40 Years Ago Today; R.E.M. plays their first gig

[Dennis Donovan]

Link to tweet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R.E.M.

<snip>

In January 1980, Peter Buck met Michael Stipe in Wuxtry Records, the Athens record store where Buck worked. The pair discovered that they shared similar tastes in music, particularly in punk rock and protopunk artists like Patti Smith, Television, and the Velvet Underground. Stipe said, "It turns out that I was buying all the records that [Buck] was saving for himself." Through mutual friend Kathleen O'Brien, Stipe and Buck then met fellow University of Georgia students Bill Berry and Mike Mills, who had played music together since high school and lived together in Georgia. The quartet agreed to collaborate on several songs; Stipe later commented that "there was never any grand plan behind any of it".

Their still-unnamed band spent a few months rehearsing in a deconsecrated Episcopal church in Athens, and played its first show on April 5, 1980, supporting the Side Effects at O'Brien's birthday party held in the same church, performing a mix of originals and 1960s and 1970s covers. After considering names such as Cans of Piss, Negro Eyes, and Twisted Kites, the band settled on "R.E.M." (which is an initialism for rapid eye movement, the dream stage of sleep), which Stipe selected at random from a dictionary.

</snip>

Thank you for the soundtrack to my adult life, guys.

[jpak]

1. I knew Peter buying records at Wuxtry

Saw them for the first time on May 15 1980 at Memorial Ballroom UGA the second time they played in public.

[Dennis Donovan]

2. Damn you!

You've experienced something I've fantasized about for decades - seeing R.E.M in their embryonic period, close enough to make out what the hell Stipe was mumbling.

I'd kill for that memory!

[jpak]

8. Saw the B52s in Athens as well

[Dennis Donovan]

9. AAARRGH!

[jpak]

15. When I graduated from UGA in 82 I never thought I'd see REM again6

When their first single came out I brought a dozen of them from Peter at Wuxtry. He was perplexed as to why I was buying so many. I said "because you guys are fucking great". He was genuinely humbled.

I sent singles to the U Maine radio station and WTOS in Maine and my brothers and sisters.

Lo and behold U Maine hosted REM and Let's Active (Mitch Easter's band) in October 1983.

I ran into Michael Stipe going into the bathroom. He said "what are you doing here?" I said I live in Maine now. He then said "do you want to go back stage and drink some beer?" I said "yeah, could I bring my brothers and my girlfriend?" He said "sure I wait here"

Got back stage and drank some beer with them. They asked me if I had any requests. I said Action Action and Body Count - 2 of their earliest songs. They went whooah you know our songs better than we do!

They didn't play them but they dedicate a Pylon cover to me and my girlfriend.

I was wearing my Pylon tshirt.

Love Pylon.

[Dennis Donovan]

17. At this point, you're trying to kill me!

What wonderful experiences! Was it the Chronic Town EP that you bought 10 copies of? Do you remember what brand of beer it was?

[jpak]

18. No it was their first Hibtone 45

Radio Free Europe.

But I did buy a dozen Chronic Town EPs from Peter later on

It was Bud

And we did the coolest thing you can do backstage with any band.

We excused ourselves to watch Let's Active.

Michael Stipe put his arms around me and my girlfriend and escorted us out.

[jpak]

27. My aunt twice removed was responsible for Cosmic Thing

Her daughter my cousin thrice removed was married to the notorious NYC artist that created Piss Christ.

My aunt and uncle were heavily into the occult. Think purple haired 60 something folks.

They attended a party in NYC at my cousin's place and read the B52s their Tarot cards


They told them they would produce a hit song about travel "Roam"

Hence Cosmic Thing.

I know many of you think I'm making things up but I'm not.

My aunt is posted in the credits of that album

[underpants]

3. My boss tells me she saw them at nickel beer night at the 40 Watt

Different bands would get up and play 5 or 6 songs. She later transferred to UVA. Spent two years in Athens.

[jpak]

4. I saw them at least 50 times in Athens

Mostly at Tyrones.

But I did see REM at the original 40 Watt.

[underpants]

7. Man oh man

Sooooo jealous.

[jpak]

23. When they first started playing at Tyrones they were playing for their friends

Last edited Sun Apr 5, 2020, 11:14 AM - Edit history (1)

Maybe 30 of them and me and my girlfriend who were outsiders.

We didn't care. We were there to
dance.

REM did a gig at a frat house which was a big mistake.

The frat boys started showing up at Tyrones and were complete assholes to all the "weird people" that were on the dance floor.

One of them elbowed my beautiful 4 foot eleven inch girlfriend in the nose and made her bleed

I went after the guy but she pulled me back and screamed at me "you're no better than they are ! " and made a big scene about it right outside the front door.

I dragged her bleeding out of Tyrones twice after that and we agreed we were done with REM shows.

Fast forward to REM opening for XTC at the I and I Club in Athens. Had to go Black Sea tour.

Compared to Tyrones the I&I was palatial and we had 20 feet from the rest of crowd on the dance floor during REM's set.

Then a fratboy pulled his girlfriend right in between us and began to shag.

My girlfriend kept poking the guy on the shoulder but he ignored her.

She then took a few steps back and pushed him all the way off the dancefloor.

Everyone clapped

[CottonBear]

5. I saw them play at Legion Field in 81 or 82. They opened for the English Beat.

My dorm was right next to Legion Field! It was an awesome concert! It was a beautiful Athens, GA day! Toy Boat, another Athens, GA band, played too.

Wuxtry is still there on the corner of Clayton Street and College Avenue. It looks exactly the same as it did in the fall of 1981 when I first shopped there.

