Loud Love Songs
Paul Westerberg, The Replacements, and Tommy Keene: A Two Parter
I don't know how much I actually owe to the "Grunge Movie". I know definitively that it features one of my favorite actresses of all time. I know it features Cameron Crowe's "I really wished people actually talked like that" hyper-real writing. And I know that it is a representation for me of Soundgarden's kingship over grunge. Quick side note: Dirt by Alice in Chains is the masterwork of the grunge big three--Soundgarden, AiC, and the jock band. But Soundgarden's discography is exceptional and staggeringly experimental for a band with broad appeal. Anyway, the essential thing I owe to Singles is the introduction to Paul Westerberg and thereby The Replacements, Tommy Keene, and Power Pop as a genre.
Paul Westerberg's song "Waiting for Somebody", original to the film, is used thematically throughout Singles, different versions with alternate tempos and instrumentation. I've seen Singles a handful+ by this point, but it was the first introduction I had to Westerberg, and I remember thinking the song had an unusually positive bounce to it within the rest of the tracklist: Chris Cornell's song "Seasons" anchoring the depressive end of things.
"Waiting for Somebody" and "Dyslexic Heart" were Westerberg's contributions to the soundtrack and each led to me falling deep into his discography. Like most music for me, I started current and worked backward. I listened to the rarities comp Resterberg. Then Come Feel Me Tremble and Stereo. And then I dug deep as music fans do, found out that Paul Westerberg was in The Replacements, and for the sake of narrative this was the same time I saw the movie Adventureland which features The Replacements song "Unsatisfied" at the climax of the film. This song is probably one that deserves its own entry, but at the very least I'll describe it as the kind of song that makes for a loud, drunken-type sing along even if you don't drink.
Awkward end to this entry, I know. But I have to get something out today. More on this next week!
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