R.E.M. Splits Up

[Linus]

R.E.M. splits up (http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2011/09/21/rock-band-rem-splits-after-more-than-thirty-years-together/)

While they didn't say so explicitly, this has to be because of the big facebook redesign.

Rock Band R.E.M. Splits After More Than Thirty Years Together

Rock band R.E.M. announced Wednesday it was breaking up for good after 31 years.

The rock band, which formed in Athens, Ga., in 1980, thanked its fans in a statement posted on the groups' website.

"To our Fans and Friends: As R.E.M., and as lifelong friends and co-conspirators, we have decided to call it a day as a band. We walk away with a great sense of gratitude, of finality, and of astonishment at all we have accomplished. To anyone who ever felt touched by our music, our deepest thanks for listening."

The band, led by frontman Michael Stipe, released 15 albums during its stellar career. The most famous included "Out of Time," "Green" and "Automatic for the People."

[ElDucky]

Why now? Why not 10 years ago?

[Pseudolus]

LEONARD BERNSTEIN

[erosewater]

Obligatory "It's the end of R.E.M as we know them" post

[Pseudolus]

JFK, BLOWN AWAY, WHAT ELSE DO WE HAVE TO SAY?!

[Doctor Love]

:yawn:

[Judge Smails]

That's from Billy Joel's copycat song, and I feel fine.

[Incredible Hulctuary]

REM was still together?

[Keep It Real, Yo]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LatorN4P9aA&ob=av2n

[Keep It Real, Yo]

Wife Yo: We never found out what the frequency was from Kenneth!

[Baron Von Raschke]

:sleep:

IFYP

Sleep tight, REM.

[Baron Von Raschke]

Wife Yo: We never found out what the frequency was from Kenneth!

Ask Dan Rather...

The title of the song is not original to the band, which guitarist Peter Buck explains in the liner notes to In Time: The Best of R.E.M. 1988–2003. It refers to an incident in New York City in 1986, where news anchor Dan Rather was the victim of an unprovoked attack by one or two assailants who, between beatings, would ask, "what's the frequency, Kenneth?"[5] (although the phrase Dan Rather says he actually heard was, "Kenneth, what is the frequency?").[citation needed] One of the assailants has been since identified as William Tager, who attacked Rather because he thought the media had taken control of him.[citation needed]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_the_Frequency,_Kenneth%3F

[ADoubleDot]

REM was still together?
:iatp: my thoughts exactly

[Pseudolus]

HELTER SKELTER!

[Incredible Hulctuary]

Ask Dan Rather...

I'd rather not.

[JollyGoodFCAS]

Wife Yo: We never found out what the frequency was from Kenneth!

I'm more interested in the severity.

[Irish Blues]

Things are finally looking up in the world. We no longer have to hear Michael Stipe's nasally, whiny voice drone on through any more songs.

Next target: getting rid of any trace of "Cotton Eye Joe."

[r. mutt]

The only band that natters.

[MAX.]

REM was still together?

This is what shocked me the most.

[Listeria]

sigher say a rayo's gonna say
Reason: it apall a shuhthreh
peh theh peh theh peh then honner walll
That thissizzihkhahn riadh all

euurrraaaghhh station: sigher sa-haid...

kimi edda country edda whrrr
Wheel of for chew leading us: a brrrr
Push that, push that, push that to the flow
That thissizzen nothing at d'oh
Straight off the boat, where to go

Calling out in transit
Calling out in transit
Radio Free you're a radio


deh sigh de fie a me yah too fez
stead of pushing palaces to faw
Put that, put that, put that up your waugh
That this isn't fourth net at awe

Radio stay Shahhhhh: sigh your seh-hehhhh

calling out in transit
Calling out in transit
Radio Free Eurraghhh radio

sigher seff: come in on a bow
Me yaz too fez
Keep me out of Country and the whir
Disappoint menudo app sir

Stray off the bo-ho-ho, where to go-ho-ho?

