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.

"Who can turn the world on with a smile?"

My wife can, that's who. Here she is in downtown Minneapolis where 70s protofeminist Mary Richards raised the bar, and the hats, for professional ladies across the country. Yes, it's TV Land's Mary Richards statue.


Love is all around, Gwendolyn. C'mon, girl...



Yeah, that's right!

One of the most acclaimed television shows of all time, and frequently named the greatest sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show defined the era of ERA. I wouldn't have noticed this statue, as I walked right by it, until Gwen said, "Hey, there's Mary Tyler Moore". Turning, I saw it and remembered reading about the dedication a few years back. I recall the Ralph Kramden Honeymooners statue outside of the Port Authority in New York City. I used to see that one a lot in Manhattan. (I bought it a few drinks, actually.)

MTM First Season credits



MTM later season(s) credits. Notice the optimistic change in the last verse from "You might just make it after all" to "You're gonna make it after all". The 70s did seem full of hope at some point, I suppose. And how about that Fran Tarkenton jersey? And those pantsuits? Jesus. Did snow blindness bring those on?

Shush.

I spent last week in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota. We were ostensibly there for the Public Library Assocation conference. I met my wife in a public library (or rather, she scoped my holds and decided I was cool and maybe even smart enough to risk talking to), but this kind of thing has long interested me, anyway.

As some readers know, in my spare time, I'm currently an at-large docent with the Library of Congress. (No, really, I've escaped! With a laser pointer! Mwah-hahahaha! Now empty your pockets and look at that architecture over there! Look at it! NOW! Can you guess what style that is? I SAID, what style is it, fool?!? Do I have to shine this little light on your kneecap? I'm not afraid to use this, cause your ignorant ass just might learn something! And surely you have more than five dollars on your broke ass. What do you think that's going to get you in the gift shop, sucka?) Incidentally, the LOC is opening a brand new visitor experience on April 12th.

Regarding architecture, the Twin Cities' own Guthrie Theater was recently honored with a prestigious award for its designer. I was able to see that as well as other landmarks around the area, including the Fitzgerald Theater, where A Prairie Home Companion is broadcast live. And let's not forget the striking, realtively new Minneapolis Central Library.

I did find time to visit the exceptional Walker Art Center (the "Worlds Away: Suburban Landscapes" was my favorite) as well as the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. In my opinion, the latter has both ancient and contemporary Asian collections worthy of comparison to any DC or New York galleries.

Oh, yeah. There's some big shopping center out there, too.

"So, I tell them I'm a pro jock, and who do you think they give me? The Dalai Lama himself..."

Here's one of my cats posing with the baseball cap my Dad was wearing when he met the one and only Bill Murray at a golf tournament in South Carolina last summer. Dad said he was as funny and gracious in person as you would hope him to be. Mr. Murray talked with my Dad and stepmom several minutes while they walked the fairway. He signed both of their caps, one of which Dad gave me this past weekend. (I swear I didn't ask him for it.) I autographed a brand new UVa cap (which I just, you know, happened to have) for him in return. Okay, so it's clearly not the same, I know.

Anyway, continuing with our celebration of all things Chicago this year at 'Round Midnight, here's one of the funniest guys in history calling a Cubs game back in 1987. (DC residents, we know where those Montreal Expos ended up a couple of decades later, don't we?)

"As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly."

Gwen and I are leaving for Thanksgiving a day early this week. We'll be in my hometown of Roanoke, Virginia, but first we'll spend Tuesday night at the Peaks of Otter lodge. Then Wednesday, before driving on to Roanoke, we'll hike to the summit. We were engaged there a year ago this weekend at Sharp Top. This time, of course, I have no ring to give her. (Gee, I hope the energy bars I packed go over equally well...)

'Round Midnight wishes you a happy, safe holiday weekend with your friends and family. Remember to give thanks for what's important in your life, and remember to get out of the way of objects quickly approaching the ground...

"Enthusiasms..."

'Round Midnight comes to you from the great American city of Chicago, Illinois this week. My Academy's annual conference & exposition will be hosted there next year. Consequently, I went with some colleagues to scout out the convention center and other locations, including hotels, nightspots, etc., all in preparation for the 8,500 attendees we'll bring in late September '08. Mayor Daley and his citizens/cronies want the $12 to $18 million everyone involved with our $how will ultimately inject into the Windy City's economy when we're there.

They rolled out the red carpet for us, let me tell you. It wasn't as if flying in the morning after seeing a fantastic concert (which I did) made me feel like a rock star (which it did). No, it was the limos, the food, the wine, the music...the overwhelming largess of the tourism and hospitality industry. (If you thought "waste disposal" was the favorite euphemism of the mob, well, you're wrong.)

This was my second business visit to Chicago in two years. I was involved with another expo back in '05 at Navy Pier. I always try to take in as much culture from cities I travel to when I'm there working. My readers know how much I love all kinds of music but especially blues, jazz, and rock and roll. Chicago is a landmark in multiple eras and fields of all kinds of creativity, so expect many future posts about artists, clubs, etc.

On this trip, one of the things I noticed was how the infamous Al Capone has been demoted from Public Enemy #1 to essentially a toothless, family-friendly image on key chains, refrigerator magnets, tee-shirts, etc., in giftshops all over the city. Hotels and event management companies have speakeasy-themed professional events. I wonder if Capone's estate ever officially licensed his likeness for commercial purposes or if it was released into the public domain because of his criminal notoriety and ultimate conviction. Moreover, I wonder if any kind of legal technicalities or moral fact checking would stop seemingly everyone in Chicago from celebrating and promoting their very own "Robin Hood":


Hip-hop moguls and performers have appropriated a lot of gangster culture throughout the past quarter century. The other Scarface is as much if not more a blueprint for gangsta rap as are all those James Brown and George Clinton samples many seminal rap acts cribbed. Promoting your image as ruthless and uncompromising is tough, so why not turn to cinematic, real-life inspiration?

We ended one day of location scouting with a "hard hat tour" of the legendary Blackstone Hotel. It's being redesigned and refurbished for a January 2008 launch. Very interesting to walk through and see the building as hundreds of laborers scrambled around us to meet the deadline for reopening the property (and believe me, it's not easy to make a Chicago Teamster scramble).

In addition to the political involvement of multiple American Presidents, and the fact it was briefly owned by the Beatles' onetime guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late 80s, what I found most notable about the Blackstone Hotel is Lucky Luciano allegedly held one of if not the first meeting of modern organized crime in the Crystal Ballroom on the 10th floor. (I stood in there imagining all the cigar smoke and duplicity hanging in the air back then.) I also lingered inside a gorgeous room that was used for filming a memorable scene in 1987's The Untouchables: