|
redshirt posted:So cool. What a wonderful place to be young. Really enjoying your tales. Are you still in touch with any of the folks from those long ago days? Yeah, we have a house in Athens but spend a lot of our time on our family farm a few hours away. I grew up on the farm and in the school system around there, but my parents knew the conservative people in that area weren't a good influence for me. So, I spent a lot of time in Athens with friends and other family. And yea, it was a wonderful place to spend my youth. Likewise, I didn't want my 5 kids to grow up around the rednecks, so they go or went to school in Athens. As far as the old crew, I know my buddy Liam is still in touch with Stipe so I hear things about him, but nothing juicy or really interesting. I was friends with Todd Nance of Widespread Panic, too. Cool guy. He died in Athens about 3 or 4 years ago but the last time I saw him was probably 2015ish. Now Widespread Panic, lol, those guys were cool as hell. They are almost 10 years older than me, but didn't mind having me around because I was friends with some of the girls they hung with. I remember going to a nearby rock quarry with Todd and John Bell (the singer), and jumping off of what was said to be a 90ft ledge into the nasty water below. I absolutely got a concussion from that and on the way home to Athens, John stopped and bought us all gas station hot dogs. I puked mine up almost immediately. Good times. Oh, and the Butthole Surfers. Gibby Haynes mowed my uncle's lawn for extra cash while they were recording Locust Abortion Technician and living in a little town near Athens. Gibby was, as you might expect, loving hilarious. I'm sure some of his stranger personality traits had to do with all the acid he did with Timothy Leary. I was out of the area by the time the Drive-By Truckers started taking off so I didn't know them well, but they were cool too. I traveled a lot and lived in various cities in the mid 90s, but whenever I was back in Athens, I hung out with some of the people that were associated with The Elephant 6 Collective, notably people who worked with Of Montreal. It's funny to me that I've hung out with all sorts of famous musicians, but I've never been able to play any instrument myself. I sure as poo poo love music, though. isaboo fucked around with this message at 23:43 on Dec 27, 2023 |
#
?
Dec 27, 2023 23:39
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 22:13 |
|
|
I had a cassette of the green album as a kid in 5th grade and listened to it on my walkman all the time, I also had sir mix alot and dozens of radio derived mix tapes but that rem tape was favorite
|
|
#
?
Dec 27, 2023 23:56
|
|
|
isaboo posted:Yeah, we have a house in Athens but spend a lot of our time on our family farm a few hours away. I grew up on the farm and in the school system around there, but my parents knew the conservative people in that area weren't a good influence for me. So, I spent a lot of time in Athens with friends and other family. And yea, it was a wonderful place to spend my youth. Likewise, I didn't want my 5 kids to grow up around the rednecks, so they go or went to school in Athens. Amazing. You should write a book, either non-fiction, or change all the names and make it fiction.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 00:00
|
|
|
isaboo posted:Yeah, we have a house in Athens but spend a lot of our time on our family farm a few hours away. I grew up on the farm and in the school system around there, but my parents knew the conservative people in that area weren't a good influence for me. So, I spent a lot of time in Athens with friends and other family. And yea, it was a wonderful place to spend my youth. Likewise, I didn't want my 5 kids to grow up around the rednecks, so they go or went to school in Athens. Can you tell an Of Montreal story? Ever meet Jeff Mangum?
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 01:25
|
|
|
I was never a big REM fan, but I liked Fables of the Reconstruction/vice-versa. Monster had some good songs on it too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 03:11
|
|
|
REM was a band I got into when I was super heavy into punk rock/metal/etc., back in the early 1990s. I had read an interview with Jerry A. of Poison Idea, and they asked him what he was listening to on tour, and he talked about some of the "lighter" bands he was into, because as he put it you can't be raging 24/7; some days you just need something fairly chill that you can put on in the morning as you're making your coffee or whatever, and recovering from a gig or a party the night before. I thought that made perfect sense, and so REM became that kind of band for me: something that's fairly chill, not always super upbeat or poppy (but not bland or inoffensive, either), and with a bit of a morose quality to it at times. This is not to say that REM doesn't have some songs that rock, but they're not like hardcore punk or whatever. I wouldn't say I have favorite REM albums, but if pressed I'd definitely name Automatic For the People. For some reason that whole album really resonated with me back in the day. Songwise I'd definitely go with Radio Free Europe, Low, and Drive.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 03:35
|
|
|
Monster and Eponymous. The IRS years jangle rock is good, but a lot of it blends together. Eponymous really highlights the best, imo. Monster shreds.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 03:35
|
|
|
500excf type r posted:I had a cassette of the green album as a kid in 5th grade and listened to it on my walkman all the time, I also had sir mix alot and dozens of radio derived mix tapes but that rem tape was favorite Just wanted to say, hell yeah brother.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 03:37
|
|
|
Brrrmph posted:Monster and Eponymous.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:33
|
|
|
They were big time with Green, right? Well before Monster.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:34
|
|
|
Michael Stripe is a bad singer!!!
