Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reunite for Slim Dunlap benefit track

Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson reunite for Slim Dunlap benefit track
By Reed Fischer Tue., Jun. 26 2012 at 12:05 PM

Brief, but exciting news for fans of Replacements reunion conspiracies: Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson are working on a song together. Similar to the recent Chris Mars single, these two 'Mats members are reuniting to rally for their old bandmate Slim Dunlap for a reported tribute record that is coming together. Dunlap was hospitalized earlier this year following a stroke and a fall, and his recovery has been slow.

Tucked deep in the middle of a Stinson interview with the Jerusalem Post, the current Guns 'N Roses bassist discloses that tidbit, but there's an enormous catch.

Whereas contemporaries like The Pixies have cashed in on reunion tours, Stinson predicted that despite lucrative offers, the cockeyed integrity that summarized The Replacement years, along with too many X factors (brother Bob died in 1994, drummer Mars is a successful painter, guitarist Slim Dunlop [sic] suffered a stroke recently, and the reclusive Westerberg remains holed up in his Minneapolis home, sporadically releasing basement recordings) would prevent any regrouping of the band. He disclosed, though, that he and Westerberg were collaborating on a track for a compilation of Dunlop [sic] songs to raise funds for his rehab.

"Paul and I always end up doing things together, but I don't think there's any point to a reunion," said Stinson. "There's such baggage, more so for Paul. I still think he's a little bummed out his career didn't skyrocket after the Mats broke up. He's had to deal with competing with his past, and for him it was kind of tough."

Yeah, so maybe this reunion thing isn't going to happen after all. But you know what they say, these things usually are "never" until they're "definitely." Plus, a helping hand for Slim is a lot more important at the moment.