Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Goodbye R.E.M.
This sucks. R.E.M. broke up today. They've always been around. I'm 28, so they've been a band for as long as I've been alive, plus three years. They were maybe the only transcendent rock band of their era, along with U2. They were the one sure thing in life, along with death and taxes. I took them for granted for so long because their existence was a given. Now they're gone and I'll never get to see them live (at least not until the washed-up reunion tour in 10 years). It sucks whenever a band you've loved and followed for years comes to an end. It's like losing a friend. Surely everyone has had it happen to them at some point. Today it's my turn.
(I know some of you don't like them, so I posted some of their best songs below. If you don't like these, there's nothing else I can do. If you do like them, there's plenty more where this came from. I could easily fill up several more posts with their stuff)
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5 comments:
You're lucky. I've been praying for U2 to make a classy exit like this for years.
Yep, I do know what that feels like.
http://unadventuresoftracie.blogspot.com/2009/04/thanks-that-was-fun-dont-forget-no.html
At least you can still listen to their music!
(And I'm with Wendy. U2 needs to be done. They've outlived their welcome.)
Face it, Tracie, they were never welcome in your world. At least they can say that they've never fired or replaced any member of the band and their humanitarian work is unparalleled.
Their music's not bad either.
Jake, sorry your favorite band broke up. My 2 favorite bands broke up over a decade before I was born and the lead singer of the other died when I was 9. I liked R.E.M. quite a lot but never would consider myself a "fan," if only out of respect to true fans.
Is that weird? Oh well. Y'all know me well enough to know you get a little bit of weird when you get Austin.
Tracie: Yes! Someone understands my pain.
Austin: You don't need permission to consider yourself a fan. If you've ever enjoyed their music on any level, at any time, we accept you. We are a welcoming bunch. You bring up something else interesting: most of my favorite bands broke up before I was even aware of them. This one probably just hurts because they stayed with me for so long.
Wendy: It occurs to me that no band ever breaks up at the exact right time. Most either die too young or stick around too long. But I don't begrudge any musician for spending their entire lives doing something they love. It's what we all wish we could do.
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