R.E.M. Never Meant to Get So Big

Photo: Keith Carter R.E.M. broke boundaries, first as an upstart ’80s indie-rock band equally indebted to folk-rock acts like the Byrds and hook-smart post-punk stars like U2, and later as the model for considerate rock stardom and political and humanitarian activism that the figureheads of the ’90s alternative-rock boom would often look to for guidance. They were a wellspring of hits from day one.

R.E.M. walked an interesting path in the ’90s. When grunge exploded, you were making beautiful, quiet music. People adjusted to that, then you gave them guitars and distortion. By the end of the ’90s, there was no sense of what ground R.E.M. couldn’t cover. What inspired you to evolve so quickly in that era?

Mills: We had to present ourselves to the world for the first time in five years. Nobody had really seen us. They just heard our record. We didn’t want to present the same R.E.M. they had seen in ’89, so we were like, How can we do something different? And we just did it pretty radically. What was in the air in ’93 and ’94 that drew all these gritty records about masculinity and power dynamics out of everyone? You’ve got Monster, you’ve got Zooropa, Versus, In Utero.

With these reissues, are you just making sure everything stays in print, or is there an aspect of the stewardship of a legacy? Or do you just want to clear up the vaults? Mills: The record really is about ironic distance. It’s about separating who you are from who you present yourself to be, both in real life for the characters in the songs and for us on the stage. Going onstage in front of 20,000 people is both the most real and the most unreal thing you could do as a human being. When you go on the stage, you’re not the person you are ten seconds before you walk onstage. We decided to run with that.

Stipe: This is one of the things that the 21st century’s offered us: generations that understand. It feels like it’s a part of their DNA that there are not these categories, and if there are, we’re gonna blow ’em up. “Guess what? I have a new name for what I am that you’re gonna have to learn, and you’re gonna have to recite it back to me.” And sometimes it can get a little attitude-y, but that’s okay.

Stipe: Of course. In a conversation I had with, of all people, Bill Clinton, the night before his wife handed [the 2008 Democratic presidential primary] over to Barack Obama, he was talking about how, in American politics, there will always be an expansion followed by a deep contraction. Change is hard, particularly in a country this big and as young as we are. We still have these locked-in ideas of our own mythology. When that breaks into camps, it can get quite dangerous.

nickwaldrip

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Tracey Spicer Says #MeToo Messages Filmed Over Her Shoulder Were Never Meant To Be In ShotTracey Spicer Says The MeToo Survivors Privacy Breach Is A Matter For The ABC And Production Company But why was the screen opened in the first place, with the crew present? It’s confidentiality 101, and enshrined in the code of ethics of every profession who works with survivors. Surely this is the end for Tracey Spicer,the aged,has been hack. I see now why she was sacked from television. Amateur,abuse of trust,unconscionable incompetence. Needs to be held to account. I think Tracey hit the nail on the head when she said that as a freelance journalist she wasn’t equipped to deal with peoples disclosures. I think this shows why personal disclosures which include trauma need to be dealt with by professionals, not people who mean well.
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »

Iran’s Deceptive Oil Claims Are Meant To Rally SupportIran's president, Hassan Rouhani, announced that the country’s national oil company discovered 53 billion barrels of oil—but maybe the Iranian leadership wasn’t being so honest Seems that guy is qualified to run as tv preacher or republican president... Given U.S. sanctions have cut Iran’s oil exports to negligible levels; 2B or 53B, does not really matter how much oil they find. He pulled a Trump
Source: Forbes - 🏆 394. / 53 Read more »

Noah Centineo Gave A Bizarre Acceptance Speech At The PCAs And 24 Hours Later, I'm Still Trying To Figure Out What He MeantNoah Centineo Gave A Bizarre Acceptance Speech At The PCA's And 24 Hours Later I'm Still Trying To Figure Out What He Meant bitch me too
Source: BuzzFeed - 🏆 730. / 51 Read more »

Post Malone Returns to No. 1 on Artist 100 Chart, While R.E.M. Has a 'Monster' WeekRebounding from No. 2, Post Malone logs his 12th week at No. 1 on the Billboard Artist 100 chart, leading as the top musical act in the U.S. (on the list dated Nov. 16). charts PostMalone This nega is on fire
Source: billboard - 🏆 112. / 63 Read more »

Trump's Walk of Fame Star Gets VandalizedTrump's Walk of Fame Star Gets Vandalized Kids will be kids! All of California is vandalized It happens every week, not news anymore
Source: TMZ - 🏆 379. / 59 Read more »

Jenny Slate on Getting Stage Fright for the First Time in Her 20s'The way that I got on [SNL] was incredibly positive,' says jennyslate. 'Everything was cool until my first episode and I said 'f*ck' on air.' jennyslate No need to know.
Source: NYMag - 🏆 111. / 63 Read more »