team.  We'll get to Durant later but Westbrook will be the most scrutinized and criticized player of the series, whether he deserves to be or not.  Here's a point guard that recorded the most triple doubles since Magic in 1981-82 with 18.  But he's also going to say things like this about Steph Curry, "He's not nothing I haven't seen," which won't make sense the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd time you read it.  Triple doubles and triple negatives.  Never change, Russ.

Kevin Durant's last Thunder run?

Kevin Durant is kind of a good basketball player.  Until Steph Curry shot his way into our hearts., he was widely considered the 2nd best player on Earth after LeBron James.  And after spending all 9 years of his career in Oklahoma City, Durant will test free agency this summer.  I, for one, don't see him returning.  There's even rumors that he'd consider signing with Golden State or San Antonio.  For now, the former still stands on his path back to the Finals and the latter was just vanquished by his team.  It's a shame that he doesn't still play in Seattle, but when it comes to Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant is the iconic image of that franchise.  This may be the end of an era and I have a feeling that Durant will play like it.

Will Cleveland continue it's stellar run or will tragedy strike?

On one hand, Cleveland has dominated the Eastern Conference playoffs, going undefeated and setting records with its 3-point prowess.  But on the other hand, it is the said Eastern Conference and the competition is, let's say, pitiful.  We all watched (okay, most of us didn't) the Heat-Raptors series that went 7 games, featured 3 overtimes, and still didn't garner much interest.  I don't see much that we'll learn from this series except for those that will discover that Toronto has an NBA team.  The Cavs will want to keep improving and increasing hopes that it can win the title, all the while hoping that injury doesn't strike.  You can't really discuss Cleveland sports without acknowledging the past.  The strongest case the casual fan can make is that Cleveland took Golden State to 6 games last year without their 2nd and 3rd best player.  But the very fact that they lost both of those players in the playoffs is just another chapter in a long history of hope extinguished.  

Predictions

Warriors-Thunder

These are the 2 best offensive teams over the course of the regular season, so expect shots to be attempted.  As usual in the playoffs, the team that wins will be the team that makes the big shots and the big stops.  Although we didn't get the match-up of the 2 best teams over the regular season, we did get the team that many contend have the best shot to dethrone Golden State.  Having said that, Golden State did beat them in all 3 games played this year.  Despite KD averaging 35 ppg, 12rpg, and 6 apg.  The Thunder have athleticism and some potential advantages in the front court but it's more about the defense for OKC.  Russell Westbrook is a good defender but Steph Curry did average 35.0 ppg of his own against them.  It will be interesting to see the chess match between Oklahoma City's use of big men Enes Kanter and Steven Adams and if they can be forces down low, and how Golden State employs their small ball lineup.  In the end, despite some heroic efforts by Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Golden State will just be too much to handle.  Warriors in 6.

Cavaliers-Raptors

There is some evidence that Toronto can challenge Cleveland, mainly rooted in the fact that they won the regular season series and had the 2nd best record in the East by 1 game.  But the evidence pointing in the other direction is overwhelming.  The Raptors were taken to 7 games by both of their playoff opponents and will be missing perhaps their most consistent postseason performer for at least the beginning of the series in Jonas Valanciunas.  And the Cavs are on fire!  Cleveland cannot look past Toronto and they'll need to play smart.  If they do so, this series will serve as a good tune-up for whoever they will face out of the West.  But the upgrade in competition is going to be telling.  The main thing for Cleveland is to continue staying healthy and keeping their shooters hot.  Sometimes a layoff can do more harm than good so Lue will have to figure that out.  Cavs in 5.

Buggy Eyes and a Big Butt, part eight: Movies 104-120

Pencilstorm contributor Rob Braithwaite is watching 366 movies this year, so you don't have to, here is part eight of his continuing 2016 rundown......

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Ratings key:
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ = I can’t see giving anything that I’ve seen once five stars
★ ★ ★ ★ = get to the theater / move it up in your queue
★ ★ ★ = “three stars is a recommendation” - The Empire [magazine] Podcast
★ ★ = if the remote is too far away, you could do worse
★ = if the remote is too far away, get someone to move it closer then throw it at the TV

104
Gilda (1946) ★ ★
stars: Rita Hayworth, Glenn Ford, George Macready
director: Charles Vidor

A crooked gambler, fresh off the boat to Argentina, goes to work for a casino owner who happens to marry his ex. That’s a big coincidence considering the exes weren’t from Argentina. There’s still a hateful passion between them. Sabotage, self and outward, run rampant. No one is likable. And there are two musical numbers.

