62 replies to this topic

[slinky1]

Sweden said:

Is this documentary available online anywhere?


/D

I think it has just been uploaded in the torrent on murmurs.

[oklahoma sam]

sadly, the way rem has been heading , they too will be playing the same, said venues.

[slinky1]

oklahoma sam said:

sadly, the way rem has been heading , they too will be playing the same, said venues.

So have you got them booked for the 66bowl for the next tour?  That may be worth a trip up north to see:D

[In the Corner]

slinky1 said:

So have you got them booked for the 66bowl for the next tour?  That may be worth a trip up north to see:D

Awesome.  I'd go.

[oklahoma sam]

id pull the plug on them if they played even one song from around the sun. acxtually, id probably spray them with mace.

[stipeeyes]

Isn't Mace Illegal:eek:

I'm wishing R.E.M. would start playing more smaller places that hold just over a thousand.  Be cool to see them play some of the places that are still around where  they played back in the 80's. At least here in the States.  :D

[oklahoma sam]

id like to see them have fun again just doing it and not saying shit like "the last tour just wiped us out so we are sitting out another year and maybe have a record out by" whatever. they seem more overworked than any other band at times and where are the results?  im not saying they are rich and fat happy but where is the inspiration, the drive to take us on another adventure? around the sun came at a time right when the war was beginning to deteriorate and they could have kicked everything in the nuts but instead i couldnt believe how empty it was. the "thinking mans band" has nothing left to say?i am a genuine fan. shit, at all the early shows here and in texas many folks were there because i was championing the band . i thought they would be as big as the beatles or the stones.but its like they are turning into....fuck i dont know . like elton john maybe?

[dorset_dinos]

oklahoma sam said:

i thought they would be as big as the beatles or the stones.but its like they are turning into....fuck i dont know . like elton john maybe?

Er.. actually, Elton is FANTASTIC live!

My impression of this documentary was that Peter eats, sleeps and breathes music, and he finds the idea of a "year off" R.E.M. incredibly frustrating, and his outlet is Robyn Hitchcock's music. He said that he finds the other members of R.E.M. work a lot slower than he does, which is why he likes to take a break and be more spontaneous once in a while.

I don't see this as the end of R.E.M., even though I feel frustrated every time I see Peter is going on tour AGAIN with Robyn and the M5 or V3, because it means yet another delay for R.E.M. getting back into the studio!

Rather, I see it as a necessary release for Peter, who cannot bear to be away from his music and his guitars for any length of time, and this little dalliance is preventing a "divorce" from Mike and Michael.

And talking of divorce... how on earth does his wife put up with all his touring? And do his children recognise him when he comes home?! ;)

[oklahoma sam]

well if the next record is anything like around ther sun it will alienate just about every rem fan of all time. in fact, it might be their....final straw bwahahaha!!

[Spacey-cadet]

oklahoma sam said:

well if the next record is anything like around ther sun it will alienate just about every rem fan of all time. in fact, it might be their....final straw bwahahaha!!

I don't get this thing about ATS - there are some fine songs on it - Leaving New York, The Outsiders, Final Straw - and okay - some not-so-fine ones - Wanderlust and High Speed Train - so-so ones - the rest.......but, hey, it's not a bad album as albums go.....and I did love nearly all of the songs played live (except High Speed Train - which gets very 'durgey')

[oklahoma sam]

Spacey-cadet said:

I don't get this thing about ATS - there are some fine songs on it - Leaving New York, The Outsiders, Final Straw - and okay - some not-so-fine ones - Wanderlust and High Speed Train - so-so ones - the rest.......but, hey, it's not a bad album as albums go.....and I did love nearly all of the songs played live (except High Speed Train - which gets very 'durgey')

you are being illogical.

[dorset_dinos]

oklahoma sam said:

you are being illogical.

Surely that is a matter of opinion?

[oklahoma sam]

http://www.2dayblog....es/060509_2.jpg

[Sweet Fanny Addams]

oklahoma sam said:

http://www.2dayblog....es/060509_2.jpg

This does not compute.

[oklahoma sam]

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

This does not compute.

i love the guy. hes cute, fat and happy .:eek:

[Sweet Fanny Addams]

oklahoma sam said:

i love the guy. hes cute, fat and happy .:eek:

Why is his crotch shaved?

[oklahoma sam]

i cannot answer your question sweetfanny seeing as it is illogical since i am not the owner. but if we use the photo of this cute and fat and happy cat and compare it to rem's current status then i would suppose maybe the cat needs a little air...hahahah!! oh i kill me.

[wagtail]

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

Interesting, because that is the polar opposite to what Peter says in this documentary. He was crying out for spontaneous and gut level, Mike and Michael align themselves with the knob twiddlers. That's if you  accept what Peter says..

