Laurie Lindeen looks back on a rock and roll Cinderella story

St. Paul, Minn. — Laurie Lindeen knew she wanted to be in a band -- and particularly an all-girl band -- before she learned to play an instrument.

It was the late 1980s and she moved to Minneapolis from Madison to experience the music scene. She also came because she had just been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and decided that she needed to live life to the fullest.

Along the way she became friends with many members of Minneapolis bands who were on the cusp of hitting big: Soul Asylum, the Replacements, and the Jayhawks, among others. She eventually married the Replacements' Paul Westerberg.

Her own band, the all-female trio "Zuzu's Petals," wasn't huge at home, but it became a cult favorite in Europe.

Now Lindeen is retelling the whole story in her new memoir "Petal Pusher." Speaking with Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr, she recalled the time when she first started to practice with her friend Co Elwood. She says it went really badly.