Fresh off the Boat is a funny show.

watch The Shawshank Redemption instead

105
The Ascent (1977) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Boris Plotnikov, Vladimir Gostyukhin, Anatoliy Solonitsyn
director: Larisa Shepitko

Two Soviet partisans search for food in German-occupied Russia during World War Two. What begins as a mission for sustenance for their group becomes a exploration of what it means to survive in an occupied land. Leaning on the idea that righteousness is death and compromise fuels guilt, it’s a tough call.

double feature pairing: Red Dawn (1984)

106
Notorious (1946) ★ ★
stars: Cary Grant, Ingrid Bergman, Claude Rains
director: Alfred Hitchcock

The U.S. government whores out the daughter of a German spy to infiltrate a Nazi collective in Rio de Janeiro. She falls in love with her U.S. handler. He loves her. They would run away together if they would only tell each other how they feel. But they don’t, so she goes on with the mission and he acts like a hurt puppy because she’s “going all the way” (read: sex).

Jesus. This is a classic? I’ve always been too critical of Brian De Palma because of his sometimes on-the-nose camera work. I’m aware of his Hitchcock influence but thought he lead the audience much more. My apologies. Hitchcock is just as bad.

If you haven’t figured it out, THE POISON IS IN THE TEA!

watch The Boys from Brazil instead

107
Breathless (1960) ★ ★ ★
stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Jean Seberg
director: Jean-Luc Godard

A man kills a policeman after stealing a car. Risking capture, he returns to a girl he’s infatuated with in hopes that she will run off with him despite not knowing each other that well.

I liked this much more thinking about it afterwards than when I was watching it. His checking the latest version of the newspaper for details of his crime was subtly tense. And the long bedroom scene is great in retrospect.

double feature pairing: Miami Blues

108
Cleo from 5 to 7 (1962) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray
director: Agnès Varda

Cleo is a singer with a few hits on the radio. Her pampered lifestyle is shaken during an afternoon as she awaits test results from her doctor. Her world and mindset free from a restrictive state as the afternoon rolls on. The set design and camera work in her apartment are brilliant.

double feature pairing: Nick of Time

109
The Browning Version (1951) ★ ★ ★
stars: Michael Redgrave, Jean Kent, Nigel Patrick
director: Anthony Asquith

A stick-in-the-mud Latin teacher of a prep school is leaving for health reasons. The kids are happy. His adulterous wife couldn't care less. He lives with regret of not being better or fully understood. The movie is fine. He makes some nice inroads with a student and his wife’s lover. There’s a reason Latin isn't taught in high school anymore: Bor-ring.

double feature pairing: Dead Poets Society

110
Captain America: Civil War (2016) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan
directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Finally! Someone’s punching something! Whoa! That totally blew up! HAHAHA!!!

This is the best Marvel movie*. The action is great. It’s really funny. And there is emotional weight. I never would have guessed the best Marvel series would have been Captain America’s.

“That sounds great,” you say. “I’ve never seen a Marvel movie.”

Well, don’t start here. We’ve reached the point where you can’t jump in and still get the full impact. You’ll be able to follow it, sure — events and personal ties are referenced — but showing is always better than telling.

Don’t worry. You don’t have to watch the twelve others. Six will do…

triple double feature marathon (+1): Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron

*confirmation in 5-10 years.

111
Dealin’ with Idiots (2013) ★ ★
stars: Jeff Garlin, Bob Odenkirk. J.B. Smoove
co-writer/director: Jeff Garlin

What if the camera filming The Bad News Bears were pointed the other way, filming the parents? Then I’d say to turn the camera back around.

There are funny people saying funny things. If it was a straight forward presentation of the personalities of little league parents it might have been better. However, Garlin’s character tells the parents he wants to interview them for a movie he’s researching. This forces some of the interactions in an artificial way that makes the scene look just like that, a scene.

double feature pairing: The Sandlot

112
Remember (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Christopher Plumber, Martin Landau, Dean Norris
director: Atom Egoyan

An Auschwitz survivor with dementia goes on the hunt for the Nazi-in-hiding who killed his family.

Don’t watch the trailer. It gives too much away.

Don’t believe the poster being used for the video release. This isn’t a Taken movie.

