Trouble Boys: The True Story of the Replacements

by Bob Mehr

He was coming up with far more character-driven pieces, partly after further immersion in Flannery O’Connor and Tennessee Williams. Ultimately, much of the new material played as portraits of the women in Westerberg’s life: his sister, his wife, his numerous road dalliances. “I never knew what, or who, his songs were about,” said Bizer. “I’d ask him and get a different story every time. So I stopped asking.” Of course, some of Westerberg’s female protagonists were merely disguised versions of himself. “It is easier for me to say what’s on my mind by using a character. And it’s generally a woman,” he said. At the same time, many of the new tunes—raw reflections like “They’re Blind” and “Rock ’n’ Roll Ghost”—were more nakedly autobiographical than ever.