14 replies to this topic

[High_Speed_Train]

Seattle radio station Kiro FM 97, 3 aired an interview with Scott McCaughey.

The musician briefly reflected on the breakup of R.E.M.

- How many years you played with them? ...10 years?

- "17 years. As long as Bill Berry! And then we broke up (laughs)... Playing with them was a great experience (but) I was really sorry to see it end".  

McCaughey regretted the fact that the songs of Collapse into Now were never played live.

He added that during the Accelerate tour "I had a feeling that we wouldn't tour again for quite a while (but) that's all I thought was going to happen: I thought we would keep making records and wouldn't tour".

He said the band's decision to split was "very unexpected, I didn't know about it until a week before it happened".

During the interview he revealed that he and band member Kurt Bloch have completed 12 new Young Fresh Fellows songs. A new YFF album may appear in July with a few live dates in Seattle, Portland and Spain to promote the record.

Listen to the full interview here: http://mynorthwest.c...7&a=40053&p=&n=

[robertandrews]

Thanks. What a nice man McCoi sounds like, eh?

[Sweden]

Thanks! Always good to hear from Scott.
That not even he knew until a week before the announcement, with 17 years in the band and being a very close friend of Peter's, and that he does not seem to have really knows about the discussions during the 2008 tour, is yet another evidence to the amazingly tight group they are when it comes to information.

Bill did six months more than Scott in the band though! April '80 (at least) to October 1997 compared with August/September 1994 to September 2011. (Not to mention "actual member" etc.)

[stipeeyes]

See even Scott didn't expect them to break up. At least I know I'm not alone.   So to the people who said they were not surprised, I think you're full of it.
Peter, Mike and Scott will keep having the want to make music.  And I think our lovely lead singer no longer had the desire to make music or perform anymore(which is crazy when you have such a gift) and doesn't want to be honest with his fans. Peter and Mike would certainly back Michael up and protect him and just go alone with, "It was a mutual decision."

Anyway I am going to catch the Baseball Project next month at the Met Musuem in NYC. I just need to find out what time of the day they will perform.

[Driver Nate]

I was not surprised because of several reasons, all of which I've mentioned here countless times before. The most telling were during the interviews Mills did in support of Collapse Into Now where he said R.E.M. had no future plans beyond the release of the album. That doesn't mean I thought it was a sure thing that they'd announce they were disbanding but coupled with the news of no tour, their contract with Warner Brothers being up, the overall lack of promotion for Collapse Into Now and other factors, I definitely wasn't surprised when they announced they were disbanding.

[Stoffel]

peter buck solo album = me super excited!

[fanfan]

Thanks! It's always lovely ro read or listen to Scott's interviews.

[thomas08]

Driver Nate, on 12 March 2012 - 10:01 AM, said:

I was not surprised because of several reasons, all of which I've mentioned here countless times before. The most telling were during the interviews Mills did in support of Collapse Into Now where he said R.E.M. had no future plans beyond the release of the album. That doesn't mean I thought it was a sure thing that they'd announce they were disbanding but coupled with the news of no tour, their contract with Warner Brothers being up, the overall lack of promotion for Collapse Into Now and other factors, I definitely wasn't surprised when they announced they were disbanding.

so you can honestly say you werent the smallest bit suprised?

[Count Feed]

Stoffel, on 12 March 2012 - 11:00 AM, said:

peter buck solo album = me super excited!

I kind of zoned out slightly during the interview, but was this really mentioned in it? Great interview overall and his comments about Michael reveal what many, including myself, assumed about the break-up all along.

[Driver Nate]

thomas08, on 12 March 2012 - 03:58 PM, said:

so you can honestly say you werent the smallest bit suprised?

I'm not sure how many times and ways I can explain myself but it wasn't like it was completely unexpected. I had hopes that they would branch off and do something independent of a label but apparently that wasn't an avenue they wanted to explore. I'm sure in the years to come we'll all learn more about their decision and the reasons behind them thanks to interviews and the inevitable books that will be written.

[High_Speed_Train]

Quote

What do you want to do next?

McCaughey: That's a good question. I'm really bad at planning and thinking of the future, I just take whatever comes up next (…) I just produced a record by the Parsons Redhead, great band from Portland, they just asked me to produce their record, that was a great experience and then Peter's making this record of his, I just wait for people to ask me to do stuff, always happens that way. I don't have a great plan I'm not out looking for work with, I can't imagine being in another band like R.E.M.  

[Count Feed]

High_Speed_Train, on 12 March 2012 - 07:34 PM, said:

Thanks. It is a bit hidden.

I do appreciate the response by the interviewers to the idea of R.E.M. being broken up with the idea that no band is ever over. That is still my feeling. And with Peter and Mike playing together, openly not as a surprise, which seems to contradict what Mike said last year about the end of the band makes me think that if Michael called Peter and Mike up a few years from now and said he had some songs he wanted to try out, they would not be totally adverse to the idea.

[Driver Nate]

I don't think Mills' statement during the Rolling Stone interview was ever meant to infer that he would never share a stage with Buck or Stipe separately. Even before R.E.M. disbanded it wasn't uncommon for them to be on stage together with the Minus Five, the Baseball Project or backing Kevn Kinney in Athens. They'll also be performing in the same band when they take part in the Big Star Third/Sister Lovers concert during SXSW. In addition to that performance, they will also be part of Alejandro Escovedo's backing band during SXSW.

[Stoffel]

http://blogs.seattle...t_peter_buc.php

[stipeeyes]

Driver Nate, on 12 March 2012 - 08:42 PM, said:

I don't think Mills' statement during the Rolling Stone interview was ever meant to infer that he would never share a stage with Buck or Stipe separately. Even before R.E.M. disbanded it wasn't uncommon for them to be on stage together with the Minus Five, the Baseball Project or backing Kevn Kinney in Athens. They'll also be performing in the same band when they take part in the Big Star Third/Sister Lovers concert during SXSW. In addition to that performance, they will also be part of Alejandro Escovedo's backing band during SXSW.

Right.  Peter said they wouldn't perform on stage again as R.E.M.  As solo artists, or as other bands they obviously will.  As for Michael, I wonder if he'll eventually sing live again.