The Replacements

One of the highlights of my Minneapolis trip was getting a personal tour of famous Twin Cities rock music landmarks courtesy of one of the nicest, most knowledgeable guys I'm privileged to say I know.

I met ChrisK, as I've known him online for several years now, through the Elvis Costello discussion list or "The List" as we call it. Most everybody I've met through this forum is as bright, eclectic, and fascinating in person as they are online. Chris is no exception. A Minnesota native and longtime Minneapolis resident, he very generously drove me all around the Twin Cities showing me lots of spots I'd wanted to see, especially the legendary First Avenue, where most every Minneapolis musician worth anything (and several that aren't) has played, including a diminutive polymath with a penchant for royal colors. (Most of the interior music sequences in Purple Rain were shot at First Avenue.)

ChrisK is maybe if not definitely the biggest Replacements fan in the world, too. The Mats, as they're often known, are one of the most influential yet self-destructive bands to emerge from the Minneapolis scene in the 80s. I only know them moderately well, so it was refreshing to get insight into still a mostly cult band from a passionate native rather than a pedantic music "expert". The latter, professional or more frequently amateur wannabees, are often primarily concerned not with imparting the joy and thrill of the music but rather appearing way more knowledgeable than you (and they usually aren't). Generally, with these types, you try not to roll your eyes at myriad, conversation-killing esoterica and minutiae as they intentionally or not suck the fun out of your own appreciation for a band and its material.

But I digress. The point is, Chris isn't remotely like this. He knows how to talk to people about his town and his band in an honest and enthusiastic manner. I was grateful for our time together, as it enhanced the trip immeasurably.

When I told Chris we were staying at a bed and breakfast between 24th and Bryant Avenue, he told me I happened to be right on a legendary Replacements street. Moreover, we were two doors down from the Stinson house where the band sits on the cover of their 1984 Let It Be album.

Well, damn, I thought. So I ran out and took some photos. Here's a shot of where they're at on the cover:


The bed and breakfast where we stayed is obscured to the right in this next photograph. Check out this frankly amazing Photoshop rendition of the Let It Be album cover seamlessly integrated into the photo. (Computers, I tell you...)

Here's Gwen in a similarly thoughtful yet lackadaisical pose on the steps:

Chris recommended I stop in Treehouse Records on Lyndale Avenue to get a copy of Let It Be at the store where the Replacements recorded some of their earliest material in the basement. Here's a photo I took from across the street:

I bought a copy of The Replacements: All Over But the Shouting: An Oral History right there at ground zero for the band. Across the intersection from this store is Minneapolis' legendary CC Club.

The CC Club is another key iconic Minneapolis music landmark. Chris and I sat at the bar talking a Thursday night away right where singer/songwriter Paul Westerberg is in this video for "Achin' To Be".



It was a great trip and I can't thank Chris enough for giving me as cool a tour of the Twin Cities as he did. Hope to see you there again, and if you're ever in the Mid-Atlantic, I owe you, pal.