Bob Mehr & Jon Wurster | Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements

[@dougtull4594]

It's still one of my favorite "rock reads." Great detail and Bob really captures the whole story.

[@thumbprintn2413]

so grateful for the work bob mehr did on this book...it goes beyond music and helps to sanctify this music and this story

[@aaronfreeman6352]

husker du deserves a serious book like this

[@whizabeesunshine9259]

Andrew Earles tried but was faced with an absolute no-win situation. Bob Mould's book was being worked on at the same time. Also, there was (and still is) a code of silence between Bob, Grant, and Greg. Hart and Norton let Earles in but not all the way in...

[@davidlindsay9564]

There is one. I forget the title. there's also Bob's bio.

[@t-man5196]

Let’s all just agree that they can’t hold a candle to the Mats

[@smkxodnwbwkdns8369]

That band wasn’t very good

[@sayitwithhellhounds]

@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 maybe if you are a dumbfuck

[@notabritperse]

Missed this event; but, coincidentally, bought my copy at The Strand. Great talk. Great read. Loved when Concrete Blonde's Johnette Napolitano, after getting annoyed by Paul taking too long to get her vocal down in the studio, took a break to go out for cigarettes and went straight to the airport. Such a "Replacements" move.

[@tedcantu1]

This book is very interesting and a great read. After reading the first four pages I started to understand their recklessness. It was no act. The Replacements were seriously reckless on vinyl and in live performances but the forces behind it all were.... INSANE. Its amazing they lasted as long as they did.

[@DuKENZiREX]

like many punk bands of the 80's....but of course lesser known for that ;) thanks to the book we can remember they actually were punk :D

[@miked7795]

Let it Be , Tim, Pleased to Meet Me. What a great string of records

[@oppothumbs1]

@@tonytoni6860 Both good and Dont Tell a Soul doesn't have a bad song.

[@thielees]

I knew Tommy in high school, and these guys nailed it with the whole “trust” theme and how the Replacements were each incapable of it. They were deeply wary, vulnerable, scared, and damaged as individuals. But of course being males from the 70s they could only express it through dark humor and relentless sabotage. They were never going to trust (and play along with) an industry that should not be trusted by anyone, ever. If you want to call that “integrity,” that’s fine by me. They had it in spades.

[@jimtokheim1422]

A 'band' can be destroyed, a 'legend' lives forever.

[@slowneutron6163]

Great Book. One of the most important American bands of all time. MATS.

[@94115david]

This summer Ii was tripping and had a conversation with Paul. I was telling him that the band needed to practice the song, "Red Light" by U2 in order to give their songs more rock and roll structure. He understood.

[@leppak42088]

It's one heck of a book its the definitive story. What a crazed roller coaster ride.

[@charlie.something]

the replacements - the saddest happiest band in the world and so scared to fail they could never succeed. high four to paul, bob, tommy, chris. you never failed and you always failed.

[@oppothumbs1]

That's a non-issue if people just had better taste in music. They just were not appreciated by enough because , frankly , people's tastes often suck. Paul could have make a popular single but it wasn't in him as he didn't want to compromise integrity . I think he should have writen and produced one or two commercial songs with commercial ... didn't work out that well on Paul's solo records either.

[@DuKENZiREX]

@@oppothumbs1 success is a viewpoint...and that's a real issue with music especially these days....if you simply disagree or choose to be against that so called viewpoint the results can be quite negative...thats why tastes suck because bands like the Moranbong Band are the greatest thing to ever exist....like the biggest band around which we all compare too... but in countries like The United States and Europe its way more complicated then that...makes this book way more interesting

[@Thinkforwardnow]

Long live The Replacement! 2023

[@elmwise7146]

The” Creativeness of Assholery” 😂😂 this book is 100% necessary and suffice to say endearing beyond words.

[@emmaduncan2991]

Bill Holdship and J. Kordosh from Creem magazine, really championed the band, right in the middle of that magazine's hair metal faze. thats when I picked up a copy of "Let It Be" I was hooked,

[@aisle_of_view]

I recall the Rolling Stone record review in a 1984 issue started with "This is a brilliant album".

[@GabrielPerez-hw5kv]

Wow. Bob Mehr looks like Craig Finn's journalist older brother.

[@kwc8197]

I met Superchunk a few times...Jon's great dude...

[@BurningtunaDC]

Jon has a great dude?

[@wildmercuryfilms]

17:25 I wish he would have gone a little further talking about what made The Replacements not “make it,” in comparison to R.E.M. I think he missed a BIG THING: and that is: Michael Stipe was the leader of the band, and he embraced success. And their secret weapon was Mike Mills: Mike Mills is not only one of the Greatest Backup Singers of All Time, he is also very supportive and serene and wise and calming. If you ever watch old interviews of R.E.M., Mike Mills is always calming and supportive. The Replacements probably didn’t have anyone like that. In truth: R.E.M. in general was simply a MUCH MORE mature group of individuals: I think Bill Berry and Peter Buck were also very mature. They were a group of “Old Souls.” That said: The Replacements were one of the best bands in history, they were simply completely different from R.E.M. in their personal lives. The music of The Replacements on Tim and Pleased To Meet Me was VERY MATURE.

