This week on The Voices of a Generation X -- The Replacements. They weren't the first and certainly not the last, but more than any other group The Replacements embodied everything that was and is Generation X. A group of misfits from Minneapolis, MN, The Replacements banged out a series of classic records that, at the time, went completely under the radar yet they still managed to influence a slew of other artists and become legends without ever touching or even sniffing the pop charts. The angst and frustration of our generation was beautifully and perfectly captured in songs like "Bastards of Young," "Unsatisfied," and "Never Mind." We're a generation of broken families, missed opportunities, and untapped potential and no one ever knew or expressed that better than The Replacements. Their music (including Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson post-Mats projects) has become to be a huge part of my life and touched me deeply becoming an integral part of who I am. I am very much a person that has been defined by music. Outside of my family, I have three passions in my life and music is the one that is the highest on that list. The Replacements have become a core part of that passion, in no small part I'm sure due to their place in the history and culture of my generation...or at least my small corner of this generation. They were misfits and outcasts who wore their hearts on their sleeves and had a tendency to completely fuck things up and never reach their fullest potential. If that isn't a summation of my life, I don't know what is. They may never have been real, full-blown rock stars but they wrote music that spoke to a group of people that desperately needed it and needed to know that they were not alone. For that, I am eternally grateful.