Trouble Boys

Praise for Trouble Boys New York Times, April 2016 A "Celebrities" Best Seller "Bob Mehr's raucous, ribald, and oft-times harrowing book takes us behind the scenes, to the bottom of the bottle, all the way to the end of the road, and then further still--revealing the story of the Replacements, a band that gave away its soul on every record and refused to sell its soul to a corporate world."--Robert Gordon, author of Respect Yourself: Stax Records and the Soul Explosion and Can't Be Satisfied: The Life and Times of Muddy Waters Vanity Fair, March 2016 "Trouble Boys dares to tell the true story of the Replacements." Library Journal (starred review), 2/15/16 "This fantastic biography...of the self-destructive 1980s alternative rock band The Replacements provides sensitive, detailed, and critical depictions of the band's members...A page-turner from beginning to end and should find its way onto every music fan's bookshelf. It offers a master class on how to pen a rock biography." Washington Post, 2/11/16 "The definitive bio of the Replacements...Trouble Boys brings the band back to life. Over six years, Mehr interviewed more than 200 people, creating a narrative thick with detail, revelations and emotion." Rolling Stone, 3/10/16 "[Trouble Boys] dives deep...Mehr vividly charts [the band's] bumpy arc...The 'Mats story has been told many times, but Mehr got unprecedented access and his reporting gives their hard-luck tales chilling depth...This detailed backstory makes [the songs] burn anew." Mojo, March 2016 "Mehr reveals the very human tragedy behind one of the great American rock 'n' roll bands, as well as the foibles that made The Replacements so beloved by their true believers. This book is for every one of them." USA Today, 3/25/16 "Mehr has compiled a compelling tale full of some of the most colorful characters you'll ever encounter on page." MTV.com, 4/7/16 "Mehr reveals the untold and often unflattering story of the band, unearthing the trauma that fueled their artistry and their addictions...An essential tome for anyone who ever loved the band." The A.V. Club, 4/18/16 "An exhaustive, unflinching biography...A guts-wide-open look at the band...With Trouble Boys, Bob Mehr has forever changed my perception of my favorite band: I may never forgive him, but I sure won't forget this book." PopMatters, 4/21/16 "Mehr's ability to show the less glamorous side of the band is what makes the book such a heartbreaking narrative...A compelling read...Mehr does a masterful job of showing the petulance and childishness that helped make the band so great and yet also so exasperating for their fans and supporters." Uncut, April 2016 "Tremendous...[A] brilliant biography." Huffington Post, 2/25/16 "Mehr's exhaustive biography raises the squeaking garage door on the legend of The Replacements to shed some light and capture in vivid detail the pain, disappointment and heartache of a group of four disparate, self-loathing suburban misfits." Pitchfork, 3/3/16 "The most comprehensive book about the band to date...Mehr brings the band's members to life." Yahoo! Music, 2/25/16 "There have been other books and countless newspaper and magazine features written about the Replacements over the years, but none tell the story of the legendary Minneapolis rock band with as much depth, care and clarity as Trouble Boys." St. Paul Pioneer Press, 3/2/16 "Separate[s] fact and fiction about a group that never had a hit record but claims some of the most faithful fans in music." Vice.com, 3/4/16 "Trouble Boys finally tells the whole fascinating tale of the Replacements in all its ragged glory. Mehr...brings out the human element in the band's story." Houston Press, 3/2/16 "[A] masterful, comprehensive and engrossing bio...An incredibly insightful and complete piece of

Bob Mehr is an award-winning music critic for the Gannett-owned newspaper The Commercial Appeal and a longtime contributor to MOJO magazine. He's also served as an editor, writer, and columnist for Village Voice Media, New Times Inc., and Chicago Reader. He contributed liner notes to the Grammy-winning Big Star box set Keep an Eye on the Sky and has written essays for reissues of the Replacements, Kinks, Warren Zevon, Dixie Chicks, Al Green, and many others. A native of Los Angeles, he lives in Memphis, Tennessee.