REMembering

Last month’s announcement that rock band REM were to split after over thirty years together left me with somewhat mixed emotions. Having found them to be a bland and pointless outfit for the last ten years, my initial reaction was that the news was slightly overdue.

However, to give the appropriate props to the Athens, Georgia outfit, they had sound tracked some of the more interesting moments in my life. Up until about 1996-1997 they had been one of my favourite bands, although I wasn’t one of their ‘cool’ fans who had their first five albums.

The first song of theirs that I heard was ‘Stand’ from the 1988 album Green. It was a catchy tune but I really got into them when they had their first mega hit ‘Losing My Religion’ from Out of Time. Their rise to an international super group coincided with me beginning to take an interest in music and specifically with watching MTV. Yes, back when the ‘M’ actually stood for music, they showed videos and REM where at the vanguard of music video as an art form.

‘Shiny Happy People’ ‘Man on the Moon' and ‘Night Swimming’ all had creative and memorable promos but it is surely the video for ‘Everybody Hurts’ that will be remembered as one of the all time greats. Touching scenes of people disillusioned with the Rat Race and the unhappiness in their lives abandon their vehicles on an L.A. freeway and walk towards something...anything. The sadness and pain on their face was the perfect accompaniment to the songs haunting lyrics and lead singer, Michael Stipe’s, tortured voice. Even my dad liked it.

The first gig I ever went to was Prince, in the Point Depot in 1995. On my way there I stopped off in HMV on Grafton Street. As I was leaving I almost crashed into two, (as my memory recalls) tall gentlemen making their way down Dublin’s shopping thoroughfare. It was Mike Mills and Peter Buck from REM. The second concert I went to was REM in Slane later that year. The next year I would go to college and meet some great people who are still some of my closest friends. They were all at the same show.

As it happens, one of those friends would be one of the factors that turned me away from REM. While I thought they were a great band, John K. was even more enthusiastic. He had all their albums, including rare bootlegs. Sharing a house was like living in an REM museum.

He had the posters, he read the books and boy, did he ever listen to their music. I would sometimes listen to music by other bands; it probably would have been Blur and Oasis at the time. If I made the mistake of leaving the room to make a cup of tea or go the toilet I would return to the sound of Stipe et al.

It was around the same that drummer Bill Berry left the band. He decided that he didn’t want to be a pop star any longer and would rather be a farmer. Well, if he couldn’t take REM anymore how could I be expected to? I listened to their stuff less and less and as newer material was released I found my ambivalence turning to resentment. As far as I was concerned REM stood for Persona Non Grata not Rapid Eye Movement.

But I’m willing to let bygones be bygones. If they stay split up and don’t do a comeback tour in the next twenty years, I will only remember the good times. With the exception of Pulp, who only got back together because I hadn’t gotten around to seeing them live first time around, bands should never reform. Do you hear me, Stone Roses?

I’ve never been so disappointed as when the rumours of a Stone Roses reunion turned out to be true for once. The Roses were what rock bands should be. They lived the fast and high life of rock stars for one album and then their candle burned out because of acrimony amongst its members. The music spoke to a specific generation at a specific time in history. Surely that’s what Rock and Roll is all about. Not middle aged men with wrinkles touring to pay tax bills and alimony.

The Rolling Stones have a lot to answer for.