Mats / Peter Jesperson

I'm in the middle of another major Replacements binge at the moment, brought on by Jim Walsh's All Over But The Shouting and anticipation for Rhino's reissues of the four Twin/Tone albums.. as if I ever needed an excuse. I read the first half of All Over.. in two sittings and could easily finish it in a third. It started out a tad gushy but quickly got down to business: fascinating stories, anecdotes and musings for the obsessive fan, all provided by friends, cohorts, fans and the band members themselves. On that tip, Teenage Kicks recently did a lengthy interview with Peter Jesperson of Twin/Tone, who is, of course, all over the book. Check it out here, here, and here. And if you still haven't gotten your fix, Spin has a five or six page feature on the Mats in the current issue.

Current favorite previously overlooked Mats joint:

Replacements "Shutup" (from Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, 1981)

Pleased To Meet Me

..it can all be boiled down to this: There have been better bands, louder bands, and drunker bands, but there has never been a better, drunker, louder band than the Replacements, and the second two qualifiers wouldn’t matter one whit without the first.

Great article about my second favorite Replacements album, via Man Without Ties.