Slim Dunlap 1951-2024
Slim was the kind of guy you can’t imagine anyone having a problem with. Kind of a magical trick to pull off. I think Slim gave his whole kindhearted self to everyone equally.
We all knew the same Slim—the real Slim Dunlop. Not because he was all surface, but because he never bothered to conceal any of the really good stuff most people hide and protect inside.
Effortless goodness. A sweetheart born to play rock and roll. Been missing him for a while but when someone as pure as Slim enters your life I’m pretty sure you’re changed in a way that means they can never truly be “gone” gone until you’re gone. OxO
Ballad of the Opening Band (Slim Dunlap cover)
P.S. In the photo above, Slim is wearing a Toad’s Place tee under his other shirt. Toad’s Place is where I met him when Uncle Tupelo opened for the Replacements. Likely got that shirt the night I met him.
This Week in Wilco, Etc.
2021 / December 16: On The Tweedy Show #206, Jeff debuts a new song, “I Am My Mother,” which will later find its way onto Wilco’s Cruel Country album. This same day on Starship Casual, Jeff shares an acoustic version of “Ultra-Orange Room.”
2011 / December 21: Jeff gives the on-air weather forecast on WGN-TV in Chicago.
2022 / December 22: Jeff appears on The New York Times First Person podcast where he is interviewed by Lulu Garcia-Navarro in a piece titled Wilco’s Jeff Tweedy on Haters, List Makers, and Sharing Art You Love.
I was part of the Songs For Slim team, a charitable effort led by Peter Jesperson with invaluable assistance from Benny Perlstein, Chris Trovero and others. SFS was designed to direct not only some aid to Slimbob (those of us who knew Slim pre-1987 knew him as Bob) after his catastrophic stroke in 2012 but we also shared a strong desire to raise Slim's musical profile, too. The original plan was to release a series of monthly limited edition, autographed singles that would be auctioned off on eBay with all of the profit going to the Dunlap family.
The series kicked off with The Replacements first new recordings in over two decades, a session at the late Ed Ackerson's Flowers Studio in Minneapolis that was slated for just one song. Atypically for the Mats - a band that hadn't existed in any meaningful form since 1991 -the vibe was good and they boys ended up recording 4 songs. Ed later told me, "I just hit record and let 'em go." Combined with a song from Chris Mars that he produced himself, those 5 songs became the first Songs For Slim release, a beautiful 10" slab o' vinyl with Chris Mars artwork (who did all of the SFS covers) limited to 250 copies. The eBay auction exceeded everyone's wildest dreams, generating a high 5 figure amount right out of the gate. Every single copy sold for over $300.
8 more 7 inch singles followed featuring a cavalcade of incredible artists like Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams, various Scott McCaughey bands, Jakob Dylan, Craig Finn, Joe Henry, Patterson Hood, Jeff Tweedy and many others. Full list here: https://www.discogs.com/label/534966-Songs-For-Slim All the releases were auctioned off on eBay and limited to 100 copies except for the final Jeff Tweedy / Lucero pairing that we bumped up to 250 copies. It can't be overstated how generous all of the participating artists were. Everyone lined up to help Slim, a testament to his standing amongst his peers, especially those who had crossed his path at one point or another over the years.
The SFS series was capped off with a 2 CD compilation of the tracks from the 9 singles (minus the 3 Replacements "b sides" that were eventually included on a 12" commercial version of the Mats EP) + 10 additional bonus tracks, including a couple of Slim's kids covering their dad, Soul Asylum, MVP Scott McGaughey's third contribution to the project and The Jayhawks using a nom de plume of LP.ORG (long story).
I want to personally go on record to thank Jeff, Spencer, all star Mark Greenberg and Tony Lopez for knocking off a lovely version of Ballad of the Opening Band - one of Slim's finest creations - under what I understand was extremely tight deadline pressure. What a perfect way to end the series and one of the most rewarding projects I've ever been involved with. I've been relistening to the SFS material today in an attempt to kill the pain and I couldn't be more proud.
When Uncle Tupelo played the long gone Uptown Bar in Minneapolis in 1990 (opening for The Jayhawks) I was at the show with Slim and he was suitably impressed, especially because of their obvious love of old country music, one of Slim's greatest loves. And he wasn't somebody who was easily impressed (check out "Ain't Exactly Good" from his first solo album). As recounted above, Uncle Tupelo opened for the Mats on the east coast a few months later and not long before the Mats called it a day. Slim had a story or two about those shows and I'm sure Jeff does too. Greatly looking forward to hearing those someday.
Safe travels Bob.
I was at that concert at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT in February 1991! I got there early to stake out a good spot near the beer soaked stage for the Replacements, and I ended up being completely floored by an opening band I’d never heard of from my home state of Illinois. My sister had told me she thought Uncle Tupelo was a Van Morrison cover band, but her intel on this wasn’t 100%. And here I am 33 years later still listening to the songs that were played that night! Rest in peace, Slim, and please give our best to Bob.