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From: [e-mail] (Ron Henry)
Newsgroups: rec.music.rem,news.answers,rec.answers
Subject: Rec.music.rem FAQ (Part 1 of 3)
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Last modified: July 1, 1997

=====================================================================
                R.E.M. - Usenet rec.music.rem
               FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS LIST
                     Revised 1 July 1997
      Maintained by Ron Henry ([e-mail])
=====================================================================

Contents:

Part 1. About The Newsgroup, and How to Get its Documents
Part 2. Some Very Basic Information About The Band
Part 3. The FAQ Proper: Questions That You Don't Need to Ask
   A. General Questions
   B. Album Covers, Liner Notes, and Other Packaging Questions
   C. Those Darn Lyrics; and Other Music Questions
   D. Questions on R.E.M.'s Live Performaces
Part 4. Where To Get More Information about R.E.M. (Books)
Part 5. R.E.M. on Video
Part 6. Resources Available on the Internet
Part 7. A Primer on R.E.M. Bootlegs/Live tapes
Part 8. FAQ Index by Subject
Acknowledgments

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part 1.  About The Newsgroup, and How to Get its Documents

An R.E.M. Internet e-mail list first began in Feb. 1990 as a part of
Project Athena at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In July of
1993, it moved to Lynchburg College in Virginia; then, due to the
ever-increasing volume of Internet interest in the band, and the resulting
unmanagability of the volume of postings to the list, the Murmur list was
discontinued and replaced by a Usenet newsgroup. On March 28, 1994,
"rec.music.rem" was created, after winning a landslide voter approval (789
to 241).  Consequently, the MURMUR e-mail list is no longer available.

However, the most recently updated version of the full FAQ can be obtained
by:

   * WWW browser to http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8789/remfaq.htm; or
   * emailing me, Ron Henry, to request it (text version only); or

   * when it is occasionally posted to Usenet newsgroups rec.music.rem,
     rec.answers, and news.answers.

Lyrics to all of R.E.M.'s albums can be gotten via the Web at Kipp's
Retroweb page, http://www.retroweb.com/remlyrics.html (Note: Kipp's
files are the consensus lyrics worked out by members of the Murmur
mailing list and rec.music.rem over the years. You may not agree
with all of them, but keep in mind that many people have worked
very hard to make them as accurate as is humanly possible, so do
give them the benefit of the doubt. (I also maintain an alternate set of
lyrics files here which you may or may not care about.)

For those wondering about specific references in the lyrics,
Chris Piuma has compiled the R.E.M. Lyrics Annotations FAQ at
http://www.brainlink.com/~cafard/remlafaq.html.

Several specialized supplements to the regular FAQ document have been
prepared (email me for copies if interested):

   * Collected posts and responses to Michael Stipe's on-line sessions
     August 1995;
   * The "Real People in R.E.M. Songs" list, compiled by Gary Nabors,
     author of the book Remnants;
   * List of REM videos with directors and brief descriptions;
   * Multi-part index to Gray's R.E.M. reference book It Crawled from the
     South (1st ed., 1993), compiled by Cindy Donlin;
   * The Band Members' Illness FAQ, which summarizes Bill Berry, Mike
     Mills, and Michael Stipe's surgeries during the World Tour 95;
   * "Lame Postings to the Newsgroup and How to Cope" article to help
     readers face the insanity that is Usenet;
   * Mini-FAQ of information about the album New Adventures in Hi-Fi;
   * Transcript of Michael Stipe on the AOL Webstock forum;
   * R.E.M. Monster World Tour FAQ;
   * R.E.M. Monster World Tour Setlists statistics, compiled by Martin
     Hoyt;

To comment on or make a suggestion for the FAQ-lists, send email to me
([e-mail]).

Enjoy rec.music.rem!

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 2. Some Very Basic Information About The Band R.E.M.

The actual band members are Bill Berry (percussion, backing vocals), Peter
Buck (guitar), Mike Mills (bass, keyboards, and vocals) and Michael Stipe
(vocals). Other folks of note are Bertis Downs IV (the band's lawyer), and
Scott Litt (producer of their albums since Document). Prior to 1996 the
band's manager was Jefferson Holt.