Calling out in transit
Calling out in transit
Radio Free Euraghh
Radio Free Euraghh

Calling out in transit
Calling out in transit
Radio Free Euraghh
Radio Free Euraghh

[Baron Von Raschke]

Euraghh! Pew pew!

[Listeria]

That's a translation/explanation of the original lyrics, btw. Hopefully less cryptic now that they have been explained.

[That Goblin]

Now that REM is broken up, what are we gonna talk about? Should we talk about the Weather?

[Numbers Nerd]

Guess they lost their religion.

[BG5150]

Have they made any relevant music in the past how many years? Their last GOLD record in the US was in 2001. The last PLATINUM certified output was 1996.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M._discography

[erosewater]

SHINY HAPPY PEOPLE HOLDING HAAAAAAANNNDDDSSS

[Woodrow]

REM was still together?

I think this news means they aren't going to release any more albums or tour anymore, unless they do.

Previously they were going to release albums or tour, unless they didn't.

The difference is subtle.

[GargoyleWaiting]

Have they made any relevant music in the past how many years? Their last GOLD record in the US was in 2001. The last PLATINUM certified output was 1996.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M._discography

No band stays relevant for 30 years. I reckon REM managed about 10 - mid 80s to mid 90s. Which is way better than most bands.

Since then, some decent enough music, but nothing with the impact/influence of the early stuff.:shrug:

[Brock]

I've met Michael Stipe a few times.

Michael Stipe is batshit crazy and an *******.

[Bicycle Repair Man]

No band stays relevant for 30 years.
U2?

As overrated as I personally think they are, it would be hard to argue that there's been a time since 1980 that they weren't at least relevant.

[Brock]

U2?

As overrated as I personally think they are, it would be hard to argue that there's been a time since 1980 that they weren't at least relevant.

U2 hasn't been relevant since Rattle and Hum.

[Pseudolus]

I've met Michael Stipe a few times.

Michael Stipe is batshit crazy and an *******.

He's an actuarial recruiter? Interesting. Explains a lot, acutally.

[Bicycle Repair Man]

U2 hasn't been relevant since Rattle and Hum.
We must have different ideas of what relevant means.

[Brock]

We must have different ideas of what relevant means.

I was using relevant to mean making music that doesn't suck and that influences other musicians? Which meaning where you using?

[Brock]

He's an actuarial recruiter? Interesting. Explains a lot, acutally.

I think you are confusing him with ***** **** who may be batshit crazy but isn't an *******.

[Pseudolus]

I think this news means they aren't going to release any more albums or tour anymore, unless they do.

Previously they were going to release albums or tour, unless they didn't.

The difference is subtle.

I think this news means that the REMmers realized that the big money these days is in reunion tours. And breaking up is a prerequisite to having one of those.

[Bicycle Repair Man]

I was using relevant to mean making music that doesn't suck and that influences other musicians? Which meaning where you using?
18M people bought Achtung Baby. 12M people bought All You Can't Leave Behind, and Beautiful Day was one of the best songs of the decade. 9M people bought Atomic Bomb. 5M people bought No Line on the Horizon.

Their last tour made more money than any other tour ever.

But I guess you're right. They suck and have no influence.

[BG5150]

No band stays relevant for 30 years. I reckon REM managed about 10 - mid 80s to mid 90s. Which is way better than most bands.

Since then, some decent enough music, but nothing with the impact/influence of the early stuff.:shrug:

U2 has. The Rolling Stones did.

[Brock]

18M people bought Achtung Baby. 12M people bought All You Can't Leave Behind, and Beautiful Day was one of the best songs of the decade. 9M people bought Atomic Bomb. 5M people bought No Line on the Horizon.

Their last tour made more money than any other tour ever.

But I guess you're right. They suck and have no influence.

I see a trend.

18M - > 12M - > 9M - > 5M Their old fans must be dying off.

Thanks for noticing that I'm right.

[erosewater]

Beautiful Day was one of the best songs of the decade

Say what now?

[erosewater]

various U2 album sales numbers

Take a look at the Billboard charts sometime and you'll see that most of the top-selling artists suck donkey balls

[Bicycle Repair Man]

Take a look at the Billboard charts sometime and you'll see that most of the top-selling artists suck donkey balls
True. But they're still relevant. Relevant <> Good, although there tends to be some correlation.