Christopher Plumber is amazing. And there are turns I wasn’t expecting.

double feature pairing: Memento

113
The Family Fang (2015) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Nicole Kidman, Jason Bateman, Christopher Walken
director: Jason Bateman

The Parents Fang used The Siblings Fang as instruments in their real-world art projects. Now grown, the siblings are less-than-stable when their parents disappear. One suspects this is another art piece, while the other is prepared for the worst.

I hope Jason Bateman continues directing. Bad Words is good, and this showed some style. It was nice to see Nicole Kidman in something again. Christopher Walken wasn’t the caricature I’ve come to expect.

double feature pairing: The Royal Tenenbaums

114
The League of Gentlemen (1960) ★ ★ ★
stars: Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Richard Attenborough
director: Basil Dearden

A retired military officer recruits fellow military men for a bank heist, the idea for which he got from the plot of a novel. No joke. These men, each their own brand of shady, robbed a bank like it happened in a book. Where was the Outraged Parents Society in 1960? Books are a path to criminal activity!

The movie is fine. Good bank robbing technique. What was the name of the book again?

double feature pairing: Heat

115
In a Lonely Place (1950) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Humphrey Bogart, Gloria Grahame, Frank Lovejoy
director: Nicholas Ray

A screenwriter with a short fuse is accused of murder. He enters into a relationship with his new neighbor who provided his alibi. She begins to wonder if his jealousy, paranoia and fits of rage aren’t the makings of a murderer after all.

Based on one throw-away line and a 21st century eye, this has an undercurrent of a man suffering from PTSD. I don’t think that is intentional, but it certainly helps in finding some sympathy for an unlikable lead, expertly performed by Bogart.

Includes a descriptor that you don't hear much these days: he made all his money before the income tax.

double feature pairing: Seven Psychopaths

116
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) ★ ★
stars: Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam
director: Sidney Lumet

Murder was the train that they gave me.

Maybe this movie wouldn’t have been such a grind if there weren’t as many characters. After an epilogue, we meet fifteen to sixteen people. There’s a murder. Then there are thirteen interviews. There’s a resolution. Then we watch eleven people individually toast two others. Guh, get on with it!

watch Clue instead

117
The Trust (2016) ★ ★ ★.5
stars: Nicolas Cage, Elijah Wood
directors: Alex Brewer, Benjamin Brewer

Two cops rob a mysterious vault.

Nicolas Cage has muddied his filmography a great deal, so saying this is his best movie in years isn’t saying much. But, it is his best movie since Joe and his best comedic and vibrant performance since Kick-Ass.

The motivation of Cage’s character is heavily inferred. The movie seems to rely on the viewer knowing this genre to pick up on certain things. It was off-putting at first but I think I liked it this way. As the story progresses, we learned who this person really is, just as his partner does.

If nothing else, this gave me one of my favorite montages.

double feature pairing: Before the Devil Knows You're Dead

118
Hell in the Pacific (1968) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Lee Marvin, Toshirô Mifune
director: John Boorman

American Soldier washes up on an island shore that Japanese Soldier solely inhabits. How will they react to one another as World War Two rages on with out them?

The lack of subtitles allows us to share in the men’s frustration in dealing with each other. The cinematography and framing are artful. The performances are impressive. The ending is abrupt and, if IMDb is to believed, a complete fabrication of the studio without John Boorman’s approval. The director’s superior ending is on the DVD as an extra and is in keeping with the rest of the movie.

double feature pairing: Enemy Mine

119
Poltergeist (2015) ★
stars: Sam Rockwell, Rosemarie DeWitt, Jared Harris
director: Gil Kenan

What was the point?

watch Poltergeist (1982) instead

120
Night and the City (1950) ★ ★ ★ ★
stars: Richard Widmark, Gene Tierney, Googie Withers
director: Jules Dassin

A hustler who's always on the lookout for the next big score finds himself in a position to become a successful wrestling promoter if he can orchestrate some powerful people the right way.

An impressive noir story that doesn’t involve a single gun. The way the plan falls apart is very unique.

