peter buck interview in latest issue of mojo

i don't think this has been posted before, but apologies if so.  it's in the same issue as the review for collapse into now, just seen it.

R.E.M.'s sociable guitarist talks bands-as-marriage, anti-heroics and oklahoma! by keith cameron

In the six weeks since mojo last spoke to him, Peter Buck has played on two records,and today he'll work on a third.  none of these endeavours concern R.E.M., nor indeed the guitarist's many regular side-gigs, such as the minus five or tuatara, or the baseball project, his latest dalliance with R.E.M. auxiliary Scott McCaughey, a fellow habitue of Portland, Oregon's recording studios.  But this 54 year old fan boy has reserves of energy and enthusiasm that his main band alone has never been able to satisfy.  although clearly pleased with collapse into now, R.E.M.'s fifteenth studio album in 30 years, buck is equally enthused about fernando viccionte, a portland based argentinian rocker on whose session he's due to play in a few hours.

What are the pros and cons of being in a band with such a weight of history?

the pros are pretty straightforward: we command a certain amount of respect.  it's nice to know people in peru will get the chance to hear our record.  the bad part, obviously, is that people have made up their mind, no matter what record we make.  we don't make many new fans.  on a personal level, it gets harder to surprise one another. but the positives outweigh the negatives, certainly.

There have been blips along the way: you were pretty disgruntled with 2004's around the sun...

i think every band is an on-going concern: how do we do it, do we wanna still do it...we give each other a lot of space. the new record is as good as it could be.  i'm proud of it. a few years ago i could easily have said 'i don't wanna do this any more'. the only reason to do it is because we think we can do it well.

Is compromise the key, much like a marriage?

You're taling to a man who's been divorced twice so i'm not sure any comment i make on marriage is going to be super-germane. honestly, you could not pay me enough money to do this if i didn't like these guys, or i thought they were full of shit on a creative level.  but we don't always agree.  i'm collaborative:  i'm not ever going to make a solo record. i don't think i'm a very good lyricist.  there are worse singing voices, but not many!  i work better standing behind someone who is good at that.

As an anti-heroic guitar hero, who are your cornerstone players?

i was seven years old when the beatles happened.  so i listened to george harrison a lot.  the byrds were a big influence.  and then when punk rock happened, the thing made sense.   i never did like guitar solos and 20 minute jams. and here's the ramones, no guitar solos. i like rhythm guitar players.  whether it's steve cropper or john lennon or keith richards: they can be really precise and melodic and not be wanky.

There is one guitar solo on the new R.E.M. album, but lenny kaye plays it.

lenny nailed it.  i'm really proud that i get to play with a guy who's been such a big influence on my life. with the exception of beatles and stones, anyone i've ever respected since 1972 i've played with: bruce springsteen, neil young, patti smith, warren zevon, roger mcguinn, i've played with the replacements, husker du, john fogerty...to have actually been on stage playing guitar with these guys - man, how lucky did i get?

After you're written hundreds of songs, does the motivation remain the same?

i'm an older guy, with children and all the worries someone of my age would have.  but that 15 year old in georgia, in his room trying to play a yardbirds song, that guy's still in there. and he comes out when i play guitar.  as you get older, fun disappears from the equation of life. there's pleasure, there's being content, but you don't have fun like you did when you were 17. but playing guitar is still fun, playing with bands is still fun. it's the only thing that's still really fun other than sex.

There's a joke in there somewhere.

I'm sure it has to do with practising by yourself a lot!  but believe me, my entire life is a joke.

The church in athens where you played your first gig is gone now.  do you miss that time and place?

if you were the guitar player in R.E.M. in athens in 1980 to 83 it was a pretty amazing time, in every way.  and i did that.  believe me, no one could have done it better!  every now and again, me and mike and michael will have a couple of drinks and talk about those days and have a laugh.

Tell us something you've never told an interviewer before.

i'm kinda small-scale OCD-ish.  i have this counting thing.  i unfortunately watched the movie oklahoma! when i was twelve, and whenever i hear a four-syllable word, in my head i sing the song, (sings) 'ok-la-ho-ma...' i told one of my daughters and she went, 'oh god, i do that too'.  it must be genetic.

my tunes - mr buck's top dollars

dion - daddy rollin'

beverley - where the good times are

the mighty hannibal - the truth shall make you free

david werner - can't imagine

zalman yanovsky - as long as you're here

Sweden, on 01 March 2011 - 05:01 AM, said:

That be a HAT though, right, notwithstanding the BBQ theme...? :lol:

Clearly you didn't see the Walter's Theme portion of VH1 Storytellers.

Michael:  "I wrote that song prior to my kosher-vegan phase.  I really liked ham"
Peter:  "Why couldn't you have said you got a ham the size of California?  It's bigger, isn't it?"
Michael:  "But then everyone would have thought I was foreshadowing I Remember California"
Peter:  "Alaska, North Dakota, Delaware, I don't care!  Just anywhere except Oooo-kaloma"
Michael:  "Well ex-cuuuuse me, Mr. Perfect!  Why don't you take over vocals and I'll take over guitar?"
Peter:  "Fine!  Why don't you lay down the guitar tracks to Why Not Smile and I'm Not Over You and let the world see how great of a guitarist you are?  I'll do the vocals to Surfing the Ganges."
Bill:  "And people wonder why I decided to retire?"

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