If you don’t know, Oppositional Defiant Disorder is a type of pediatric behavior disorder. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, “children with ODD are uncooperative, defiant, and hostile toward peers, parents, teachers, and other authority figures.” But…what happens when adults have it?

Welcome to The Replacements!

The band formed in Minneapolis in the late 70’s when janitor Paul Westerberg heard interesting musical goings on coming from a garage on his walk home from work. He stopped in one evening, kept stopping in, and soon staged a stealthy coup to take over lead singing and songwriting for the very ragged group comprised of drummer Chris Mars, and brothers Bob and Tommy Stinson. The band’s first recognition around town came from Tommy’s age: even though all the rest were in their late teens, he was about 12.

Westerberg brought along real songs for the band to play alongside their covers of 70’s hard rock and Top 40 pop. He also brought (much-needed) drive and a love of punk, both of which he instilled into the new quartet. They weren’t called The Replacements yet — that would happen after a venue banned the group and they needed a new name. Not much later, another venue booted them for drinking backstage at a “sober teen” concert. Their bad boy reputation took center stage from the very beginning.

The ‘Mats eventually signed with local indie label Twin/Tone and over the next few years moved from barely controlled chaos to tightly coiled rock & roll. Their live performances became legendary for either devolving into a drunken, ramshackle debacle, or transforming the foursome into the most electric, rockin’ band on the planet. The latter was, by all accounts, transcendent, and, by the same accounts, rare.

Unfortunately, they also simply couldn’t (or wouldn’t) do what was asked of them. They couldn’t play the game. Not even the bare minimum, for their own best interests. At a showcase gig for a major label, they refused to play any of their own songs — the label executives walked out. A tour bus driver once begged them not to trash the bus — the band ripped it apart. Saturday Night Live blacklisted them after a drunken debut performance. Handed a gun, they couldn’t hit anything but their foot.

Unsurprisingly, The Replacements didn’t last. One by one, members were kicked out or quit until it was only Westerberg by the end, with the others as occasional guests. In a just world, they should have been huge, but the band wouldn’t give the world a chance. And maybe that’s what makes them special. Play the game? Snotty teen punks will never believe they can win, never believe the world could be theirs — so they’d rather burn it all down.

God, what a mess, on the ladder of success…..but if you will dare, they will dare. Here’s the least you need to know:

Let It Be (1984) Album #4: the dichotomy. A perfect encapsulation of teenage angst, walking the line between silly immaturity and the excitement and frustration of growing up. Blistering rock rubs up against fragile ballads as Westerberg reveals depths previously unknown — tough and tender. And what’s more punk than naming your album after an untouchable classic by The Beatles?

Tim (1985) Leaving adolescence behind. Learning how to adult. Learning who they are, what they are, what they can do. Putting muscle on the bones…and flexing.

Pleased To Meet Me (1987) Razor sharp rock and power pop that punches you in the face with hooks. Recorded in Memphis with a little bit of soul. And horns! And strings! If “Alex Chilton” — their tribute to the iconoclastic Big Star singer/songwriter — was the only song The Replacements ever recorded, their immortality would still be assured.

The height of the video age and The Replacements submit a video featuring no band members, only a static shot of a pumping speaker. In black & white.