Gene Tierney is second billed but has very little to do as the put-upon girlfriend/club singer. Her chummy neighbor is introduced for the sole purpose to make sure she has a man to pick her up at the end. A sign of the times, certainly genre. At least now, she would have… eh, maybe it wouldn’t be too different now. Someone of lower stature would have had that role instead.

double feature pairing: Barton Fink

Counters:
120/366 movies (16 movies off pace)
17/52 movies directed by women

THE TOP THREE

Q&A Intro, 1-17, 18-36, 37-51, 52-66, 67-74, 75-87, 88-103, 104-120, 121-131, 132-152, 153-173, 174-187, 188-221, 222-255, 256-287, 288-314, 315-341, 342-366, Index

Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements

In his new band biography of The Replacements, Bob Mehr offers the ballad of a troubling band and delivers with his welts-and-all approach to storytelling

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Band photo by Deborah Feingold

By James A. Baumann

It is difficult to find someone who merely “likes” The Replacements. Rather, the band’s admirers generally are devout fanatics for whom each shredded guitar solo is a sacrament and every lyrical turn-of-phrase is gospel. For those individuals, the word that a definitive written history of the band was forthcoming generated a great deal of record store and bar stool speculation. How much would the reclusive band members be involved in the project? What truths would be uncovered? What new stories would be added to their legend? 

Any reservations the fans may have had were unfounded as, with Trouble Boys: The True Story of The Replacements, Bob Mehr presents about as complete a picture of a rock and roll band as you’re going to find. Mehr, the music critic for the Memphis Commercial Appeal and a correspondent for MOJO magazine, fills almost 450 pages as he tackles his subject with the vigor and depth usually reserved for the Founding Fathers.

He doesn’t pull any punches either. The book opens on the scene at the funeral of founding guitarist Bob Stinson. Within the first 20 pages, the abandonment and abuse he experienced as a child has been well documented. Mehr goes on to tell similar origin stories for Stinson’s bassist kid brother Tommy, drummer Chris Mars, and singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg. Collectively, Westerberg described them all as “miscreants who had no other choice, had no other road out. We were one of the few, the chosen, you know? It was either this or… jail, death, or janitor.” Such is the sentiment of much of the band’s story and while it was one they were happy to project, Mehr illustrates in amazing detail the many ways in which it manifested itself.

The Replacements were notorious as the band that couldn’t catch a break and, even if they did, would find a way to let it slip through their fingers. Their prickly dispositions and refusal to play the music business game – abstaining from appearing in videos, drunken industry showcases, feuding with executives and producers, etc. – helped make the band infamous rather than famous. Mehr captures those stories and augments them with examination of the reasoning and conditions behind these antics as well as the fallout afterward.

The band’s reputation as the loveable losers takes a hit as Mehr recounts stories from a number of producers, managers, publicists, label heads, bus drivers, radio programmers, and others who found themselves in the band’s crosshairs. These were all people who ostensibly were working with the band’s best interests at heart. However, they could find themselves caught up in the band’s antics, showing that self-destructive behavior isn’t always limited to the “self” in question.

While The Replacements’ appeal came, in large part, from their us-against-the-world credo, Mehr also shows that they saved some of their harshest blows for each other. He repeatedly points out how Bob Stinson couldn’t shake the feeling that Westerberg had stolen his band from him. Then, later, he must have felt that he also lost the role of Tommy’s big brother. Once Stinson and his troubling drug use was driven out of the band, Chris Mars and his introverted personality became a target. Even Slim Dunlap and Steve Foley -- the replacement Replacements -- were not immune to hazing rituals of sorts.

This is not to say that the story doesn’t include plenty of moments of love, comradery, and brotherhood between the players. They describe it themselves as a gang mentality that they carried with them as they tour Twin Cities watering holes, garner critical acclaim, and steal their own Twin Tone tapes. In addition, when they were practicing in the Stinson family basement, the likely couldn’t imagine that they would one day see the world touring and hanging with contemporaries such as REM and the Young Fresh Fellows as well as getting to rub elbows with heroes like Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, and Keith Richards.

In the end, the book wraps up with the band members, previously scattered to the wind, rallying around the side of Dunlap after he suffers a stroke, as well as Stinson and Westerberg’s all-too-few Replacements reunion shows. Even the sad scene of Bob Stinson’s funeral closes with Westerberg tearfully clutching Stinson’s ex-wife saying “We were just kids. We didn’t know shit. We were… just kids.”

For all the hard knocks and divisiveness, though, Mehr doesn’t forget that if the songs and performances weren’t so strong, nothing else would have mattered. Readers get to hear the stories behind some of the most famous songs and, in particular, the work that went into getting them on tape. As the self-taught band grows and is pushed into more “professional” recordings, we see them both bristle and mature.

