Free from booze, the band, and any personal attachments (his divorce from Lori Bizer would also become final), Westerberg sought solitude instead. He rented a little bungalow in South Minneapolis and lived a simple, ascetic existence. “I was alone for the first time ever, and I enjoyed it,” he recalled. “I had a piano, a rug, a rocking chair, and a couple good books. I learned how to play saxophone. I started gardening. Soon after that, I began writing and the stuff just poured out.”
