"The only band that ever mattered"

COLOR ME OBSESSED (2011)

Reviewed by Jerry Saravia

Thanks to my rocking and rolling wife, I have listened to the Replacements. My fave song of theirs is possibly "White and Lazy," but do not color me a fan just yet (I have listened to only one full album). I do like their spare, frenetic style that is at once an affront to the mainstream and yet embraces it at the same time. It is almost as if they dare to enter the cold, sterile world they so seemingly hate. I think that encapsulates the Ramones as well, one of the major influences on the Replacements. Watching this daring new documentary "Color Me Obsessed" reminds me of the adulation, the criticism and the influence a band can have on a generation raised with, in the case of the greedy, baby-boomers of the 1980's, Reaganomics.

The forming of the Minneapolis-based Replacements began in 1979 (thyey were first known as Dogbreath) by drummer Chris Mars and brothers Bob and Tommy Stinson. The Replacements were soon joined by lyricist Paul Westerberg, a local janitor who overheard the group practicing day after day while hiding in a bush. Songs that cut deep ranged from "Unsatisfied", "Answering Machine", "Can’t Hardly Wait" to endless cover songs (and the ultimate punk thing to do - to daringly call an album of theirs "Let it Be"). The Replacements played a vast number of live shows and a finite number of them resulted in fights and drunkeness. The band members prided themselves on outrageousness, both in their look and their on-stage behavior. Bob Stinson wore a tutu, played guitar in a garbage can and wore diapers. If a show was never truly unruly and unpredictable (as was the case with a Trenton, NJ show), then the fans were disappointed. Same with their albums - the Replacements' last few albums were too professionally produced, lacking the chaotic, garage sound of their early work. One fan, David Minehan of the Neighborhoods, says he is a fan of bands who produce sell-out albums. To each their own.

The multitude of the criticisms in this documentary come from the fans who are given ample time to supply their opinions on the band's musical highs and lows. Robert Voedisch, a farm boy who religiously listened to the Mats' "Pleased to Meet Me," is my favorite subject in the movie. He talks about how nobody in his school ever heard of the band except for his teacher. Robert also discusses how the band is part of his DNA and is unsure if he really loves the band or not.

We also hear from New York Times' media columnist David Carr, actor George Wendt ("Cheers"), Tommy Ramone (who produced the 'Mats "Tim" album), and other bands such as Babes in Toyland, Gaslight Anthem, among others who have been deeply inspired by the 'Mats. Some may not realize that Chicago film critic Michael Philips is also a huge fan, a fact omitted from this film. We also get a list of grades that Village Voice pop critic Robert Christgau gave each Replacements album (he never graded their last album).

"Color Me Obsessed" is that unique rarity - a fan-based documentary without one stitch of music or photos of the band itself. At first, I was baffled by the purposeful choice of director Gorman Berchard to omit the music completely. I have heard some of the Replacements' music but the uninitiated may have no idea what the fans are talking about (not even a couple of lyrics are sung or uttered, hence we lose whatever poetry exists in Paul Westerberg's writing). I respect the sound and brave choice Berchard made and there are enough colorful interviews in here (including a brief bit by The Fleshtones' own singer, Peter Zaremba) to make up for it. Still, I would have been pleased to hear from the 'Mats themselves.