I'll get a chance to watch the interview again this weekend, but he was talking in terms of their career overall, more so than their differing approaches to recording...he said he liked to have a plan for when they were going to record, tour, record...he had time frames for that in his mind, and the others didn't.  He said "Michael and Mike don't think further than their next meal" - which Michael confirmed.   My point is more that it isn't new for Peter to comment about how different their personalities and approaches are.  Michael often refers to that too, though he seems to see the contrast as more virtuous.

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

I think someone earlier in the thread nailed it.........when Bill was part of the band, it was more evenly matched.  Bill had no patience with tweaking stuff too much. So it could just be a case of Peter being outnumbered now, which might lead to his input being smothered in synths or whatever.

Maybe, but he's not smothered on Dream #9 and in my opinion if anything lets that song down it's Peter's boring playing - I was under the impression that single was recorded fairly hastily, around Peter's touring with RH and the Georgia Hall of Fame...but I admit, it's not such a fair comparison, since it's a cover.  

Also, the arrangements on ATS seem rather sparse to me, so I don't think his playing is being smothered there either, I just think it's not particularly interesting or creative.  As I've said before, I'm surprised at how little criticism he's received.

I honestly don't know enough about who contributes what to REM in the studio to comment on whether it's likely he feels outnumbered.  Instead, I'll play devils advocate and say it could also be true that since Bill left, more of the onus is on Peter's songwriting abilities and maybe he's struggling with that?

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

The people he was referring to were executives and industry drones.

Really?  I've read a couple of different comments on various sites about the show and most people seemed to suggest his comments were more ambiguous than that.  I didn't realise he had been that succinct.

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

He's very friendly and approachable to his fans. I can attest to that, as well as many other people on murmurs.

Yeah, I met Peter briefly at the RHV3 show, he seems like a good bloke, but I also thought that he seemed kinda awkward, so when I thought he was saying he didn't like spending hours with people, that seemed to make sense.

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

It's not in REM's interest for Peter to be an arsehole to industry bigwigs.I don't see why he should be muzzled from saying it bores him and he doesn't like to shake hands and make small talk wih people who aren't remotely interested in his music apart from monetary gain and chart postition.

I didn't say he should be muzzled, nor did I say he should be an arsehole to industry, but if what you say about the doco is true - he was being an arsehole to the industry bigwigs.

I'm not trying to bash the guy, it's just reading this thread and contrasting it with the old doco I saw is interesting and got me thinking

In that doco Stipe talks about Out of Time and AFTP and how he decided not to talk to the media, do interviews, and the band didn't tour - he jokes about how that was when they were most successful.  So the band have chosen in the past not to play the industry game and have done okay.  

Even if Peter is simply complaining about the music industry.  I reckon it seems strange to start complaining now, I can't see that the industry pressures on him could be any greater than they were 10-15 years ago, the main difference is that REM have become much less successful and less relevant, and it just sounds like sour grapes.

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

What worries me is that Peter seems to be saying REM isn't fun anymore...

I actually think that's good news for the next record, as I was suggesting earlier, I think they make their best work when there is tension.

I remember there being a thread about "what advice would you give REM for their next record", or something like that.  I think I said something like, blow up the piano, drink some beer, have a fight, record the album.....so I reckon it's all going great. :p

I also think that the 'year' off worked out great, because they got all the reflective stuff out of the way..the release of the IRS years...the two Hall of Fames...Peter's done his thing touring....I can't understand why people are worrying.  

If they have a great album in them, they'll make it...will the the amount of time they take and the different personalities/approaches be that crucial? - was it in the past?  I can't remember anyone ever saying *insert album title* was great because everyone turned up in a timely fashion and got along.

[Sweet Fanny Addams]

wagtail said:

I'll get a chance to watch the interview again this weekend, but he was talking in terms of their career overall, more so than their differing approaches to recording...he said he liked to have a plan for when they were going to record, tour, record...he had time frames for that in his mind, and the others didn't.  He said "Michael and Mike don't think further than their next meal" - which Michael confirmed.   My point is more that it isn't new for Peter to comment about how different their personalities and approaches are.  Michael often refers to that too, though he seems to see the contrast as more virtuous.

Booking studio time and getting in the same room with the others, yeah, I can see Peter being more vague with that then Mike and Michael. But some of that surely is at least partly because of his side projects? He has more side projects now than he ever has in the past. There's gotta be a reason for that.

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Maybe, but he's not smothered on Dream #9 and in my opinion if anything lets that song down it's Peter's boring playing - I was under the impression that single was recorded fairly hastily, around Peter's touring with RH and the Georgia Hall of Fame...but I admit, it's not such a fair comparison, since it's a cover.  

I agree, it's not a fair comparison.

