Hijinx and Hearsay: Scenester Stories from Minnesota's Pop Life

Was up late feverishly devouring my copy of "Hijinx and Hearsay: Scenester Stories From Minnesota's Pop Life" by writer Martin Keller and photographer Greg Helgeson.It's now common knowledge that my native Twin Cities was the center of the music world in the '80s and I was fortunate enough to have experienced it first-hand (before moving east in '85). While Prince, The Replacements and Husker Du won national renown, (and figure prominently in this addictive collection), the scene was incredibly varied. No one is more qualified to tell that whole story than Keller a critical, supportive scenester with broad taste, a grasp of local music history and an unerring eye for a scoop. He penned the famed insider column "Martian Chronicles" for alt weekly City Pages (an off shoot from the beloved local music rag Sweet Potato). Keller covered all the bases and was a respected scribe who won huge exclusives including rare access to Bob Dylan (he followed him for a week on the Never Ending Tour), Prince and Bob Marley and those sections are choice.The book is a 50/50 collaboration with Keller's editorial partner in crime photographer Helgeson who (along with Daniel Corrigan) was one of the two seminal shooters in those years. "Hijinx" would cut it as a coffee table must on the calibre of Helgeson's "decisive moment" work alone -- especially a furtive image of Dylan and fam on the Macalester college lawn and a series of giddy, unguarded glimpses of The Replacements (a Helgeson image graces the cover of Bob Mehr's epic Mats bio "Trouble Boys" and he penned the foreward).Given the breadth of Keller's expansive musical vision of those years, the book gives equal time to The Suburbs, The Wallets, Curtiss A, my pals from Tetes Noires and West Bank blues and folk legends like Willie Murphy and the Bees and Paul Metsa. He even shoehorns in the early stand up years of pioneering local comics like Joel Hodgson, Louie Anderson and Lizz Winstead. Keller and Helgeson tracked them all and the book is chock full of quality time, personal glimpses vs.sound bites on each. There's also vivid portraits of such "behind the curtain" movers and shakers as DEVO video director Chuck Statler, Lipps Inc. producer Steve Greenberg, and First Avenue booker Steve McClellan (the scene's passionate papa bear though Keller's Jack Nicholson analogy is more apt). Especially moving are his memories of David Carr who (before his Phoenix-like rise from crack addiction to NY TIMES media critic immortality) was as passionate a mentor as Keller to those of us lucky enough to score some bylines ping ponging from City Pages to The Twin Cities Reader and back. PIck this book up now!

This is part of my coming of age experience and it happened in Minneapolis. The concerts, bar and club scenes and wide range of entertainment selections, everyone was busy on a Saturday night (or any night truth be told). I’m glad Prince was not the main focus of this book as many contributed to the life and times of the cultural revolution happening in Minneapolis. He was a huge impact don’t get me wrong, he helped create the foundation for the Minneapolis Sound/experience. Without a solid foundation it’s hard to build something everlasting. Prince and others spread it over the globe. If it had been different the world would be different and that’s a fact.Loved the pics, sounds like in the transitions pics were discarded and lost, that’s too bad. I remember some great pics in the TC Reader, et al. Thank you!

Hijinx and Hearsay perfectly captures the cultural revolution that took place in Minneapolis during the 1970s-80s (and beyond) with sharply-written essays and beautifully-shot photographs. Fans of folk, blues, jazz, punk, rock n' roll as well as a cavalcade of comedians and a place called Lake Wobegon will be mesmerized with every turn of the page. This is a must-have for anyone who was young and alive during this exciting time period (or wish they'd been).

This is a terrific book. Marty’s stories are so in depth and engaging. Greg’s photos are unique and take you straight to the artist’s soul. The book is an amazing combination of pictures and prose!

I had no idea how muck musical history circulated through Minnesota!