On the inaugural episode of Past Prime, hosts Matty and Steve discuss Alex Chilton's 1995 solo album, "A Man Called Destruction." At the time of its release, it was hailed as a long-awaited great work by the beloved former Big Star front man and legendary sad sack. Since his "should have been" days as a Power Pop master in the 70s, Chilton only managed to eek out a handful of half-baked records. Over time, his reputation as an artist became more apocryphal than based on recent evidence. And, although The Replacements, REM and a generation of College Rock icons adored him, it was fair to wonder if Chilton had anything left in the tank. Further, it was reasonable to conclude that Chilton may not have been the defining force in Big Star and that his bandmate Chris Bell was. By 1995, his cult and a new generation of followers were starved for something new and something (finally) great. Graded on the Big Star curve, many critics suggested that "A Man Called Destruction" was just that -- a late career validation of Chilton's talent. Twenty five years later, Matty and Steve return to the scene of the crime to consider whether all of that good will and all those reviews from 1995 were generous but wrong. Maybe "A Man Called Destruction" wasn't great. Maybe it wasn't even good. Maybe Chilton hadn't lost it. Maybe he never had it. Join our middle-aged wistfulness as we make peace with this sad fart of a record.

Learn more and read the Alex Chilton essay at Past Prime.