[@coolgaucho]

if you read the book you can pretty much figure out why they "didn't make" or go further than they did.

[@johnnargi6554]

Michael Stipe may be the worst singer in rock n roll history. Had some great songs, but geez.... he is awful.

[@jeffbonekemper8163]

I've fast forwarded this a bunch of times, that boy never stops talking.

[@BurningtunaDC]

Great presentation. Thanks for shooting and sharing.

[@nickwirz6315]

nardwuar"s interviewing style has mellowed with age.

[@TvDaddyAndTheTabloidArmy]

ben schaeffer, mehr, Ira Robbins, these people never got in-depth of Westerberg's being raised Catholic and in a home w 4 brothers and sisters, in the 60s and 70s. it's something one has to have experienced to fully comprehend - the book missed out on much

[@gibsondrummer]

The replacements could play the best rock & roll show you ever saw and the next night they could stink up the house , it was a 50/50 shot at which band was going to show up , i had the great fortune to have played a bunch of shows with them in the early days with my band Scruffy the Cat , one show at The Channel we gave them a serious run for their money The best show i recall was when Let it be had just come out and they played the best show i had ever seen a punk band play They were astonishing just really really fucking good ill never forget it

[@ericmoreton3650]

I remember Scruffy the Cat. I was in a band called Middlemarch that was the support band for you all at a club called Sudsy Malone's in Cincinnati Ohio. You all crashed at our house.

[@johnross5722]

Loved you guys so you a dozen times in Boston, way back when. Still play your CD now and then . Thanks for the good times

[@DCB728]

@gibsondrummer I saw Scruffy @ a club called Idols in Rochester NY-prob 1988. A lot of the Boston bands came through-hello Big Dipper! I found interesting that you thought of the 'Mats as a punk band in late '84. I think their attitude was still punk, but their music was evolving by leaps and bounds.

[@tonym994]

it's true about them sort of getting their due. I think I was falling asleep and heard 'Replacements' music ,Paul Westerberg ,and it was a TV commercial. I said (in my stupor)"how did TV get hip to them?"

[@cookiopussps5579]

kinda sad to see that a book about the replacements is getting more views than most non single westerberg/mats songs on KZbin.😢

[@JimmyFranceable]

Then shut the fuck up and go to the super obscure Mats tunes guy.

[@jillybeans7377]

That’s because we listen to our physical copies of their songs 😂

[@oppothumbs1]

They never were going to be one of the biggest bands. Their underproduced sound is not for the masses. There lyrics were often too depressed which is not a mainstream thing. I love underproduced and realistic lyrics, but there is a big difference from the Petty sound and the Replacements. Even Nirvana were more commercial but just not nearly as good. The Goo Goo Dolls homogenized their sound after touring with them and had greater success. The Replacements were like an uncompromising Neil Young but Neil already had a huge number of fans and commercial success.

[@DuKENZiREX]

these guys review those important bands that exist and matter. their sound is against the masses or was when they started...its like viewing a separate incarnation of a band only from two members (similar to Morrisey and johnny mar) but focusing on the people within the band instead. and lol whats so mainstream about a punk band who sold out to rock'n roll? tons of bands did that from the 80s and became successful and are to this day...the story isn't as compelling because its nothing new...and how many stories of nobody bands who influence masses? [stick with those ancient blues musicians]...they are hipsters who still get lots of attention....The Replacements never should have become as famous and as successful as they did....not potentially was going to be one of the biggest bands......otherwise people bored of overrated punk bands like the Sex Pistols and The Ramones would not listen to The Replacements instead of pop punk bands like Greenday and Paramore because they don't give a crap about blah blah blah success\career mumbo jumbo since music can be professionally unprofessionally produced without a label on the streets with a laptop +- Instruments from almost anything with Linux and a brain :D ----

[@smkxodnwbwkdns8369]

It’s also time and place, Green Day had depressing lyrics and an unproduced sound and sold tens of millions. It was the 80s.

[@oppothumbs1]

@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 Green Day seems more commercial but then it's hard to know it could be 20/20 hindsight. Never liked them much but for Longview which was great. I wonder if the writer sometimes didn't get Paul's humor or maybe Paul was menacing. He has a book to sell after all.

[@smkxodnwbwkdns8369]

@@oppothumbs1 Or you high or english isn’t your first language? Green Day was no more commercial than replacements were starting with Leg It Be. Both bands incorporated a lot of melody, hooks, and pop.

