Westerberg Tapes The Craft

Billboard: Paul Westerberg Returns To Action In Minneapolis for a taping of "The Craft," a talk show for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

He played one new song,"Everyone's Stupid," and lots of oldies. He also dished some dirt:

• Producer Jim Dickinson added overdubs, including strings, on "Pleased To Meet Me" that Westerberg didn't discover until he heard the album.

• Each of the three Replacements was in separate rooms for the recording; Westerberg was in the studio hallway. "I had ZZ Top in the next room," he said. "It never leaked on to the tape but I could hear 'Sharp Dressed Man' in the next room."

• On those sessions, "They sampled Chris' [Mars] kick drum. That's why it rocks," he said. "Chris could play the hell out of snare and high hat.

Interviews in "The Craft" series can apparently be heard in their entirety at the Hall of Fame archives (whatever that means...) or in part online. The Westerberg interview is not up yet.