"The 25 year old guitarist first played with Elaine Harris while both were studying at Harvard. Wilson dropped out of his English studies three years into a bachelor of arts program, simply because he was enjoying his rock work more than his homework. Harris completed her major, obtaining a degree in biological anthropology. Listening to her discuss animal management philosophy is as fascinating as watching her effortlessly manage the rhythmic changes on drums"

"The other Wilson brother, Dan, graduated from Harvard with an art degree, which he has applied in San Francisco, where he did graphics work and his own oil paintings.  Last summer, Trip Shakespeare took a seasonal hiatus while Munson made a trip to the city of Tianjin, China, where he studied Chinese and the classical two-string violin, the erbu. This fall, he'll pursue his degree in Chinese at the University of Minnesota, while the band chases a major label record contract. The band has been recently joined by Matt's older brother Dan, guitarist, painter, cartoonist, and a Phi Betta Kappa graduate of Harvard in environmental design."
 
 

John: "Dan and I are playing some music in a combo called Pleasure, and we're gonna be doing that for the next several months, maybe make a record...(Dan chimes in "or two or three"), with our friend Jake Slichter."

Matt: "I think I'm going to make a megolomaniac solo record, finish it up by the end of the year sometime."

Elaine: "I wanna tour as well, playing and touring and recording with a wide variety of fellow musicians."

"In the big picture, I wanted to get rid of a lot of the old habits. One obvious one was the boy-girl romance stuff. I would do a lot of I'm a bad guy songs, I'm gonna ramble on you and I'm gonna gamble on you. These were habits I picked up as a mode of being a songwriter without being vulnerable. It was a way to be rockin and kick ass. And I had to let that go because it was dishonest. This sounds overly 90's sensitive, but I started to feel very guilty about the positions I was putting the female characters in my songs in. Almost always they would stand for the weak, despicable aspect of myself. I'd sit there and I'd put up this fake female person and then I'd just put 'em down. And what I was actually doing was saying that I hate this part of Matt and that way I could still be the tough guy. The hard-rocking guy."

"And simultaneous to that, but not in response to that, Dan, who has always been very verbal and always kept a journal. He was starting to emerge from the rule that I wrote the words. He was starting to write songs. And then Dan became very prolific. Like out of nowhere, all of a sudden. And he was putting some songs into Trip Shakespeare that we were playing. And they were good. They had his usual musical flair. And they didn't fit where I wanted to go. They weren't... I didn't write them and it was a big problem."

Matt Wilson : After hibernating in Minneapolis for many years working with such bands as Polara, the Wonsers and Steel Shank, Matt emerged with his self-released CD Burnt, White, & Blue,  awarded best Self Released/Indie album at the 1999 Minnesota Music Awards. Matt has most-recently branched out into the leading edge of internet media with his new on-line publication titled Main Output.
Matt's wonderful sense of wit, intelligence, and affection for the odd, combined with an air of vulnerability, demand applause and your patronage!

On Friday Night, February 4th, 2000, Matt Wilson, accompanied by Steve Roehm on vibraphone, played an acoustic show at the Cedar Cultural Centre in downtown Minneapolis.  As a suprise to everyone, John Munson joined Matt for an emotional rendition of Snow Days.

.......as of July 8, 2001...Matt Wilsonhas returned to hibernation mode....I hope he wakens soon from his snuggly nest....

John Munson and Dan Wilson joined hands with Jacob Slichter and formed Pleasure/Semisonic shortly before, during and after the break-up of Trip Shakespeare. The success of Closing Time catapulted this trio into the realm of Pop Radio in the summer of '98!

Dan has recently written a song with New Zealander Bic Runga for the American Pie Soundtrack titled "Good Morning Baby".

Check out Kristin Mooney's cd Living Alone! This cd was produced by John Munson and Jake Slichter. You'll find songs written by Dan Wilson and John Munson and musical credits to John Munson, Dan Wilson, and Matt Wilson.

John Munson and Matt Wilson have teamed-up with Minneapolis author and friend, Sam Magavern, on a book/cd project titled Ooh-La-La. There's some classic Trip Shakespeare included in this project, so go check it out!

Matt plays a wicked guitar on Semisonic's Never You Mind, and he has joined them on-stage to perform.

Dan and John play a multitude of instruments and background vocals on Matt's Burnt, White & Blue.

Don't miss out on Semisonic's newest record All About Chemistry , released worldwide early 2001! Go to Semisonic's website for the latest news and happenings with the band.
 

Elaine Harris: After playing with some local musicians in the Minneapolis area, she eventually moved back to the Boston area....
 

Semisonic with Matt Wilson performed a mini-tour at the South Dakota State Fair, Nebraska State Fair, and the Mill City Music Festival from September 9th- September 11th, 1999. The most exciting part of this for all of you Trip Shakespeare fans is this, and I quote: "The guys rewarded me by keeping me on stage for a few extra songs during the encore, including an old Trip Shakespeare gem, "Lulu". I was ecstatic."*

*Taken from "How I Saved An American Band" My Brief Tour with Semisonic by Matt Wilson from Main Output dated September 23, 1999.
 
 

Dan Wilson is hoping to release a solo album in the year 2002.......John Munson and Matt Wilson are The Flops!

Semisonic w/ Matt Wilson will be playing at a musical benefit on January 30, 2002......

Vinylvendors has recently had a variable collection of Trip Shakespeare albums and cd's. Their merchandise is ever-changing, so keep checking!

You can listen to RadioK over the web, and if you request a Trip Shakespeare song, they will play it!

All kinds of interesting merchandise emerges out of the wooodwork at ebay.com.    T-Shirts, cd's, mobiles, albums, and other goodies!

Who Are The Flops?

Apparently there is a movie being made featuring this dynamic duo...so keep your eyes peeled for upcoming information!
 

The Flops have hit the on-line scene!