I pretty much stick strictly to music on this blog, but this is sort of a music/book related post. I just finished Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides- an incredible novel about gender and family- and I’ve found myself returning over and over to this song by one of my absolute favorite bands. If you don’t know The Replacements (if you do, you can stop reading this post), they formed in Minneapolis (there must be something about that city) in the very late 70s, and made their really great albums throughout the 80s. They’re definitely a hard-drinking, guitar-driven dude band, which is why I like them so much. If you just spend a little time with their albums, you’ll easily find the gorgeous, understated desperateness that makes them so much more than just a bar band. Like the subject of this song. ”Androgynous” starts of with a poorly-recorded piano jangle that continues throughout the song, Paul Westerberg’s voice telling the story of two friends? Lovers? Not totally clear. It’s beautiful, and you just kind of have to listen to get it. I’m glad Middlesex reminded me of the song. That, plus a few of my other favorite Replacements below.
MP3: “Androgynous” – The Replacements
4 Comments
September 16, 2009 at 11:57 am
There is something about that city! mpls represent
September 16, 2009 at 9:24 pm
cosmic! i’m in the middle of rereading Middlesex. it’s one of my all-time favorites. also, i enjoy this music + book pairing. new regular column on TNYRM??
September 17, 2009 at 12:24 am
thanks mimi! such a good book- i really enjoyed it, too. that would probably be a pretty cool column, though i admit i don’t usually think of songs for books so readily as this one. it just seemed to fit so, so well, and i like to imagine that if cal heard the song, he would like it, too.
September 17, 2009 at 9:07 pm
and they love each other so…