Albums to date:

   * Chronic Town (EP), 1982
   * Murmur, 1983
   * Reckoning, 1984
   * Fables of the Reconstruction..., 1985
   * Lifes Rich Pageant, 1986
   * Document, 1987
   * Green, 1988
   * Out Of Time, 1991
   * Automatic For The People, 1992
   * Monster, 1994
   * New Adventures in Hi-Fi, 1996

Compilations:

   * Dead Letter Office, 1987 (B-sides and Chronic Town reissue)
   * Eponymous, 1988 (I.R.S. Greatest Hits)
   * The Best of R.E.M. 1991 (European Greatest Hits)

In addition, European reissues of albums through Document, which include
bonus live and b-side tracks, have appeared from I.R.S.  See the
Discography for a more complete description of all the official releases.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Part 3. The FAQ Proper

A. GENERAL QUESTIONS

o A1. "How do I join the fan club? Is it worth it?"

Write to: R.E.M., PO Box 8032, Athens, GA 30603. The yearly cost is US$10;
$12 if joining from overseas. You will have to renew every year.

For joining, you get a few postcards/newsletters, some random promo stuff
when a new record comes out (usually a poster, some buttons, photos, things
of that nature) and a holiday package containing the ever-famous Christmas
collector's edition fan club single, and possibly other goodies like a
calendar. Only you can decide if this is a good deal -- but bear in mind
that such collectables generally increase in value over time, especially
the fan club singles.

o A2. "What does the 'J' in J. M. Stipe stand for?"

John. Nobody knows why he dropped the name but still uses the initial. Much
biographical information on the band members' full names, birthdays, home
towns, childhood, and educational backgrounds is covered in detail in the
book It Crawled from the South by Marcus Gray.

o A3. "Are there any R.E.M. fan newsletters I can subscribe to?"

Here is a quick list of a few recently-published R.E.M. fanzines, in no
particular order (fanzines tend to come and go, so it's a good idea to
check if it still publishing before sending money):

   * 394 Oconee, c/o Pattie Klienke, P.O. Box 304, Union City, NJ.
     07087-9998; (Single issue: US $3, UK & Europe $5 US)
   * Country Feedback, RR1 North Road, Jefferson, NH 03583; (Single issue:
     US $3, UK & Europe 5 US dollars; payable to Country Feedback)
   * Chronic Town, 27 Oriel Drive, Old Road, Liverpool, L10 3JL, England;
     (Single issue: UK 2 pounds, Europe 2.50 pounds, Australia 3 pounds, US
     5 pounds (no US checks!))
   * Murmur, c/o Stephen Rennicks, Church Rd, Ardbraccan, Navan, Co.Meath,
     Ireland; (Single issue: UK 1.80 pounds, US 6 pounds; payable to
     Stephen Rennicks)

o A4. "Doesn't R.E.M. stand for 'rapid eye movement'?"

In the scientific field of sleep research, the acronym r.e.m. indeed stands
for "rapid eye movement," and refers to the stage of sleep in which, among
other things, dreaming occurs. But, in the case of the band, no, it
doesn't. The story related by Peter Buck on the band's early 1983 Late
Night with David Letterman appearance is that they picked it out of the
dictionary (not all dictionaries include scientific terms like "r.e.m.," so
don't be disappointed if you don't find it) and they liked it because it
was so ambiguous.

From It Crawled from the South:

     "'We sat up one night,' says Michael, 'and we just got completely
     drunk and rolled around the floor. We had all this chalk, and we
     took every name anyone could think of and we wrote it on the wall
     in the living room. When morning rolled around, we pointed and
     erased, and it was between R.E.M. and Negro Eyes, and we thought
     *that* probably wouldn't go over too well outside our immediate
     circle of friends!'" (p. 24).

o A5. "I think that Fables of the Reconstruction sucks/rules!" or "I think
["Stand," "Shiny Happy People", etc.] is terrible/great!" or "I hate/love
[Monster, Out of Time, Murmur, etc.]!!!!!"

"Fables rules/sucks" is an old, tired flame war from the mailing list days.
Remember, some people are going to hate a particular work, while other
people will love it, and still others remain indifferent.  It's a good
example of a non-topic that dragged on and on and never really did anything
but piss people off.

