January 28th 1999

Paul Westerberg Talks About Stinson n' Freese

Source: Rocktropolis (Allstar Magazine)

Allstar contributor Aidin Vaziri sure knows how to pose the perfect question. In his recent interview with former Replacements leader Paul Westerberg, he asked, "When the Replacements were around, Guns N' Roses was considered the enemy. Do you consider Tommy Stinson a traitor because he's become a member of Axl's gang?" Westerberg responded, "Well, I'm joining Night Ranger. You know, I think it's OK. Josh Freese, the drummer who also played with me and is now playing with Tommy, called me way back and was like, 'I got this offer and I don't know what to do.' He and Tommy were both hesitant, and I told them to go for it. You only regret something like that if you don't do it. I mean, why not? If everybody says it's a mistake, then you know you really got something. If everybody encourages you, you know that it's lame and it's safe. It's always right to do the thing that most people are afraid to do, so my hat's off to him. But they have to play first. They've been hanging out in the studio in the valley, it seems, for over a year now. I don't know what's going on. I haven't talked to Tommy, but I get word from Josh that it's pretty cool. But it sure is taking a long time for rock and roll."...

Thanks to Chindem