"I NEVER TRAVEL FAR, WITHOUT A LITTLE BIG STAR":

Let The Bad Times Roll: Paul Westerberg talks about drinking, depressed fans, and finding a reason to live (Jim Walsh, 10/15/03, City Pages)

CP: Have you heard the Lucinda Williams song [Real Live Bleeding Fingers," which Williams penned about Westerberg]?

Westerberg: Uh-huh. I've only heard it once. I saw her perform it on television once. All I'll say is that she's a true songwriter, and I am too, and you have to take these things with a grain of salt. The hack songwriter will write the absolute truth every single word, whether it makes a great song or not. And the good songwriter takes something as a springboard and then goes from there. There's no saying that verse two isn't about something else. You know, f[lip], I think "Jumpin' Jack Flash" was written about me. I put myself in all the songs I love. The singer's singing to me, y'know? I'm flattered, but it doesn't affect me, really.

People don't understand. People chase, to this day, "Who is the Mr. Tambourine Man?" Songs aren't really written that way. You take something that inspires you, and it might just be a roaring pack of lies.

You mean, children by the million don't really sing for Alex Chilton ?

MORE:
-I Buried Paul: More than a decade into Paul Westerberg's solo career, it's time to replace The Replacements (Dylan Hicks, 10/15/03, City Pages)

Posted by Orrin Judd at October 14, 2003 9:15 PM