Anyone who’s spent any amount of time at one of my “DJ” gigs or heard any of my bands play can attest to my undying devotion to The Replacements. Many of my favorite memories are reflected in tunes from Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out the Trash, Let It Be, and Hootenanny, but the one record that seemed to define that weird period between awkward teenager and young adult for me was Pleased to Meet Me. There’s something in Westerberg’s devil-may-care snarls and the loose, disorderly feel of tunes like “I Don’t Know” and “Alex Chilton” that have always represented rocknroll as it was originally intended to me - dirty, drunken, wild, unapologetic, abrasive, and utterly heartfelt.

Today someone sent me a link to a piece on the Gibson guitar company’s website about the making of Pleased To Meet Me, and it’s warmed up this otherwise cold, decrepit Chicago day with scrapbook-like look at the Minneapolis heroes’ mythic rise and epic collapse. Do yourself a favor and check it out.

MP3: The Replacements - Can’t Hardly Wait

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