ALEX CHILTON R.I.P.

Like all other music fans, I'm sorry to hear about the passing of Alex Chilton, formerly of The Box Tops and Big Star. I can't act like I'm a big fan or expert: I first heard about him via The Bangles, who covered "September Gurls" on thier 1986 album Different Light. Also, of course, The Replacements' song "Alex Chilton" helped. Chilton was a big influence on a lot of my favorite artists, including R.E.M. and Matthew Sweet. Music critic Jim DeRogatis wrote a tribute to the man for The Chicago Sun-Times.