Mats fans get ready, as the Replacements are currently not rejecting the idea of reuniting completely. Yes, core members Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson haven't yet put ink to paper or even shaken hands, but when speaking with Billboard.com about the recent Rhino reissues of the seminal '80s band's first four albums - Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash, Stink, Hootenanny and Let It Be - the two mentioned it wasn't an impossibility. (Of course, it would be without the two other original members - the late Bob Stinson, who died in 1995 and the now-retired Chris Mars.)
"We actually talked about it again this year, and I think there was a consensus that, you know, maybe it wasn't the right time (to reunite), or maybe it is the right time," Stinson said. "Paul and I were kind of in cahoots talking to them [and] talking to (his manager) Darren (Hill). There were some things thrown out, and there were other festivals that wanted it too, if we were going to do it.
"At the last minute, it just didn't seem like the right thing to do, so we didn't do it. But I think Paul and I have something to offer each other still. I think that's pretty obvious when we get together."
Westerberg also added his iffiness to it all, saying, "I'm very hesitant about dragging the name out there and what damage we could do to the legend. Whatever we did, someone would want something else. If I went up there straight, they'd want us wasted. If we were fuckked up, they'd want us to be this or that.
"But, I don't know. The records hold the key to the whole thing. So if I was ever going to play, I'd like to play once the whole shooting match is out, because I don't think I could physically get up there and bellow these 18 songs (from) that first record. That's just sheer youth there. I can't find that in a bottle or a pill. I'm just too creaky for that."
So yeah, likely not going to happen, but never say never. The Mats have done worse things...
The Replacements "Dope Smokin' Moron/Skip It"
"We actually talked about it again this year, and I think there was a consensus that, you know, maybe it wasn't the right time (to reunite), or maybe it is the right time," Stinson said. "Paul and I were kind of in cahoots talking to them [and] talking to (his manager) Darren (Hill). There were some things thrown out, and there were other festivals that wanted it too, if we were going to do it.
"At the last minute, it just didn't seem like the right thing to do, so we didn't do it. But I think Paul and I have something to offer each other still. I think that's pretty obvious when we get together."
Westerberg also added his iffiness to it all, saying, "I'm very hesitant about dragging the name out there and what damage we could do to the legend. Whatever we did, someone would want something else. If I went up there straight, they'd want us wasted. If we were fuckked up, they'd want us to be this or that.
"But, I don't know. The records hold the key to the whole thing. So if I was ever going to play, I'd like to play once the whole shooting match is out, because I don't think I could physically get up there and bellow these 18 songs (from) that first record. That's just sheer youth there. I can't find that in a bottle or a pill. I'm just too creaky for that."
So yeah, likely not going to happen, but never say never. The Mats have done worse things...
The Replacements "Dope Smokin' Moron/Skip It"