NoClashContent [Fwd: bob stinson remembered]]
Kevin
Here some info on an upcoming tribute to the Replacement's 1st
guitarist, Bob Stinson for any fellow Mats fans on this NG. Sorry for
the spam if you don't give a shit....
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: bob stinson remembered
Date: 18 Nov 1999 06:14:13 GMT
From: lord...@aol.comrade (LORD OUCH)
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com
Newsgroups: alt.music.replacements
http://www.pulsetc.com/cmusic.html
nov 17,1999
Bob Stinson Remembered
by Tom Hallett
“The ones who love us best/are the ones we’ll lay to rest/and visit their
graves on holidays at best...” — The Replacements, “Bastards Of Young”
As the bibulous and flamboyant lead guitarist of Minneapolis punk
legends The
Replacements, Bob Stinson helped lay the foundation for the “alternative”
movement of the early ’90s, inspiring legions of fledgling rockers and leaving
an indelible imprint on anyone who crossed his path. Over the span of four
records on the Twin/Tone label (Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash, Stink,
Hootenanny, and Let It Be) and one on Sire/Reprise (Tim), fans and detractors
alike watched his frenetic, freestyle axework develop from hormone-inspired
noise-fests (“Fuck School”) into soul-stirring, melodic works of aural art
(“Unsatisfied,” “Here Comes A Regular”). Though live shows were often
hit-or-miss — with Stinson, his younger brother Tommy, and bandmates Paul
Westerberg and Chris Mars living out the archetypical rock and roll
lifestyle —
the quartet blazed a brilliant path through the Midwest and beyond.
1985 saw the band poised on the edge of national success, having inked a deal
with Sire/Reprise Records and scoring an appearance on Saturday Night
Live. The
tour left the foursome exhausted and burnt out on their perpetual swingin’
party and, citing Bob’s legendary taste for excesses, the other three members
asked him to leave the group. The Replacements went on without Bob, with
Westerberg and replacement guitarist Bob “Slim” Dunlap taking over axe duties.
Bob continued to play in local bands (Static Taxi and The Bleeding Hearts,
among others) and to struggle with the addictions that had plagued him since
adolescence. Friends and acquaintances remember him as a fascinating
storyteller and a colorful figure on the local scene and, unlike some of his
contemporaries, he was always accessible to his fans.
Though his love for libation never quite abated, the summer and fall of 1994
found Bob with renewed energy and plans to head back into the studio. During
the early winter months, he met with his ex-wife Carleen and agreed to
play on
her upcoming album, a project that never came about. On February 18th, 1995,
Bob was found dead in his Minneapolis apartment, and though those close
to him
weren’t surprised that his lifestyle had taken such a heavy toll, fans the
world over were shocked and in mourning. He left behind a son, his mother
Anita, his brother Tommy, and a slew of admirers of both his
musicianship and
his affable personality.
In accordance with family wishes, Bob was cremated, with no established marker
or gravesite. In the spring of 1995, Carleen Stinson was granted
permission to
plant two apple trees in Bob’s memory in his favorite fishing spot near the
stone bridge at Lake Calhoun, but no plaque or sign designates it as such.
While the area was special to Bob and remains a favorite site for family and
friends to pay tribute, the lack of an actual memorial has made it difficult
for fans and admirers to locate. Recently, Carleen and other family members
decided to purchase a park bench through the Minneapolis Parks And Recreation
Department to be placed between the apple trees and dedicated to Bob.
The last
official price quote for the bench is $5,000.00, and to help raise that sum
Carleen and an impressive roster of local musicians have decided to join forces
and throw an impromptu hootenanny at The Turf Club.
“When we inquired about the bench, we were like, my God, why is it so much?”
Carleen says, “and they said it covers maintainance and liability over
20 or 25
years, so that’s why it’s so expensive.”
Explaining the significance of the area to Bob, Carleen speaks in a reverent
tone. “He used to sit on the east side of the canal and fish and peer through
this field into the forest. It was very soothing for him, he liked to hang
around those stone bridges and railroad tracks.”