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:35
|
|
|
Also I should add that Mike Mills is one of my favorite bassists. He always seemed like he was REM's anchor in a lot of ways.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:37
|
|
|
redshirt posted:They were big time with Green, right? Well before Monster. Eponymous pretty much encapsulates my REM days. If I had to pick one song that “is” REM in my mind it would be Driver 8 . Radio Free Europe a close second.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:40
|
|
|
WithoutTheFezOn posted:My bad, I glazed over the Monster part. Let me try again. Stone by stone....
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:51
|
|
|
I have more REM songs that I can hear the music in my head just by thinking about it than any other band. I started listening to them with Automatic and Monster; I was a kid in the 80s so wasn't there for the classics. Then as a teen in the early 90s I didn't have enough angst for the grunge rock everyone else was listening to. I didn't even understand that half of Monster was about Cobain because I lived under a rock, musically. But I loved REM because they were both accessible and weird. I can't really name my top 2 albums. It's like being asked my top two meals -- depends on my mood and what I've been doing at the time. But I'm gonna be That Guy and stan for Up, which is consistently my #3. I'd have a hard time saying why. I love the regret and acidic self-reflection that are even in the upbeat songs, let alone something like Sad Professor. I think I skipped teen angst and went straight to middle-aged angst at age 19.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 04:52
|
|
|
Stand was used for the opening credits of the smash hit show Get A Life starring the hollywood hunk Chris Elliot.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 05:18
|
|
|
covidstomper58 posted:Stand was used for the opening credits of the smash hit show Get A Life starring the hollywood hunk Chris Elliot. lol oh you just didn't name my favorite show ever!!
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 05:19
|
|
|
I've been waiting for someone to buy me the vinyl of Automatic for the People but it's an AR-15 on the cover, for a long time now.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 05:28
|
|
|
Automatic For The People Monster The Bends
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 06:19
|
|
|
GEEKABALL posted:Automatic For The People I spy something that doth not aply
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 06:50
|
|
|
Cabin boy is such a good movie, REM should have done the soundtrack
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 14:04
|
|
|
redshirt posted:I spy something that doth not aply To my ears The Bends drips with REM influence, especially Monster.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 14:51
|
|
|
REM is cool, a lot of my favorite bands ever are heavily influenced by them. If I’m going to listen to REM I’ll go for one of the first three releases (chronictown, murmur, reckoning). The more unintelligible and jangly the better IMO
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 15:40
|
|
|
Les Os posted:Can you tell an Of Montreal story? Ever meet Jeff Mangum? I knew Kevin Barnes a little, and Derek Almstead a bit better. The only stories I can think of are wild parties. I'm sure I met Jeff Mangum at some point, but I couldn't tell you anything about him. I know Derek was involved with Neutral Milk Hotel a little (and Olivia Tremor Control). I also knew Laura Carter (NMH, Elf Power). I met most of those folks while working at DialAmerica, a telemarketing firm. If you were a student or musician in Athens, chances are you worked at The Dial at some point. That place was wild, and was basically an incubator for local bands. It was crazy how many people went through there.
|
|
#
?