[@oppothumbs1]

@@smkxodnwbwkdns8369 It seems as if you critiqued my English just because I don't love Green Day? Have you ever heard of taking shortcuts with language and not worrying about small-time losers like you understanding? LeG It Be? small r for Replacements? Genius writing from you: "both bands incorporated a lot of melody,hooks and pop". You really know how to contribute!

[@krisscanlon4051]

Glorious Disasters! Faces Chilton AM radio and prolly the Stones all in the brew stew that makes the Mats. The opening two minutes of this video hahaha

[@spellerlittlewing]

Tim. Is great album A totally underrated band Screw top forty bullshit

[@oppothumbs1]

If they were drunk all the time, how could England or others really know their great studio records. And by the time they went with Petty, they didn't have Bob Stinson. 20,000 people can easily have no taste at all.

[@deanadams3099]

Talk is better than the book.

[@TvDaddyAndTheTabloidArmy]

goo goo dolls took the sound, their singer mimicked westers voice to get himself out of the gate

[@lakeviewviking]

Bootlegging DON'T TELL A SOUL? That's sick!

[@faunaflage]

Never heard Jon Wurster speak - he sounds like Nardwuar!

[@TvDaddyAndTheTabloidArmy]

like an accountant or bored gay fashion historian. dilettante is clear

[@oppothumbs1]

"You'll love it when Petty does it". Petty was a sellout too and stole from Neil Young.

[@zachdawson1822]

Oppothumbs M both Dylan wannabes

[@Kkidzz]

Completely walked off with Dwight Twilley's blueprints.

[@oppothumbs1]

@@Kkidzz Petty did? Not up on Dwight.

[@oppothumbs1]

@@zachdawson1822 Unbelievable how much Dylan plagiarized but he started out folk and blues so that is more of an accepted tradition. Led Zep stole as much as Dylan. Neil actually did very little actual stealing.

[@tillitsdone]

Petty didn't sell out to record company cretins.

[@tonym994]

John Lennon in the book 'LENNON Remembers' was forgetting half the stuff discussed .a collection of Rolling Stone interviews.lots of substance abuse affects memories.

[@cankhovich1796]

did the lennon book include the reason he was shot was because the guy (chapman?) was sick of being sexually abused by lennon at a cloning center (D.U.M.B.)?

[@rdrrr]

@@cankhovich1796 What? I don't know what you're talking about but I sure am curious. You got my attention. Lay it on me.

[@cankhovich1796]

@@rdrrr #donaldmarshallrevolution

[@brucearmacost8598]

Compelling

[@spookrockcity]

fuckin weird seeing narduwar like this

[@brucearmacost8598]

This wasn't a poorly written book but the story itself just isn't that compelling. I read Bob Mould's autobiography in a day or two. Trouble Boys was a bit of a slough to get through. The Replacements chapter in Our Band Could Be Your Life was more compelling.

[@pollofrito3000]

I couldn't disagree with you more.

[@DuKENZiREX]

success stories are always compelling, its like any real important band, not a bunch of nihilistic nobody no-ones

[@1ColdFuture]

nardwuar ?

[@todddowning5644]

lol. That's what I was thinking.

[@markezov]

TheFutureKing Nardwuar is an off kilter rock journalist in Vancouver. Check out some of his videos, he's interviewed lots of punk icons. He and Jon share a resemblance.

[@secoff1]

Kind of an avg band with some standouts. I came to think that the standouts stood out because the bulk of their material is just so avg. Paul really comes across as a jerk sober or otherwise and I 'm being generous here. I think he did have above avg writing skills but adulting not so much. REM was such a better band no discussion.

[@ExcitedAnacondaSnake-hg8ec]

You proved you really know nothing about music in so many words

[@nuxboxen]

Goodness Sakes... somebody fix the audio and re-upload, this thing is so nasty.

[@bconigliaro]

You couldn't have dragged me to a concert by that monumental fraud Tom Petty unless the Replacements were opening.

[@iggypopisgod9]

The Mats were never going to be "one of the biggest bands in the world".....too quirky, genuine, etc...they also didnt have "radio production " until DTASoul album,,,which frankly had subpar material....so by the time they got it together and got their shot...they didnt come up with goods... possibly on purpose....who knows...seems like they had plenty of chances

[@coolgaucho]

I agree DTASoul finally had a professionally produced sound which was refreshing to hear every note but I disagree with subpar material. They had great songs throughout the album unlike others were some songs were simply badly done and half assed.

[@tillitsdone]

@@coolgaucho I agree it's good material, but it's a shame the released DTAS was whitewashed. The Matt Wallace mix is so much more genuine sounding.

[@TvDaddyAndTheTabloidArmy]

This mehr Is "press" guy hits for Gannett - a corporate conglomerate chunk tub of goo. spin, mojo... I've got a few inside views of seymour