Frankly, any simplistic opinion about a song, album or video that does not
elaborate in support of its stated opinion wastes group readers' collective
time and bandwidth, and should be discouraged (in other words, should not
be replied to by other group members!)  Mindless knee-jerk proclamations
serve only to start tiresome battles that annoy everyone.

o A6. "Do R.E.M. members ever read the newsgroup, and do they have email
addresses? I want to send them a message if they have an email address!"

During August 1994, Michael Stipe posted comments, and answered fans'
questions, via an America On Line account "[e-mail]". After much
confusion and controversy regarding the authenticity of these postings, his
identity was confirmed by news reports and third party sources. For those
interested, the complete text of Stipe's net postings, which have been
annotated with the actual questions asked by fans, is available (send a
request to me, [e-mail]). Also, Bill and Mari Berry have posted
from a Prodigy account, and Peter Buck appeared on an on-line Q & A session
on AOL.

In late 1995 Stipe posted the lyrics to "Tongue" directly to rec.music.rem
using the AOL account, wished Happy Holidays to the group, responded
sarcastically to a post commenting on his sexuality, and thanked a poster
for defending the band from an accusation that the band had sold out. Most
recently, Stipe was on-line again in Nov. 1996 on the AOL Webstock forum.

To the more brazen among us: Stipe has also said he deletes all email sent
to his AOL account due to the excessive volume, so don't bother trying to
send him a message there -- he won't see it!

o A7. "Someone told me that R.E.M. is going to break up on New Year's Eve,
1999. Is that true?"

Peter Buck said this as an off-the-cuff joke during an interview (mainly in
connection with it being a great excuse for a huge party), but they have
all repeatedly said since then that as long as they feel R.E.M. is making
good music, they will continue to work together -- whether that doesn't
last until 1999, or goes beyond. Note that magazine writers who can't think
of anything else to say about the band will often trot this factoid out and
compel the band to comment on it.

o A8. "A friend told me that Michael Stipe is HIV positive! Is this true?
Has anyone else heard this?"

Uh, yeah, we heard. In fact, every few months or so a new contributor
decides to share this so-called "fact" with us. There is absolutely nothing
to substantiate such a rumor and questions and comments stating that Stipe
is HIV+ are considered by some newsgroup readers to be in poor taste, and
insensitive to the feelings of newsgroup readers who are struggling with
the disease. In some recent interviews Stipe has mentioned how upsetting
and cruel he found this rumor to be, that he is naturally very thin, and
that he feels he is now in the best shape of his life.

o A9. "Who are/were the Hindu Love Gods?"

R.E.M. (without Michael Stipe) collaborated on a side project with the
singer Warren Zevon. (Note that the lineup also played on Zevon's own album
Sentimental Hygiene.) The HLG album includes covers of many blues standards
as well as Prince's "Raspberry Beret."

Opinions about the project vary greatly: some saw it as a mediocre
knock-off of some blues standards that should not have been released,
others as a fun romp for the instrumental 3/4 of R.E.M.

o A10. "Where does the title 'Automatic for the People' come from?"

The band borrowed this slogan from a sign in Weaver D's Delicious Fine
Foods, a popular home-cooking restaurant in Athens, Ga., which,
incidentally, sells T-shirts, hats, and other such merchandise featuring
the slogan (address 1016 E. Broad St., Athens GA, 30601).

The phrase means that people at the restaurant "automatically" get what
they want (as in: "Do I get fried potatoes with my chicken?";
"Automatic!").

o A11. "So, what's the story with those funky suits Mike Mills wore during
the Monster World Tour?"

Actually, the outfits Mike was wearing are known as "Nudie" suits, after
the late tailor Nudie who designed many such outfits for country stars of
the 1960's/70's. Nudie suits became hip with the rock crowd through their
being worn by the band that's been credited with initiating the music
called country-rock, the Flying Burrito Brothers (including the legendary
Gram Parsons.) It's been mentioned in an interview with the band that the
one Mike wears in the "Kenneth" video was in fact once owned by Parsons.

o A12. "There's this kind of wacky song whose lyrics talk about all the
songs on Reckoning and about the guys in R.E.M. -- what is that?"

