REM by MTV


Really enjoyed this documentary on VH1 classic a couple of days ago. Insightful footage of the lads from their Athens' days playing for keg parties and whoever would listen. They came across as being sincerely surprised about their commercial success while all in all creating a great body of work. I remember seeing them open up for the "Swimming Pool Q's at 688 in Atlanta in the early 80's. I thought they were great and giggled at Michael Stipe because he danced like he was having an epileptic fit on stage.
maxnewid
We're big R.E.M. fans here and were very sad to see them break up. We saw them about six times and they were perfect each time. My favorite video is "Perfect Square-Live" in Weisbaden.

I knew most of their history but enjoyed hearing them retell it on the MTV special. I was struck by how humble these guys are. Some of their work is amazing, but even their worst is better than many of the groups I see today. They deserve to be in the R&R Hall of Fame. We only wish we could see them live one more time. They are in my top ten of all the groups we admire.
And many don't know that many of their albums are available in very good quality multichannel sound - bravo!

-RW-
I enjoyed it too but how can you say they were surprised when Michael said "Radio doesn't deserve me" in his early days, later in his career he drops that attitude and admits "its just pop music.
For those that were not there...REM were the Beatles of college radio long before MTV, grunge, alt, indie, etc...their first two Lps were magical...after that they had brief moments of brilliance but nothing that rivaled their early work. They also got rave reviews from RS and NY Times which catapulted them to stardom.