…with that song”.
Thousands of blogs probably have that title today.
Why? Because it comes from a song by The Replacements called “Alex Chilton”. Musician Alex Chilton passed away last night, very suddenly, at the age of 59. Nothing any blogger writes today about Alex will come close to the adoration expressed in The ‘Mats tune, so let’s start by hearing it.
Chilton
The Replacements – Alex Chilton
Alex had a huge hit song, “The Letter,” at the age of 16 with his band The Box Tops. He then spent years in relative obscurity creating some of the most beautiful pop records never heard with his band Big Star.
The Mats tribute made Alex something of cult figure in the Twin Cities where I lived. Everybody loved the ‘Mats, so we all did our research and bought up used Big Star records at Northern Lights and Platters. I remember that Semisonic’s Dan Wilson had an email address that was the name of a Big Star song. You couldn’t go to a Gear Daddies, Jayhawks, or Trip Shakespeare show without hearing a Big Star cover.
I met Alex once and interviewed him for The Spin Radio Network and Revolution Radio. I’d been freelancing for my music mentor (now KEXP DJ & Program Director) Kevin Cole for four weeks and I’d probably interviewed a total of 6 or 7 musicians at that point. Alex, a legendary misanthropic grump, was being minded that day by Peter Jesperson. Peter was my mentor’s mentor and odds are, he was the guy who bought The ‘Mats Paul Westerberg his first Big Star record. Peter, worth about a billion blog entries, had discovered and managed The Replacements.
So, no pressure, just ask a living God a few insightful questions in front of a couple of his worshipers. And don’t F it up because we’re taping for 300 radio stations. Alex and I sat across from each other in office chairs in an empty warehouse while Kevin, Peter, and an engineer looked through a large glass window. I tried not to act nervous and Alex tried not to act annoyed. I haven’t interviewed anyone since who rolled their eyes as often during a talk.
I was dressed like I always dressed back then – like a catholic school girl (short pleated skirt, knee socks, baby tee… it seemed stylish then!). I had a notebook in my lap. In my attempt to act natural, I was pushing rhythmically on the back of the office chair. It was the kind on wheels with a big spring at the rear. I was mid-question when I pushed the chair all the way over, flipping ass over tea kettle, landing on the floor with the chair next to me and my skirt over my head, exposing my thong and everything else. I didn’t know what else to do, so I just kept talking… from the floor. I never acknowledged it as I stood, picked up the chair, and sat back down. You’d think that would be the best way ever to break the ice. That Alex would have laughed and opened up to me. But he kept up appearances too, of being a shambles, a trainwreck, a grump. And honestly, I respect him all the more for that.
It’s important to have people in your life who remind you from time to time that you are nothing more than a stupid little clown. Alex’s did that for a lot of us, and we’re better for it.
So in tribute, here’s my favorite Big Star song:
Thirteen
Big Star – Thirteen
- Shawn
Thx!
