> >Poor Paul Westerberg. He spent his time in the Mats cracking jokes, and
> >everyone took him seriously. Now, he spends his time taking himself
> >seriously, and everyone thinks he's a joke.
>
Arguments lose me when they generalize. "everyone"? Sez you.
Fwiw, you'd be hard-pressed finding a more dysfunctional, whining
bunch of "fans" than the alt.music.replacements newsgroup. It used
to be different, but the last year or so, the newsgroup's
been overwhelmed by people hypercritical of Paul (and Tommy,
Chris, and Slim, to a lesser extent). New album coming?
"Bet it sucks" is the majority response. I don't understand
this sort of "fan". They strike me more as a "keeper", someone
who wants their musician held timeless in a cage. I like to think
the open-minded fans are just lurking, sifting through the gravel
for nuggets of info.
He's not the same drunken poet of the 'Tim' era. I'm not the
same v-chested swimmer from college. Time moves on, styles & tastes
change. The new album sounds wonderful. From the same man who
wrote "Skyway", "Within Your Reach", "Sadly Beautiful", "Here
Comes a Regular", and all those other wonderful tunes, I'd expect
no less.
Instrumentally, it doesn't have to sound the same - as Neil mentioned,
his voice is all it takes to set off a sympathetic reaction. It's not
a perfect album - I'm still struggling to find the meaning behind
"Actor in the Street" - but it's a darn good one. Five years ago,
I doubt Shawn Colvin and Paul Westerberg dueting would have
thrilled me. Now, "Born for Me" is blissful. ("Self-Defense" remains
my favorite track.) It's worth the $15 to make up your own mind.
I'm buying the finished version next Tuesday.
Chris
np: PW - Suicaine Gratification, on repeat & shuffle
