Local News

Becoming A Rock Star: 80's Music Scene In Mpls.

(WCCO) The Minneapolis music scene of the 1980s was so influential that it helped shape American pop culture. It also changed lives when people flocked here to be a part of it.

Now Laurie Lindeen calls herself a "Lunch Lady,"often volunteering to dish out food at her son's school. They may not know it, but she is the coolest lunch lady around.

Lindeen was the lead singer in the 80's indie rock band "Zu-Zu's Petals."

"I was very restless, risk-taking young woman and really starving for action," said Lindeen.

At that time, the Twin Cities was the place to start a band.

"This was where it was all happening at the time, Soul Asylum, The Replacements, Husker Du, Prince, you know, everything, all eyes were on Minneapolis," she said.

Lindeen left Madison to live her dream of being a rock star. She was enthusiastic, excited and naive.

"It's really hard, it's very blue collar. It's a lot of compromise, it is a lot of filth. Spending every penny you have working a crummy job that gives you the flexibility to go on tour. It's very, very hard, but rewarding if your heart is into it," she said.

It was in her heart, and her genes because her family grew up with music.

"My dad was into rock-n-roll ... It began when I was little with the Mama's and Papa's, all the Beatles records, he went through a very disturbing Jerry Jeff Walker phase," she recalled.

Lindeen sang in the high school choir for years, but taught herself how to play guitar in college.

"See you only need an 'E,' an 'A' and a 'D' and I think I wrote about 70 songs on these three cords," she said.

Now, she needed some companions. Lindeen recruited drummer Linda Pitmon and friend Coleen Elwood.

"I said, 'Come up and join my band and everything will be great.' We were 22 or something and she said 'OK,'" said Lindeen.

Zu-Zu's Petals was born, but then came the hard work. There was no glamour, no roadies to haul gear and no agent.

"The day I graduated, I used my last student loan and bought a van at Peterson Pontiac, and 'good bye!' There was no looking back," said Lindeen.

When she was 24, Lindeen received the horrible news that she had multiple sclerosis. She took her diagnosis as a sign she had nothing to lose. MS was her "permission slip" to really live life and work hard to make the band a success.

Life back then meant sex, drugs and rock-n-roll. The girls credit their solid Midwestern backgrounds for keeping them safe.

"I think it saved us from harming ourselves or going to far. I think there is a certain level headedness that was in the background to let us know, this is probably not right any more," she said about growing up as a cheerleader in Wisconsin.

Part of settling down meant meeting the right guy. The Replacements' lead singer Paul Westerberg may not have appeared like the most stable force back then, but he was.

Their common ground was the creative process and an understanding of the music industry. In fact, they understood each other so well, they married and had a son.

"I just threw caution to the wind, just like I did with the band, and then it was like 'Wow this is great, I'm having a blast,'" said Lindeen.

Husband and wife shared the stage when the original members of the band reunited in St. Paul to celebrate the release of her new memoir, "Petal Pusher".

Lindeen is a great reminder that everyone was someone else before they settled down. That living life to the fullest is about chasing dreams, working hard, and not being afraid to take a chance.

"I think people need to unpack that stuff, that life they had before parenthood and responsibility and celebrate it. So it's been really fun," she said.

 

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)