I hope this isn't too much of a weird ask but I've been getting way into the mats recently and have seen some of your posts about tommy and paul and I have to say i am SO curious about what they have going on what what you think about it too ... I finally gotten around to ordering trouble boys yesterday so right now all I can do is anxiously wait and think about them to myself in excitement!!!!sorry if im being a bother!!!
Hello anon! Omg you're not a bother at all, I am constantly CRAVING people to talk to about this 😍 It's my obsession. Let's be friends? 🥺👋
I try to hold myself back from making too many RPF-ish posts, because it's important to me to respect the privacy of everybody, even famous folks, but... nobody can stop me from having Theories and Ideas 👀
And honestly, looking at the lyrics of so many of Paul's songs (and some of Tommy's as well), plus all the real-life stories out there (from Trouble Boys and other sources), it seems that they (especially Paul) are not particularly shy about addressing - at least in song lyrics - the significance of their own relationship and the role it has played in both of their lives.
Fwiw I wouldn't be surprised if Paul is bi and Tommy is straight, but they clearly had the kind of bff connection that transcends categories - perhaps the same kind of thing that got called a "romantic friendship" a hundred or so years ago.
Paul obviously thought Tommy was the best thing since sliced bread right from the first moment he saw him as a punk lil kid rockin the bass, and I get the impression that Tommy really looked up to Paul and was in awe of his creativity and original mind - it's so cute how in interview footage he's often just watching Paul like TV and giggling at everything he says.
Probs you're already familiar with the widely known stuff, such as the fact that Paul wrote "Sixteen Blue" mostly for Tommy (I suspect that song is also partially addressed to his own younger self, though), the fact that they once made out with each other supposedly as an attempt to "switch girls" (suuuure, guys), the fact that Paul described their relationship by saying "Tommy and I were kinda... girlfriends", and of course the legendary "Fuck off, faggot, he's MY bitch" scene. (If you don't know any of these stories, you've got some fun times ahead of you :'D)
But beyond that, I strongly feel that their shared dynamic, whatever it might have looked like in private - their mutual admiration and category-defying love for each other - was truly the heart of the Replacements and created a lot of the inexplicable magic of this band. As I always say to people, when it comes to the Mats, either you get it or you don't. Nobody can explain it to you.
And you clearly get it, anon. So please feel free to DM me any time, if you want to! The Replacements, and specifically the Paul and Tommy relationship, is like my muse - I could talk about it forever and I LOVE meeting new people who feel the same way :') ❤️