Of particular note are the chapters around the recording of Pleased to Meet Me. Coming in the wake of Tim – an album that featured some incredible songs yet some questionable production choices -- this would be the first record without Bob Stinson. It was recorded under the helm of producer Jim Dickinson in Ardent Studios, replete with all the history that comes with it. Tommy Stinson was beginning to flex his musical muscles. And, of course, these sessions would produce the renowned “vomit on the ceiling” story.

While all Replacements fans have their own favorites, in many ways this was to be the place where all the pieces clicked together. They had the songs – classics like “Alex Chilton” and “Can’t Hardly Wait.” It had recording sessions that taxed and tested the players to give their best performances. It had studio production gloss. It had label support. The band even agreed to appear in a video. It had everything.

Except a hit.

Bob Mehr took time from his schedule to share his thoughts on the work and passion that went into this project and why The Replacments were deserving of this level of analysis.

Baumann: First is the big question: How? Considering how notorious the band members have been about not talking about the past, not participating much in reissues, general surliness, etc., how did you get them and their many layers of acquaintances to open up for the interviews and research needed to make this book happen?

MEHR: Frankly, I wasn’t interested in writing anything without the band’s direct involvement. That had already been done, and the results were never really satisfying to me. Fundamentally, the question I wanted to answer in the Replacements story was “why?” Why did they form the band? Why did they make the music they did? Why did their career evolve/devolve as it did? The only way to really get those answers was to have the band members and those closest to them involved in the process, and to persuade them all to reflect honestly on their lives.

Over a period of years, working as a music critic, I’d developed casual relationships with Westerberg and Stinson, but also crucially with key people within their circle, particularly the Replacements’ longtime manager Peter Jesperson and Westerberg’s current manager Darren Hill. Both men were ardent champions of this project from the start, and without their support early on, and at critical points throughout the process, there’s absolutely no way the book could have been written.

In the spring of 2007, I decided it was time to pitch the project formally to them. Westerberg liked my written proposal, but initially suggested we collaborate on his memoir instead. While I was flattered by the offer, I knew that the story I wanted to tell was bigger than just Paul. Not long after, I had dinner with Tommy in Los Angeles, and he was the first to formally agree to participate in the book – with the caveat that he would only do it Paul was on board.

A few months later I found myself back in Minneapolis doing a story on the band for SPIN. Had a long face-to-face with Westerberg there, and we discussed a Replacements biography in-depth: what the process would entail and how, if the book was to mean anything, it would have to get into some darker, and sometimes unpleasant territory. I think Westerberg understood, even better than I did at the time, how difficult the process was going to be for me, given the band’s somewhat tortured personal and professional history.      

After our meeting, Westerberg agreed to participate, as a result so did Tommy, and I was able to move ahead with the project – with the understanding that although they would be involved, it would not be an “authorized” bio and the band would have no editorial control over the finished product. In short: they would give me everything I needed, but it was my book to write.

Ultimately with Paul and Tommy and Peter Jesperson on board nearly everyone else was happy to participate (the notable exception being Chris Mars, who’d developed a standing policy of not discussing the Replacements; though I was able to give him voice in the book, thanks to some previous interviews that myself and several other journalist friends had conducted).

As to why Paul and Tommy agreed? My guess is that enough time had passed from the break-up of the band in 1991, and the death of Bob Stinson in 1995, that they were willing and able to finally look back and grapple with the life and legacy of the Replacements. That’s something they had never done. By the time I came into the picture, I think they needed to do that for themselves as much as anything. The book became the vehicle for that reckoning, I suppose.  

BAUMANN: Second big question: Why? What is it about The Replacements that elicited the type of determination you would need for a project this large?

First and foremost, I loved the band – the music, the romance and the cult and culture that developed around them. But more than that I knew there was a compelling story there – not just about one rock and roll band, but a whole era of the music business. I also felt that a band as intense and profound as the Replacements had something more propelling them than the usual desire for fame and fortune Instinctively, I felt like whatever was pushing them (and also dragging them down) was rooted in their childhoods and formative years.

BAUMANN: Everyone I've spoken with who read the book has been taken by the extensive depth you were able to go into (such as family histories, etc.) and chose to go into. Was that a conscientious goal from the beginning?

