The Best Summation of the Replacements I've Heard in a Very Long Time...

My friend AdamAnnapolis is that kid that you're always glad is in your life because he's so quirky and funny and whip-fucking-smart. If you weren't already a music snob in high school or college but had half a brain, he was the kid you looked to because his music taste was always so poignant and interesting. Adam and I discovered we were each other's doppelganger a long time ago because we share so much in common it's like we were from the same embryo. Which is great but also scary (especially because he finds WWF so exceptionally interesting).

One thing we long ago bonded over was The Replacements. As I mentioned, he's ridiculously bright, so I'm not at all surprised he posted the following synopsis of the 'Mats so beautifully. Adam claims that I can capture the essence of live music shows in print well but damn Adam, let me say here publicly that you've captured the essence of the Replacements, and Westerberg especially, in a way I could only dream of doing. Kudos friend...

What Made the Replacements Great
They sound like these angry bratty asshole kids, a gang of 4 suburban disaffected youth who don't even seem to know, care or take seriously that they rock pretty hard.

The lead singer seems like a particular prick.

You want to hate him, and as much of a dick as he comes off, every so often, you hear a song he's written, and he somehow has captured things you've felt your whole life, and never were able to articulate.

And then, he rips your heart out with a seemingly endless string of the most emotion filled beautiful ballads you've ever heard.

And so you love the little shithead exactly FOR being the shithead... who is secretly a genius.