[Listeria]

18M people bought Achtung Baby. 12M people bought All You Can't Leave Behind, and Beautiful Day was one of the best songs of the decade. 9M people bought Atomic Bomb. 5M people bought No Line on the Horizon.

Their last tour made more money than any other tour ever.

But I guess you're right. They suck and have no influence.
Britney Spears also has influence -- especially over consumers and radio programming. And is relevant. And mostly sucks.

[Bicycle Repair Man]

Britney Spears also has influence -- especially over consumers and radio programming. And is relevant. And mostly sucks.
I agree with all of that.

[erosewater]

For a while there Britney had influence over little erose

[rekrap]

U2?

As overrated as I personally think they are, it would be hard to argue that there's been a time since 1980 that they weren't at least relevant.

Aerosmith

[erosewater]

Aerosmith

Speaking of influence over little erose. Alicia Silverstone and Liv Tyler Aerosmith videos :love:

[Brock]

For a while there Britney had influence over little erose

Then she turned 18, and the love was gone.

[Baron Von Raschke]

U2?

As overrated as I personally think they are, it would be hard to argue that there's been a time since 1980 that they weren't at least relevant.

U2 benefits from playing music that lends itself to being performed in an arena. They are relevant the same way Dave Matthews is.

[BG5150]

Relevant can mean merely selling records. Because that means people are listening to it. That probably means the record company was advertising it. That creates jobs, and allows the media in which they advertise to maintain jobs.

[erosewater]

Then she turned 18, and the love was gone.

Exactly. This keeps happening to me.

[r. mutt]

I think you are confusing him with ***** **** who may be batshit crazy but isn't an *******.

Meh. ** ******** was the most batshit crazy recruiter in history, by a long shot.

[Evol ded]

I always thought R.E.M. sounded whiney.

[Listeria]

Meh. ** ******** was the most batshit crazy recruiter in history, by a long shot.
Exactly the asterisks I myself first had in mind for this. Or maybe not exactly, because I don't remember the exact spelling. PM me if you have any idea what became of him, I mean him/her.

[Linus]

Meh. ** ******** was the most batshit crazy recruiter in history, by a long shot.

I assume you mean the guy on the motorcycle?

[Quasi]

I assume you mean the guy on the motorcycle?

Hadn't thought of that guy in a while. I wonder where he is now.

[Listeria]

I was just asking the same!

[Judge Smails]

I assume you mean the guy on the motorcycle?

That reminds me of a conversation I had with a recruiter about souping up motorcycle engines (or something along those lines). Yep, that's the recruiter I was thinking about, too. And I think his/her name fits those asterisks.

IIRC, this recruiter was the voice of (or had a voice similar to) Foghorn Leghorn.

[Judge Smails]

This.
http://www.actuarialoutpost.com/actuarial_discussion_forum/showthread.php?t=6423

:capn:

[remilard]

Have they made any relevant music in the past how many years? Their last GOLD record in the US was in 2001. The last PLATINUM certified output was 1996.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M._discography

Looks a lot like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Jam_discography

[r. mutt]

Exactly the asterisks I myself first had in mind for this. Or maybe not exactly, because I don't remember the exact spelling. PM me if you have any idea what became of him, I mean him/her.

Hi sweetheart - I heard he operated under a couple of different names for a while, but I'm not sure where he is these days.

[Listeria]

may he's...


GARDENING AT NIGHT

GARDENING AT NIGHT



I remember my sister and I would sometimes pool our mental and emotional energy together for hating one of our uncles. One day in the car in the great white north, we were singing

That's me in the corner

<something about> short, fat, bald

<something, something>


I wonder if she can remember any specifics. (short, fat, bald are not the reasons we hate him...)

[Listeria]

It's hard for me to thing of any REM song that I don't generally experience as excellent or close to that. I don't know them all, though.

[Pseudolus]

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ls0av5SUyr1qz9s08o1_500.jpg