Quote

Also, the arrangements on ATS seem rather sparse to me, so I don't think his playing is being smothered there either, I just think it's not particularly interesting or creative.  As I've said before, I'm surprised at how little criticism he's received.

I thought you liked ATS. You've been one of the more vocal supporters of it. You think the production on ATS is sparse?? We'll have to agree to disagree on that, to my ears there are a hell of a lot of blips, beeps and over the top walls of synths.

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I honestly don't know enough about who contributes what to REM in the studio to comment on whether it's likely he feels outnumbered.  Instead, I'll play devils advocate and say it could also be true that since Bill left, more of the onus is on Peter's songwriting abilities and maybe he's struggling with that?

I don't know. Neither of us knows.

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Really?  I've read a couple of different comments on various sites about the show and most people seemed to suggest his comments were more ambiguous than that.  I didn't realise he had been that succinct.
Yeah, I met Peter briefly at the RHV3 show, he seems like a good bloke, but I also thought that he seemed kinda awkward, so when I thought he was saying he didn't like spending hours with people, that seemed to make sense.
I didn't say he should be muzzled, nor did I say he should be an arsehole to industry, but if what you say about the doco is true - he was being an arsehole to the industry bigwigs.

How is he being an arsehole? Saying he doesn't enjoy playing the media game makes him an arsehole? Peter doesn't *have* to come out to greet fans with the M5/V3. He does it because he wants to. If he didn't want to, he could pull a Stipey and disappear into the night, leaving the others to sign autographs and have  pictures taken with the fans. As for the awkward thing, I think you're confusing diffidence with arrogance.

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I'm not trying to bash the guy, it's just reading this thread and contrasting it with the old doco I saw is interesting and got me thinking

Well, it's kind of interesting how you focus all criticism on Peter's input... you are blatantly singling him out.

Quote

In that doco Stipe talks about Out of Time and AFTP and how he decided not to talk to the media, do interviews, and the band didn't tour - he jokes about how that was when they were most successful.  So the band have chosen in the past not to play the industry game and have done okay.  

My turn to play devil's advocate and point out that at that time REM were mega. They were 3 albums into their contract with Warner music and it would have been a lot easier for them to write their own rules. Of course it could also be argued that they're now very close to closing the chapter on their contract obligations to make records, and that could also give them the freedom to opt out of doing stuff they don't like. Peter may be crossing the days off his calendar to when he can end his partnership with REM for all I know. The fact is, neither you nor I know the inside on that. We can speculate but that doesn't make it true. I'm guessing as much as anyone else.

Quote

Even if Peter is simply complaining about the music industry.  I reckon it seems strange to start complaining now, I can't see that the industry pressures on him could be any greater than they were 10-15 years ago, the main difference is that REM have become much less successful and less relevant, and it just sounds like sour grapes.

Or it could be that having put up with a side of the business he never liked for years and years, he is fed up with it and coincidentally enjoying touring and working with a band that hasn't got that  baggage attached to it.

Quote

I actually think that's good news for the next record, as I was suggesting earlier, I think they make their best work when there is tension.

I remember there being a thread about "what advice would you give REM for their next record", or something like that.  I think I said something like, blow up the piano, drink some beer, have a fight, record the album.....so I reckon it's all going great. :p

I also think that the 'year' off worked out great, because they got all the reflective stuff out of the way..the release of the IRS years...the two Hall of Fames...Peter's done his thing touring....I can't understand why people are worrying.  

If they have a great album in them, they'll make it...will the the amount of time they take and the different personalities/approaches be that crucial? - was it in the past?  I can't remember anyone ever saying *insert album title* was great because everyone turned up in a timely fashion and got along.

Well, like I said, we'll find out whether they have a great album in them soon enough.
I want REM's next album to be great. I really do. I hope my reservations and fears turn out to be unfounded.

[rosie]

Sweet Fanny Addams said:

As for the awkward thing, I think you're confusing diffidence with arrogance.

yes, i agree.  he does seem awkward at times, but i've never interpreted this as arrogance.  from the start, peter has made it clear that he doesn't like the trappings of fame, interviews, glad handing etc, but when dealing with respectful fans, i've never seen him be anything other than friendly and gracious.  from what i saw of the hall of fame thing, he seemed to be enjoying the whole thing less than the others.  appearing in his pjs for an award show in the past was making some kind of statement, too.

i think there was a lot of honesty from those interviewed in the sundance doc (including Robyn and Bill).  maybe in the past peter has tended to gloss over or downplay the differences between the members of R.E.M., but now for whatever reason, he feels he can open up a bit more.  i've only watched the documentary once, but i think he says that working together is getting MORE difficult, and i felt a chill when i heard that.  but then, my fave album was made during what was probably the most difficult time of their career (Up), so we could be in for a treat.  i also reckon that what they're planning to do in Dublin is very brave...and i can't wait.

sue