MEHR: As I got deeper into my research it became clear how central those personal histories were to the story of this particular band. Especially as it related to Bob and Tommy Stinson, but also to Westerberg, Mars, Jesperson, and so many of the people who would come to work with and play a major role in the band’s career. I don’t think there were any accidents or coincidences when it came to those who were part of the Replacements story. The people who were closest to them were there for a reason – because they understood them, shared the same background and demons, or found something transcendent in their music that expressed some wounded part of themselves. At the end of the day, the book is the story of families – damaged families of origin, and new families we create as a response to that.

BAUMANN: In a similar vein, with a band as renowned as The Replacements, I think there exists the danger of falling into the old saying of, "when the legend becomes fact, print the legend." That could certainly have been the case for stories like the infamous Portland show or the run-in with Bob Dylan in the recording studio. Was this something you wrestled with while working on the book? Was the extensive research an antidote to that? 

MEHR: Yes, the Replacements are probably the ultimate example of that phenomenon. So much of their story – their behavior and antics, on stage and off – graduated to the realm of myth and legend, they’ve been handed down almost as folk stories. As it turned out, some of the most outrageous things, the tales that seemed the tallest, happened to be true. But generally from a research perspective, I did try and throw out what I knew, or thought I knew, forget everything I had read or heard, and start from scratch.

BAUMANN: Continuing down that line, did you have to resist the urge to play armchair psychiatrist as you were writing the book and recounting all these cases of extreme behavior up and down the spectrum? I think, in the end, the book does an excellent job of "show, don't tell" in that regard. But I am assuming that your opinions and thoughts about the band -- outside of their music -- had to have roller coastered during the research and writing.

MEHR: It’s hard not to speculate or draw conclusions as a biographer, especially when you live with a project as long as I lived with this one. I’m sure in the earlier drafts of the book there was more armchair analysis on my part, more speculation as to motives and meaning. But in the rewriting and editing, I tried to strip that away and leave behind nothing but the story. Of course, in constructing the narrative – what you choose to include and omit – you’re making judgement calls and influencing the reader’s understanding. But as much as possible, I tried to make it so that everyone would feel like they had the information needed to draw their own conclusions about the band. I think I succeeded in as much as people’s reactions to the book have been like a Rorschach Test. Everyone sees something different in the ink blotter. And what they see probably says more about them than it does the Replacements.

BAUMANN: One of the big takeaways from the book for me was that The Replacements long were considered and portrayed as the band that couldn't catch a break and, even if they did, would find some way to sabotage it. However, your book shows that when they shot themselves in their own foot, there were a lot of other people that suffered collateral damage either personally or professionally. Was that a purposeful theme that you developed and, if so, when did it begin to emerge in the process?

MEHR: Yes, though, I’m not of the opinion that their self-sabotage was the sole reason for their relative commercial failure at the time. In some ways I think the destructive, and self-destructive, things they did have fed their legend for the last 30 years, and are a big reason why the Replacements are more popular now than they ever were, even in their ‘80s heyday. That said, I did want to show that there was fallout from the choices they made, for themselves and others around them. But I never wanted to judge them on that either. At the end of the day, the things the Replacements did hurt themselves more than anyone around them.

BAUMANN: In the end, though, it's a book about a rock and roll band. What are the handful of songs -- either from the band or solo careers -- that you think best sum up The Replacements story? What are the songs that hear differently or have a different meaning now after writing the book?

MEHR: After doing this book my respect and admiration for the Replacements – for what they achieved, for how far they got – is even greater. And, of course, knowing so much more about their lives, that can’t help but inform my understanding and appreciation for the songs as well. My hope is that I convey all that effectively in Trouble Boys, so that readers will feel that same deeper connection to the music.

If I was to come up with a list of ten tracks that conveyed some larger story, I would include the following songs from the Replacements and various post-band and solo efforts:       

• Paul Westerberg, “We May Be the Ones” (Stereo/Mono)
• The Replacements, “Raised in the City” (1980 demo, on 2008 reissue of Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash)
• The Replacements, “Color Me Impressed” (Hootenanny)
• The Replacements, “Unsatisfied” (Let it Be)
• The Replacements, “Here Comes a Regular” (Tim)
• Bash & Pop, “Never Aim to Please” (Friday Night is Killing Me)
• The Replacements, “Portland” (on the 2008 reissue of Don’t Tell a Soul)
• Slim Dunlap, “The Ballad of the Opening Band” (The New Old Me)
• The Replacements, “All Shook Down” (All Shook Down)
• Paul Westerberg, “Dangerous Boys” (Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys)