10 replies to this topic

[starttobreathe]

Hi everyone!
Here's a link to the first interview with Peter Buck after the break up. I think it's an exclusive. I don't have the time now to make a translation, sorry.   However, he speaks about the festival in Mexico he's preparing and he says they broke up because they didn't want to become a greatest hits band like the Rolling Stones.
http://www3.lastampa...lo/lstp/434999/

[Sweden]

Thanks, worked pretty fine through Google translate. Nice to hear Peter spekaing, even if pretty brief.
Would be very cool to be in Mexico in January, but after the Athens trip for the final release events I'ts not gonna happen...

[Elephant Up The Stairs]

starttobreathe, on 19 December 2011 - 06:22 AM, said:

Hi everyone!
Here's a link to the first interview with Peter Buck after the break up. I think it's an exclusive. I don't have the time now to make a translation, sorry.   However, he speaks about the festival in Mexico he's preparing and he says they broke up because they didn't want to become a greatest hits band like the Rolling Stones.
http://www3.lastampa...lo/lstp/434999/

When R.E.M., on 21 september, shocked the rock world announcing they were disbanding after 31 years Peter Buck had already gone to Mexico to start his new life.
He has bought a house in a small mexican village called Todos Santos, located on the Baja California's coast, where he and his fiancee are organizing a new music festival which will take place next january and which will host some of the most prominent and influent bands og the indie rock scene.
In his first interview after the split he says that he speaks with an italian reporter because "italian fans are the most enthusiastic and appasionate of the wolrd" and even because he wants that people from all over the world will go to Baja for the music festival, which hopefully will take place every year.
All the festval proceeds will go to Palapa, a local non profit organization which provide Todos Santos young students with scolarships.
To organize the music festival Peter Buck cooperated with Hotel California (www.hotelcaliforniabaja.com), built in 1948, refurbished in 2001, and winner of many design and interior awards, which, according to local legends may have inspired Eagles' song.
The music will start at 8 p.m.. There will be 2 gigs per night 4 times a week during 3 weeks.

[Elephant Up The Stairs]

Elephant Up The Stairs, on 19 December 2011 - 07:12 AM, said:

When R.E.M., on 21 september, shocked the rock world announcing they were disbanding after 31 years Peter Buck had already gone to Mexico to start his new life.
He has bought a house in a small mexican village called Todos Santos, located on the Baja California's coast, where he and his fiancee are organizing a new music festival which will take place next january and which will host some of the most prominent and influent bands og the indie rock scene.
In his first interview after the split he says that he speaks with an italian reporter because "italian fans are the most enthusiastic and appasionate of the wolrd" and even because he wants that people from all over the world will go to Baja for the music festival, which hopefully will take place every year.
All the festval proceeds will go to Palapa, a local non profit organization which provide Todos Santos young students with scolarships.
To organize the music festival Peter Buck cooperated with Hotel California (www.hotelcaliforniabaja.com), built in 1948, refurbished in 2001, and winner of many design and interior awards, which, according to local legends may have inspired Eagles' song.
The music will start at 8 p.m.. There will be 2 gigs per night 4 times a week during 3 weeks.

The rehearsals will take place at Buck's house during the afternoon.
I do this, tell us Buck, because my social life is playng music for an audience. I do this since I was thirteen.
Buck belevies also in charity: "if you're part of a community you have to give a contribution".
In this occasione he personally signed a 10.000 USD check and he's also paying the majority of the expenses.
Even if the gigs are for free the are some seats reserved to donors and Buck hopes to raise another 10.000 USD selling posters and  t-shirts.
Last time Buck toured Italy with R.E.M was in 2008.
R.E.M. are one of the few rock band that had played in Sicily (1995, Monster Tour), because of their frienship with  Francesco Virlinzi, a music producer and a true R.E.M. fan born in Catania.
Buck has an italian mandolin, that was donated to him by Virlinzi, who died of cancer in 2000, which he plays at home or in his recording studio.
Buck can't wait to start living in Todos Santos, a place for surgfers and artists.
He admits that the day R.E.M. announced they were disbanding was sad but also liberating.
The band decided to split 2 years before.
"We wanted to leave on a high note. It was time to change".
Being in the band was becoming repetitive.
"Do i really want to go on stage and play once again Losing My Religion? I don't want to be a member of a greatest hits band".
Other bands, even older than R.E.M., are still on the road.
"I like to go to a Rolling Stones gig - tell us Buck – and I will continue to go. But what the Stones do is not what I want to do. A lot of bands that still exist should have split long ago. I'm not a rock star. I like to play music, but there are lots of things I don't like. I don't like to be photographed or interviewed and I don't go to parties. My future is a sombrero, a margarita and playing guitar with my friends in Mexico".

[thomas08]

So is Peter now living full time in mexico? or is he just there for the charity event? Just seems an odd place for him to host an event when he lives in Seattle.

[Sweden]

thomas08, on 19 December 2011 - 11:23 AM, said:

So is Peter now living full time in mexico? or is he just there for the charity event? Just seems an odd place for him to host an event when he lives in Seattle.

I believe he spends most of him time in Portland nowadays actually, with his girlfriend, even though he has kept his house in Seattle as well. I don't see that he would have any financial problems also buying a house in Mexico, and he certainly doesn't need to worry about work when deciding where to spend his time.

[fanfan]

Thanks for translating, Elephant! It's highly interesting, and the festival sounds like a great thing. Before reading this I didn't realize it was him who organizes the festival.

[thomas08]

Sweden, on 19 December 2011 - 11:41 AM, said:

I believe he spends most of him time in Portland nowadays actually, with his girlfriend, even though he has kept his house in Seattle as well. I don't see that he would have any financial problems also buying a house in Mexico, and he certainly doesn't need to worry about work when deciding where to spend his time.

ah well that would explain the band doing demos in portland for collapse into now and peter going to portland to record his parts for the new tracks on 'Part Lies...'

[Sweden]

thomas08, on 19 December 2011 - 04:58 PM, said:

ah well that would explain the band doing demos in portland for collapse into now and peter going to portland to record his parts for the new tracks on 'Part Lies...'

Scott also lives up there as far as I know, and I guess Peter seems to hang out more with Portland musicians (Decemberists etc) than Seattle ones these days.

[Kimo]

Elephant Up The Stairs, on 19 December 2011 - 07:36 AM, said:

The rehearsals will take place at Buck's house during the afternoon.
I do this, tell us Buck, because my social life is playng music for an audience. I do this since I was thirteen.
Buck belevies also in charity: "if you're part of a community you have to give a contribution".
In this occasione he personally signed a 10.000 USD check and he's also paying the majority of the expenses.
Even if the gigs are for free the are some seats reserved to donors and Buck hopes to raise another 10.000 USD selling posters and  t-shirts.
Last time Buck toured Italy with R.E.M was in 2008.
R.E.M. are one of the few rock band that had played in Sicily (1995, Monster Tour), because of their frienship with  Francesco Virlinzi, a music producer and a true R.E.M. fan born in Catania.
Buck has an italian mandolin, that was donated to him by Virlinzi, who died of cancer in 2000, which he plays at home or in his recording studio.
Buck can't wait to start living in Todos Santos, a place for surgfers and artists.
He admits that the day R.E.M. announced they were disbanding was sad but also liberating.
The band decided to split 2 years before.
"We wanted to leave on a high note. It was time to change".
Being in the band was becoming repetitive.
"Do i really want to go on stage and play once again Losing My Religion? I don't want to be a member of a greatest hits band".
Other bands, even older than R.E.M., are still on the road.
"I like to go to a Rolling Stones gig - tell us Buck – and I will continue to go. But what the Stones do is not what I want to do. A lot of bands that still exist should have split long ago. I'm not a rock star. I like to play music, but there are lots of things I don't like. I don't like to be photographed or interviewed and I don't go to parties. My future is a sombrero, a margarita and playing guitar with my friends in Mexico".

Thank you for the translation !!!

[welliwonder]

Sweden, on 20 December 2011 - 12:38 AM, said:

Scott also lives up there as far as I know, and I guess Peter seems to hang out more with Portland musicians (Decemberists etc) than Seattle ones these days.

Yup , Johnny Marr spends a lot of time there too ,  a pretty cool town apparently.