The band Pavement recorded a song for the compilation CD No Alternative
called, "The Unseen Power of the Picket Fence," which is a tribute of sorts
to R.E.M., their album Reckoning, and the defense of Atlanta against
General Sherman's march to the sea in the Civil War.

o A13. "Is Peter Buck related to Rob Buck of the 10,000 Maniacs?"

No. There was, however, an amusing story in Musician magazine about Peter
getting drunk one night of the Work Tour (during which the Maniacs opened);
when he stumbled back to his hotel and found a room assigned to "Buck," he
got into the bed Rob Buck was already occupying.

o A14. "Who is that woman prominent in both the 'One I Love' and 'Pop Song
89' videos?"

An old friend of Stipe's named Caroline. According to Marcus Gray,
"Auctioneer (Another Engine)" was written with her in mind, and Stipe used
to tell anecdotes about her (and her tatoos) between songs during the
Reconstruction Tour. Gray does not provide her last name, probably to
protect her privacy.

o A15. "What is the tattoo under Michael Stipe's right upper arm that was
visible on the 1995 Letterman show appearance?"

It is a tattoo of Ignatz Mouse and Krazy Kat, who are the main characters
in the comic "Krazy Kat" by George Herriman, drawn from the 1920s-1940s. If
you don't know who/what these are, and like interesting comics, make a
beeline to a library or good bookstore and find a compilation of old Krazy
Kats. They are a incredible mix of quite hilarious and totally surreal
(reality-bending) material. Berke Breathed's "Outland" (and parts of "Bloom
County" before it) are the closest contemporary comparison to the style and
attitude.

There's a web page at http://www.krazy.com/coconino.htm which explains the
comic better than I have -- I suggest surfing over there if you're
interested.

o A16. "Did Michael Stipe work on a project with Kurt Cobain before
Cobain's death?"

While many people would have looked forward to such a project and have
hoped something had been accomplished before the Nirvana singer's untimely
suicide, according to Stipe they had only traded correspondance about such
a project and nothing was composed or recorded. One of the ironic tragedies
of Cobain's final months was his expression of admiration for the way
R.E.M. had handled their superstardom, though, as Stipe pointed out, they
were lucky it took years for them to reach the point and learn to adapt to
the strain of the media spotlight.

o A17. "I have seen Mike Mills' name recently as an artist and as member of
other bands besides R.E.M."

The Mike Mills in Butter 08 is not Michael Edward Mills from R.E.M., but a
graphic artist who has done work with bands like Smashing Pumpkins and They
Might Be Giants. According to rec.music.rem reader <sujan> he does not
remotely look like the Mike Mills in R.E.M., for whatever that's
worth. Note that Butter 08 is: Russell Simins of JSBX, Rick Lee of Skeleton
Key, Miho and Yuka from Cibo Matto and Mike Mills, graphic artist.

o A18. "Who is Patti Smith, who sings on 'E-bow' and is in the video for
that song?"

The background singer on the song "E-bow the Letter", Patti Smith, is an
important figure from the late 70's punk/new wave scene in New York whose
albums (especially Horses and Easter) are considered by many people
essential milestones in the development of American rock music. She has
also published several books of Beat-influenced poetry over the years. Her
influence on the members of R.E.M., especially Michael Stipe and Peter
Buck, has long been noted in interviews with the band.

o A19. "Why isn't long-time manager Jefferson Holt mentioned in the New
Adventures in Hi-Fi credits?"

A recent press release from the band announced that Holt had left his
position of manager. No further details about the split were confirmed by
R.E.M./Athens Ltd., and much speculation on why and what happened remains
rumor. In fact it has been reported that one of the terms of the
dissolution is that none of the parties make public comment, so don't
expect any further details.

o A20. "Is the song 'The Wake Up Bomb' about the band Oasis?"

Not according to R.E.M. Peter Buck said in an interview in 1995 that Stipe
wrote the lyrics about the Glam Rock period of the 1970's (characterized by
bands like T-Rex, Mott the Hoople, the NY Dolls, and David Bowie) after
visiting a club in NY with a Glam Rock theme decor, and that the supposed
Oasis references are being read into the song and not intended.

[Continued in Part 2 of 3]

--
Ron Henry / [e-mail]
  Official Rec.Music.Rem FAQ at
  http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/8789/remfaq.htm
"I never thought of this as funny."