Peter Jesperson has had an incredible career in music. Initially inspired by watching The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Peter took a job at legendary record store Oar Folkjokeopus in 1973 and became the primary DJ at Jay's Longhorn in 1977. He was a co-founder of Twin / Tone Records the following year. Along the way, Paul Westerberg dropped off the famous demo tape for The Replacements. Peter eventually became the manager for the 'Mats and spent time of the road with R.E.M. After overcoming some personal issues (he's now been 33 years sober!), Peter moved to LA and worked with New West Records and with artists like Vic Chesnutt, Jack Logan, The Flatlanders and many more. Most recently, he has written a fabulous new book, Euphoric Recall. We talked about his life and threw in some Chicago stories. Thanks for listening!

Time Stamps:

2:45: What was the impetus to write your book/how do you even start?

4: What is the arc of putting your life's work to paper?

9:15: When did you decide you wanted to make music your life?

12: You got your start at Oar Folkjokeopus, that had to have helped, right?

19:44: How did the founding on Twin/Tone Records come about?

26: Are streaming services a good thing? Is the lower barrier of entry a good thing?

31: Tell us about meeting Paul Westerberg

41:45: When did you know The Replacements were going places?

50: What is it like trying to manage The Replacements?

53: What do you think separates Midwestern scenes versus more coastal cities?

60: How did The Replacements find out about The Vertebrats?

64: You've worked with some pretty successful bands, as they are on the way up, what is that ride like?

70:45: Did the success of R.E.M. bother/impact Paul and The Replacements?

82:45: Any thoughts on why Paul Westerberg wasn't more successful as a solo artist?

87:30: Has anything surprised you about the reception to Euphoric Recall?

95:40: Thick or thin crust pizza?

96: Do you have a favorite venue in Chicago?

96:20: What do you think makes Chicago a unique music scene/city?

98: Any music that will make your end of the year best of list?

101:38: What is your go to cheap drink?

102:20: Anything you'd like to plug on the way on out of here?