2011.08.30 - Soundspike - Tommy Stinson Talks Up Solo Album Ahead Of Guns N' Roses Dates

Ex-Replacement Tommy Stinson talks up solo album ahead of Guns N' Roses dates

Story by Craig Rosen
SoundSpike Contributor

Tommy Stinson is a true rock 'n' roll survivor. At the age of 13, he joined the Replacements, growing up and throwing up on the road in vans and nightclubs and theaters across America until their split in 1991. Since 1998, he's been one of the few consistent presences in the reconstituted Guns N' Roses, having survived the tortuous experience known as "Chinese Democracy." In 2005, he joined Soul Asylum, replacing the late Karl Mueller.

Aside from playing bass alongside Paul Westerberg, Axl Rose and Dave Pirner, Stinson has also made his own music, first in the unsung combos Bash & Pop and Perfect, and now as a solo artist. He recently released his second solo album, "One Man Mutiny," on his own Done To Death Music label, distributed by Redeye Distribution.

"I figured the time was right," Stinson says of his label. "The record industry is falling apart, so I thought I'd figure it out on my own and make a permanent place for my music."

He's also setting aside a portion of the proceeds from the album for the Timkatec Schools in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. He previously raised more than $40,000 for the school through an online auction.

"One Man Mutiny" began to take shape out of the leftovers of "Village Gorilla Head," Stinson's 2004 solo debut. The song "Come to Hide," helped land Stinson a scoring gig with BT on the 2007 film "Catch and Release." Stinson stumbled into that business by reuniting with Westerberg for the soundtrack of the 2006 animated film "Open Season."

On "One Man Mutiny," "Come to Hide" is revived as a tasteful introspective ballad, accented by Stinson's pal Joan Jones on pocket trumpet. "It's a real sad sounding fucking instrument," Stinson says. That track is a highlight on an album that runs the gamut from rollicking Stones-like rockers such as "It's a Drag" to the countrified slide-guitar-drenched "Zero to Stupid." In a sense, the album is a future family affair with Stinson's fiancee Emily Roberts singing backing vocals on much of the album and singing a duet with him on "Destroy Me." Emily's uncle Chip Roberts' slide guitar is heard on much of the album, while "Match Made in Hell" was co-written by one Paul Westerberg. "I sent it to him and he came up the counter melody and the vocal hook," Stinson says. "It's a little thing that did a lot, so that's why I credited the old fucker."

Although Stinson played on Westerberg's "Open Season" and performed with him at the film's premiere, the two ex-Mats usually don't share or talk music. In fact, Stinson doubts Westerberg has heard "One Man Mutiny." Says Stinson, "We don't really do that. He doesn't send me his music and I don't send him mine." Still, he doesn't rule out joining forces with Westerberg at some time in the future. "I can see us playing together some day," he says. "We'll always have that connection and it's easy to spark up -- just add water."

For now, Stinson is focusing on "One Man Mutiny," which he supported with a series of pre-release gigs on the East Coast. But he'll break from his solo work to rejoin GN'R for rehearsals as the band prepares to bring "Chinese Democracy" to South America, beginning with an appearance at Rock in Rio on October 2.

The title track from "One Man Mutiny" was born while Stinson was on the road with G N' R. "We had a little inner-bus dispute going," Stinson says. "I started writing it on the bus in Ireland and by the time we got to Brussels, I had it written."

Since the band had some time off, Stinson hired Guns mates guitarist Richard Fortus and keyboardist Dizzy Reed to play on it, and then ended up recording the track right then and there. "It was the right spot to do it and it turned out real good. There was even a piano in the hotel restaurant that we used."

While Reed's tenure with Rose goes back to the original line-up of GN'R, it was Stinson who brought Fortus -- who played with Richard Butler in Love Spit Love and a touring version of the Psychedelic Furs -- to the fold. "I don't know if he'll ever forgive me," Stinson jokes. "Hopefully, he'll live through it. We met at a session and became fast friends. We have a lot of things in common and we've been good friends since."

Stinson himself was tipped to the Guns' gig by drummer extraordinaire Josh Freese. "We were chatting and he said they needed a bass player. I kinda thought he was joking, but then I checked it out and they wanted me to do it. I thought maybe it would be a good idea because it came right on the coattails of my band Perfect getting tossed under a bus. We finished our album and then the label didn't want to put it out, so I was about to pull my eyes out. I thought it would be a good opportunity to recover."

The against-all-odds prospect of Axl Rose reviving the Guns name with a whole new cast of characters also appealed to Stinson, because few acts have been able to pull off such a reinvention in the annals of rock history. Stinson's role in Guns stretches beyond merely playing bass, but he balks at the title of musical director. "I do a little corralling of people," he says, "but I wouldn't call me the MD. Don't want that gig, not for me."

While Stinson says the mega-stadium shows with Guns "are a lot of fucking work," he feels no pressure of living up to the band's storied reputation. "I'm the last guy in the world who would ever feel pressure," he says. "I honestly don't care what anyone thinks. I'm just too busy to get bogged down with such thoughts."

And, somehow he's managed to survive the treacherous rock 'n' roll lifestyle that claimed the life of his older brother, original 'Mats guitarist Bob Stinson in 1995 and dogged several former Guns' members. Stinson's never gone to rehab. "Somehow I work my shit out," he says. "I've got my own little program."

As for dealing with the notorious hard to deal with personalities like Westerberg and Axl Rose, Stinson says it's not all that difficult for him. "You just kind of deal with it," he says. "It's not that hard for me to deal with Axl. It's a little harder because I don't see him that often, but we're respectful enough to each other, so it ain't that hard. That's not to say we don't have disagreements. Everyone has those."

Stinson says Guns haven't begun working on a follow-up to "Chinese Democracy," but still have material left over from the last sessions. "We haven't recorded in a while and I don't see us doing so in the near future; we have those upcoming dates."

However, Stinson will be featured on an upcoming release by another band, Soul Asylum. He started playing with his old high school pal Dave Pirner after Karl Mueller's widow asked him to fill in for her late husband on some dates that band had booked prior to his death from throat cancer in 2005, played on their 2006 album "The Silver Lining," and the follow-up that's nearing completion. "Compared to 'The Silver Lining,' it's a little more rock and a little more upbeat," Stinson says. "Dave has really outdone himself on it, lyrically and all that."

In an odd twist of fate, Stinson recently played the Taste of Chicago Festival with Soul Asylum, the same festival where the Replacements played their final gig the Fourth of July in 1991. "That was kinda kooky. I didn't realize it until that day, but it turned out to be a good gig." As for the Replacements' end, Stinson says it wasn't a bitter breakup. "It was like, 'OK, we've taken this as far is it can go. It wasn't a bad relationship, it was just time to move on."

After the GN'R tour, Stinson plans to do some more solo shows, with hopes of hitting the Midwest and possibly the West Coast. For now, Stinson says he's content juggling his solo work with his time with Guns and Soul Asylum. "As long as I can have fun doing them," he says. "If it becomes too much, I can see that coming to an end, but for now, as far as I'm concerned, it's all still workable."

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