Be on the lookout for the April issue of SPIN, which features Billie Joe Armstrong interviewing Paul (the theme of the issue is "Stars grill their idols"). There are three different covers so make sure you get the good one! Click on the image below for a larger view of the cover.
A few more Alex Chilton links to follow-up on yesterday's post:
I had been planning to update the site this upcoming weekend, even though there wasn't any real Paul news, just to kinda say "hey". But unfortunately I now have a real reason to post, a very sad one. Alex Chilton died yesterday in New Orleans. He was 59 years old. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack. Big Star was scheduled to play SXSW on Saturday, and take part in a scheduled panel discussion about the band called (what else?) "I Never Travel Far Without a Little Big Star". The timing is surreal. From what I understand, both the panel discussion and the show will still take place, with the show becoming a tribute show. My source: Twitter, so take it with a grain of salt.
Paul made a statement to the Associated Press: In my opinion, Alex was the most talented triple threat musician out of Memphis — and that's saying a ton," Paul Westerberg, the former Replacements frontman, said in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "His versatility at soulful singing, pop rock songwriting, master of the folk idiom, and his delving into the avant garde, goes without equal. He was also a hell of a guitar player and a great guy."
Honestly, what more is there to say? If you've made your way to this site, you already know what a huge loss this is, how amazing his music was and how much influence the music of Alex Chilton and Big Star had on the music we all love so much. There's not a lot I can add, so I've put together some links below.
Congressman Steve Cohen commemorates the life of Alex Chilton in the House of Representatives, watch this clip below, you can tell it's from the heart.
I found this picture of Paul and Alex Chilton on this blog , it was taken during a show at Maxwell's in Hoboken in 1987. I love it.
And finally, here's PW doing "Alex Chilton" at the Guthrie in 2002. Sing along, won't you?
Interesting PW news: He has signed a new publishing deal with Bug Music Publishing. From the press release:
Bug Music Publishing, the largest independent contemporary music publisher in the world, has signed a new publishing deal with Paul Westerberg, solo artist, songwriter and front man of the seminal alt-rock group The Replacements, it was announced today by Bug Music CEO John Rudolph.
Under the terms of the deal, Bug Music and Westerberg have entered into a publishing agreement encompassing Westerberg’s recordings with The Replacements, solo works and future recordings.
“We look forward to working with Paul’s Replacements and solo catalogs,” said Eddie Gomez, Sr. VP of Creative Services, Bug Music. “Paul is a major link in a respected chain of modern songwriters and his songwriting continues to resonate and influence a whole new generation of listeners.”
“To be a musician, performer, and songwriter is a juggling act,” said Westerberg. “Throw in the bowling ball of publisher and it becomes downright work. The good people at Bug Music – I hear only of their imagination and proficiency – have stepped in to facilitate with Dry Wood, Elegant Mule, and Nah Music, leaving me free to augment my juggling feat with the flaming chain saw of snooker.”
I lost the metaphor there with the snooker reference, but sounds like good news overall. Hopefully it's in anticipation of a boatload of new PW tunes that need to be published, right?
The "Let It Be" tribute that took place on Nov. 27 at First ave. sournds like it was a resounding success, read all about it in the Star-Trib. Next up, a "Tim" tribute?
Reminder: If you haven't had a chance to find out about the Mats fan documentary "Color Me Obsessed", now's the time to check it out. You can visit their web site, become a fan on Facebook, follow them on Twitter, or help them kick start the project. Or you can just email them. This has the potential to be something great, if enough people get involved and share their stories.
Another reminder: Don't forget about "A Tribute To The Replacements: Celebrating the 25th Anniversary of Let It Be", taking place at First Avenue on Nov. 27. The event will also mark the paperback release of Jim Walsh's "The Replacements: All Over But The Shouting" and is a benefit for Twin Cities Music Community Trust. Sounds like a fun night, enjoy yourselves, Twin Cities folks.
Well what do you know, some honest-to-goodness news to post. And not just any news, but new PW music being released news. On Sept. 22, Paul is releasing a 6-song EP for download (get it here). The EP is called "PW & The Ghost Gloves Cat Wing Joy Boys", costs $3.89 and includes the following tracks:
1. Ghost On The Canvas 2. Drop Them Gloves 3. Good As The Cat 4. Love On The Wing 5. Gimmie Little Joy 6. Dangerous Boys
I'm happy to tell you that a second PW tribute CD has been put together by the folks on the message board. Dead Man Fake: Bring Your Own Lampshade Volume 2 is now available for download. With covers ranging from "I'm In Trouble" to "My Daydream", it covers the entire PW spectrum. Enjoy!
In other PW-related news, Warners released a CD called "Covered: A Revolution in Sound", featuring some of their newer bands covering some of their older bands and Against Me! covers "Here Comes a Regular". You can listen the entire CD on MySpace, including Adam Sandler seriously covering "Like a Hurricane". Scary. And Tommy commented on the (un)likliehood of a Mats reunion a few weeks ago, the probability of which seems to fluctuate every few years. Tommy said: "I just don't know if we have it in us...Why would we do it? Well, they'll pay us really great. Is that the reason to go do it or not? I don't know."
If you like the Justin Townes Earle cover of "Can't Hardly Wait" a few inches down on the page, you'll be pleased to know that it's included on his new album "Midnight at the Movies".
