217 replies to this topic

[Mary]

When I went away to college in 1997, and had my first exposure to the internet, Murmurs was one of the first places I found myself.  I signed up in early '98, and can distinctly remember the whole Up-style layout (with the different colored squares around the borders, etc.).  As simple as it was, I really liked it--I remember printing out some pictures of the band for my dorm room, & leaving all the squares along the side, I liked them so much.  :p

I also remember feeling like a dork later on, because I had been so patently uncreative when coming up with my username.  ;)  Ahh, but those were simple times on the internet...

Coming from an isolated town without much of a music scene, in the midst of a very isolating 1st year in college, I was so, so excited to find other people interested in talking about stuff I liked.  :)  Honestly, I think being able to come here & feel some sort of connection was a big part of how I survived that first year on my own.  I was definitely more of an observer than a poster for some time, but it sure was a riot to watch all the personalities on this site.  :p

I can't believe it's been eight years since I got here--the site has changed so much, and I've changed a lot, too.  It's really weird to search back into my older posts, even from just a few years ago, and think about how much living's happened in such a short span of time.  Pretty cool to be able to have that ability, to look back, and it's also pretty cool to sit back & wonder what Murmurs'll be like in another ten years.

[pebbles]

I joined shortly before the Sept 11 attacks. My first "real" murmurs memories are the threads that followed. Especially THE 9/11 thread where people posted as it all unfolded, live. It was pretty frightening, and hard to think about what might be happening.  Then there were the fights that happened afterwards - people who think fights on here are bad now should have seen those threads!

I remember back in 2001, being told all about how PM's and "chat" were *the* way to make friends. And there was some kind of problem with the chatroom, that some people couldn't use it, so everybody had moved to AIM. There were many threads about whether this was divisive and cliquey, and people tried to make it better. We all talked together about ways to help people fit in. Those were good times, good discussions.

I think over the years, I've made some friends and lost some friends, and made new friends. I think anyone who's been here a while can probably say that too. I have some regrets. Some things I'd do differently if I could do them again.  I've learned a lot, about myself, about the world, about people in general. But overall, some pretty fun people come here, and it's still a great place to spend my spare time.

Happy 10-year anniversary to murmurs and all it's members. Cheers! :) :cool:

[nanne]

I think I'm still quite new here, being a member just over a half a year (
I suppose?) although I've known the site long before I actually took a step forward. I was just overjoyed to know that there are whole lot of people who love REM deeply, in many ways ( some rather obsessively;) including me) and here is the place I could talk about the band all day long and didnt get bored look.
Now I have some members to exchange PMs occationally, and could met one in person:) Thats lovely experience.

Being here for a while and I never seen really active Japanese members yet, I think there must be some, but they just dont post much...I dont know. So, just to let you guys know there is a big fan of REM even in far east islands, I'm being around :)

[Maybelline Eyes]

I think i joined in late 98 or early 99. Possibly that was just to read as i didn't have the internet then and logged on from my local library. Then in 99 i had a terrible connection from home so even bought an internet tv topbox to keep up with the news here, though i couldn't post on We Talk with that.
2001 was a great year for me when i met lots of other feaks on the Reveal promo tour, at CDUK, Trafalgar Square, Later with Jools Holland and the free live concert in Cologne. Many are still friends, Lucy, Ilona, (Dunja to you, aka Pillowy Star), Tessa and lots of friendly acquaintances from queues through over the years. We don't always stay in contact but meet up on tour.
Then in 2002 i met up with one of my best friends on Murmurs, (Leo aka Eraserhead) and another friend Helen (aka Vetiver) was instrumental in getting us together and marrying :)
From the early days here i most remember OAP (Astrid) Penny (philomth) Miki, Donna, Kelly, Frinky, Frances, Eric, CraigP and AlexP, Mike and Matty. Then Antti joined(what an old chatterbox he was!) :)
I took part in the Microwave Q and A and still have his answer to my question printed out.
Numerous wars, both real and online have passed, along with hatches, matches and dispatches, real and fake.
I have a good memory so i could probably go on for hours....zzzzzzzzzzz

[Lori]

I first came to murmurs after reading about it in the fanclub newsletter.  Murmurs was first exposure to the internet too and I got a chance to learn some things, how to upload files, html & some.  In the beginning I had the help of one sweet murmurism called Jill, who was the very first person I met  here. Many of the people I knew here in the beginning don't come on or post much anymore.  Some of them lurk and I like to keep in touch now & then via pm or e-mail.  I became friends with a couple of people & met some fellow Aussie fans too. Through all the wars, fights & disagreements, I've stayed here mainly because there is always music at the core of murmurs, and why I came here at the start, to be with other fans.
Happy Anniversary Murmurs!
love, xxxlori.

[yensen]

That which you posted, embark, was one of my very favorite designs for the site.  I miss it.  I think it never even stuck around long enough for all the apparent links to be made actual links.  Or was it always meant to be like that, semi-functional?  