Dec 28, 2023 17:29
|
|
|
isaboo posted:Weaver D's of "Automatic For The People" fame is still around, and the food is still good. This makes me happy to know. I haven’t made it down to Athens in ages and I always wondered if they managed to survive through the pandemic. Best broccoli casserole I ever had was there. I swear it was just broccoli and onion and nothing else, and it was goddamn amazing. As to the REM question, I like stuff from across all their albums so I don’t know that I could list a top three. Some of my favorite songs of theirs that I think occasionally get overlooked are: Electrolite Daysleeper Bad Day Electrolite is just gorgeous and I love the piano in it. Daysleeper kind of became an anthem for me when I worked a 12-hour overnight shift.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 05:22
|
|
|
To answer my own question, my favorite album is Reckoning. My favorite song is Pop Song 89, mostly because it's the first song I learned on guitar. It's real basic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 05:41
|
|
|
REM’s one of my favorite bands, but I’m a millennial, so I grew up on their post-IRS years. The run of Automatic through Up is just brilliant, and my hot take is that Reveal is really good too.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 05:42
|
|
|
Sydney Bottocks posted:Also I should add that Mike Mills is one of my favorite bassists. He always seemed like he was REM's anchor in a lot of ways.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 05:53
|
|
|
Death Cab did a nice, straightforward cover of Fall on Me https://youtu.be/zVxUslrQlQ4?si=scowgaCDNrKLVn8D
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 05:58
|
|
|
I also like Reveal more than it probably deserves, but what can I say? I was 12 when it came out.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 06:59
|
|
|
Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi were part of the soundtrack to a very interesting time in my life and I love them dearly.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 07:17
|
|
|
SulfurMonoxideCute posted:Monster and New Adventures in Hi-Fi were part of the soundtrack to a very interesting time in my life and I love them dearly. I love it. If you want to share a song and story, please...
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 07:22
|
|
|
Brrrmph posted:Fall on Me I feel like Stipe discredits his talents by saying stuff like 'oh, this song is about air pollution' or some poo poo. He's much better than that at his best.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 09:24
|
|
|
Ten years ago I was a big enough R.E.M. fan that I went to Athens, GA to go to Wuxtry Records and see the sights. They were really imporant to me back then, but I rarely listen to then now. Top three? New Adventures in Hi-Fi Green Up and a bootleg of the show recorded by Swedish public broadcasting in 1998. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmsCf6GpR1E
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 12:16
|
|
|
I weirdly think that one of their best songs is Leave. It shouldn’t be as good as it is because the “siren” background, kinda basic structure, and 7 minute runtime but something about it is just super appealing to me. https://youtu.be/tXj6_-UwkOU
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 13:28
|
|
|
Here's a funny stipe quote:quote:“I was reading an article in Boston when I was on tour with the Golden Palominos, and Chris Stamey showed me this article about this guy that did an experiment from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, whereby he dropped a pound of feathers and a pound of iron to prove that there was... a difference in the... density? What did he prove? I don’t even know. [A man shouts out from the audience] What? ["They fall just as fast," repeated the disembodied voice] They fall just as fast. Thank you very much.”
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 13:50
|
|
|
axolotl farmer posted:Ten years ago I was a big enough R.E.M. fan that I went to Athens, GA to go to Wuxtry Records and see the sights. I'm pretty sure Wuxtry is still there. I haven't been downtown in quite a while though. Bizarro Wuxtry was (is?) upstairs from Wuxtry, and that's where the Devon guy in my REM story worked. They had all kinds of weird kitschy stuff in addition to the comics and records. There were two other record stores downtown that I liked much better than Wuxtry but they are long gone. Blue Sky Coffee was a favorite hangout of Natalie Merchant and I'd see her there occasionally with Stipe. Every year when the incoming UGA class arrives, the local magazine Flagpole will ask random freshmen Athens trivia and when they get to "Who is Michael Stipe" most of them don't know who he is or will say "is he a politician?" You used to see Flagpole newspapers everywhere downtown but nobody really cares to read it anymore. Y'all should come to town for Athfest, a 3 day music and art festival held in June that takes over pretty much all of the downtown area. It's free, unless you want to pay to see bands that aren't playing on the main stages outside. There are tons of arts and craft booths to explore, great food, and an area for kids. Elf Power and Pylon have been frequent headliners and they put on good shows.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:32
|
|
|
I think they had a song on Donkey Konga once. It wasn't good, I think it was an annoying radio hit and they sounded whiny as ever on it. I guess whatever that one was from would be my favourite album of theirs assuming OP will kill me if I dont pick one.
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:51
|
|
|
Khanstant posted:I think they had a song on Donkey Konga once. It wasn't good, I think it was an annoying radio hit and they sounded whiny as ever on it. I guess whatever that one was from would be my favourite album of theirs assuming OP will kill me if I dont pick one. *Unsheathes my katana with a heavy sigh....
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 16:56
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 8, 2024 22:13 |
|
|
I saw a documentary about R.E.M. recently. All four of them are still friends and hang out once in a while. They just agreed to stop trying to make music together. 
|
|
#
?
Dec 29, 2023 17:23
|
|