I don’t know if this would be considered a side-project or if anyone is really interested. I did speak with a few authors over the years and they would get it mostly right but a lot of things are not exactly correct.
There is a really good book “Begin the Begin, R.E.M.'s Early Years” the author got it almost all right, However, when Pitchfork summarized, they got a few things wrong in just one paragraph regarding the little “Talent Show” we were in.
- It wasn’t battle of the bands, there were only 2 bands (and other acts); our band (The Band/The Jotz) and Spectre, my friend Danny Cates’ band that taught me guitar.
- It wasn’t St.Louis, Missouri, it was Collinsville, Illinois
- Even though Michael said he didn’t sing it did not take any coaxing to start practicing.
PITCHFORK: Early Myths About R.E.M. Debunked