Westerburned!

If only...

"80s indie rock icon Paul Westerberg has announced completion of an independent pilot for a new comedy game show, “Paul Westerberg Presents WESTERBURN!” inspired by insult-comedy competition shows such as MTV’s “Yo Momma,” which left the air in 2007. “I’ve always been a fan of the format,” the former Replacements singer commented, “and one Kickstarter campaign later, here I am.”

The pilot was shot entirely in a Minneapolis warehouse. Its set faithfully reproduces the house featured on The Replacements’ seminal Let It Be album, with one major difference: it’s covered in lewd graffiti. The show’s opening finds Westerberg seated on the roof. The house DJ, DJ Got His Tonsils Out, drops a funky remix of “We’re Comin’ Out,” and Westerberg appears to fly down to the studio floor, assisted by an apparatus like the one used in the Spider-Man Broadway musical, where he proceeds to do a breakdance routine this reporter found impressive given Westerberg’s age and lack of dance bonafides.

Westerberg proceeds to serve as master of ceremonies and occasional participant in several rounds of humorous ribbing featuring a cast made up of former Replacements bandmates, roadies, and young improv comedians from the Twin Cities area.The rounds include “Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash,” centered around excuses the other contestants’ mommas would be dumb and fat enough to believe, “Bastards of YOU,” in which participants question the legitimacy of each others’ parentage, and “Our Burn Could Be Your Life,” in which Westerberg squares off with other artists profiled in the Michael Azerrad book of a similar name in an all-out insult battle royale." Read More