The One

An official Westerberg shirt from his 2005 tour

I know exactly who the guy on the shirt is . I'm also pretty sure where the original was taken and under what circumstances. I think it was at one of Westerberg's string of in-store shows back in 2002 after the release of Stereo/Mono. (I know this because I remember the photographer having a Flickr page, and I friended her instantly, but she never reciprocated.)

The Replacements are the only band for whom I've managed to sustain an unhealthy obsession for nearly two decades now, and yet, in the world of Mats fanatics, that still makes me a latecomer. Granted, I would have been in first grade when their debut album was released, and by their reputation as indie rock royalty crystallized, I was still rocking out to Wham. That being said, when it comes to Replacements or Westerberg minutiae, I'm essentially Barry from High Fidelity.

I was going to write some over-reaching lament on how sites like youtube and Spotify have signaled the death of the "obscure" artist, and consequently, the death of the music snob, but it sounds too much like  a "they don't make 'em like they used to" rant. I believe that to be true, though. There really weren't any opportunities to hear music outside what was played on commercial radio; when you found something cool or different, you glommed onto it. And when you found someone with a shared interest in the same underground band, it was the secret handshake. You were part of the same tribe.

I feel bad that no one could correctly identify Westerberg's face on the author's shirt (that someone thought he was a "clean-shaven Jesus was pretty funny, though). Willful obscurity is one thing, being completely invisible is another. But mostly it just made me feel old in a way I'm not entirely comfortable with -- and I'm actually pretty cool with being an old rock gal. It means that even with all the resources we have today, some artists are still going to fall off the face of the earth. It may be one of your favorites.