The degree to which I've grown up and changed since I first wandered on here is amazing.  I talk now, as I like to say.  Meeting so many lovely people here was quite an impetus to do so.  Though I still don't post much.  I miss chats.  I mean, not generally, but reading things like this I do.  Though I was generally quite uncomfortable in the more memorable ones....I do remember one in particular from 1999, when I was feeling quite lonely my first year of college and we were all listening to one R.E.M. album after another, syncronized.  It's amazing how something so simple could make me feel so much less alone.  

So yeah, I like this site.

[Lois]

murmurs always came up in searches when I was searching for collectables, as did file under water.  I posted on Electrolite, so my few meanderings through here were just that. I have to say, it always looked as if everybody knew each other, so I just stuck to what I knew. I stopped posting for a while and when I got back on line at home, electrolite had gone as a message board, so I left it.  Then, when I decided to go to numerous gigs in 2004, I logged on to meet people, I suppose, so I could hook-up with them on the tour.  Something, I've never even considered doing before - I've always been happy scooting around by myself to gigs.

I have to say, joining added to the excitement of the new record (previously, I've been told I spend too much time on the top decks of buses, when an r.e.m. album is pending and I go on about it)  It made looking forward to the laast tour more exciting too, as sharing plans was fun!

What jumped out at me first?  the design a gig t-shirt!!  How sad is that, probably, because I design one for every tour I go on, if I attend more than two or three gigs.

Then of course the people forums hit me in the face, and I couldn't get enough!!!

[Driver Nate]

Back when Man on the Moon the movie came out I stayed home to watch R.E.M. perform on Saturday Night Live and didn't go out until late. Upon my arrival at the local bar I struck up a conversation with a very nice fellow and mentioned why I was getting out so late. He asked me if I ever frequented the online site Murmurs to which I gave a resounding "yes". He then went on to explain how he was Ethan's boss and was beside himself with joy over the small world thing. Here we are in a dive bar on the coast of eastern NC making a connection over Murmurs, which is based in California. He gave me his business card (which I still have) and encouraged me to call Ethan since he figured he'd get a big kick out of it. It took me a couple of weeks to get around to it but eventually I gave Ethan a call. Cool thing, that.

I also must mention how great it was to finally meet some of my fellow Murmursians when quite a few of us gathered in Nashville and Atlanta during the tour for Around the Sun. I still have pictures from that I promised to post but haven't gotten around to. I will make good on that once I've relocated and settled in after being displaced by Hurricane Ophelia. I'd also like to give an update of sorts on my friend Ed Pettersen (who I know from a locally based music list I belong to) who came to visit during the Nashville gathering. Ed is working on a project you can read about below:

USA Today:
http://tinylink.com/?VG2euoCKh3

Yahoo:
http://insider.tv.ya...detrack/malkin/

The Tennessean:
http://tinylink.com/?rFMgDzDfz0

Billboard:
http://tinylink.com/?MT4em2LmbW

There's also Ed's web site which can be found at the link below, I know he'd love to hear from the Murmursians he met in Nashville:

http://www.edpetters...rsen/index.html

I hope to attend another Murmursian gathering in the near future, possibily Athfest if I'm at all able to swing it. Right now it looks pretty iffy as my nephew is tying the knot in Ohio just the week before but if there's anyway I'm able to make it, I most certainly will. I've been to Athens twice and have been trying to find an excuse for a return visit ever since.

Jonathan

[beccakay]

Driver Nate said:

http://www.edpetters...rsen/index.html

I remember Ed. I think I still have his card somewhere. Thanks Jonathan

[Tortoise]

Maybelline Eyes said:

Then in 2002 i met up with one of my best friends on Murmurs, (Leo aka Eraserhead) and another friend Helen (aka Vetiver) was instrumental in getting us together and marrying :)

Aaahh. how lovely Laura! :) So good to hear a positive internet story for once.

I think I became aware of Murmurs sometime in early 2001, although it might've been earlier. I spent a few years just lurking and reading until figuring out the technicalities of posting!!! Then I was hooked quite quickly. The 2003 tour came and went and it was wonderful to at last be able to put some faces to names and read everyone's reactions to the shows.

2005 was such fun!:D  I'm not sure what I enjoyed most--the actual shows or all the excitement and planning leading up to the seven shows I was lucky enough to see. Murmurs of course was the meeting place for all the news and gossip!

Unfortunately in the past few months my work has become quite fanatical about non-work related posting so I can't log on there any more.  But I do lurk all coffee-times and lunch-breaks. So then I rush home to post only to find one or other of my teenagers doing "homework" or "Uni-work" on the PC all evening. So posting is quite limited again.

But over the past few years Murmurs has been an important part of my life. Maybe it's a bolt-hole, a little bit of me that can escape from the joys of a busy life as I'm still quite tied to being at home a lot. I've met so many lovely people here who I'd never have met without Murmurs.

Happy 10thanniversary Murmurs :D

[quiet-cats]

I have to post this just after Sheila's post because Sheila (Tortoise) is the reason that I post here!