Sadly, all that remains of the church is the steeple. But, it’s preserved as a landmark.

I’ve has the opportunity to meet all of the rem guys. Mike Mills is really nice!

They played a free concert on the Clarke County Courthouse steps once. That was fun!

[Dennis Donovan]

12. Was the church the same one they used for the video for Swan Swan H?

The closest I could come to your experience is U2 played at our local community college in 1980(!). Alas, I didn't have the money for a ticket. We hung out outside and could kinda hear it? And we saw the band leave from 50 yds away.

[CottonBear]

19. It was filmed in part of the Lucy Cobb Institute on Milledge Ave. in Athens, GA.

This was prior to its renovation. It’s now occupied by the The UGA Institute of Government.

[underpants]

6. The little band that could

Oh how I love REM. My buddy used to make mixtapes of a local DJ on the ALL ROCK station who played alternative stuff mixed in with the normal stuff. Thursday nights she could do an all alternative show. Th first time I heard them I said out loud "Who the Hall is THIS?!" And I was hooked.

Someone here at DU posted years ago posted that they actually bought a copy of the book "Life and How to live it" at an exorbitant price. The author was displeased with his effort and went out and bought back all th published copies. Well not all of them.

BTW I think someone cleaned up the Wiki page. One of the names, as I've understood it, that they were considering was N_____ Wives or Dead N______ Wives.

Anyway. Their late work was REALLY good. "How the West was won and where it got us" is one of the greatest song titles ever and a really great song. The video.

[Dennis Donovan]

10. Imagine if we grew up listening to "Cans of Piss"?

For me, it was seeing them on Dave - their first gig on national television. I bought Murmur the nest day.

&t=69s

[underpants]

13. Yeah

I wonder if they'd have made it into an acronym COP

I can't imagine a record label even I.R.S. back then letting them release an album under that name.

There was another REM. This is from memory but I remember reading a story (I think in SPIN) that there as another band going by REM. They crossed paths and they had an agreement, whomever got published first could keep the name. The "long arm of Athens" came down and the boys got the name. The other band became Green On Red.

I worked with a guy who was in a popular mostly regional band for 20 plus year. When they "toured" outside the DC area some shows were just be here on this date - no idea who they were playing with. They were all dying to play with and meet REM or Los Lobos but never did. The three bands were in this swirl around each other but never quite meeting on the same night at the same place. Always the night before or the next night.

His band did headline a 3 band show and the opening opening act was U2.

[jpak]

16. I saw U2 in a bar in Atlanta for 4 bucks on Dec 8 1981

Still have the ticket.

[underpants]

20. I asked him what he thought (U2)

He said the rhythm section blew him away but tat lead singer "could really work a room and you can't teach that".

[Tommy_Carcetti]

11. Made it all the way through the era of Hair Metal...

...until finally reaching the 90s, where their alt rock style was much more appreciated.

My personal favorite of theirs is “Drive,” remembering the first time hearing it, which was aptly...on a drive.

[MissLilyBart]

14. *heart eyes*

R.E.M. were a huge part of my life, back in the day... even made my personal 'pilgrimage' to Athens.

Two of my favorite early videos are 1982-10-10 Raleigh

and 1984-06-09 Passaic (I was actually at this show):

[underpants]

21. Me too. Eddie nails what I feel about Stipe in particular here

It's 9 minutes long but the 2:00-4:00 part is exactly what I went through with REM.

[extvbroadcaster]

22. Saw them at Leaf Benefit in 1989

I saw R.E.M. several times when I lived in Georgia. In November of 1989, I was living in Atlanta. No internet or cells, I heard R.E.M. would do a benefit at the Fox Theater at the end of the Green tour. But it was too late to get tickets, the concert sold out immediately. I was disappointed but when I told that to my friend Bob he told me to go down to the Fox with my credit card. Tell the guy to take my card number and if any tickets opened up to charge them to my card and I would take them. I did, and sure enough the day of the concert I got a call. I had 3 tickets! Too late for a date, so I went with two of my friends. Probably the best R.E.M. concert ever. They threw away the set list and played "murmur" all the way through, took a break and then played all of "Green", and then an encore. They were at the height of their fame, top of the world in 1989. I still have my ticket stub. For a huge R.E.M. fan like me, nothing was better!

[jpak]

24. My good friend Lorie Fowler a founder of LEAF got me tickets to that show

We used to do an environmental call-in show on WUOG.

[blogslut]

25. Yes, indeed

[mr_lebowski]

26. Funny, I listened to all 5 IRS albums (and some Chronic Town and DLO) yesterday

Soundtracked mah coding as I worked on Saturday (bleh).

It was on loud too.

Only saw the Monster tour ... I almost went to Lifes Rich Pageant tour but my buddy flaked that day ... I was pissed.

No way I could pick a 'favorite REM song', but I could maybe do sorta top 10, 1 per record, in chrono order:

Sitting Still
Harborcoat
Wendell Gee
Cuyahoga
Disturbance At The Heron House
World Leader Pretend
Half a World Away
Nightswimming
Strange Currencies
Be Mine

I also quite like their last two albums, bunch good songs on both.

They definitely soundtracked my adult life as well.

[Blue_true]

28. I am not sure about the greatest American rock band of all time.

There are a few other bands that can legitimately make that claim.

[hangaleft]

29. The Doors, The Beach Boys spring to mind, both put REM to shame

And I’m sure there are others. Nothing special about REM.

It’s one thing to say that REM (or any band) is your favorite. It’s something else completely to say any band (or actor or movie or food, etc.) is the best.

[Blue_true]

30. Well stated. nt