One aspect of Bob’s passing that Carleen wants to clear up is the actual cause
of death. “There were a lot of reports right after he died that it was an
overdose from injectable narcotics, and none of that’s true. On the death
certificate, it says “natural causes.” While there’s no doubt that his abuses
led to his passing, she says, fans should know the truth. “Bob just dropped
dead. The other information on there was all taken from interviews they did,
not actual facts.” Printing Bob’s death certificate, she feels, will end any
public debate on the subject once and for all.
Twin/Tone Records co-founder Peter Jesperson, who discovered The Replacements
when a young Westerberg slipped him a demo tape, also feels the memorial
is a
worthwhile and important cause. “I endorse the project, for whatever that’s
worth, and I don’t think a day goes by that I don’t miss Bob. Often, you turn
on the radio and you hear some crazy lead guitar solo from some modern,
alternative rock band, and I hear Bob there, you know? Whether those people
listened directly to Bob Stinson or not, I think his influence looms largely.
So I think it’s pretty neat that he’s remembered so well.”
Turf Club booker/soundguy /Mammy Nuns guitarist Rob Rule, a longtime
Replacements fan, has been instrumental in putting together the musical
end of
the memorial tribute, and fondly recalls the first time he saw the band live.
“I saw Bob play at The Maintenance Shop when I was in college in Ames, Iowa;
that would’ve been the Let It Be era. The place held 150 people and it
was a
sold-out show. It was amazing because you didn’t know what to expect
with The
Replacements, they could put on the best or the worst shows ever. (laughs)
There was a blistering 50 minute set, and they were just professional, serious,
and just ripped through it. Amazing, immaculate, scorching rock. Then
they left
the stage and everyone just went nuts, but they never came back. People
got so
pissed off they flipped over their trailer in the parking lot — it was
just out
of control. Ames, Iowa, and they were a bunch of guys just pissed off because
[the band] wouldn’t play more.” Rule is reticent about his role in the tribute
project, and feels that it’s long overdue. “I want this to be a big
group hug
for Bob Stinson’s memory. Let’s just think of the good things about Bob, the
memories, the jokes, and the laughs. The good music, taking a garage
band out
of a garage on Lyndale Avenue and touring the country, that should be an
inspiration to people all over the world.”
The talented lineup for the tribute speaks volumes about the influence Bob
Stinson had, and continues to have, on the music community. The acts
read as a
veritable history of local indie rock: Bob’s replacement in The Replacements,
Slim Dunlap; former Hüsker Du (the ’Mats informal “rivals” on the scene
back in
the day) drummer Grant Hart, Twin/Tone alums Curtiss A and The
Magnolias, local
faves The Mighty Mofos, Whoops Kitty, Dander, and The Swingin’ Teens. Plus
Carleen’s band Superloser, and Bob’s old band The Bleeding Hearts have all
signed on.
Rule and the SPMC have also commissioned 25 limited edition T-shirts
with a
rare photo of Bob taken by Dan Corrigan, and will offer copies of the SPMC
Tribute To The Replacements CD for $5. Copies of the issue of Squealer Magazine
that featured an interview with Bob will be available, and all proceeds (as
well as the $10 cover charge) will go to the Bob Stinson Memorial Fund. (Fans
who can’t make the show should be aware that they can donate any amount
to that
fund via Norwest Banks across the Twin Cities.) Video footage of Bob and The
Replacements will be shown throughout the evening, including what is
rumored to
be Bob’s last video interview with local writer Steve Birmingham, who spoke
with the guitarist on the now-defunct Dewey Berger show.
“I just feel incredibly lucky that I had the chance to get to know him a little
bit, hear some stories,” says Birmingham, “and lucky that the music of The
Replacements exists; I mean, what did any of us do to deserve having all these
great songs be a part of our lives?”
Carleen Stinson sums up how Bob himself might have felt about the fuss being
made over him. “Bob was the kind of person who never really took compliments
well. I think he’d be like, ‘Oh, come on. It’s not that big of a deal.’
He’d be
very self-conscious of it, but I think deep down inside he’d just be swelling
with emotion. I personally would just like a place to go to meditate and think
about Bob, and I know there’s a lot of other souls in the Twin Cities
who feel
the same.”
The Bob Stinson Memorial Tribute will be held on Saturday, November 20
at The
Turf Club. 9 p.m. $10. 651-647-0486.