I met Sheila at Bush Hall and she's been one of my closest friends since.  I'd been around Murmurs - lurking but was far,far too shy to post (some of you might find that hard to believe - but it's true).  Sheila encouraged me to - so thanks Sheila.  Since then I've found enough confidence to make friends with other Murmursians that I've met at shows etc and have had some of the best times in my life, and made some wonderful friends.  Thanks to Murmurs for the first time in my life I've felt that I belong....... oh-- gush, gush, gush:o

[EscapeMomentum]

Hmm. Well I remember when it used to say "Blow Nose", haha. I have actually been a lurker for a long time. I signed up in May of 2001 as Oddfellowz151 but created this username in 2004. I wish that I had kept Oddfellowz151, because then I could look all awesome as the 275th member of this board, haha. Alas, I like the name EscapeMomentum better.

I can remember going to the public library and looking at Murmurs.com. I think I stumbled upon it in 1998 or 1999, not quite sure. It wasn't until 2001 that I started avidly reading the boards. Being a shy and awkward 15 year old girl prevented me from posting a lot, haha. Amazing how self-conscious I was. But in 2004 I got sick of having discussions about R.E.M. with myself and decided to post more often. I'm so glad that I have, even though that sounds dumb and cliche.

That's my story! :)

[Mr. Waffle]

...it looked like the Up cover.
I didn't understand much of english...
and my life was miserable

but when I discovered murmurs.com my life changed!
i instantly met girls and made money! my password in life was "feak"!
I'd walk to a bar and scream "feak" and everyone would start to hug me and give me free stuff! It's awesome!:D

I've met Israelis, Americans, British, Germans, Italians, Argentinians, Venezuelans, Finlands
murmurs is a globalization that went well

so many people in so little time

I wish you all well

here's to a hundred years more of R.E.M. and murmurs.com

[embArk]

Hi Mr Waffle, I remember you well.  You and I were buddies at some point...

Mr. Waffle said:

...it looked like the Up cover.

is this what you mean? :)

http://www.murmurs.c...72&d=1143597325

[Wingnut]

I can't recall why I did a search on yahoo for REM when I did (Jan '03). Maybe it was to see what they were up to and see if anything new was coming up. I had never considered joining up with a messageboard or anything that was "fan" related. But seeing that people were talking about everything from the band to blowjobs I decided it looked to be an interesting group. I was right.

Murmurs was the first place where I found a lot of great people who had similar tastes to me. I have great friends outside of Murmurs, but they don't have the same passion for things that I do. Hanging out with people I have met here has made me not just a bigger fan of REM, but also a bigger fan of music and life in general. I can definitely say that friendships I have made as a result of Murmurs have improved my life considerably

[haggis]

I found Murmurs in 2001 I think but I can't remember exactly how - possibly searching for lyrics?  I joined straight away but lurked for a while before plucking up the courage to post - I don't post on a lot of boards.  So after 5 years and visiting almost every day my post count is still only around the 700 mark - is this some sort of record? :eek:

Some recollections are going into the chat room a lot in the early days - people used to be in there all the time!  I can remember Lucy and some Dutch(?) guy called Edwin or something - anyone remember him?  and Meg somebody? and others I can't remember now. I doubt if anyone actually remembers me from then (or now!) - I feel kind of anonymous on here.  Seems a long time ago now...Also remember a thread about Thom Yorke in which I bizarrely defended him :confused: and abused everyone else posting in the thread (for which I now apologise :) I must have been in a mood!).

Murmurs is now part of my daily routine, here's to the next 10 years and getting over the 1000 post mark! :p

[Maybelline Eyes]

haggis said:

Some recollections are going into the chat room a lot in the early days - people used to be in there all the time!  I can remember Lucy and some Dutch(?) guy called Edwin or something - anyone remember him?

That was Edwin Heida, he was a really nice guy and brilliant at online arty stuff.

Sheila and Julia, yours is a lovely story too. I remember you both being at Bush Hall, (and recall you introducing yourself at T in the Park in 2003 Sheila) but had no idea Julia was as shy as that. I think that sense of "belonging" as you put it, has helped me overcome my shyness a little too, and make many long standing friends here.

[Luna]

I first came across Murmurs in late December 03, when I was searching for lyrics and general R.E.M. info. I liked the site nearly straight away, so I lurked for a few months until the March, when I joined. I spent most of that time reading up on old threads, and because of that, I felt a little more comfortable. I had previously joined a few other boards, but I lost interest after the first few weeks. I assumed it would be the same here. Two years and five days later... The sense of community was the main thing that attracted me to this site, and although that has lessened slightly, there are still a lot of personalities that I would miss. I've met some truly wonderful people here, and I thank Ethan for, indirectly, bringing us together. :)

[kohoutekdriver8]

I joined We Talk in mid-2001 but was unable to post until the website was revised a few months later.

It was and remains my favorite message board.  I may not post here as much as some others, but I visit regularly and this community has the coolest people on earth.

And not just because we're R.E.M. fans.:)

[stipeeyes]

I think my roommate Lotus Eater first found murmurs because she finally had internet access at work and would print out all the news stories so we could read them. We have every setlist printed out from the 1999 tour, as well as a lot of reviews.  I started to go to the library when I didn't have a computer.  Than in early 2001 her brother gave us our first computer.  We have a much better one than that one now. :) So for five years now I've been active on the forum.  And I got to meet a lot of cool people here.  Many of them in person.  

Here's to the next ten years.  :)