Like a flower in the dark
Some days, I sit here and ask myself if this newsletter is turning from a music-menswear-craft beer newsletter into, well a newsletter about Minneapolis indie rock icons The Replacements, as the headline from today’s featured song (the heartbreaking, excellent “You’re Getting Married”) would suggest. And some days, I’m not so sure about the answer to that question. But we’ll go forth on the path with an underrated and unheralded song to lead into the weekend, one that, like much of The Replacements’ catalog, has been on heavy rotation for me this year. Here’s a reminder on how this all works if you’re just joining us: You’ve got your featured song. You’ve got your music-inspired menswear (yes, it’s a thing!) and you’ve got your weekend or weekday sipper to tie it altogether. If you’d like more menswear and less Replacements, well, that’s what my other blog, The Style Guide, is all about. And if you’d like MORE Replacements, well, you’re in luck today. Cheers to Saturday!
What To Listen To This Weekend: “You’re Getting Married” By The Replacements
The Replacements, legendary and forever underrated (it would seem!) are as fascinating a band as any to have ever tosssed their own guitars onstage or swilled beer during a concert, a band full of contradictions and surprises. That certainly goes for the tough-to-find-until-recently online version of “You’re Getting Married,” a Paul Westerberg-penned track that resurfaced on record for the first time during the 2008 reissue of “Stink” (or rather, “The Replacements Stink”) — I’m certainly glad it’s in all of our lives. It’s a perfectly sweet, sad, heartbreaking rock song written, sung and played entirely by Westerberg, finished off with a small chuckle and the hiss of tape at the end. It’s got some of the man’s most heartfelt lyrics (“Well, you say that you'll both be real happy/You forgot to tell your eyes”), too.
If you read the full story of the song, it’s a wonder it even made it onto the 2008 reissue (as guitarist Bob Stinson said, “That ain’t The Replacements”) and yet, to me, it fits perfectly alongside other ‘Mats tracks like “Within Your Reach” (which I also wrote about in this newsletter not too long ago). In essence, for every time and season in your life, there’s a Replacements track for that. Put this one on, kick back with some coffee and enjoy the legendary band as you might never have heard ‘em before.
What To Wear This Weekend: Flint and Tinder Golden Bear Leather Bomber Jacket
Let’s keep The Replacements theme going on the menswear front this weekend — heck, I could do this all day, folks. Past newsletter entries featuring The Replacements (and there are more than a few) have touched on the kind of gear and garb the band might have worn back in the day, so let’s keep having some fun with that, shall we? Now, The ‘Mats were notoriously short on cash at all times, so this rugged leather bomber jacket is likely out of your typical thrift store price range, but if I squint hard enough, I can imagine a guy like Mr. Westerberg throwing on this jacket for a night of winter beers at famed Replacements haunt The CC Club (a bucket list bar for me, if I’m being honest!). How about it, folks? Layer up accordingly and go forth.
What To Sip This Weekend: Third Street Minnesota Gold Lager via Drizly
If you know The Replacements, you know that today’s preferred sipper of choice has to be a Minnesota beer (and one that you can get delivered via Drizly), right? Right. Cold Springs wasn’t quite on The Replacements list of usual cities in which to play or imbibe, but the fittingly named Third Street Minnesota Gold Lager (from Third Street Brewhouse, of course), fits the profile of a beer the band would assuredly love. A cold lager with a brash can design and plenty of drinkability at 4.9 percent ABV sounds like the perfect beer to enjoy during a rock concert, as I often say, and if I could go back in time, I’d love to see The ‘Mats, beer in hand, during, say, a show at the famed Maxwell’s club in Hoboken. How great does that sound right about now, ehh?
The Final Pick: Buck Mason Full-Grain Suede Trucker Jacket
Let’s close things out with another piece of rugged outerwear that I think the fellas in The Replacements would surely wear (and hopefully not leave in tatters). Buck Mason makes the kind of all-American menswear that would look great in any era, in my humble opinion (and as I’ve written about on my blog!), and this classic trucker jacket is assuredly no different. It’s the kind of piece Buck Mason does so well, with an investment-level price tag (again, perhaps out of reach of The ‘Mats back in the day!) and quality design that you can wear, well, anywhere (especially to grab a cold beer on a winter night).
Are you as ready as I am to roll into the weekend, new gear and a cold beer in hand? These picks are the perfect formula for weekend success any you slice it (in my humble opinion!) and that goes for, say, a classic trucker jacket or a rugged leather bomber jacket in equal measure, plus a cold beer and some classic tracks by our beloved Replacements. Thanks for reading, cheers to the weekend and be sure to check out today’s Style Pick of the Week over on my regular blog.